¹写信慰问被掳的人民

¹And these [are] words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the remnant of the elders of the removal, and unto the priests, and unto the prophets, and unto all the people — whom Nebuchadnezzar removed from Jerusalem to Babylon,

²这是在耶哥尼雅王、太后、宫中的臣宰、犹大和耶路撒冷的领袖、工匠和铁匠从耶路撒冷被掳走以后。

²After the going forth of Jeconiah the king, and the mistress, and the officers, heads of Judah and Jerusalem, and the artificer, and the smith, from Jerusalem —

³这封信是由沙番的儿子以利亚萨和希勒家的儿子基玛利带去的；他们是犹大王西底家差往巴比伦，去见巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒的。信上说：

³By the hand of Eleasah son of Shaphan, and Gemariah son of Hilkijah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon — to Babylon, saying,

⁴“万军之耶和华以色列的　神对所有被掳的，就是耶和华（“耶和华”原文作“我”）把他们从耶路撒冷掳到巴比伦去的人，这样说：

⁴`Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, to all the removal that I removed from Jerusalem to Babylon,

⁵‘你们要建造房屋，定居下来；要栽种园子，吃园中的果子。

⁵Build ye houses, and abide; and plant ye gardens, and eat their fruit;

⁶你们要娶妻，生养儿女；要为你们的儿子娶媳妇，把你们的女儿出嫁，好让他们也生养儿女。你们要在那里增多，不可减少。

⁶Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take for your sons wives, and your daughters give to husbands, and they bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and ye are not few;

⁷我把你们掳到的那城，你们要为她求平安，为她向耶和华祈祷；因为她得平安，你们也得平安。’

⁷And seek the peace of the city whither I have removed you, and pray for it unto Jehovah, for in its peace ye have peace.

⁸勿信假先知“万军之耶和华以色列的　神这样说：‘不要被你们中间的先知和作占卜的欺骗，也不要听信自己所作的梦（“自己所作的梦”原文作“你们的梦，就是你们所促使作的梦”，有古本作“他们所作的梦”）。

⁸`For thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Let not your prophets who [are] in your midst, and your diviners, lift you up, nor hearken ye unto their dreams, thay ye are causing [them] to dream;

⁹因为他们冒我名对你们说虚假的预言，我并没有差派他们。’这是耶和华的宣告。

⁹For with falsehood they are prophesying to you in My name; I have not sent them, an affirmation of Jehovah.

¹⁰预言七十年后必重返故土“耶和华这样说：‘为巴比伦所定的七十年满了以后，我必眷顾你们，向你们实行我满有恩惠的诺言，把你们带回这地方来。

¹⁰`For thus said Jehovah, Surely at the fulness of Babylon — seventy years — I inspect you, and have established towards you My good word, to bring you back unto this place.

¹¹因我自己知道我为你们所定的计划，是使你们得平安，而不是遭受灾祸的计划；要赐给你们美好的前程和盼望。’这是耶和华的宣告。

¹¹For I have known the thoughts that I am thinking towards you — an affirmation of Jehovah; thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give to you posterity and hope.

¹²‘你们要呼求我，要来向我祷告，我就必应允你们。

¹²`And ye have called Me, and have gone, and have prayed unto Me, and I have hearkened unto you,

¹³你们要寻找我，只要一心寻求，就必寻见。

¹³And ye have sought Me, and have found, for ye seek Me with all your heart;

¹⁴我必给你们寻见（这是耶和华的宣告）；我必使你们被掳的归回，从我赶逐你们去的各国各地，把你们集合起来，带回我掳你们离开的地方去。’这是耶和华的宣告。

¹⁴And I have been found of you — an affirmation of Jehovah; and I have turned back [to] your captivity, and have gathered you out of all the nations, and out of all the places whither I have driven you — an affirmation of Jehovah — and I have brought you back unto the place whence I removed you.

¹⁵“你们既然说：‘耶和华在巴比伦为我们兴起了先知’，

¹⁵`Because ye have said, Jehovah hath raised up to us prophets in Babylon,

¹⁶所以耶和华论到那坐大卫王位的君王和住在这城里的众民，就是没有和你们一同被掳去的众兄弟，这样说：

¹⁶Surely thus said Jehovah concerning the king who is sitting on the throne of David, and concerning all the people that is dwelling in this city, your brethren who went not forth with you in the removal;

¹⁷‘万军之耶和华这样说：看哪！我必打发刀剑、饥荒、瘟疫临到他们；我必使他们像腐烂的无花果，坏到不能吃。

¹⁷Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, Lo, I am sending among them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and I have given them up as figs that [are] vile, that are not eaten for badness.

