耶利米书 15
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
犹大的厄运
15 耶和华对我说：“就算摩西和撒母耳站在我面前求情，我也不会怜悯这些百姓。你把他们从我面前赶走吧！ 2 如果他们问你，‘我们该去哪里，’你就告诉他们，耶和华这样说，
“‘该死的死，
该被杀的被杀，
该遭饥荒的遭饥荒，
该被掳的被掳。’
3 “我要让他们遭受四种祸患——刀杀、狗撕、鸟啄、兽吞。这是耶和华说的。 4 因为犹大王希西迦的儿子玛拿西在耶路撒冷的所作所为，我要使他们的遭遇令天下万国惊惧。
5 “耶路撒冷啊，谁会同情你？
谁会为你悲哀？
谁会驻足向你问安？
6 你背弃我，远离我，
因此我要伸手攻击你，毁灭你，
不再怜悯你。
这是耶和华说的。
7 我要在这片土地上的各城门口用簸箕簸散我的子民，
使他们丧掉儿女；
我要灭绝他们，
因为他们不思悔改。
8 我要使他们的寡妇比海沙还多，
使毁灭者在午间突然夺取青年的性命，
以致母亲们陷入痛苦、惊恐中。
9 生过七个孩子的母亲心力枯竭，奄奄一息。
她羞愧难当，
她的希望突然破灭，
犹如白昼突然变成黑夜。
我必使其余的人丧身在敌人刀下。
这是耶和华说的。”
耶利米诉苦
10 母亲啊，我真不幸，因为你生了我这个跟全犹大争论、激辩的人。我没有向人借贷，也没有借贷给人，然而人人都咒骂我。 11 耶和华说：“我必拯救你，我必使仇敌在灾祸、困难来临时哀求你。 12 谁能折断来自北方之敌的铁拳铜臂呢？ 13 因为你们境内罪恶泛滥，我要使敌人任意抢掠你们的财宝， 14 把你们掳到陌生的地方。我的怒火要烧灭你们。”
15 耶和华啊，你知道我的遭遇。
求你顾念我，眷顾我，
报应迫害我的人。
求你不要取我的性命，
因为你不轻易发怒，
你知道我为了你忍受辱骂。
16 万军之上帝耶和华啊，
我把你的话视为甘饴，
它们是我心中的快乐和喜悦，
因为我属于你的名下。
17 我没有与作乐的人为伍，
没有与他们同乐。
你要我独坐一处，
他们的罪恶使我怒气填胸。
18 为什么我的痛楚无休无止？
为什么我的创伤无法医治？
难道你要像一条时断时流的小溪让我无法依靠吗？
19 耶和华对我说：
“如果你回心转意，
我就让你重新事奉我。
如果你说有益的话，
不说无益的话，
就可以做我的发言人，
百姓便会归向你，
但你不可受他们的影响。
20 我要使你成为坚固的铜墙，
他们要攻击你，却不能胜过你，
因为我与你同在，我会保护你，
拯救你。
这是耶和华说的。
21 我要把你从恶人手中救出，
从残暴之徒的权势下赎回。”
Jeremiah 15
International Children’s Bible
15 The Lord said to me: “I would not feel sorry for the people of Judah even if Moses and Samuel prayed for them. Send the people away from me! Tell them to go! 2 They might ask you, ‘Where will we go?’ You tell them this: ‘This is what the Lord says:
Some people are meant to die.
And they will die.
Some are meant to die in war.
And they will die in war.
Some are meant to die from hunger.
And they will die from hunger.
Some are meant to be taken as slaves to a foreign country.
And they will become slaves in that foreign country.’
3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” says the Lord. “I will send war to kill. I will send dogs to drag the bodies away. I will send birds of the air and wild animals. They will eat and destroy the bodies. 4 I will make the people of Judah hated by everyone on earth. I will do this because of what Manasseh did in Jerusalem. (Manasseh son of Hezekiah was king of the nation of Judah.)
5 “Who will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem?
Who will be sad and cry for you?
Who will go out of his way to ask how you are?
6 Jerusalem, you have left me,” says the Lord.
“You keep going farther and farther away.
So I will take hold of you and destroy you.
I am tired of holding back my anger.
7 I will separate the people of Judah with my pitchfork.
I will scatter them at the city gates of the land.
My people haven’t changed their ways.
So I will destroy them.
I will take away their children.
8 Many women will lose their husbands.
There will be more widows than the sand of the sea.
I will bring a destroyer at noontime
against the mothers of the young men of Judah.
