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耶利米书生命读经 · 第29篇

以色列干犯耶和华的罪，

Israel’s Sin against Jehovah
1与耶和华对以色列的惩罚（十九）
1and Jehovah’s Punishment upon Israel (19
以色列在犯罪干犯耶和华上的顽梗，与耶利米在为耶和华说话上的坚定（二）
Israel’s Stubbornness in Their Sinning against Jehovah and Jeremiah’s Firmness in His Speaking for Jehovah (2
2读经：耶利米书37—38;39:15-18。本篇信息是论到耶路撒冷陷落前，以色列在犯罪干犯耶和华上的顽梗，与耶利米在为耶和华说话上的坚定，我们要来看三十七、三十八章，和三十九章的一部分。
2Scripture Reading: Jer. 37—38; 39:15-18 In this message on Israel's stubbornness in their sinning against Jehovah and Jeremiah's firmness in his speaking for Him before the fall of Jerusalem, we will cover chapters thirty-seven and thirty-eight and a part of chapter thirty-nine
五 耶利米被囚的第一步
E. The First Step of Jeremiah'sIm prison ment
3三十七章论到耶利米被囚的第一步。约西亚的儿子西底家，由尼布甲尼撒在犹大地立为王，以代替约雅敬的儿子哥尼雅。但西底家和他的臣仆，并国中的百姓，都不听从耶和华藉申言者耶利米所说的话。西底家王打发人同著祭司去见申言者耶利米，要他为他们祷告耶和华他们的神。
3Chapter thirty-seven concerns the first step of Jeremiah'sim prison ment. Zedekiah the son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar had made king in the land of Judah, reigned as king instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim. Neither Zedekiah nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of Jehovah spoken through Jeremiah the prophet. Zedekiah sent someone with a priest to Jeremiah, asking him to pray to Jehovah their God for them
4那时耶利米在民中出入，还没有被囚在监里。法老的军队已经从埃及出来；那围困的迦勒底人听见这风声，就从耶路撒冷退去了。于是耶和华嘱咐耶利米告诉犹大王说，那出来帮助犹大的法老军队，必回埃及本国去，迦勒底人必再来攻打耶路撒冷城，并要攻取，用火焚烧。耶和华说，『你们不要自欺，说，迦勒底人必定离开我们，因为他们必不离开。你们即便杀败了与你们争战的迦勒底全军，只剩下受伤的人，他们也必各人从帐棚里起来，用火焚烧这城。』（9～10。）
4At that time Jeremiah came in and went out among the people, not having been put in prison yet. The army of Pharaoh had come out of Egypt, and when the besieging Chaldeans heard the news, they withdrew from Jerusalem. Then Jehovah charged Jeremiah to tell the king of Judah that Pharaoh's army, which had come out to help Judah, was returning to its own land of Egypt, and the Chaldeans would return and fight against the city of Jerusalem, capture it, and burn it. Jehovah said, "Do not deceive yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans will surely go away from us; for they will not go away. For even if you had struck down the whole army of the Chaldeans, who are fighting against you, and only wounded men remained among them, they would rise up each one in his tent and burn this city with fire" (vv. 9-10
5迦勒底人从耶路撒冷退去的时候，耶利米离开耶路撒冷，往便雅悯地去，要在那里得自己的地业。但他被便雅悯门的守门官拿住，诬告他想要投降迦勒底人。耶利米在被指控时说，『这是谎言！我不是投降迦勒底人。』（14上。）然而，守门官不听他的话，却拿住他，解到首领那里。首领恼怒耶利米，就打了他，将他囚在监里，使他多日留在那里。
5When the Chaldeans had withdrawn from Jerusalem, Jeremiah went out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to receive his portion there. But he was seized by the captain of the guard at the Gate of Benjamin and falsely accused of trying to desert to the Chaldeans. When he was accused Jeremiah said, "It is false! I am not deserting to the Chaldeans" (v. 14a). However, the captain of the guard did not listen to him but seized him and brought him to the princes. The princes were angry with Jeremiah, struck him, and put him in prison, where he remained many days.
