耶利米书 44
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
耶和华给流亡埃及之人的信息
44 论到那些住在埃及境内的密夺、答比匿、挪弗和巴特罗地区的犹大人，耶和华的话传给了耶利米，说： 2 “以色列的上帝——万军之耶和华说，‘你们已看见了我降在耶路撒冷和犹大各城的灾祸。如今它们一片荒凉，杳无人迹。 3 这都是因为那里的居民犯罪作恶，向他们、你们和你们祖先都不认识的神明烧香祭拜，惹我发怒。 4 我屡次差遣我的仆人——众先知警告他们不要再做令我深恶痛绝的事， 5 他们却毫不理会，不肯改掉向假神烧香的恶行。 6 因此，我的怒火在犹大的城邑和耶路撒冷的街上燃烧，使它们沦为废墟，正如今日一样。’ 7 以色列的上帝——万军之上帝耶和华说，‘你们为什么自招大祸，使你们当中的男人、女人、孩童和婴儿都从犹大灭亡，无一幸免呢？ 8 你们为什么在埃及向别的神明烧香，惹我发怒，自招毁灭，成为天下万国咒诅和羞辱的对象呢？ 9 难道你们忘记了你们的祖先、犹大列王及其嫔妃，以及你们自己和妻子在犹大和耶路撒冷街上的恶行吗？ 10 你们至今既不悔悟也不惧怕，不遵行我给你们和你们祖先设立的律法和诫命。
11 “‘因此，看啊，我必严惩你们，毁灭整个犹大。这是以色列的上帝——万军之耶和华说的。 12 我要毁灭那些执意去埃及住的犹大余民。他们必死于战争和饥荒，无论尊卑无一幸免。他们的下场将很可怕，成了被人责骂、咒诅和羞辱的对象。 13 我要像惩罚耶路撒冷一样用战争、饥荒和瘟疫惩罚那些住在埃及的人。 14 那些去埃及住的犹大余民没有几个能活着从埃及返回他们渴望的故乡。’”
15 许多人知道自己的妻子曾向别的神明烧香。他们和他们的妻子以及住在埃及 巴特罗地区的人对耶利米说： 16 “我们不会听从你奉耶和华的名对我们说的话。 17 但我们必照所许的愿向天后烧香奠酒，正如我们和我们的祖先、君王和官长在犹大各城和耶路撒冷街上所做的一样。那时，我们食物充足，生活幸福，无灾无祸。 18 但自从我们停止向天后烧香奠酒后，我们便一无所有，不断有人死于战争和饥荒。” 19 那些烧香的妇女说：“你以为我们的丈夫不知道我们向天后烧香奠酒、照着她的形象做祭饼吗？”
20 于是，耶利米对在场所有答复他的男女说： 21 “你们和你们的祖先、君王、官长及其他所有百姓在犹大各城和耶路撒冷的街上烧香，耶和华岂不记得，岂能遗忘？ 22 你们的可憎恶行令耶和华忍无可忍，以致祂使你们的土地一片荒凉，无人居住，被人咒诅，正如今天的情形。 23 你们遭遇今天的灾祸是因为你们向别的神明烧香得罪耶和华，不听从祂的话，不遵行祂的律法、诫命和教诲。”
24 耶利米又对在场的男女说：“你们住在埃及的犹大人都要听耶和华的话。 25 以色列的上帝——万军之耶和华说，‘你们和你们的妻子曾许愿向天后烧香奠酒，并且身体力行。你们继续还所许的愿吧！’ 26 住在埃及的犹大人啊，你们都要听耶和华的话。耶和华说，‘看啊，我以自己伟大的名起誓，再没有一个住在埃及的犹大人会凭永活的主耶和华起誓。 27 看啊，我一定要给你们降下灾祸而非祝福，使所有住在埃及的犹大人死于战争和饥荒。 28 刀下余生、从埃及返回犹大的人必寥寥无几。那时，你们这些去埃及住的犹大人必知道谁的话会实现，是我的还是你们的。 29 我必在这地方惩罚你们，我要给你们一个预兆，好叫你们知道我言出必行。这是耶和华说的。 30 我必把埃及王法老何弗拉交在想杀他的仇敌手中，就像我把犹大王西底迦交在想杀他的仇敌巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒手中一样。这是耶和华说的。’”
Jeremiah 44
New King James Version
Israelites Will Be Punished in Egypt
44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, who dwell at (A)Migdol, at (B)Tahpanhes, at (C)Noph,[a] and in the country of (D)Pathros, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘You have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are (E)a desolation, and no one dwells in them, 3 because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke Me to anger, in that they went (F)to burn incense and to (G)serve other gods whom they did not know, they nor you nor your fathers. 4 However (H)I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, “Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate!” 5 But they did not listen or incline their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to other gods. 6 So My fury and My anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they [b]are wasted and desolate, as it is this day.’
7 “Now therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Why do you commit this great evil (I)against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving none to remain, 8 in that you (J)provoke Me to wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to dwell, that you may cut yourselves off and be (K)a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not been (L)humbled,[c] to this day, nor have they (M)feared; they have not walked in My law or in My statutes that I set before you and your fathers.’
11 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, (N)I will set My face against you for catastrophe and for [d]cutting off all Judah. 12 And I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to dwell there, and (O)they shall all be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine. They shall die, from the least to the greatest, by the sword and by famine; and (P)they shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse and a reproach! 13 (Q)For I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, 14 so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone into the land of Egypt to dwell there shall escape or survive, lest they return to the land of Judah, to which they (R)desire[e] to return and dwell. For (S)none shall return except those who escape.’ ”
15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods, with all the women who stood by, a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying: 16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, (T)we will not listen to you! 17 But we will certainly do (U)whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the (V)queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of [f]food, were well-off, and saw no trouble. 18 But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.”