I will suddenly bring pain and fear
on the people of Judah.
9 The enemy will attack.
I will still hand over to the killers those who are left alive from Judah.
A woman might have seven sons, but they will all die.
She will cry until she becomes weak and unable to breathe.
She will be upset and confused.
Her bright day will become dark from sadness!” says the Lord.
Jeremiah’s Second Complaint
10 Mother, I am sorry that you gave birth to me.
I am the one who must accuse and criticize the whole land.
I have not loaned or borrowed anything.
But everyone curses me.
11 The Lord said,
“I will save you for a good reason.
I will make your enemies beg you
in times of disaster and trouble.
12 No one can smash a piece of iron or bronze.
I mean the kind of iron and bronze that comes from the north.
13 The people of Judah have wealth and treasures.
But I will freely give those riches to others.
This is because the people of Judah have sinned
throughout the country.
14 I will make you slaves to your enemies.
You will be slaves in a land that you have never known.
My anger is like a hot fire.
And it will burn against you.”
15 Lord, you understand.
Remember me and take care of me.
Punish for me the people who are hurting me.
Don’t destroy me while you remain patient with them.
Think about the pain I suffer for you, Lord.
16 Your words came to me, and I listened carefully to them.
Your words made me very happy.
I was happy because I am called by your name.
Your name is the Lord God of heaven’s armies.
17 I never sat with the crowd
as they laughed and had fun.
I sat by myself because you were there.
You filled me with anger at the evil around me.
18 I don’t understand why my pain has no end.
I don’t understand why my injury is not cured or healed!
Lord, will you be like a brook that goes dry?
Will you be like a spring whose water stops flowing?
19 So this is what the Lord says:
“If you change your heart and come back to me, I will take you back.
Then you may serve me.
You must speak things that have worth.
You must not speak useless words.
Then you may speak for me.
Let the people of Judah turn to you.
But you must not change and be like them.
20 I will make you as strong as a wall to this people.
You will be as strong as a wall of bronze.
They will fight against you.
But they will not defeat you.
This is because I am with you.
I will rescue you and save you,” says the Lord.
21 “I will save you from these evil people.
I will save you from these cruel people.”
Jeremiah 15
New King James Version
The Lord Will Not Relent
15 Then the Lord said to me, (A)“Even if (B)Moses and (C)Samuel stood before Me, My [a]mind would not be favorable toward this people. Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth. 2 And it shall be, if they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you shall tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord:
(D)“Such as are for death, to death;
And such as are for the sword, to the sword;
And such as are for the famine, to the famine;
And such as are for the (E)captivity, to the captivity.” ’
3 “And I will (F)appoint over them four forms of destruction,” says the Lord: “the sword to slay, the dogs to drag, (G)the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. 4 I will hand them over to (H)trouble, to all kingdoms of the earth, because of (I)Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
5 “For who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem?
Or who will bemoan you?
Or who will turn aside to ask how you are doing?
6 (J)You have forsaken Me,” says the Lord,
“You have (K)gone backward.
Therefore I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you;
(L)I am [b]weary of relenting!
7 And I will winnow them with a winnowing fan in the gates of the land;
I will (M)bereave them of children;
I will destroy My people,
Since they (N)do not return from their ways.
8 Their widows will be increased to Me more than the sand of the seas;
I will bring against them,
Against the mother of the young men,
A plunderer at noonday;
I will cause anguish and terror to fall on them (O)suddenly.
9 “She(P) languishes who has borne seven;
She has breathed her last;
(Q)Her sun has gone down
While it was yet day;
She has been ashamed and confounded.
And the remnant of them I will deliver to the sword
Before their enemies,” says the Lord.
Jeremiah’s Dejection
10 (R)Woe is me, my mother,
That you have borne me,
A man of strife and a man of contention to the whole [c]earth!
I have neither lent for interest,
Nor have men lent to me for interest.
Every one of them curses me.
11 The Lord said:
“Surely it will be well with your remnant;
Surely I will cause (S)the enemy to intercede with you
In the time of adversity and in the time of affliction.
12 Can anyone break iron,
The northern iron and the bronze?
13 Your wealth and your treasures
I will give as (T)plunder without price,
Because of all your sins,
Throughout your territories.
14 And I will [d]make you cross over with your enemies
(U)Into a land which you do not know;
For a (V)fire is kindled in My anger,
Which shall burn upon you.”
15 O Lord, (W)You know;
Remember me and [e]visit me,
And (X)take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
In Your enduring patience, do not take me away.
