¹預言西底家被擄，聖城被毀巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒率領他的全軍，以及他統治的地上各國各族，攻打耶路撒冷和周圍一切城鎮的時候，從耶和華那裡有話臨到耶利米，說：

¹The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his dominion, and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of it, saying:

²“耶和華以色列的　神這樣說：‘你去告訴猶大王西底家說：耶和華這樣說：看哪！我要把這城交在巴比倫王的手中，他要用火燒城。

²Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, Go, and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus says Yahweh, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:

³你必逃不出他的手，必被拿住，交在他的手中。你必親眼看見巴比倫王，他必親口和你說話；你也必到巴比倫去。’

³and you shall not escape out of his hand, but shall surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and your eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with you mouth to mouth, and you shall go to Babylon.

⁴但猶大王西底家啊，你還要聽耶和華的話！耶和華論到你這樣說：‘你必不會死在刀下；

⁴Yet hear the word of Yahweh, O Zedekiah king of Judah: thus says Yahweh concerning you, You shall not die by the sword;

⁵你必平平安安死去。人怎樣為你的列祖，就是在你以前的君王，焚燒香料，也必照樣為你焚燒香料；人必為你哀悼，說：“哀哉，主上！”’這話是我說的。”這是耶和華的宣告。

⁵you shall die in peace; and with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so shall they make a burning for you; and they shall lament you, saying, Ah Lord! for I have spoken the word, says Yahweh.

⁶於是耶利米先知在耶路撒冷把這一切話都告訴了猶大王西底家。

⁶Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,

⁷那時，巴比倫王的軍隊正在攻打耶路撒冷和猶大剩下的城鎮，就是拉吉和亞西加，因為在猶大的各城中，只剩下這兩座堅固的城了。

⁷when the king of Babylon’s army was fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and against Azekah; for these alone remained of the cities of Judah as fortified cities.

⁸君民立約釋放奴僕西底家王和在耶路撒冷的眾民立了約，要向奴僕宣告自由。人人都要釋放自己的希伯來奴婢；誰也不可使自己的一位猶大兄弟作奴僕。（這事以後，從耶和華那裡有話臨到耶利米。）

⁸The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty to them;

⁹

⁹that every man should let his male servant, and every man his female servant, who is a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free; that none should make bondservants of them, of a Jew his brother.

¹⁰所有立了約的領袖和眾民都同意釋放各人自己的奴婢，誰也不再使他們作奴僕。他們都同意了，並且把奴婢釋放了。

¹⁰All the princes and all the people obeyed, who had entered into the covenant, that everyone should let his male servant, and everyone his female servant, go free, that none should make bondservants of them any more; they obeyed, and let them go:

¹¹但後來他們反悔，把他們釋放了的奴婢叫回來，強迫他們再作奴婢。

¹¹but afterwards 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背約必受懲罰於是耶和華有話臨到耶利米，說：

¹²Therefore the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,

¹³“耶和華以色列的　神這樣說：‘我把你們的列祖從埃及地為奴之家領出來的那日子，就和他們立了約，說：

¹³Thus says Yahweh, 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 bondage, saying,

¹⁴“一個希伯來兄弟賣了身給你，服事了你六年，到第七年，你們各人就應釋放他，容他自由離去。”但你們的列祖不聽從我，毫不在意。

¹⁴At the end of seven years you shall let go every man his brother who is a Hebrew, who has been sold to you, and has served you six years, you shall let him go free from you: but your fathers didn’t listen to me, neither inclined their ear.

¹⁵現今你們悔改，行我眼中看為正的事，各人向自己的同胞宣告自由，並且在稱為我名下的殿中，在我面前立了約。

¹⁵You had now turned, and had done that which is right in my eyes, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and you had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:

¹⁶你們卻又反悔，褻瀆我的名；各人把得了釋放隨意離去的奴婢叫回來，強迫他們再作奴婢。’

¹⁶but you turned and profaned my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom you had let go free at their pleasure, to return; and you brought them into subjection, to be to you for servants and for handmaids.

¹⁷“所以，耶和華這樣說：‘你們各人沒有聽從我，向兄弟、同胞宣告自由；看哪！我現在向你們宣告自由，容讓你們遭受刀劍、瘟疫和饑荒，使你們成為地上萬國所驚懼的。’這是耶和華的宣告。

¹⁷Therefore thus says Yahweh: you have not listened to me, to proclaim liberty, every man to his brother, and every man to his neighbor: behold, I proclaim to you a liberty, says Yahweh, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth.

¹⁸‘我必把那些違犯我的約的人交出去；他們沒有履行在我面前和我立約的誓言，就是他們把牛犢劈開兩半，並且從兩半中間走過去時立下的。

¹⁸I will give the men who have transgressed my covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts;

¹⁹那些從牛犢兩半中間走過去的人，就是猶大的領袖、耶路撒冷的領袖、宮中的臣宰、祭司和這地的眾民。

¹⁹the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, who passed between the parts of the calf;

²⁰我必把他們交在他們仇敵的手中，和那些尋索他們性命的人的手中；他們的屍體必給空中的飛鳥和地上的走獸作食物。

²⁰I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life; and their dead bodies shall be for food to the birds of the sky, and to the animals of the earth.

²¹我也必把猶大王西底家和眾領袖交在他們仇敵的手中，和那些尋索他們性命的人的手中，以及那些從你們面前暫時撤退的巴比倫王的軍隊的手中。

²¹Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, who have gone away from you.

²²看哪！我必下令，使他們回到這城來；他們必攻打、奪取這城，用火焚燒；我必使猶大的城鎮都荒涼，沒有人居住。’”這是耶和華的宣告。

²²Behold, I will command, says Yahweh, 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 inhabitant.