兩筐無花果的比喻
1巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒從耶路撒冷把猶大王約雅敬的兒子耶哥尼雅、猶大的官員、技工和工匠擄到巴比倫以後，耶和華使我看見兩筐無花果放在祂的殿前。 2一筐無花果極好，好像初熟的果子；另一筐則壞得不能吃。 3耶和華問我：「耶利米啊，你看見什麼？」我回答說：「無花果。好的好極了，壞的壞得不能吃。」
4耶和華便對我說： 5「以色列的上帝耶和華這樣說，『那些從這裡被擄到迦勒底的猶大人在我眼中是好無花果。 6我要眷顧他們，帶他們回到這裡。我要使他們興起，不再毀滅他們；我要栽培他們，不再剷除他們； 7我要賜給他們一顆心，使他們認識我是耶和華。他們要做我的子民，我要做他們的上帝，因為他們必全心全意地歸向我。』 8至於那些壞得不能吃的無花果，耶和華這樣說，『猶大王西底迦及其官員，以及留在耶路撒冷和埃及的人在我眼中就像壞得不能吃的無花果。我必丟棄他們， 9使他們的遭遇令天下萬國驚懼。在我流放他們去的地方，他們必受凌辱、嘲笑、譏諷和咒詛。 10我要使戰爭、饑荒和瘟疫臨到他們，直到他們在我賜給他們和他們祖先的土地上滅亡。』」
Judah Is Like Two Baskets of Figs
1King Jehoiachin was forced to leave Jerusalem. He was the son of Jehoiakim. Jehoiachin was taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. The officials and all the skilled workers were forced to leave with him. After they left, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs. They were in front of his temple. 2One basket had very good figs in it. They were like figs that ripen early. The other basket had very bad figs in it. In fact, they were so bad they couldn’t even be eaten.
3Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
“Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good. But the others are so bad they can’t be eaten.”
4Then a message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, 5“I am the Lord, the God of Israel. I say, ‘I consider the people who were forced to leave Judah to be like these good figs. I sent them away from this place. I forced them to go to Babylon. 6My eyes will watch over them. I will be good to them. And I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up. I will not tear them down. I will plant them. I will not pull them up by the roots. 7I will change their hearts. Then they will know that I am the Lord. They will be my people. And I will be their God. They will return to me with all their heart.
8“ ‘But there are also bad figs. In fact, they are so bad they can’t be eaten,’ says the Lord. ‘Zedekiah, the king of Judah, is like these bad figs. So are his officials and the people of Jerusalem who are still left alive. I will punish them whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt. 9I will make all the kingdoms on earth displeased with them. In fact, they will hate them a great deal. They will shake their heads at them. They will curse them and make fun of them. All this will happen no matter where I force them to go. 10I will send war, hunger and plague against them. They will be destroyed from the land I gave them and their people of long ago.’ ”
