Disaster Because of Idolatry
1This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt—in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis—and in Upper Egypt: 2“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruins 3because of the evil they have done. They aroused my anger by burning incense to and worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever knew. 4Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, ‘Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!’ 5But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods. 6Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins they are today.
7“Now this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women, the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant? 8Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made, burning incense to other gods in Egypt, where you have come to live? You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse44:8 That is, your name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that you are cursed; also in verse 12; similarly in verse 22. and an object of reproach among all the nations on earth. 9Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors and by the kings and queens of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem? 10To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed my law and the decrees I set before you and your ancestors.
11“Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster on you and to destroy all Judah. 12I will take away the remnant of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by sword or famine. They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach. 13I will punish those who live in Egypt with the sword, famine and plague, as I punished Jerusalem. 14None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives.”
15Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, along with all the women who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Jeremiah, 16“We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord! 17We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm. 18But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.”
19The women added, “When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes impressed with her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?”
20Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him, 21“Did not the Lord remember and call to mind the incense burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem by you and your ancestors, your kings and your officials and the people of the land? 22When the Lord could no longer endure your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a curse and a desolate waste without inhabitants, as it is today. 23Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed him or followed his law or his decrees or his stipulations, this disaster has come upon you, as you now see.”
24Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt. 25This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’
“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows! 26But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt: ‘I swear by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign Lord lives.” 27For I am watching over them for harm, not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed. 28Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs.
29“ ‘This will be the sign to you that I will punish you in this place,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’ 30This is what the Lord says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’ ”
耶和華給流亡埃及之人的信息
1關於住在埃及的密奪、答比匿、挪弗和巴特羅地區的猶大人，耶和華對耶利米說： 2「以色列的上帝——萬軍之耶和華說，『你們已看見了我降在耶路撒冷和猶大各城的災禍。如今它們一片荒涼，杳無人跡。 3這都是因為那裡的居民犯罪作惡，向他們、你們和你們祖先都不認識的神明燒香祭拜，惹我發怒。 4我屢次差遣我的僕人——眾先知警告他們不要再做讓我深惡痛絕的事， 5他們卻毫不理會，不肯離棄邪惡，仍向其他神明燒香。 6因此，我的怒氣和烈怒在猶大的城邑和耶路撒冷的街上燃燒，使它們淪為荒涼的廢墟，正如今日一樣。』 7現在以色列的上帝——萬軍之上帝耶和華說，『你們為什麼自招大禍，使你們當中的男人、女人、孩童和嬰兒都從猶大滅亡，無一倖免呢？ 8你們為什麼在所居住的埃及製作偶像，向其他神明燒香，惹我發怒，自招毀滅，成為天下萬國咒詛和羞辱的對象呢？ 9難道你們忘記了你們的祖先、猶大列王及其嬪妃，以及你們自己和妻子在猶大和耶路撒冷街上的惡行嗎？ 10你們至今既不悔悟也不懼怕，不遵行我給你們和你們祖先設立的律法和誡命。
11「『因此，以色列的上帝——萬軍之耶和華說：看啊，我必嚴懲你們，毀滅整個猶大。 12我要毀滅那些執意去埃及住的猶大餘民。他們都必在埃及滅亡，死於刀劍和饑荒，無論尊卑，無一倖免。他們的下場將很可怕，成了人們責罵、咒詛和羞辱的對象。 13我要像懲罰耶路撒冷一樣用刀劍、饑荒和瘟疫懲罰那些住在埃及的人。 14那些去埃及住的猶大餘民沒有幾個能逃脫，並活著返回他們渴望居住的故鄉猶大，除了少數倖存者外，他們都不得回去。』」
15那時，所有知道妻子向其他神明燒香的男人和一大群在場的婦女，以及所有住在埃及的巴特羅地區的人對耶利米說： 16「我們不會聽從你奉耶和華的名對我們說的話。 17但我們必照所許的願向天后燒香奠酒，正如我們和我們的祖先、君王和官長在猶大各城和耶路撒冷街上所做的一樣。那時，我們食物充足，生活幸福，無災無禍。 18但自從我們停止向天后燒香奠酒後，我們便一無所有，不斷有人死於刀劍和饑荒。」 19那些燒香的婦女說：「你以為我們的丈夫不知道我們向天后燒香奠酒、照著她的形像做祭餅嗎？」
20於是，耶利米對在場所有答覆他的男女說： 21「你們和你們的祖先、君王、官長及其他所有百姓在猶大各城和耶路撒冷的街上燒香，耶和華豈不記得，豈能遺忘？ 22你們的可憎惡行令耶和華忍無可忍，以致祂使你們的土地一片荒涼，無人居住，被人咒詛，正如今天的情形。 23你們遭遇今天的災禍是因為你們向其他神明燒香得罪耶和華，不聽從祂的話，不遵行祂的律法、誡命和教誨。」
24耶利米又對在場的男女說：「你們住在埃及的猶大人都要聽耶和華的話。 25以色列的上帝——萬軍之耶和華說，『你們和你們的妻子曾許願向天后燒香奠酒，並且著手還了所許的願。那麼，就去履行你們的許諾吧！還你們所許的願吧！』 26住在埃及的所有猶大人啊，你們都要聽耶和華的話。耶和華說，『看啊，我以自己偉大的名起誓，再沒有一個住在埃及的猶大人會憑永活的主耶和華起誓。 27看啊，我一定要給你們降下災禍而非祝福，使所有住在埃及的猶大人死於刀劍和饑荒，直到滅絕。 28刀下餘生、從埃及返回猶大的人必寥寥無幾。那時，你們這些來埃及住的猶大餘民必知道誰的話會實現，是我的還是你們的。 29我必在這地方懲罰你們，我要給你們一個預兆，好叫你們知道我言出必行，必降災給你們。這是耶和華說的。 30我必把埃及王法老何弗拉交在想殺他的仇敵手中，就像我把猶大王西底迦交在想殺他的仇敵巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒手中一樣。這是耶和華說的。』」
