耶利米警告犹大人勿去埃及
1加利亚的儿子约哈难、何沙雅的儿子耶撒尼亚和其他将领及各阶层的民众前来， 2对耶利米先知说：“求你答应我们的恳求，为我们这些余民向我们的上帝耶和华祈求。你也看见了，我们本来人数众多，现在却寥寥无几。 3愿你的上帝耶和华指示我们该去哪里，该做什么。” 4耶利米先知说：“好。我必照你们说的向你们的上帝耶和华祈求，并把祂的话毫不隐瞒地告诉你们。” 5他们说：“倘若我们不照你的上帝耶和华说的去做，愿诚实可靠的耶和华作证指控我们！ 6不论我们的上帝耶和华说什么，我们都愿意听从。我们若听祂的话，就必亨通。”
7十天之后，耶和华的话传给了耶利米。 8耶利米便召集加利亚的儿子约哈难和众将领及各阶层的民众， 9对他们说：“你们让我向以色列的上帝耶和华祈求，耶和华这样说， 10‘如果你们留在这地方，我必扶持你们，决不毁灭你们；我必栽培你们，决不铲除你们。因为我为降在你们身上的灾祸而难过。 11不要惧怕巴比伦王，不要怕他，因为我必与你们同在，拯救你们脱离他的权势。这是耶和华说的。 12我必怜悯你们，也要让他怜悯你们，使你们重归故土。’ 13然而，如果你们不听你们的上帝耶和华的话，不留在这地方， 14非要去埃及住，以为那里没有战争，听不见号角声，也不会忍饥挨饿， 15那么，你们这些犹大的余民就要听听耶和华的话。以色列的上帝——万军之耶和华说，‘如果你们决意去埃及住， 16你们所害怕的战争和饥荒必紧紧地跟着你们。你们必死在埃及。 17凡决意去埃及住的人必要死于战争、饥荒和瘟疫，无人能逃脱我降的灾祸。’
18“以色列的上帝——万军之耶和华说，‘我曾把烈怒倾倒在耶路撒冷人身上，如果你们去埃及，我也要把我的怒气倾倒在你们身上。你们的下场将很可怕，被人责骂、咒诅和羞辱，再也见不到故土。’ 19犹大的余民啊，耶和华已告诉你们不要去埃及。别忘了我今日给你们的警告， 20你们是在自欺，因为原是你们请我去向我们的上帝耶和华祈求，让我毫不隐瞒地把祂的话告诉你们，你们也答应遵行。 21今日，我把你们上帝耶和华的话告诉了你们，你们却不听从。 22因此，你们要清楚知道，你们如果决意去埃及住，必死于战争、饥荒和瘟疫。”
1Then all the army officers approached Jeremiah. They included Johanan, the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah, the son of Hoshaiah. All the people from the least important of them to the most important also came. 2All of them said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please listen to our appeal. Pray to the Lord your God. Pray for all of us who are left here. Once there were many of us. But as you can see, only a few of us are left now. 3So pray to the Lord your God. Pray that he’ll tell us where we should go. Pray that he’ll tell us what we should do.”
4“I’ve heard you,” Jeremiah the prophet replied. “I’ll certainly pray to the Lord your God. I’ll do what you have asked me to do. In fact, I’ll tell you everything the Lord says. I won’t keep anything back from you.”
5Then they said to Jeremiah, “We’ll do everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us to do. If we don’t, may he be a true and faithful witness against us. 6It doesn’t matter whether what you say is in our favor or not. We’re asking you to pray to the Lord our God. And we’ll obey him. Things will go well with us. That’s because we will obey the Lord our God.”
7Ten days later a message came to Jeremiah from the Lord. 8So Jeremiah sent for Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the other army officers with him. Jeremiah also gathered together all the people from the least important of them to the most important. 9He said to all of them, “The Lord is the God of Israel. You asked me to present your appeal to him. He told me, 10‘Stay in this land. Then I will build you up. I will not tear you down. I will plant you. I will not pull you up by the roots. I have decided to stop bringing trouble on you. 11Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon. You are afraid of him now. Do not be,’ announces the Lord. ‘I am with you. I will keep you safe. I will save you from his power. 12I will show you my loving concern. Then he will have concern for you. And he will let you return to your land.’
13“But suppose you say, ‘We won’t stay in this land.’ If you do, you will be disobeying the Lord your God. 14And suppose you say, ‘No! We’ll go and live in Egypt. There we won’t have to face war anymore. We won’t hear the trumpets of war. And we won’t get hungry.’ 15Then listen to what the Lord says to you who are left in Judah. He is the Lord who rules over all. He is the God of Israel. He says, ‘Have you already made up your minds to go to Egypt? Are you going to make your homes there? 16Then the war you fear will catch up with you there. The hunger you are afraid of will follow you into Egypt. And you will die there. 17In fact, that will happen to all those who go and make their homes in Egypt. All of them will die of war, hunger and plague. Not one of them will live. None of them will escape the trouble I will bring on them.’ 18He is the Lord who rules over all. He is the God of Israel. He says, ‘My great anger has been poured out on those who used to live in Jerusalem. In the same way, it will be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. People will use your name in a curse. They will be shocked at you. They will say bad things about you. And they will say you are shameful. You will never see this place again.’
19“The Lord has spoken to you who are left in Judah. He has said, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Here is something you can be sure of. I am warning you about it today. 20You made a big mistake when you asked me to pray to the Lord your God. You said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us. Tell us everything he says. We’ll do it.’ 21I have told you today what the Lord your God wants you to do. But you still haven’t obeyed him. You haven’t done anything he sent me to tell you to do. 22So here is something else you can be sure of. You will die of war, hunger and plague. You want to go and make your homes in Egypt. But you will die there.”