Know that (Y)for Your sake I have suffered rebuke.
16 Your words were found, and I (Z)ate them,
And (AA)Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
For I am called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.
17 (AB)I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers,
Nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone because of Your hand,
For You have filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my (AC)pain perpetual
And my wound incurable,
Which refuses to be healed?
Will You surely be to me (AD)like an unreliable stream,
As waters that [f]fail?
The Lord Reassures Jeremiah
19 Therefore thus says the Lord:
(AE)“If you return,
Then I will bring you back;
You shall (AF)stand before Me;
If you (AG)take out the precious from the vile,
You shall be as My mouth.
Let them return to you,
But you must not return to them.
20 And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze (AH)wall;
And they will fight against you,
But (AI)they shall not prevail against you;
For I am with you to save you
And deliver you,” says the Lord.
21 “I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 15:1 Lit. soul was not toward
- Jeremiah 15:6 tired
- Jeremiah 15:10 Or land
- Jeremiah 15:14 So with MT, Vg.; LXX, Syr., Tg. cause you to serve (cf. 17:4)
- Jeremiah 15:15 attend to
- Jeremiah 15:18 Or cannot be trusted
Jeremiah 15
Contemporary English Version
The People of Judah Will Die
15 (A) The Lord said to me:
Even if Moses and Samuel were here, praying with you, I wouldn't change my mind. So send the people of Judah away. 2 (B) And when they ask where they are going, tell them that I, the Lord, have said:
Some of you are going to die
of horrible diseases.
Others are going to die in war
or from starvation.
The rest will be led away
to a foreign country.
3 I will punish you
in four different ways:
You will be killed in war
and your bodies dragged off
by dogs,
your flesh will be eaten by birds,
and your bones will be chewed on
by wild animals.
4 (C) This punishment will happen
because of the horrible things[a]
your King Manasseh[b] did.
And you will be disgusting
to all nations on earth.
5 People of Jerusalem,
who will feel sorry for you?
Will anyone bother
to ask if you are well?
6 My people, you abandoned me
and walked away.
I am tired of showing mercy;
that's why I'll destroy you
7 by scattering you like straw
blown by the wind.
I will punish you with sorrow
and death,
because you refuse
to change your ways.
8 There will be more widows
in Judah
than grains of sand on a beach.
A surprise attack at noon!
And the mothers in Jerusalem
mourn for their children.
9 A mother is in deep despair
and struggles for breath.
Her daylight has turned
to darkness—
she has suffered the loss
of her seven sons.
I will kill anyone who survives.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
Jeremiah Complains
10 I wish I had never been born!
I'm always in trouble
with everyone in Judah.
I never lend or borrow money,
but everyone curses me
just the same.
11 Then the Lord replied,
“I promise to protect you,
and when disaster comes,
even your enemies
will beg you for help.”[c]
The Enemy Cannot Be Defeated
The Lord told me to say:
12 People of Judah,
just as you can't break iron
mixed with bronze,
you can't defeat the enemies
that will attack
from the north.
13 I will give them
everything you own,
because you have sinned
everywhere in your country.
14 My anger is a fire
that cannot be put out,[d]
so I will make you slaves
of your enemies
in a foreign land.[e]
Jeremiah Complains Again
15 You can see how I suffer
insult after insult,
all because of you, Lord.
Don't be so patient
with my enemies;
take revenge on them
before they kill me.
16 When you spoke to me,
I was glad to obey,
because I belong to you,
the Lord All-Powerful.
17 I don't go to parties
and have a good time.
Instead, I keep to myself,
because you have filled me
with your anger.
18 I am badly injured
and in constant pain.
Are you going to disappoint me,
like a stream that goes dry
in the heat of summer?
The Lord Replies
19 Then the Lord told me:
Stop talking like a fool!
If you turn back to me
and speak my message,
I will let you be my prophet
once again.
I hope the people of Judah
will accept what you say.
But you can ignore their threats,
* 20 because I am making you strong,
like a bronze wall.
They are evil and violent,
but when they attack,
21 I will be there to rescue you.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
Footnotes
- 15.4 the horrible things: See 2 Kings 21.1-16.
- 15.4 Manasseh: Hebrew “Manasseh son of Hezekiah”; he ruled 687–642 b.c.
- 15.11 help: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 11.
- 15.14 that cannot be put out: Some Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts “against you.”
- 15.14 I will make … land: Many Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts “I will make your enemies go through to a land you don't know about.”
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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