¹⁸我必用刀剑、饥荒、瘟疫追赶他们，使他们成为地上万国所惊惧的，在我赶逐他们到的各国中，成为令人惊骇、被人咒骂、嗤笑、羞辱的对象。

¹⁸And I have pursued after them with sword, with famine, and with pestilence, and have given them for a trembling to all kingdoms of the earth, for a curse and for an astonishment, and for a hissing, and for a reproach among all the nations whither I have driven them,

¹⁹因为他们不听从我的话（这是耶和华的宣告），就是我不断差遣到他们那里去，我的仆人众先知所说的话；同样，你们也没有听从。’这是耶和华的宣告。

¹⁹Because that they have not hearkened unto My words — an affirmation of Jehovah — that I sent unto them by My servants the prophets, rising early and sending, and ye hearkened not — an affirmation of Jehovah.

²⁰“你们这所有被掳去的，就是我从耶路撒冷赶逐到巴比伦去的，要听耶和华的话。

²⁰`And ye, hear ye a word of Jehovah, all ye of the captivity that I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon,

²¹亚哈和西底家必遭恶报“万军之耶和华以色列的　神这样说：‘论到冒我的名向你们说虚假预言的哥赖雅的儿子亚哈和玛西雅的儿子西底家，我要把他们交在巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒的手中，他要在你们眼前击杀他们。

²¹Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you in My name falsehood: Lo, I am giving them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he hath smitten them before your eyes,

²²所有被掳到巴比伦的犹大人，都要因他们的遭遇这样咒诅人，说：“愿耶和华使你像巴比伦王用火烧死的西底家和亚哈一样。”

²²And taken from them hath been a reviling by all the removed of Judah that [are] in Babylon, saying, Jehovah doth set thee as Zedekiah, and as Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted with fire;

²³因为他们二人在以色列中行了无耻的事，他们和邻舍的妻子通奸，又冒我的名说虚假的话，是我没有吩咐他们说的。我知道一切，也可以作证。’这是耶和华的宣告。”

²³Because that they have done folly in Israel, and commit adultery with the wives of their neighbours, and speak a word in My name falsely that I have not commanded them, and I [am] He who knoweth and a witness — an affirmation of Jehovah.

²⁴示玛雅写信叫人责备耶利米耶和华吩咐耶利米说：“你要对尼希兰人示玛雅说：

²⁴`And unto Shemaiah the Nehelamite thou dost speak, saying,

²⁵‘万军之耶和华以色列的　神这样说：你曾用自己的名寄信给在耶路撒冷的众民、玛西雅祭司的儿子西番雅，和众祭司，说：

²⁵Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, saying, Because that thou hast sent in thy name letters unto all the people who [are] in Jerusalem, and unto Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, and unto all the priests, saying,

²⁶耶和华已经立了你西番雅为祭司，代替耶何耶大，作耶和华殿中的总管，你就应把所有妄自说预言的人，都带上脚镣枷锁。

²⁶Jehovah hath made thee priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, for there being inspectors of the house of Jehovah, for every one mad and making himself a prophet, and thou hast put him unto the torture and unto the stocks.

²⁷现在，亚拿突人耶利米向你们说预言，你为什么不斥责他呢？

²⁷And now, why hast thou not pushed against Jeremiah of Anathoth, who is making himself a prophet to you?

²⁸因为他寄信给我们在巴比伦的人说：被掳的时期必会长久，所以你们要建造房屋，定居下来，也要栽植园子，吃园中的果子。’”

²⁸Because that he hath sent unto us to Babylon, saying, It [is] long, build ye houses, and abide; and plant ye gardens, and eat their fruit.`

²⁹（西番雅祭司却把这封信念给耶利米先知听。）

²⁹And Zephaniah the priest readeth this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

³⁰示玛雅说假预言必受恶报耶和华的话又临到耶利米，说：

³⁰And there is a word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah, saying,

³¹“你要寄信给所有被掳的人，说：‘论到尼希兰人示玛雅，耶和华这样说：因为示玛雅向你们说预言，我并没有差遣他，他竟使你们信靠谎言。

³¹`Send unto all the removal, saying, Thus said Jehovah concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite, Because that Shemaiah prophesied to you, and I — I have not sent him, and he doth cause you to trust on falsehood,

³²所以耶和华这样说：看哪！我必惩罚尼希兰人示玛雅和他的后代；他必不会有子孙住在这人民中间，也必不能看见我要为我的子民所作的美事，因为他说了悖逆耶和华的话。’”这是耶和华的宣告。

³²Therefore, thus said Jehovah, Lo, I am seeing after Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and after his seed, he hath none dwelling in the midst of this people, nor doth he look on the good that I am doing to My people — an affirmation of Jehovah — for apostacy he hath spoken against Jehovah.`