耶利米书 23
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
将来的盼望
23 耶和华说：“那些本应像牧人照顾羊群一样统治我子民的人有祸了！因为他们残害、驱散我的子民。” 2 以色列的上帝耶和华这样斥责那些统治祂子民的首领：“你们驱散我的子民，没有照顾他们。看啊，我必因你们的恶行而惩罚你们。这是耶和华说的。 3 我要把我幸存的子民从我流放他们去的各地召集起来，领他们回到故土，使他们子孙兴旺。 4 我要派首领照顾他们，使他们不再担惊受怕，也不再有一人迷失。这是耶和华说的。”
5 耶和华说：“看啊，时候将到，我要为大卫选立一个公义的苗裔，使他执掌王权。他必秉公行义，治国有方。 6 在他掌权的日子，犹大必得拯救，以色列必国泰民安。他将被称为‘耶和华是我们的公义’。”
7 耶和华说：“看啊，时候将到，那时人不再凭把以色列人带出埃及的耶和华起誓， 8 而是凭把他们从流放之地——北方和列国领回来的永活耶和华起誓。他们必在自己的国土上安居乐业。”
9 论到那些先知，
我的心都碎了，
我的骨头都颤抖。
因为耶和华和祂圣言的缘故，
我好像不胜酒力的醉汉。
10 这里到处是拜偶像的人，
他们行为邪恶，滥用权力。
大地因受咒诅而悲哀，
旷野的草场都枯干了。
11 耶和华说：“先知和祭司都不敬虔，
我甚至看见他们在我的圣殿里行恶。
12 因此，他们必被赶到黑暗中，
在湿滑的路上跌倒，
因为我必在报应的日子降灾祸给他们。
这是耶和华说的。
13 我看见撒玛利亚的先知行为可憎，
他们靠巴力说预言，
引诱我的子民走入歧途。
14 我也看见耶路撒冷的先知行为可恶，
他们通奸，谎话连篇，
怂恿恶人，
以致无人悔过自新。
在我眼中，耶路撒冷人就像 所多玛人和蛾摩拉人一样败坏。
15 因此，论到这些先知，
万军之耶和华说，
‘看啊，我要使他们吃苦艾，
喝毒药，因为亵渎之风从耶路撒冷的先知那里蔓延，
遍及全境。’”
16 万军之耶和华对祂的子民说：“你们不要听信这些先知的预言，他们使你们充满虚假的盼望，他们的预言是自己编的，不是耶和华说的。 17 他们不断对藐视我的人说，‘耶和华说你们必安享太平。’他们对那些执迷不悟的人说，‘灾祸不会降到你们身上。’
18 “然而，他们谁曾站在耶和华面前看见并听见祂说话呢？
他们谁曾留心听祂的话呢？
19 看啊，耶和华的怒气像暴风一样袭来，
像旋风一样吹到恶人头上。
20 耶和华不完成祂心中的计划决不息怒。
将来你们会清楚地明白这一切。
21 “我没有差遣这些先知，
他们却妄自行动；
我没有对他们说话，
他们却乱发预言。
22 他们若曾站在我面前听我说话，
早就向我的子民宣告我的话，
使他们改邪归正了。”
23 耶和华说：“我是无处不在的上帝。” 24 耶和华说：“难道人藏起来我就看不见了吗？我岂不是充满天地之间吗？这是耶和华说的。 25 我听见假先知奉我的名说，‘上帝托梦给我了！上帝托梦给我了！’ 26 这些先知谎话连篇，凭空预言要到何时呢？ 27 他们彼此传讲所做的梦，想借此使我的子民忘记我，正如他们的祖先因祭拜巴力而忘记了我。 28 让做梦的先知尽管宣扬他们的梦吧，但得到我话语的先知要忠心地传达我的话。糠秕怎能与麦子相比呢！这是耶和华说的。” 29 耶和华说：“难道我的话不像火吗？不像击碎岩石的铁锤吗？” 30 耶和华说：“看啊，我要对付那些假先知，他们盗用同伙的话，却妄称是我的话。” 31 耶和华说：“看啊，我要对付那些假先知，他们妄自说预言，却谎称是耶和华的话。” 32 耶和华说：“看啊，我要对付那些假先知，他们谎称我托梦给他们，四处宣扬，用弥天大谎把我的子民引入歧途。其实我并没有差遣他们，也没有委派他们，他们对我的子民毫无益处。这是耶和华说的。”
33 耶和华说：“耶利米啊，如果有百姓、先知或祭司问你，‘耶和华有什么启示？’你要对他们说，‘你们就是耶和华的重担[a]，耶和华说要丢弃你们。’ 34 如果有先知、祭司或百姓宣称有耶和华的启示，我必惩罚他和他全家。 35 你们各人要问自己的亲友，‘耶和华有什么答复？’或‘耶和华说了什么？’ 36 你们不可再说有耶和华的启示，因为你们把自己的话当成祂的启示，曲解你们永活的上帝——万军之耶和华的话。 37 耶利米啊，你要这样问先知，‘耶和华有什么答复？耶和华说了什么？’ 38 如果他们说，‘这是耶和华的启示。’你就说，‘耶和华说，你们无视我的警告，宣称有我的启示， 39 我必彻底忘记你们，把你们和我赐给你们及你们祖先的城邑抛弃。 40 我要使你们永远蒙羞受辱、遗臭万年。’”
Footnotes
- 23:33 “重担”希伯来文也有“启示”的意思。
Jeremiah 23
Common English Bible
Promise of restoration
23 Watch out, you shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, declares the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, proclaims about the shepherds who “tend to” my people: You are the ones who have scattered my flock and driven them away. You haven’t attended to their needs, so I will take revenge on you for the terrible things you have done to them, declares the Lord. 3 I myself will gather the few remaining sheep from all the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will place over them shepherds who care for them. Then they will no longer be afraid or dread harm, nor will any be missing, declares the Lord.
