War and Hunger
1A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. He told Jeremiah there wouldn’t be any rain in the land. The Lord said,
2“Judah is filled with sadness.
Its cities are wasting away.
The people weep for the land.
Crying is heard in Jerusalem.
3The nobles send their servants to get water.
They go to the wells.
But they do not find any water.
They return with empty jars.
They are terrified. They do not have any hope.
They cover their heads.
4The ground is dry and cracked.
There isn’t any rain in the land.
The farmers are terrified.
They cover their heads.
5Even the female deer in the fields
desert their newborn fawns.
There isn’t any grass to eat.
6Wild donkeys stand on the bare hilltops.
They long for water as wild dogs do.
Their eyesight fails
because they do not have any food to eat.”
7Lord, our sins are a witness against us.
But do something for the honor of your name.
We have often turned away from you.
We’ve sinned against you.
8You are Israel’s only hope.
You save us when we’re in trouble.
Why are you like a stranger to us?
Why are you like a traveler who stays for only one night?
9Why are you like a man taken by surprise?
Why are you like a soldier who can’t save anyone?
Lord, you are among us.
And we are your people.
Please don’t desert us!
10The Lord gave Jeremiah a message about these people. The Lord said,
“They really love to wander away from me.
Their feet go down the wrong path.
I do not accept these people.
I will remember the evil things they have done.
I will punish them for their sins.”
11The Lord continued, “Do not pray that things will go well with them. 12Even if they go without food, I will not listen to their cry for help. They might sacrifice burnt offerings and grain offerings. But I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with war, hunger and plague.”
13But I said, “Lord and King, the prophets keep telling them something else. They say, ‘You won’t have to suffer from war or hunger. Instead, the Lord will give you peace and rest in this place.’ ”
14Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them. I have not even spoken to them. Everything they tell you about their visions or secret knowledge is a lie. They pretend to bring you messages from other gods. They try to get you to believe their own mistaken ideas. 15So here is what I am saying about the prophets who are prophesying in my name. I did not send them. But they are saying, ‘No war or hunger will come to this land.’ Those same prophets will die because of war and hunger. 16And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem. They will die because of hunger and war. No one will bury them. No one will bury their wives and children. I will pour out trouble on them. That is exactly what they should get.
17“Jeremiah, give them this message. Tell them,
“ ‘Let tears flow from my eyes.
Let them pour out night and day.
Never let them stop.
The people of my own nation
have suffered a terrible wound.
They have been crushed.
18Suppose I go into the country.
Then I see people who have been killed by swords.
Or suppose I go into the city.
Then I see people who have died of hunger.
Prophet and priest alike have gone to a land
they hadn’t known about before.’ ”
19Lord, have you completely turned your back on Judah?
Do you hate the city of Zion?
Why have you made us suffer?
We can’t be healed.
We hoped peace would come.
But nothing good has happened to us.
We hoped we would finally be healed.
But all we got was terror.
20Lord, we admit we’ve done evil things.
We also admit that our people of long ago were guilty.
It’s true that we’ve sinned against you.
21For the honor of your name, don’t turn your back on us.
Don’t bring shame on your glorious throne in the temple.
Remember the covenant you made with us.
Please don’t break it.
22Do any of the worthless gods of the nations bring rain?
Do the skies send down showers all by themselves?
No. Lord our God, you send the rain.
So we put our hope in you.
You are the one who does all these things.
预言旱灾
1耶和华告诉耶利米有关旱灾的事：
2“犹大充满悲泣，
她的城邑衰败，
人人坐在地上痛哭，
耶路撒冷哀鸣四起。
3贵族派仆人去水池打水，
仆人去那里发现没有水，
就带着空瓶垂头丧气、
羞愧难当地回去了。
4天不下雨，
土地干裂，
农夫沮丧地抱着头。
5因为没有草，
田野的母鹿抛弃了刚生下来的小鹿；
6因为没有草，
野驴站在光秃的山头上像豺狼一样喘气，双目无神。”
7耶和华啊，虽然我们的罪控告我们，
我们屡屡叛逆得罪你，
求你为了自己的尊名而拯救我们。
8以色列的盼望和患难时的救主啊，
你为什么在这里像一个异乡人，
像一个只住一夜的旅客呢？
9你为什么像一个受惊的人，
像一个无力救人的勇士呢？
耶和华啊，你一直都在我们中间，
我们属于你的名下，
求你不要抛弃我们。
10论到这些百姓，耶和华这样说：
“他们喜欢流浪，
不约束自己的脚步，
因此耶和华不喜欢他们。
现在祂要清算他们的罪恶，
追讨他们的罪。”
11耶和华对我说：“你不要为这百姓祷告。 12他们禁食，我也不会听他们的呼求；他们献上燔祭和素祭，我也不会悦纳。我要用战争、饥荒和瘟疫灭绝他们。” 13我说：“主耶和华啊！众先知不停地告诉他们不会有战争，也不会遭遇饥荒，说耶和华必在这地方赐给他们永久的平安。”
14耶和华对我说：“那些先知奉我的名说假预言，我并没有差派他们，没有委任他们，也没有对他们说话。他们对你们说的预言是假异象，是占卜，是凭空捏造。 15我没有差派他们，他们却奉我的名说这地方必没有战争和饥荒。他们必死于战争和饥荒。这是耶和华说的。 16至于听他们说预言的人以及那些人的妻子儿女，必因饥荒和战争而暴尸耶路撒冷街头。因为我要使他们受到应得的报应。
17“耶利米，你要对他们说，
‘让我昼夜泪眼汪汪吧，
因为我的同胞遭受重创，
遍体鳞伤。
18我走到田间，
眼前是具具被杀的尸体；
我进入城里，
见饥荒肆虐，
祭司和先知也流亡异乡14:18 “祭司和先知也流亡异乡”或译“连祭司和先知也浑浑噩噩，不知道自己做什么”。。’”
19耶和华啊，你完全丢弃犹大了吗？
你厌恶锡安吗？
你为什么把我们打得伤痕累累，以致无法医治？
我们期待平安，却没有平安；
渴望得到医治，却饱受惊吓。
20耶和华啊，我们承认自己和我们祖先的罪，
我们都得罪了你。
21为了你的尊名，
求你不要厌恶我们，
不要让你荣耀的宝座蒙羞。
求你顾念你与我们立的约，
不要废除它。
22在列国供奉的偶像中，
谁能赐下雨水呢？
天能自降甘霖吗？
我们的上帝耶和华啊，
难道不是只有你能行这些事吗？
是你赐雨水降甘霖，
所以我们仰望你。
