Jeremiah 37
1 After Jehoiakim died, [his son Jehoiachin became king for only three months, after which] King Josiah’s son Zedekiah became the King of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, appointed him to be the new king.
約西亞的兒子西底家代替約雅敬的兒子哥尼雅為王，是巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒立在猶大地作王的。
2 But King Zedekiah and his palace officials and the other people in the land paid no attention to the messages that Yahweh gave me.
但西底家和他的臣僕，並國中的百姓，都不聽從耶和華藉先知耶利米所說的話。
3 However, [one day] King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, who was the son of Maaseiah, to me. They requested me to pray to Yahweh our God for our [nation].
西底家王打發示利米雅的兒子猶甲和祭司瑪西雅的兒子西番雅去見先知耶利米，說：「求你為我們禱告耶和華－我們的上帝。」
4 At that time I had not yet been put in prison, so I could come and go wherever and whenever I wanted to, [without being hindered].
那時耶利米在民中出入，因為他們還沒有把他囚在監裏。
5 [At that time], the army of [Hophra], the King of Egypt, came [to the southern border of Judah]. When the army of Babylonia heard about that, they stopped surrounding Jerusalem and left there [to fight against the army from Egypt].
法老的軍隊已經從埃及出來，那圍困耶路撒冷的迦勒底人聽見他們的風聲，就拔營離開耶路撒冷去了。
6 Then Yahweh gave this message to me:
耶和華的話臨到先知耶利米說：
7 “[I], Yahweh, the God whom [you] Israelis [say you belong to], say this: ‘The King of Judah has sent [messengers] to you to ask me [what is going to happen]. Tell the king that even though the army of the King of Egypt came to help him, they are about to return to Egypt.
「耶和華－以色列的上帝如此說：猶大王打發你們來求問我，你們要如此對他說：『那出來幫助你們法老的軍隊必回埃及本國去。
8 Then the army of Babylonia will return here and capture this city and burn everything in it.’
迦勒底人必再來攻打這城，並要攻取，用火焚燒。
9 [So], this is what I say [to you Israelis]: ‘You should not deceive yourselves, thinking that the army from Babylonia has gone and will not return. That is not true.
耶和華如此說：你們不要自欺說「迦勒底人必定離開我們」，因為他們必不離開。
10 And even if your soldiers could destroy almost all of the soldiers from Babylonia who are attacking you, and allow only a few of them who were wounded to remain alive in their tents, they would come out [of their tents] and burn this city completely!”’”
你們即便殺敗了與你們爭戰的迦勒底全軍，但剩下受傷的人也必各人從帳棚裏起來，用火焚燒這城。』」
11 When the army from Babylonia left Jerusalem because the army from Egypt was approaching,
迦勒底的軍隊因怕法老的軍隊，拔營離開耶路撒冷的時候，
12 I started to leave the city. I intended to go to the area [where the descendants of] Benjamin live, in order to take possession of my share of the property from my family.
耶利米就雜在民中出離耶路撒冷，要往便雅憫地去，在那裏得自己的地業。
13 But as I was walking out the Benjamin Gate, a guard seized me and said, “You are deserting [us and going] to [the soldiers from] Babylonia!” The man who seized me was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah.
他到了便雅憫門那裏，有守門官名叫伊利雅，是哈拿尼亞的孫子、示利米雅的兒子，他就拿住先知耶利米，說：「你是投降迦勒底人哪！」
14 But I [protested and] said, “That is not true! I was not intending to do that!” But Irijah would not pay attention to what I said. He took me to the [king’s] officials.
耶利米說：「你這是謊話，我並不是投降迦勒底人。」伊利雅不聽他的話，就拿住他，解到首領那裏。
15 They were very angry with me. They [commanded the guards to] beat me and [then to] put me in the house where Jonathan the king’s secretary stayed. They had changed Jonathan’s house to make it become a prison.
首領惱怒耶利米，就打了他，將他囚在文士約拿單的房屋中，因為他們以這房屋當作監牢。
16 They put me in a dungeon/cell in that prison, and I remained there for several days.
耶利米來到獄中，進入牢房，在那裏囚了多日。
17 Then King Zedekiah secretly sent a servant to me, who took me to the palace. There the king asked me, “Do you have any messages from Yahweh?” I replied, “Yes, [the message is that] you will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”
西底家王打發人提出他來，在自己的宮內私下問他說：「從耶和華有甚麼話臨到沒有？」耶利米說：「有！」又說：「你必交在巴比倫王手中。」
18 Then I asked the king, “What crime have I committed [RHQ] against you or against your officials or against the Israeli people, with the result that you have [commanded that] I be put in a prison?
耶利米又對西底家王說：「我在甚麼事上得罪你，或你的臣僕，或這百姓，你竟將我囚在監裏呢？
19 Your prophets predicted that the army of the king of Babylon would not attack you or this land. Why were [RHQ] [their messages] not fulfilled?
對你們預言巴比倫王必不來攻擊你們和這地的先知，現今在哪裏呢？
20 Your majesty, I plead with you to listen to me. Do not send me back to the dungeon/cell in the house of Jonathan your secretary, because [if you do that, ] I will die there.”
主－我的王啊，求你現在垂聽，准我在你面前的懇求：不要使我回到文士約拿單的房屋中，免得我死在那裏。」
21 So King Zedekiah commanded that [I not be sent back to the prison cell. Instead, ] I was allowed to be watched by the guards in the courtyard [of the palace]. [The king] also [commanded that they should] bring me a loaf of fresh bread every day, until there was no bread left in the city. So [they put me] in that courtyard and I remained there.
於是，西底家王下令，他們就把耶利米交在護衛兵的院中，每天從餅舖街取一個餅給他，直到城中的餅用盡了。這樣，耶利米仍在護衛兵的院中。
