真希望我的头是水泉,

眼是泪泉,
好为我被杀的同胞昼夜哭泣;
真希望我在旷野有栖身之处,
以便远离我的同胞,
因为他们是一群不忠不贞之徒。
耶和华说:
“他们鼓舌如簧,射出谎言,
遍地充满诡诈,毫无诚实;
他们行恶不断,
不认我是上帝。
你们要提防邻居,
不要信赖弟兄,
因为弟兄诡计多端,
邻居满口是非。
他们彼此欺骗,不说真话;
他们说谎成性,
不知疲倦地肆意犯罪;
他们充满诡诈,
不认我是上帝。
这是耶和华说的。”

因此,万军之耶和华说:
“看啊,我要熬炼、试验这些罪恶的子民,
除此之外,我别无选择。
他们舌如毒箭,说话诡诈,
对邻居口蜜腹剑。
难道我不该惩罚他们吗?
难道我不该报应这样的民族吗?
这是耶和华说的。”

10 我要为众山悲伤痛哭,
为旷野的草原唱哀歌,
因为那里一片荒凉,杳无人迹,
听不见牲畜的叫声,
飞鸟和走兽也逃去无踪。
11 耶和华说:“我要使耶路撒冷沦为废墟,
成为豺狼出没之地;
我要使犹大的城邑荒凉,
不见人烟。”

12 谁有智慧明白这事呢?谁曾受过耶和华的指教可以讲解这事呢?为什么这片土地被蹂躏,变得荒凉、杳无人迹? 13 耶和华说:“这是因为他们弃绝我赐给他们的律法,不听从我的话,不遵守我的命令, 14 执迷不悟,随从他们祖先的教导去供奉巴力。” 15 因此,以色列的上帝——万军之耶和华说:“看啊,我要使这百姓吃苦艾,喝毒药; 16 我要把他们分散到他们及其祖先都不认识的列国;我要使敌人追杀他们,直到灭绝他们。”

17 万军之耶和华说:
“把陪哭的妇人请来,
把最会哭的妇人带来,
18 叫她们速来为我的子民哀哭,
哭得他们泪盈满眶,
哭得他们泪如泉涌。
19 因为从锡安传出哀鸣,
‘我们灭亡了!
我们受了奇耻大辱!
我们的家园被毁,
我们只好背井离乡。’”
20 妇人啊,你们要听耶和华的话,
接受祂的教诲;
你们要教导女儿哀哭,
教导邻居唱挽歌。
21 因为死亡从窗户爬进我们的城堡,
吞灭街上的孩童和广场上的青年。
22 耶和华说:“人们必尸横遍野,
像散布在田野上的粪便,
又像收割者身后没有收集的禾捆。”

23 耶和华说:“智者不要夸耀自己的智慧,勇士不要夸耀自己的力量,富人不要夸耀自己的财富。 24 若有人夸耀,就让他夸耀自己认识我是耶和华,知道我喜欢在地上凭慈爱、公平和正义行事。这是耶和华说的。” 25 耶和华说:“看啊,时候将到,我要惩罚所有只在身体受过割礼的人, 26 就是埃及人、犹大人、以东人、亚扪人、摩押人和所有住在旷野、剃了鬓发的人,因为这些人,包括以色列人,都没有受过真正的割礼,没有受过内心的割礼。”

'耶 利 米 書 9 ' not found for the version: Chinese New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version.

耶利米为犹大悲伤

但愿我的头是水井,

我的眼是泪的泉源;

我好为我同胞(“同胞”原文作“人民的女子”)中被杀的,

昼夜哭泣。(本节在《马索拉文本》为8:23)

但愿我在旷野有一个旅客住宿的地方,

好使我离开我的同胞,

可以离他们而去;

因为他们都是行奸淫的,

是行诡诈之徒。(本节在《马索拉文本》为9:1)

“他们弯曲舌头,像弯弓一样;

在这地得势的是虚谎,不是诚实;

因为他们变本加厉地作恶,

连我也不认识。”

这是耶和华的宣告。

“你们各人要提防自己的邻舍,

不要信靠兄弟;

因为每一个兄弟都在欺骗人,

每一个邻舍都搬弄是非。

他们各人都欺骗自己的邻舍,

不说诚实话。

他们训练自己的舌头说谎话,

竭力作孽,以致他们不能回转(按照《马索拉文本》,本句意思难确定;现参照《七十士译本》翻译)。

欺凌加上欺凌,诡诈加上诡诈(按照《马索拉文本》,“欺凌加上欺凌,诡诈加上诡诈”作“你的住所在诡诈中;在诡诈里”;现参照《七十士译本》翻译),

他们不肯认识我。”

这是耶和华的宣告。

因此,万军之耶和华这样说:

“看哪!我要熬炼他们,试验他们;

因我子民(“我子民”原文作“我子民的女子”)的罪恶,我还可以作甚么呢?

他们的舌头是杀人的利箭,

嘴里说的是诡诈;

跟邻舍说话满口甜言蜜语,

心底里却设计陷害他。

我因这些事怎能不惩罚他们呢?

像这样的国家,

我怎能不亲自报复呢?”

这是耶和华的宣告。

10 我要为众山哭泣哀号,

为旷野的草场唱哀歌;

因为都已成为荒凉,无人经过,

也听不到牲畜的叫声;

无论空中的飞鸟,地上的走兽,

都逃走跑掉了。

11 “我要使耶路撒冷变成乱堆,

成为野狗的巢穴;

我要使犹大的城市荒凉,

无人居住。”

12 谁是智慧人可以解明这事?耶和华的口向谁说过,以致他可以传讲这事?为甚么这地被毁坏,像旷野般荒凉,无人经过呢?

