Jeremiah 3
1 “[Moses wrote that] if a man divorces his wife and then she marries another man, her first husband certainly must not [RHQ] take her back again [to be his wife], because that would certainly [RHQ] cause the whole nation to become unacceptable to me. But you have more [idols than] prostitutes have men whom they have slept with! So, [why should I accept you if] you return to me?” [RHQ] says Yahweh.
試問：若男人離棄了自己的妻子，她離開他而另嫁了別人，前夫豈能再回到她那裏去﹖像這樣的女人，豈不是已全被玷污了嗎﹖你已與許多愛人行淫，你還想回到我這裏來嗎﹖──上主的斷語──
2 “Look up at the barren hilltops. On every hilltop there are [RHQ] [idols that you have worshiped]. [It is as though] they are all lovers with whom you have had sex. [It is as though] you have sat along the roadsides like an Arab, waiting [to attack and steal things from] those who pass by. Because of worshiping idols and all the other wicked things that you have done, you have caused the [entire] land to become unacceptable to me.
你舉目環顧高丘．看看在什麼地方你沒有受過玷污﹖你坐在路旁等候他們，像個在阿刺伯人，以你淫亂和邪惡玷污了這土地。
3 That is why I have not sent you any rain at the times of the year when you needed it. But you are like prostitutes [MET] who are not at all ashamed [for what they have done].
秋雨不降，春雨不來。你具有娼妓的面孔，仍然不知羞恥。
4 Now each of you says to me, ‘You are my father! You have loved me ever since I was young!
從此以後，你要向我喊說：「我父! 你是我青年時的良友!」
5 So surely you will not [RHQ] be angry with me forever!’ But you will not quit sinning!”
心想：「衪豈能永遠發怒，懷恨到底﹖」看，你雖如此說，卻仍盡力作惡。
6 [One day] when Josiah was the king of Judah, Yahweh said to me, “Have you seen what the people of Israel have done? They have turned away from me, like a woman who has abandoned her husband and sleeps with other men. They have gone up on every hilltop and under every big tree and worshiped idols there [MET].
在若史雅為王的時日裏，上主對我說：「失節的以色列所做的，你看見了沒有﹖她上到一切高處上，走到所有的綠樹下，在那裏行淫。
7 I thought that they would return to me, so I said to them, ‘Come back to me!’ But they refused. So I sent them away [to other countries, like a man] writes a note saying that he is divorcing his wife and then sends his wife away because she has committed adultery [MET].
我以為她作了這一切以後，會回到我這裏來；但是她沒有回來。她失信的姊妹猶大也看見了此事：
8 The people of Judah saw what I did to them. But they are just like the people of Israel. They are not afraid [of what I will do to them]. They also [have turned away from me and are worshiping idols like] women who abandon their husbands and go to other men [MET].
雖然看見了我為了失節的以色列所犯的種種姦淫，而命她離去，給了她休書，她這失信的姊妹猶大卻不害怕，竟然也去行淫。
9 They thought that worshiping idols did not matter to me, so they have made the [entire] land unacceptable to me by worshiping idols of wood and stone.
由於她輕易行淫，與石碣和木偶淫亂，玷污了這土土也。
10 The people of Judah have pretended to return to me, but they have not really done that. [This is true because I], Yahweh, have said it.”
儘管這樣，她失信的姊妹猶大回到我這裏來，仍不是全心，只是假意──上主的斷語。」
11 Then Yahweh said to me, “The people of Israel have turned away from me, but what the people of Judah have done is worse.
上主於是對我說：「失節的以色列比失信的猶大 ，更顯得正義。
12 So go and tell this to the people of Israel: ‘Yahweh says this to you Israeli people who have turned away from him: I am merciful. I will not continue to be angry with you forever. So return to me.
你去向北方宣布這些話說：失節的以色列! 請你歸來──上主的斷語──我不會對你怒容相向，因為我是仁慈的──我不會永遠發怒，
13 But you must admit/say that you are guilty, and that you have rebelled against me, Yahweh, your God, that you have worshiped idols under big trees everywhere, and you have not obeyed me. You have turned away from me.