Promise of a righteous and just king
5 The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous descendant[a] from David’s line, and he will rule as a wise king. He will do what is just and right in the land. 6 During his lifetime, Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And his name will be The Lord Is Our Righteousness.[b]
7 So the time is coming, declares the Lord, when no one will say, “As the Lord lives who brought up the Israelites from the land of Egypt.” 8 Instead, they will say, “As the Lord lives who brought up the descendants of the people of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where he[c] has banished them so that they can live in their own land.”
Oracles against the prophets
9 As for the prophets:
My heart inside me is broken;
my body aches.[d]
I stagger like a drunk
who has had too much wine to drink,
because of the Lord
and because of God’s holy words.
10 Because the country teems
with adulterers,
because of them,[e]
yes, because their might isn’t right
and their way is evil,
the land dries up,
and the grazing areas in the wilderness wither.[f]
11 Both prophet and priest are godless;
I even find their evil in my temple,
declares the Lord.
12 Therefore, they will find themselves on slippery ground
and will be thrust into darkness,
where they will collapse.
I will bring disaster upon them,
when their time comes, declares the Lord.
13 In the prophets of Samaria
I saw something shocking:
They prophesied by Baal
and led astray my people Israel.
14 In the prophets of Jerusalem
I saw something horrible:
They commit adultery and tell lies.
They encourage evildoers
so that no one turns from their wickedness.
In my eyes, they are no better than Sodom;
its people are like Gomorrah.
15 Therefore, this is what the Lord of heavenly forces proclaims concerning the prophets:
I’m going to feed them bitter food
and give them poison to drink.
Wickedness has spread from the prophets of Jerusalem
throughout the land.
16 The Lord proclaims:
Don’t listen to the prophets
who are speaking to you;
they are deceiving you.
Their visions come from their own hearts,
not from the Lord’s mouth.
17 They keep saying to those who scorn God’s message,
“All will go well for you,”
and to those who follow their own willful hearts,
“Nothing bad will happen to you.”
18 But who has stood in the Lord’s council
to listen to God’s word?
Who has paid attention to his word and announced it?
19 Look! The Lord’s angry storm breaks out;
it whirls around the heads of the wicked.
20 The Lord’s fierce anger
won’t turn back
until it accomplishes all that he has planned.
In the days to come,
you will understand what this means.
21 I didn’t send the prophets,
yet they ran anyway.
I didn’t speak to them,
yet they prophesied anyway.
22 If they had stood in my council,
they would have proclaimed
my words to my people;
they would have turned them
from their evil ways and deeds.
23 The Lord declares, Am I a God
who is only nearby and not far off?
24 Can people hide themselves in secret places
so I might not see them?
Don’t I fill heaven and earth?
25 I have heard the prophets prophesying lies in my name. They claim, “I’ve had a dream; I’ve had a dream!” 26 How long will deceitful prophecies dominate the minds of the prophets? Those prophets are treacherous. 27 They scheme to make my people forget me by their dreams that people tell each other, just as their ancestors forgot me because of Baal. 28 Let the prophet who has a dream declare it, but let the one who has my word proclaim it faithfully.
What a difference between straw and wheat!
declares the Lord.
29 Isn’t my word like fire
and like a hammer that shatters rock?
declares the Lord.
30 Therefore, I’m against the prophets
who steal my words from each other,
declares the Lord.
31 I’m against the prophets
who carelessly deliver oracles,[g]
declares the Lord.
32 I’m against the prophets who dream up lies
and then proclaim them,
declares the Lord.
With their reckless lies,
they lead my people astray.
I didn’t send them;
I didn’t commission them.
They are completely useless to these people,
declares the Lord.
33 When these people or a prophet or a priest asks you, “What is the Lord’s message?”[h] say to them, “What message? I will cast you off, declares the Lord.” 34 I will punish anyone, including prophet or priest, who says, “This is the Lord’s message.” 35 This is what you should ask each other: “What has the Lord said?” “What has the Lord declared?” 36 But you are no longer to mention the Lord’s message, because everyone thinks they have received a message from the Lord. You destroy the very word of the living God, the Lord of heavenly forces, our God. 37 So this is what you should say to the prophet: “What has the Lord said to you?” “What has the Lord declared?” 38 But if you insist on saying, “This is the Lord’s message,” the Lord says to you: Because you have made this claim—this is the Lord’s message—when I told you not to proclaim the Lord’s message, 39 I will lift you up[i] and cast you out of my presence, together with the city that I gave to your ancestors. 40 I will make you an object of disgrace and enduring shame that no one will ever forget.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 23:5 Or branch
- Jeremiah 23:6 Or of Our Righteousness, possibly a play on the name Zedekiah
- Jeremiah 23:8 Or I
- Jeremiah 23:9 Heb uncertain; or my bones shake
- Jeremiah 23:10 LXX; MT a curse
- Jeremiah 23:10 Heb uncertain
- Jeremiah 23:31 Heb uncertain
- Jeremiah 23:33 Or burden
- Jeremiah 23:39 LXX, Syr, Vulg; MT forget you
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