6后来，西底家王打发人提他出来，在王宫内私下问他说，『从耶和华有话临到么？』耶利米说，『有。』又说，『你必被交在巴比伦王手中。』（17。）他又对西底家王说，『我在甚么事上得罪你，或你的臣仆，或这百姓，你竟把我下在监里？对你们豫言巴比伦王必不来攻击你们和这地的申言者，现今在那里？』（18～19。）他求王不要使他回到监里，免得他死在那里。于是西底家王下令，把耶利米交在护卫兵的院中，每天从饼铺街取一个饼给他，直到城中的饼用尽了。这样，耶利米就留在护卫兵的院中。六耶利米被囚的第二步
6Later, Zedekiah the king sent and took him out; and the king questioned him in the king'sho use secretly, asking, "Is there any word from Jehovah?" Jeremiah answered, "There is," and then he said, "You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon" (v. 17). He also said to Zedekiah the king, "In what have I sinned against you or against your servants or against this people, that you have put me in prison? And where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land?" (vv. 18-19). Then he asked the king not to send him back to prison, lest he die there. So Zedekiah the king commanded that Jeremiah be placed into the court of the guard and gave him a loaf of bread daily from the bakers' street until all the bread was gone from the city. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. F. The Second Step of Jeremiah'sIm prison ment
7三十八章记载关于耶利米被囚的第二步。首领听见耶利米对众人说，留在这城里的必死，但出去归降迦勒底人的，必得存活；这城必要交在巴比伦王的手中，他必攻取这城。首领听见这话，就对王说，『求你将这人治死，因他向城里剩下的军兵和众民说这样的话，使他们的手发软；这人不是为这百姓求平安，乃是叫他们受灾祸。』（4。）西底家王回答说，『看哪，他在你们手中，王不能作甚么与你们反对。』（5。）首领就用绳子将耶利米下在护卫兵院中的牢洞里，他就陷在淤泥中。太监古实人以伯米勒听见这事，就去见王，将首领向申言者耶利米所行的恶告诉王；耶利米在牢洞里必将因饥荒而死。于是西底家王吩咐太监古实人带著三十人，趁耶利米未死以前，将他从牢洞里提上来；太监就这样行了。
7In chapter thirty-eight we have a record concerning the second step of Jeremiah'sim prison ment. The princes heard Jeremiah speaking to all the people that he who remained in the city would die, but he who went out to the Chaldeans would live and that the city would surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he would capture it. When the princes heard this, they said to the king, "Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the men of war who are left in this city and the hands of all the people by speaking such words to them; for this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm" (v. 4). In reply, Zedekiah the king said, "Behold, he is in your hand, for the king can do nothing against you" (v. 5). Then the princes cast Jeremiah with ropes into a pit in the court of the guard, and he sank into the mire. When the eunuch Ebed-melech, the Cushite, heard about this, he went to the king and told him the evil that the princes had done to Jeremiah the prophet, who would die in the pit because of the famine. Then Zedekiah the king commanded the eunuch, the Cushite, to take with him thirty men to bring Jeremiah out of the pit before he died. And the eunuch did accordingly
8西底家王打发人将耶利米带到耶和华殿中入口处，对耶利米说，『我要问你一件事，你丝毫不可向我隐瞒。』（14。）耶利米回答说，『我若告诉你，你岂不定要杀我么？我若给你出主意，你必不听我。』（15。）西底家就私下向耶利米说，他指著那造他性命之永活的耶和华起誓，他必不杀耶利米，也不将耶利米交在寻索他性命的人手中。
8Then Zedekiah the king sent men to bring Jeremiah to himself at an entrance of the house of Jehovah. He said to Jeremiah, "I am going to ask you something; do not hide anything from me" (v. 14). Jeremiah replied, "If I tell you, indeed will you not put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me" (v. 15). Then Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah secretly, saying that as Jehovah, who had made his soul, lives he would not put him to death or give him into the hand of those who sought his life.
9西底家这样应许以后，耶利米对他说，『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，你的性命就必存活，这城也不至被火焚烧，你和你的全家都必存活。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，你也不得逃脱他们的手。』（17～18。）西底家听见这话，就告诉耶利米，他怕那些投降迦勒底人的犹大人，恐怕迦勒底人将他交在他们手中，他们会戏弄他。耶利米向西底家保证，迦勒底人必不将他交出。然后他说，『求你现今听从我对你所说耶和华的话，这样你必得好处，你的性命也必存活。你若不肯出降，耶和华指示我的话乃是这样：犹大王宫里所剩的妇女，必都带到巴比伦王的首领那里…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。』（20～22上，23。）耶利米说了这些话以后，西底家嘱咐他不要使人知道这些话，他就不至于死;然后又告诉耶利米，首领来见他，想要知道王和耶利米之间所谈的是甚么时，他要如何回答。耶利米就照著王的话行，于是仍在护卫兵的院中，直到耶路撒冷被攻取的日子。
9After Zedekiah made this promise, Jeremiah said to him, "Thus says Jehovah, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, If you will indeed surrender to the princes of the king of Babylon, you will live, and this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your house will live. But if you do not surrender to the princes of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you will not escape out of their hand" (vv. 17-18). When Zedekiah heard this, he told Jeremiah that he was afraid of the Jews who had deserted to the Chaldeans, that they would give him into their hand and they would abuse him. Jeremiah assured Zedekiah that they would not give him up. Then he went on to say, "Listen now to the voice of Jehovah in what I am speaking to you, and it will be well with you, and your soul will live. But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word that Jehovah has shown me: Then behold, all the women who have been left in the house of the king of Judah will be brought out to the princes of the king of Babylon....They will lead out all your wives and your sons to the Chaldeans, and you yourself will not escape from their hand but will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and you will cause this city to be burned with fire" (vv. 20-22a, 23). After Jeremiah spoke these words, Zedekiah charged him not to let anyone know of these words and he would not die. Then he told Jeremiah how to answer the princes when they came to him and tried to find out what the conversation was between the king and Jeremiah. Jeremiah did according to the word of the king and remained in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was captured
七 以伯米勒的命运
G. The Destiny of Ebed-melech
10耶利米三十九章十五至十八节论到以伯米勒的命运。耶利米还囚在护卫兵院中的时候，耶和华的话临到他，吩咐他去告诉古实人以伯米勒说，耶和华以色列的神所说降祸那城的话必在他面前成就。耶和华必拯救他，他必不至交在他所怕的人手中。耶和华定要搭救他，他必不至倒在刀下，却要以自己的性命为掠物，因他倚靠了耶和华。
10Jeremiah 39:15-18 concerns the destiny of Ebed - melech. When Jeremiah was shut up in the court of the guard, the word of Jehovah came to him and charged him to tell Ebed - melech the Cushite that Jehovah, the God of Israel, was about to bring His words against that city for evil before him. Jehovah would deliver him, and he would not be given to the people of whom he was afraid. Jehovah would save him, and he would not fall by the sword. Rather, he would have his own life as spoil because he had put his trust in Jehovah.