Jeremiah 4
1 Yahweh says, “You Israeli [people], come back to me! If you get rid of those detestable idols and do not turn away from me [again],
以色列，若是你歸來──上主的斷語──就應向我歸來；若是你從我面前除去你可惡的偶像，就不應再四處遊蕩；
2 and if you declare, ‘Just as surely as Yahweh lives, what he says is true,’ and if you [start to] always say what is true and act justly/fairly and righteously, then the [people in the other] nations [of the world] will request that I bless them [as I have blessed you], and they will [all come and] honor/praise me.”
若是你以誠實、公平和正義指著「上主永在」起誓，那麼，萬民必因你而蒙受祝福，也因你而得到光榮。
3 This is what Yahweh says to the people of Jerusalem and [the other cities in] Judah: “[Prepare yourselves to receive my messages] like farmers plow up hard ground [in order that they can plant seed in it]. Just as farmers do not [waste good seed by] sowing seeds among thorny plants, [I do not want to waste my time telling you messages that you are not ready to receive].
因為上主對猶大人和耶路撒冷居民這樣說：「你們要開懇荒地，不要在荊棘中播種。
4 Purify your inner beings and your minds for me. If you do not do that, my being angry with you [MTY] because of [all] the sins that you have committed will be like a fire that will be impossible to extinguish.”
猶大人和耶路撒冷的居民! 你們應為上主自行割損，除去心上的包皮，以免因你們的惡行，我的憤怒如火彶作，焚燒得無人能熄滅。」
5 “Declare this [DOU] to [all the people in] Jerusalem and [the rest of] Judea; blow the trumpets everywhere in the land [to warn the people]. Tell them that they should flee to the cities that have high walls around them.
你們應該在猶大宣佈，在耶路撒冷發表，在境內吹起號角，大聲疾呼說：「你們應集合，我們要進攻堅城! 」
6 Shout to the people of Jerusalem, ‘Run away [now]! Do not delay, because I am about to cause you to experience a terrible disaster [DOU] that will come from the north.
你們應該給熙雍指出路標，趕快出逃，絲毫不可遲延，因為我要由北方招來災禍，絕大的毀滅。
7 [An army] that has destroyed [many] nations will attack you [like] [MET] a lion that comes out of its den [to attack other animals]. [The soldiers of that army] have taken down their tents and they are ready to march toward your land. They will destroy your cities and leave them without any people still living in them.’
獅子已衝出牠的叢林，毀滅萬民者已起程走出了他的宮庭，前來使你的地域變為曠野，使你的城邑荒涼，再沒有人居住。
8 So, put on sackcloth/rough clothes and weep and beat your chests [to show that you are very sorry for what you have done], because Yahweh is still very angry with us.
為此，你們應身穿苦衣，涕泣哀號，因為上主尚未由我們身上撤回衪的烈怒。
9 Yahweh said that at the time [he punishes you], the King of Judah and [all his] officials will be very afraid. The priests and the prophets will be terrified.
到那一天──上主的斷語──君王與王侯必失去勇氣，司祭必驚駭，先知必驚異；
10 Then I replied, “Yahweh [my] God, you completely deceived the people by telling them that there would be peace in Jerusalem, but now [our enemies] [PRS] are ready to slaughter us with their swords!”
人必要說：「哎! 吾主上主! 你的確欺騙了這人民和耶路撒冷說：你們必享平安；其實，刀劍已到我們的咽喉! 」
11 When that happens, [Yahweh] will say to the people of Jerusalem, [“A huge army will come to attack you]. They will not [be like a gentle breeze that] separates wheat from chaff. [They will be like] a very hot wind [that blows in] from the desert [MET].
那時人要對這人民和耶路撒冷說：「荒丘的熱風由曠野向我人民吹來，不是為吹淨，不是為清潔；
12 [They will be like] [MET] a strong blast that I will send. Now I am declaring that I will punish/destroy you.”
有一股強烈的風應我的命吹來；現在我要去裁判他們。
13 [Our enemies] are about to rush down on us; their chariots are like [SIM] whirlwinds. Their horses are faster than eagles. It will be terrible for us!
看啊! 他如濃雲湧上來，他的戰車有如旋風，他的戰馬快萵飛鷹! 禍哉! 我們算是完了!
14 [You people of] Jerusalem [APO], purify your hearts/inner beings, in order that Yahweh will rescue you. How long will you continue to think about [doing] evil things?
耶路撒冷! 洗淨你心內的邪惡，好使你能獲救。你那不義的思念藏在你內，要到何時﹖
15 From Dan [city in the far north] to the hills of Ephraim [a few miles/kilometers north of Jerusalem] messengers are proclaiming that disasters are coming.
