Jeremiah 38
1 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard what Jeremiah was telling everyone:
玛坦的儿子示法提雅、巴施户珥的儿子基大利、示利米雅的儿子犹甲、玛基雅的儿子巴施户珥听见耶利米对众人所说的话，说：
2 This is what the Lord says: Anyone who remains in this city will die from war and famine and disease, but anyone who goes over to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be to save their lives.
“耶和华如此说：住在这城里的必遭刀剑、饥荒、瘟疫而死；但出去归降迦勒底人的必得存活，就是以自己命为掠物的，必得存活。
3 This is what the Lord says: Be sure of this—Jerusalem will be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon. He is going to capture it.
耶和华如此说：这城必要交在巴比伦王军队的手中，他必攻取这城。”
4 The officers told the king, “This man deserves to die because he's demoralizing the defenders left in the city, and all the people too, by telling them this. This man isn't trying to help these people, he's only going to destroy them.”
于是首领对王说：“求你将这人治死；因他向城里剩下的兵丁和众民说这样的话，使他们的手发软。这人不是求这百姓得平安，乃是叫他们受灾祸。”
5 “Well, you can do whatever you want to him,” King Zedekiah replied. “I can't stop you.”
西底家王说：“他在你们手中，无论何事，王也不能与你们反对。”
6 So they took Jeremiah and put him in the cistern belonging to Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the guard's courtyard. They lowered Jeremiah down with ropes into the cistern. It didn't have any water, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
他们就拿住耶利米，下在哈米勒的儿子玛基雅的牢狱里；那牢狱在护卫兵的院中。他们用绳子将耶利米系下去。牢狱里没有水，只有淤泥，耶利米就陷在淤泥中。
7 Ebed-melech the Cushite, a royal official in the king's palace, found out that they had put Jeremiah in the cistern. The king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate,
在王宫的太监古实人以伯·米勒，听见他们将耶利米下了牢狱（那时王坐在便雅悯门口），
8 so Ebed-melech left the palace and went to talk to the king
以伯·米勒就从王宫里出来，对王说：
9 “My lord the king, all these terrible things these men have done to Jeremiah the prophet are evil. They've put him in the cistern, and he'll starve to death there because there's no more bread left in the city.”
“主—我的王啊，这些人向先知耶利米一味地行恶，将他下在牢狱中；他在那里必因饥饿而死，因为城中再没有粮食。”
10 So the king gave the order to Ebed-melech the Cushite, “Take thirty men with you and go and pull Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”
王就吩咐古实人以伯·米勒说：“你从这里带领三十人，趁着先知耶利米未死以前，将他从牢狱中提上来。”
11 Ebed-melech took the men and went to the storehouse under the palace. He took some rags and old clothes from there and then went to the cistern where he lowered them with ropes to Jeremiah.
于是以伯·米勒带领这些人同去，进入王宫，到库房以下，从那里取了些碎布和破烂的衣服，用绳子缒下牢狱去到耶利米那里。
12 Ebed-melech the Cushite called down to Jeremiah, “Put these rags and old clothes under your arms to protect you from the ropes.” Jeremiah did so,
古实人以伯·米勒对耶利米说：“你用这些碎布和破烂的衣服放在绳子上，垫你的胳肢窝。”耶利米就照样行了。
13 and using the ropes they pulled him up and took him out of the cistern. Jeremiah stayed there in the guard's courtyard.
这样，他们用绳子将耶利米从牢狱里拉上来。耶利米仍在护卫兵的院中。
14 Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and met him at the third Temple entrance. “I need to ask you something,” the king told Jeremiah. “You mustn't hide anything from me.”
西底家王打发人带领先知耶利米，进耶和华殿中第三门里见王。王就对耶利米说：“我要问你一件事，你丝毫不可向我隐瞒。”
15 “If I tell you then you'll definitely have me killed,” Jeremiah replied. “Even if I were to give you advice, you wouldn't listen to me anyway.”
耶利米对西底家说：“我若告诉你，你岂不定要杀我吗？我若劝戒你，你必不听从我。”
16 King Zedekiah solemnly promised Jeremiah in private, “As the Lord lives, who gave us this life, I won't have you killed, and I won't hand you over to those who want to kill you.”
西底家王就私下向耶利米说：“我指着那造我们生命之永生的耶和华起誓：我必不杀你，也不将你交在寻索你命的人手中。”
17 Then Jeremiah told Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you hand yourself over to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you'll live. Jerusalem won't be burned down, and you and your family will survive.
耶利米对西底家说：“耶和华—万军之 神、以色列的 神如此说：你若出去归降巴比伦王的首领，你的命就必存活，这城也不致被火焚烧，你和你的全家都必存活。
18 But if you don't hand yourself over to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you yourself won't escape being captured.”
你若不出去归降巴比伦王的首领，这城必交在迦勒底人手中。他们必用火焚烧，你也不得脱离他们的手。”
19 But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the those people of Judah who have gone over to the Babylonians, because the Babylonians might hand me over the them so they could abuse me.”
西底家王对耶利米说：“我怕那些投降迦勒底人的犹大人，恐怕迦勒底人将我交在他们手中，他们戏弄我。”
20 “They won't hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “If you obey what the Lord says by doing what I tell you, then things will go well for you and you'll live.
耶利米说：“迦勒底人必不将你交出。求你听从我对你所说耶和华的话，这样你必得好处，你的命也必存活。
21 But if you refuse to hand yourself over, this is what the Lord has told me:
你若不肯出去，耶和华指示我的话乃是这样：
22 All the women who are left in the palace of the king of Judah will be led out and handed over to the officials of the king of Babylon Those women will say: ‘Those good friends of yours! You were taken in by them and conquered by them. Your feet got stuck in the mid, so they abandoned you.’
犹大王宫里所剩的妇女必都带到巴比伦王的首领那里。这些妇女必说： 你知己的朋友催逼你， 胜过你； 见你的脚陷入淤泥中， 就转身退后了。
23 All your wives and children will be handed over to the Chaldeans. And you yourself will not escape, for you will be captured by the king of Babylon, and Jerusalem will be burned down.”
“人必将你的后妃和你的儿女带到迦勒底人那里；你也不得脱离他们的手，必被巴比伦王的手捉住；你也必使这城被火焚烧。”
24 Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Nobody can find out about this conversation, otherwise you'll die.
西底家对耶利米说：“不要使人知道这些话，你就不至于死。
25 If the officers find out that I've talked with you, and they come and ask you, ‘Tell us what you and the king were talking about! Don't hide anything from us, or we'll kill you;’
首领若听见了我与你说话，就来见你，问你说：‘你对王说什么话不要向我们隐瞒，我们就不杀你。王向你说什么话也要告诉我们。’
26 then you are to tell them, ‘I was asking the king to grant my request not to return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”
你就对他们说：‘我在王面前恳求不要叫我回到约拿单的房屋死在那里。’”
27 When all the officers came to Jeremiah wanting to know, he repeated to them exactly what the king had told him to say. So they didn't ask him anything more because no one had heard what had been said.
随后众首领来见耶利米，问他，他就照王所吩咐的一切话回答他们。他们不再与他说话，因为事情没有泄漏。
28 Jeremiah remained there in the guard's courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
于是耶利米仍在护卫兵的院中，直到耶路撒冷被攻取的日子。
