給西底迦的警告
1巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒率領他的軍隊和他統治的各邦國攻打耶路撒冷及其周圍城邑時，耶和華對耶利米說： 2「你去告訴猶大王西底迦，以色列的上帝耶和華說，『看啊，我要把這城交在巴比倫王的手中，使它被付之一炬。 3你必逃不出巴比倫王的手心，你必在他面前受審，被帶到巴比倫。 4猶大王西底迦啊！你要聽耶和華的話。論到你，耶和華說，你必不會死在刀劍之下， 5你必安然去世。人們必為你燒香，像為你的先王燒香一樣，他們必為你哀悼說，唉，我主啊！』這是我耶和華說的。」
6耶利米先知就在耶路撒冷把這番話告訴了猶大王西底迦。 7那時，巴比倫王的軍隊正攻打耶路撒冷以及猶大剩下的兩座堅城——拉吉和亞西加。
8西底迦王與耶路撒冷的居民立約讓他們釋放自己的奴隸之後，耶和華的話傳給了耶利米。 9西底迦王吩咐各人要釋放自己的希伯來奴隸，任何人都不應使自己的同胞做奴隸。 10所有立約的首領和人民都答應守約，並釋放了自己的奴隸， 11事後卻又反悔，抓回先前釋放的奴隸，再次奴役他們。 12那時，耶和華的話傳給了耶利米，說： 13「以色列的上帝耶和華說，『我曾帶領你們的祖先離開埃及，使他們不再受奴役，那時我與他們立約說， 14倘若你們的希伯來同胞賣身做你們的奴隸，服侍你們六年後，到第七年你們要給他們自由。你們的祖先卻掩耳不聽。 15不久前，你們回心轉意，做我視為正的事，釋放自己的同胞，並且在我的殿中立了約。 16然而，你們卻反悔，各自抓回先前釋放的奴隸，再次奴役他們，褻瀆了我的名。 17因此耶和華說，既然你們不聽我的話，不給自己的同胞自由，看啊，我必使你們自由地死在戰爭、瘟疫和饑荒中，使你們的遭遇令天下萬國驚懼。這是耶和華說的。 18-19猶大與耶路撒冷的首領、宮廷侍臣、祭司和全體百姓曾把牛犢劈成兩半，從中間走過跟我立約，後來卻又違背跟我立的約，不守約，所以他們的下場必像他們劈開的牛犢一樣。 20我要把他們交在想殺他們的敵人手中，他們的屍體要成為飛禽走獸的食物。 21我要把猶大王西底迦及其官員交在想殺他們的敵人手中，交在剛撤軍的巴比倫王手中。 22看啊，我要吩咐他們回來攻佔這城，將它付之一炬，我要使猶大的城邑荒無人煙。這是耶和華說的。』」
1The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying,34.1 of his…: Heb. the dominion of his hand 2Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire: 3And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon.34.3 he shall…: Heb. his mouth shall speak to thy mouth 4Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword: 5But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the LORD. 6Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem, 7When the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.
8¶ This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them; 9That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother. 10Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go. 11But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.
12¶ Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 13Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying, 14At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.34.14 hath been…: or, hath sold himself 15And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:34.15 now: Heb. to day34.15 which…: Heb. whereupon my name is called 16But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids. 17Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.34.17 to be…: Heb. for a removing 18And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof, 19The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf; 20I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth. 21And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which are gone up from you. 22Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.
