Jeremiah 17
EasyEnglish Bible
17 ‘The people of Judah love to do bad things.[a]
Their sins are deep inside them.
It is like they are written on their hearts
and on the horns of their altars.
They are written with an iron pen.
Nobody can remove the list of their sins.
2 Even their children always think about their altars
where they worship false gods.
They have put up their Asherah poles
under the big trees and on the high hills.
3 They also worship their false gods
on the mountains and in the fields.
So I will cause enemies to take all your valuable things.
They will take your riches for themselves.
That will be the price that you pay for your sins.
You have done evil things everywhere in the land.
4 I gave you this land to be your home for ever.
But it will no longer belong to you.
Your enemies will take you to a land that you do not know.
You will be their slaves.
You have made me very angry,
like a fire that nobody can stop.’
Trust in the Lord
5 The Lord says,
‘I will curse those who only trust people to help them.
They think that human strength will save them,
and they turn away from me, the Lord.
6 They will be like a bush that grows in the desert.
It grows in a place where nobody can live.
The ground is very dry and is spoiled by salt.
Even when good times come,
those people will not receive any good thing.
7 The Lord blesses people who trust in him.
They know that the Lord will help them.
8 They will be like trees that grow beside a river.
Their roots reach into the water.
When the sun is hot, they are not afraid.
Their leaves continue to be green.
They give fruit each year,
even when there is no rain.
9 A person's own mind deceives him,
more than anything else does.
Nobody can change it to be better.
Nobody completely understands it.
10 But I, the Lord, look inside a person's mind.
I see what he thinks and what he feels.
I see how everyone lives,
and I see the things that they do.
I give to each one what he deserves.
11 Someone may get rich because he cheats other people.
He is like a bird that sits on eggs
that it has taken from another nest.
He will lose his riches before he is old.
At the end of his life, he will die as a fool.’
Jeremiah's prayer
12 Lord, your beautiful throne is high above.
You have ruled there from the beginning.
That is where we worship you.[b]
13 You are the one that the Israelites hope in.
Everyone who turns away from you will be ashamed.
They will disappear,
as if their names are written in the dust.
Lord, you give life to your people,
like a spring of fresh water.
But they have turned against you.
14 Lord, please make me well again.
Then I will be completely well.
Rescue me so that I am completely safe.
You are the one that I praise!
15 People are asking me questions.
They say, ‘Nothing has happened to us yet!
When will the Lord's message become true?’
16 Lord, I have not stopped taking care of your people.
I have never asked you to destroy them on one final day.
You know that,
and you know everything that I have said.
17 Please do not make me afraid!
When I am in trouble,
I run to you to be safe.
18 Please bring shame on those who want to hurt me.
Do not make me ashamed.
Make those people afraid,
but do not make me afraid.
Destroy them with a time of great trouble.
Punish them completely!
Rules for Sabbath days
19 The Lord said to me, ‘Go and stand at the gate of the city that is called “The People's Gate”. That is the gate that the kings of Judah use to go in and out of the city. Then go and stand at the other gates of Jerusalem. 20 Stand in those places and say, “Listen, you kings of Judah, everyone who lives in Jerusalem and all the people of Judah. Hear this message from the Lord. 21 This is what the Lord says:
Be careful to obey these rules if you want to continue to live! On a Sabbath day, do not carry any loads in through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 Do not carry any loads out of your houses. Do not do any work on a Sabbath day. You must keep the Sabbath day as a special day for me. That is what I commanded your ancestors to do.[c] 23 But they did not listen to me and they did not obey me. They refused to accept the rules that I gave to them. When I warned them, they would not change.”
24 The Lord says, “But you must be careful to obey me. Do not carry any loads through the gates of this city on a Sabbath day. You must keep the Sabbath day as a special day for me. Do not do any work on a Sabbath day. 25 If you obey me, kings from David's family will continue to rule. Kings and their officers will pass through these gates, together with the people of Jerusalem and all Judah. They will ride on horses and in chariots. Many people will always live in this city. 26 People will come here from everywhere in Judah. They will bring offerings to the Lord's temple. They will come from Judah's towns and from the villages around Jerusalem. They will come from the land that belongs to Benjamin's tribe. They will come from the low hills in the west and from the hill country and the wilderness in the south. They will bring burnt offerings, grain offerings, other sacrifices and incense. They will offer sacrifices to the Lord to thank him.