13 耶和华说:“这是因为他们离弃了我摆在他们面前的律法,不听从我的话,没有遵行我的律法; 14 反而随从自己顽梗的心行事,照他们列祖所教训的,随从众巴力。” 15 因此,万军之耶和华以色列的 神这样说:“看哪!我要使这人民吃苦堇,喝毒水。 16 我要把他们分散在列国中,就是他们和他们的列祖都不认识的列国;我要使刀剑追杀他们,直到把他们灭绝。”

17 万军之耶和华这样说:

“你们要思想,

要把唱哀歌的妇女召来,

把那些擅长哀哭的妇女请来;

18 叫他们赶快为我们举哀,

使我们的眼流下眼泪,

使我们的眼皮涌出泪水。

19 因为从锡安可以听到哀声,说:

‘我们何等衰败!

我们多么羞耻!

因我们丢弃了这地,

我们的家园被拆毁了。’”

20 妇女们哪!你们要听耶和华的话,

你们的耳朵要领受他口中的话;

要教导你们的女儿举哀,

各人要彼此学习哀歌。

21 因为死亡从窗户上来,

进入我们的堡垒;

要从街上剪除孩童,

从广场上剪除年轻人。

22 你要这样说(这是耶和华的宣告):

“人的尸体横卧着,

像田野上的粪肥,

又像遗留在收割者后面的麦穗,

无人拾取。”

甚么是值得夸口的事

23 耶和华这样说:“智慧人不可夸耀自己的智慧,勇士不可夸耀自己的勇力,财主不可夸耀自己的财富。 24 夸口的却要因了解我,认识我而夸口;认识我是耶和华,我在地上施行慈爱、公正、公义;因为我喜悦这些事。”这是耶和华的宣告。

25 “看哪!日子快到(这是耶和华的宣告),我必惩罚所有只在身体受过割礼,内心却未受割礼的人, 26 就是埃及、犹大、以东、亚扪、摩押和所有剃除鬓发,住在旷野的人;因为列国的人都没有受过割礼,甚至以色列全家的内心也没有受过割礼。”

[a]Oh, that my head were a spring of water
    and my eyes a fountain of tears!(A)
I would weep(B) day and night
    for the slain of my people.(C)
Oh, that I had in the desert(D)
    a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
    and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,(E)
    a crowd of unfaithful(F) people.

“They make ready their tongue
    like a bow, to shoot lies;(G)
it is not by truth
    that they triumph[b] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
    they do not acknowledge(H) me,”
declares the Lord.
“Beware of your friends;(I)
    do not trust anyone in your clan.(J)
For every one of them is a deceiver,[c](K)
    and every friend a slanderer.(L)
Friend deceives friend,(M)
    and no one speaks the truth.(N)
They have taught their tongues to lie;(O)
    they weary themselves with sinning.
You[d] live in the midst of deception;(P)
    in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.

Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:

“See, I will refine(Q) and test(R) them,
    for what else can I do
    because of the sin of my people?
Their tongue(S) is a deadly arrow;
    it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,(T)
    but in their hearts they set traps(U) for them.(V)
Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(W) myself
    on such a nation as this?”

10 I will weep and wail for the mountains
    and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands.(X)
They are desolate and untraveled,
    and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds(Y) have all fled
    and the animals are gone.

11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap(Z) of ruins,
    a haunt of jackals;(AA)
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah(AB)
    so no one can live there.”(AC)

12 Who is wise(AD) enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?

13 The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.(AE) 14 Instead, they have followed(AF) the stubbornness of their hearts;(AG) they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” 15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food(AH) and drink poisoned water.(AI) 16 I will scatter them among nations(AJ) that neither they nor their ancestors have known,(AK) and I will pursue them with the sword(AL) until I have made an end of them.”(AM)

17 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Consider now! Call for the wailing women(AN) to come;
    send for the most skillful of them.
18 Let them come quickly
    and wail over us
till our eyes overflow with tears
    and water streams from our eyelids.(AO)
19 The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
    ‘How ruined(AP) we are!
    How great is our shame!
We must leave our land
    because our houses are in ruins.’”

20 Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord;
    open your ears to the words of his mouth.(AQ)
Teach your daughters how to wail;
    teach one another a lament.(AR)
21 Death has climbed in through our windows(AS)
    and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
    and the young men(AT) from the public squares.

22 Say, “This is what the Lord declares:

“‘Dead bodies will lie
    like dung(AU) on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
    with no one to gather them.’”

23 This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom(AV)
    or the strong boast of their strength(AW)
    or the rich boast of their riches,(AX)
24 but let the one who boasts boast(AY) about this:
    that they have the understanding to know(AZ) me,
that I am the Lord,(BA) who exercises kindness,(BB)
    justice and righteousness(BC) on earth,
    for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.

25 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh(BD) 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places.[e](BE) For all these nations are really uncircumcised,(BF) and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.(BG)

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-26 is numbered 9:1-25.
  2. Jeremiah 9:3 Or lies; / they are not valiant for truth
  3. Jeremiah 9:4 Or a deceiving Jacob
  4. Jeremiah 9:6 That is, Jeremiah (the Hebrew is singular)
  5. Jeremiah 9:26 Or wilderness and who clip the hair by their foreheads