19 The women also said, (W)“And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’ permission?”
20 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people—the men, the women, and all the people who had given him that answer—saying: 21 “The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and did it not come into His mind? 22 So the Lord could no longer bear it, because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which you committed. Therefore your land is a desolation, an astonishment, a curse, and without an inhabitant, (X)as it is this day. 23 Because you have burned incense and because you have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord or walked in His law, in His statutes or in His testimonies, (Y)therefore this calamity has happened to you, as at this day.”
24 Moreover Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt! 25 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘You and your wives have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands, saying, “We will surely keep our vows that we have made, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.” You will surely keep your vows and perform your vows!’ 26 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: ‘Behold, (Z)I have sworn by My (AA)great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that (AB)My name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “The Lord God lives.” 27 Behold, I will watch over them for adversity and not for good. And all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt (AC)shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end to them. 28 Yet (AD)a small number who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, who have gone to the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose words will stand, Mine or theirs. 29 And this shall be a sign to you,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surely (AE)stand against you for adversity.’
30 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, (AF)I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave (AG)Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life.’ ”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 44:1 Ancient Memphis
- Jeremiah 44:6 Or became a ruin
- Jeremiah 44:10 Lit. crushed
- Jeremiah 44:11 destroying
- Jeremiah 44:14 Lit. lift up their soul
- Jeremiah 44:17 Lit. bread
Jeremiah 44
New Living Translation
Judgment for Idolatry
44 This is the message Jeremiah received concerning the Judeans living in northern Egypt in the cities of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis,[a] and in southern Egypt[b] as well: 2 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: You saw the calamity I brought on Jerusalem and all the towns of Judah. They now lie deserted and in ruins. 3 They provoked my anger with all their wickedness. They burned incense and worshiped other gods—gods that neither they nor you nor any of your ancestors had ever even known.
4 “Again and again I sent my servants, the prophets, to plead with them, ‘Don’t do these horrible things that I hate so much.’ 5 But my people would not listen or turn back from their wicked ways. They kept on burning incense to these gods. 6 And so my fury boiled over and fell like fire on the towns of Judah and into the streets of Jerusalem, and they are still a desolate ruin today.
7 “And now the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, asks you: Why are you destroying yourselves? For not one of you will survive—not a man, woman, or child among you who has come here from Judah, not even the babies in your arms. 8 Why provoke my anger by burning incense to the idols you have made here in Egypt? You will only destroy yourselves and make yourselves an object of cursing and mockery for all the nations of the earth. 9 Have you forgotten the sins of your ancestors, the sins of the kings and queens of Judah, and the sins you and your wives committed in Judah and Jerusalem? 10 To this very hour you have shown no remorse or reverence. No one has chosen to follow my word and the decrees I gave to you and your ancestors before you.
11 “Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to destroy every one of you! 12 I will take this remnant of Judah—those who were determined to come here and live in Egypt—and I will consume them. They will fall here in Egypt, killed by war and famine. All will die, from the least to the greatest. They will be an object of damnation, horror, cursing, and mockery. 13 I will punish them in Egypt just as I punished them in Jerusalem, by war, famine, and disease. 14 Of that remnant who fled to Egypt, hoping someday to return to Judah, there will be no survivors. Even though they long to return home, only a handful will do so.”
15 Then all the women present and all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to idols—a great crowd of all the Judeans living in northern Egypt and southern Egypt[c]—answered Jeremiah, 16 “We will not listen to your messages from the Lord! 17 We will do whatever we want. We will burn incense and pour out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven just as much as we like—just as we, and our ancestors, and our kings and officials have always done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For in those days we had plenty to eat, and we were well off and had no troubles! 18 But ever since we quit burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and stopped worshiping her with liquid offerings, we have been in great trouble and have been dying from war and famine.”
19 “Besides,” the women added, “do you suppose that we were burning incense and pouring out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven, and making cakes marked with her image, without our husbands knowing it and helping us? Of course not!”
20 Then Jeremiah said to all of them, men and women alike, who had given him that answer, 21 “Do you think the Lord did not know that you and your ancestors, your kings and officials, and all the people were burning incense to idols in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 22 It was because the Lord could no longer bear all the disgusting things you were doing that he made your land an object of cursing—a desolate ruin without inhabitants—as it is today. 23 All these terrible things happened to you because you have burned incense to idols and sinned against the Lord. You have refused to obey him and have not followed his instructions, his decrees, and his laws.”
24 Then Jeremiah said to them all, including the women, “Listen to this message from the Lord, all you citizens of Judah who live in Egypt. 25 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘You and your wives have said, “We will keep our promises to burn incense and pour out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven,” and you have proved by your actions that you meant it. So go ahead and carry out your promises and vows to her!’
26 “But listen to this message from the Lord, all you Judeans now living in Egypt: ‘I have sworn by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that my name will no longer be spoken by any of the Judeans in the land of Egypt. None of you may invoke my name or use this oath: “As surely as the Sovereign Lord lives.” 27 For I will watch over you to bring you disaster and not good. Everyone from Judah who is now living in Egypt will suffer war and famine until all of you are dead. 28 Only a small number will escape death and return to Judah from Egypt. Then all those who came to Egypt will find out whose words are true—mine or theirs!
29 “‘And this is the proof I give you,’ says the Lord, ‘that all I have threatened will happen to you and that I will punish you here.’ 30 This is what the Lord says: ‘I will turn Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, over to his enemies who want to kill him, just as I turned King Zedekiah of Judah over to King Nebuchadnezzar[d] of Babylon.’”
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