只要你承認你的罪過，承認背叛上主你的天主，在一切綠樹下，與異邦神祗恣意相愛，沒有聽我的聲音，上主的斷語。
14 But you belong to me. So I will take you, one from [each] city and two from [each] clan, and bring you [back] to Jerusalem [from the countries to which you were exiled].
失節的女子，妳們歸來──上主的斷語──因為我是你們的主人，我要選取妳們，每城選一人，每族選二人，領妳們進入熙雍；
15 [If you do that], I will appoint for you leaders with whom I am pleased, leaders who will guide you [well] because they will know and understand [what pleases me].
在那裏給妳們一些隨我心意的牧者，以智慧和明智牧養妳們。
16 And when you become very numerous [DOU] in your land, you will not need to talk about the Sacred Chest that contained the Ten Commandments. You will not think about it, and you will not want to make a new one.
你們在這地上繁衍增值的時日裏──上主的斷語──人不再提「上主的約櫃」，也不再思念，不再追憶，不再關懷，不再製造。
17 At that time people will say, “Jerusalem is [the place where] Yahweh’s throne is.” [People from] all nations will come there to worship me. And they will no longer stubbornly do the evil things that they desire.
那時，人要稱耶路撒冷為「上主的御座」，萬民要奉上主的名，匯集在耶路撒冷，不再隨從自己邪惡而頑固的人行事。
18 At that time you people [MTY] of Israel and the people of Judah will return from [being (exiled/forced to live) in] lands to the northeast. You will return to the land that I gave to your ancestors to belong to them [forever].
在那些時日內，猶大家與以色列家同行，從北方起回到我賜給了你們祖先作基業的地內。
19 You people of Israel, I wanted to accept you to be my children. I wanted to give you [this] delightful land. It is a land more desirable/pleasant than the land of any other nation! I wanted you to call me ‘father’, and I wanted you to never turn away from me.
我曾想過：多麼願意你像一個兒子，賜給你賞心悅目的土地，列國中最美好的領土，我以為你會以「我父」稱呼我，不會轉身遠離我；
20 But you have abandoned me like wives who have abandoned their husbands.’” [That is what] Yahweh said, and [I told it] to the people of Israel.
但是，你們，以色列家對待我，正如對自己良友不忠的婦女──上主的斷語。
21 People will hear a noise on the barren hilltops. It will be the noise made by people weeping and pleading [for God to be merciful to them]. They will be admitting/saying that they have forgotten Yahweh their God, and that they turned away from behaving as God wanted them to.
在荒丘上可聽到一片喧嚷：那是以色列子民的哀號哭泣，因為他們走入了邪途，忘卻了自己的天主。
22 Yahweh will say to them, “You Israeli people, come back to me! [If you do that], I will cause you to never turn away from me again.” [The people will reply], “We are returning to you, because you are Yahweh, our God.
歸來! 失節的子民，讓我療愈你們的失節。」「看，我回到你這裏，的確，你是上主，我們的天主。
23 We did not get any help from [the idols that we worshiped on] the hilltops; we did not get any help from making all that noise up there.
誠然丘嶺和山卜的狂歡盡是虛幻；唯在上主，我們的天主那裏，有以色列的救援。
24 From the time when we were young, the shameful [god Baal] has taken away [from us] everything that our ancestors worked hard to acquire. He has taken away their flocks [of sheep] and herds [of cattle], their sons and their daughters.
可恥的神祗，自我們幼年就吞噬了我們祖先的收入，他們的羊群、牛群和子女。
25 So, now we should lie down feeling very ashamed [DOU], because we and our ancestors have sinned against Yahweh our God, and we have never obeyed him.”
讓我們躺臥在我們恥辱中，讓我們以羞慚遮蓋我們，因為我們和我們的祖先，自我們幼年直到今日，得罪了上主我們的天主，從來沒有聽從上主我們的天主的聲音。」