因為由丹傳來信息，由厄弗辣因山聽到了凶信：
16 Tell this to the [people in other] nations [but also] announce it in Jerusalem: [Yahweh says], “An army is coming to Jerusalem from far away; they will shout [a battle-cry] against the cities in Judah.
你們應通知人民，轉告耶路撒冷：圍攻的人由遠方前來，向猶大各城高聲吶喊，
17 They will set up tents around Jerusalem like people set up temporary shelters [SIM] around a field [at harvest time]. That will happen because the people of Judah have rebelled against me.
像護守田地的人將她密密包圍，因為她觸怒了我──上主的斷語。
18 You will be punished very severely; it will [be as though a sword] has stabbed your inner beings. But you are causing those things to happen to you because of the evil things that you have done.”
是你的行徑和作為給你造成了這一切；是你的邪惡使你受苦，受到傷心的痛苦。
19 I am extremely anguished/sad; the pain in my inner being is very severe. My heart beats wildly. But I cannot remain silent because I have heard [our enemies] blowing their trumpets to announce that the battle [against Judah will start immediately].
我的肺腑，我的肺腑! 我心已破碎，我心焦燥不寧，我不能緘默! 因為我親自聽到了角聲，開戰的喧嚷。
20 Disasters will occur one after another until the whole land is ruined. Suddenly [all] our tents will be destroyed; [even] the curtains [inside the tents] will be ripped apart.
真是毀滅上加毀滅，全地盡已破壞；我的帳幕突然倒塌，我的帷帳突然毀壞。
21 How long will this battle continue? How long will I continue to see the enemy battle flags and hear the sound of their trumpets being blown?
我瞻望敵旗，聞聽角聲，要到幾時﹖
22 [Yahweh says], “My people are [very] foolish! They do not have a relationship with me. They are [like] [MET] stupid children who do not understand [anything]. They very cleverly do what is wrong, but they do not know how to do what is good.”
這是因為我的人民愚昧，竟不認識我，是些無知的子民，沒有明悟，只知作惡，不知行善。
23 [God gave me a vision in which] I saw that the earth was barren and without form. I looked at the sky, and there was no light there.
我觀望大地，看，空虛混沌，我觀望諸天，卻毫無光亮；
24 I looked at the mountains and hills, and they shook and moved from side to side.
我觀望山岳，它在戰慄，
25 I looked and saw that there were no [more] people, and all the birds had flown away.
我觀望看，一個人也沒有，連天空的飛鳥都已逃循；所有的丘陵都在搖撼。
26 I looked and saw that the fields that previously were fertile had become a desert. The cities were all ruined; they had all been destroyed by Yahweh because he was extremely angry.
我觀望，看，農田盡變為荒野，所有的城邑盡毀於上主，毀於上主的烈怒。
27 This is what Yahweh is saying: “The entire land [of Judah] will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely.
原來上主這樣說：全地固然要荒蕪，但我卻不徹底加以毀滅。
28 I will do to my people what I said that I would do, and I will not change my mind. So [when that happens, it will be as though] the earth will mourn and the sky will become very dark.”
為此，大地要悲傷，在上諸天要昏暗；因為我說了，再不後悔；決定了，再不撤回。
29 [When the people hear] the sound of the [enemy] army marching, [they will be terrified as] they flee from their cities. Some of them will find places to hide in the bushes, and others will run toward the mountains/hills [to escape being killed by their enemies]. All the cities [in Judah] will be abandoned; not one person will remain in them.
全城的人聽到了騎兵和弓手的喧嚷，都四散逃命，有深入森林的，有爬上山岩的；所有的城市都被放棄，沒有人居住。
30 So you who will surely be destroyed, [why are you doing the things that you are doing now]? Why are you wearing beautiful clothes and jewelry? Why are you putting paint around your eyes? Doing those things will not help you, because the people [in other countries that you think] love you [actually] despise you, and they will try to kill you.
你已被蹂躪還有什麼企圖﹖既使你身被紫綿，佩帶金飾，以鉛華描劃眼眉，使你漂亮，也是徒然! 你的愛人蔑視你，想謀害你的生命。
31 [It is as though] I already hear [the people in Jerusalem] crying very loudly, like [SIM] a woman cries when she is giving birth to her first child; she gasps for breath and pleads for someone to help her. [It is as though Jerusalem] is crying, “Something terrible is happening to me! They are about to murder me!”
的確，我聽到了仿佛產婦的叫聲，仿佛首次分娩的呻吟，是熙雍女兒在伸開雙手喘息哀嘆：我真可憐．因為我的生命已陷在殘害者手中!