27 But you must remember to obey me. You must keep the Sabbath day as a special day for me. You must not carry any loads in through Jerusalem's gates on a Sabbath day. If you do not obey this rule, I will burn Jerusalem's gates with fire. The fire will destroy all the strong buildings in Jerusalem. Nobody will be able to stop that fire.” ’
Footnotes
- 17:1 The Lord continues to speak about Judah's sins.
- 17:12 This may be speaking about the temple in Jerusalem which was on a high hill, Mount Zion.
- 17:22 See Exodus 20:8.
耶利米書 17
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
猶大的罪與罰
17 「猶大人的罪是用鐵筆記錄的，用鑽石鐫刻的，寫在了他們心坎上和祭壇角上。 2 他們的兒女沒有忘記綠樹下、高崗上、 3 山野間的祭壇和亞舍拉神像。因為他們境內的罪惡，我必使敵人擄掠他們的財寶和神廟。 4 他們必失去我賜給他們的產業，被敵人擄到異鄉做奴隸，因為他們激起了我的怒火，永難熄滅。」
5 耶和華說：
「信靠世人、倚靠血肉之軀、
背叛耶和華的人該受咒詛！
6 這樣的人毫無福樂，
像沙漠中的灌木。
他要住在曠野中乾旱無人的鹽鹼地。
7 信靠耶和華、倚靠耶和華的人有福了！
8 這樣的人像一棵栽在水邊的樹，
根扎入水中，
不怕炎熱，不怕乾旱，
綠葉如蔭，不斷結果。
9 「人心比什麼都詭詐，
無可救藥，
誰能識透呢？
10 我耶和華鑒察人心，
察看人的意念，
按照人的行為報應人。」
11 謀取不義之財的人就像孵其他鳥蛋的鷓鴣，
他中年便會失去不義之財，
最後成了愚昧之人。
12 我們的聖殿是從太初就矗立在高處的榮耀寶座。
13 耶和華啊，你是以色列的盼望。
背棄你的人必蒙羞，
背叛你的人必像寫在塵土上的名字一樣消逝，
因為他們背棄了耶和華——活水的源泉。
14 耶和華啊，
你醫治我，我必痊癒；
你拯救我，我必脫離危難，
因為你是我所讚美的。
15 人們常譏諷我說：「耶和華說的那些事在哪裡？
怎麼還沒有實現呢？」
16 但我並沒有逃避牧養你子民的工作，
也沒有求你降禍給他們。
你知道我說的每一句話。
17 你是我患難中的避難所，
求你不要使我恐懼。
18 願你使那些迫害我的人蒙羞，
不要使我蒙羞；
願你使他們驚慌，
不要使我驚慌。
求你使他們大禍臨頭，
徹底毀滅他們。
遵守安息日
19 耶和華對我說：「你去站在猶大君王出入的城門前和耶路撒冷的各城門前， 20 宣告，『從這些城門進出的猶大君王、百姓以及耶路撒冷的居民啊，你們都要聽耶和華的話。 21 耶和華說，如果你們想保住性命，就要小心，不要在安息日帶貨物進耶路撒冷的城門， 22 也不要從家中運出貨物，不要在安息日做任何工作。要按照我對你們祖先的吩咐守安息日為聖日。 23 然而，他們卻不聽，毫不理會，頑固不化，不肯受教。
24 「『耶和華說，你們要留心聽我的話，在安息日不可運貨物進耶路撒冷的城門，不可做任何工作，要守安息日為聖日。 25 這樣，坐大衛寶座的君王及其官員必乘車騎馬和猶大人以及耶路撒冷的居民從城門出入。這城必永遠有人居住。 26 人們必帶著燔祭、平安祭、素祭、乳香和感恩祭從猶大的城邑、耶路撒冷四周、便雅憫地區、丘陵、山區和南地去耶和華的殿。 27 但如果你們不聽我的話，不守安息日為聖日，仍在安息日運貨物進耶路撒冷的城門，我必在各城門點起無法撲滅的大火，燒毀耶路撒冷的宮殿。』」
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