犹大毁约
1耶和华对耶利米说： 2“你要听这约上的话，把内容告诉犹大人和耶路撒冷的居民。 3你要告诉他们，以色列的上帝耶和华说，‘不遵守这约的人必受咒诅。 4我把你们的祖先从埃及——苦难的熔炉里带出来，那时我吩咐他们遵守这约。他们若听从我的话，遵行我的吩咐，就必做我的子民，我也必做他们的上帝。 5这样，我就实现我向你们祖先起的誓——赐给他们那奶蜜之乡，正如今日一样。’”我回答说：“耶和华啊，遵命！”
6耶和华对我说：“你要在犹大各城和耶路撒冷的街头宣告，呼吁百姓听从、遵行这约。 7因为自从我把你们祖先从埃及领出来的那天起，一直到今天，我一再劝诫他们要听从我的话。 8然而，他们却不听不理，人人凭自己顽固的恶念行事。因此，我要使约中的一切咒诅临到他们，因为我吩咐他们遵守这约，他们却拒绝遵守。”
9耶和华对我说：“犹大人和耶路撒冷的居民阴谋背叛我。 10他们重蹈祖先的覆辙，不听从我的话，跟从、祭拜别的神明。以色列和犹大都违背了我与他们祖先立的约。 11所以我要使他们灾难临头，无法逃脱，任他们高声呼求，我也不听。这是耶和华说的。 12那时，犹大各城和耶路撒冷的居民必去呼求他们烧香供奉的神明，却得不到任何帮助。 13犹大啊，你的神明多如你的城邑，你给可憎的巴力烧香的祭坛多如耶路撒冷的街道。
14“因此，耶利米啊，你不要为这些人祈祷，不要为他们呼求祷告，因为他们遭难时向我呼求，我必不理会他们。 15我所爱的子民既然罪恶滔天，还在我殿里做什么？难道祭肉可以为他们消灾免祸吗？他们以作恶为乐。 16耶和华曾称他们为枝繁叶茂、果实佳美的橄榄树，但现在祂要在呼啸的风暴中把它点燃，烧毁它的枝条。 17我——万军之耶和华曾栽培以色列人和犹大人，如今我要降祸给他们，因为他们作恶，向巴力献祭，惹我发怒。”
谋害耶利米
18有人想谋害我，耶和华告诉了我，并让我看见他们的所作所为。 19我好像一只被牵去宰杀的驯良羊羔，不知他们要谋害我。他们说：
“我们把这棵树连果子一同毁灭，
从世上除掉它，
使它被遗忘吧！”
20然而，审判公正、洞察肺腑心肠的万军之耶和华啊，
愿我能看见你报应他们，
因为我已向你陈明我的冤屈。
21-22亚拿突人想杀我，他们威胁我说：“你不要奉耶和华的名说预言，免得死在我们手上。”因此，万军之耶和华说：“看啊，我必惩罚他们。他们的青年必丧身刀下，他们的子女必死于饥荒， 23一个不留。因为在我报应之年，我必降灾难给亚拿突人。”
The covenant is broken
1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. 3Tell them that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “Cursed is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant – 4the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.” I said, “Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God. 5Then I will fulfil the oath I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey” – the land you possess today.’
I answered, ‘Amen, Lord.’
6The Lord said to me, ‘Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: “Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them. 7From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, ‘Obey me.’ 8But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.” ’
9Then the Lord said to me, ‘There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10They have returned to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant I made with their ancestors. 11Therefore this is what the Lord says: “I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them. 12The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not help them at all when disaster strikes. 13You, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns; and the altars you have set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.”
14‘Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.
15‘What is my beloved doing in my temple
as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes?
Can consecrated meat avert your punishment?
When you engage in your wickedness,
then you rejoice.11:15 Or Could consecrated meat avert your punishment? / Then you would rejoice’
16The Lord called you a thriving olive tree
with fruit beautiful in form.
But with the roar of a mighty storm
he will set it on fire,
and its branches will be broken.
17The Lord Almighty, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you, because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and aroused my anger by burning incense to Baal.
Plot against Jeremiah
18Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. 19I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realise that they had plotted against me, saying,
‘Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
that his name be remembered no more.’
20But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously
and test the heart and mind,
let me see your vengeance on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
21‘Therefore this is what the Lord says about the people of Anathoth who are threatening to kill you, saying, “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord or you will die by our hands” – 22therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will punish them. Their young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine. 23Not even a remnant will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.” ’
