¹耶利米在牢狱里

¹And Shephatiah son of Mattan, and Gedaliah son of Pashhur, and Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah, hear the words that Jeremiah is speaking unto all the people, saying,

²“耶和华这样说：‘凡留在这城里的，必因刀剑、饥荒、瘟疫而死；但出去向迦勒底人投降的，必可以活着；他们必捡回自己的性命，得以生存。’

²`Thus said Jehovah: He who is remaining in this city dieth, by sword, by famine, and by pestilence, and he who is going forth unto the Chaldeans liveth, and his soul hath been to him for a prey, and he liveth.

³耶和华这样说：‘这城必交在巴比伦王军队的手中，巴比伦王必攻取这城。’”

³Thus said Jehovah: This city is certainly given into the hand of the force of the king of Babylon, and he hath captured it.`

⁴于是众领袖对王说：“这人应该处死，因为他向这城里剩下的军兵和众民说了这样的话，使他们的手都软弱无力。这人不是为这人民求平安，却是惹来灾祸的。”

⁴And the heads say unto the king, `Let, we pray thee, this man be put to death, because that he is making feeble the hands of the men of war, who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking unto them according to these words, for this man is not seeking for the peace of this people, but for its evil.`

⁵西底家王说：“看哪！他在你们手中；王不能作什么反对你们。”

⁵And the king Zedekiah saith, `Lo, he [is] in your hand: for the king is not able for you [in] anything.`

⁶他们就拿住耶利米，把他丢在王子玛基雅的井里，那井是在卫兵的院子里的；他们用绳子把耶利米缒下去。井里没有水，只有淤泥；耶利米就陷在淤泥中。

⁶And they take Jeremiah, and cast him into the pit of Malchiah son of the king, that [is] in the court of the prison, and they send down Jeremiah with cords; and in the pit there is no water, but mire, and Jeremiah sinketh in the mire.

⁷以伯．米勒援救耶利米宫中的臣宰古实人以伯．米勒，在王宫里听见他们把耶利米关在井里的消息（那时，王正在便雅悯门坐着），

⁷And Ebed-Melech the Cushite, a eunuch who [is] in the king`s house, heareth that they have put Jeremiah into the pit; and the king is sitting at the gate of Benjamin,

⁸以伯．米勒就从王宫里出来，禀告王说：

⁸and Ebed-Melech goeth forth from the king`s house, and speaketh unto the king, saying,

⁹“我主我王啊！这些人对耶利米先知所作的一切真是恶毒，他们把他丢在井里；在那地方他必饿死，因为城里再没有粮食了。”

⁹`My lord, O king, these men have done evil [in] all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the pit, and he dieth in his place because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.`

¹⁰于是王吩咐古实人以伯．米勒说：“你从这里带三十个人，在耶利米先知未死以前，把他从井里拉上来。”

¹⁰And the king commandeth Ebed-Melech the Cushite, saying, `Take with thee from this thirty men, and thou hast brought up Jeremiah the prophet from the pit, before he dieth.`

¹¹以伯．米勒就带人进王宫去，到储物室下面的一个房间，从那里取了些破布烂衣，用绳子缒下井里给耶利米。

¹¹And Ebed-Melech taketh the men with him, and entereth the house of the king, unto the place of the treasury, and taketh thence worn-out clouts, and worn-out rags, and sendeth them unto Jeremiah unto the pit by cords.

¹²古实人以伯．米勒对耶利米说：“把这些破布烂衣垫在你的腋下，然后束上绳子。”耶利米就这样作了。

¹²And Ebed-Melech the Cushite saith unto Jeremiah, `Put, I pray thee, the worn-out clouts and rags under thine arm-holes, at the place of the cords,` and Jeremiah doth so,

¹³于是他们用绳子把耶利米从井里拉出来；这样，耶利米可以住在卫兵的院子里。

¹³and they draw out Jeremiah with cords, and bring him up out of the pit, and Jeremiah dwelleth in the court of the prison.

¹⁴西底家私会耶利米后来，西底家王派人去把耶利米先知带到耶和华殿中的第三道门那里去见他。王对耶利米说：“我要问你一件事，你什么都不可以向我隐瞒。”

¹⁴And the king Zedekiah sendeth, and taketh Jeremiah the prophet unto him, unto the third entrance that [is] in the house of Jehovah, and the king saith unto Jeremiah, `I am asking thee a thing, do not hide from me anything.`

¹⁵耶利米对西底家说：“我若告诉你，你不是要杀死我吗？我若向你建议，你必不听从我。”

¹⁵And Jeremiah saith unto Zedekiah, `When I declare to thee, dost thou not surely put me to death? and when I counsel thee, thou dost not hearken unto me.`

¹⁶于是西底家王私下向耶利米起誓，说：“我指着那创造我们生命的永活的耶和华起誓：我决不杀死你，也不把你交在这些寻索你性命的人的手里。”

¹⁶And the king Zedekiah sweareth unto Jeremiah in secret, saying, `Jehovah liveth, He who made for us this soul, I do not put thee to death, nor give thee unto the hand of these men who are seeking thy soul.`

¹⁷耶利米劝西底家出降耶利米对西底家说：“耶和华万军的　神、以色列的　神这样说：‘你若出去归降巴比伦王的将领，你的性命就可以存活；这城也不会被火焚烧，你和你一家都可以存活。

¹⁷And Jeremiah saith unto Zedekiah, `Thus said Jehovah, God of Hosts, God of Israel: If thou dost certainly go forth unto the heads of the king of Babylon, then hath thy soul lived, and this city is not burned with fire, yea, thou hast lived, thou and thy house.

¹⁸但你若不出去归降巴比伦王的将领，这城就必交在迦勒底人的手中；他们必放火烧毁这城，你自己也不能从他们的手里逃脱。’”

¹⁸And if thou dost not go forth unto the heads of the king of Babylon, then hath this city been given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they have burnt it with fire, and thou dost not escape from their hand.`

¹⁹西底家王对耶利米说：“我害怕那些已向迦勒底人投降的犹大人，恐怕迦勒底人把我交在他们手中，他们就会凌辱我。”

¹⁹And the king Zedekiah saith unto Jeremiah, `I am fearing the Jews who have fallen unto the Chaldeans, lest they give me into their hand, and they have insulted me.`

²⁰耶利米说：“迦勒底人必不会把你交给他们。求你听从我对你所说的耶和华的话；这样，你就可以平安无事，你的性命也可以存活。

²⁰And Jeremiah saith, `They do not give thee up; hearken, I pray thee, to the voice of Jehovah, to that which I am speaking unto thee, and it is well for thee, and thy soul doth live.

²¹你若拒绝出去投降，耶和华指示我的话就是这样：

²¹`And if thou art refusing to go forth, this [is] the thing that Jehovah hath shewn me:

²²看哪！犹大王宫里所有剩下的妇女，都必被带出来，去到巴比伦王的将领那里。那些妇女必对你说：‘你的盟友煽惑了你，左右了你；现在你的脚陷在泥沼中，他们就都离弃你。’

²²That, lo, all the women who have been left in the house of the king of Judah are brought forth unto the heads of the king of Babylon, and lo, they are saying: Persuaded thee, and prevailed against thee, Have thine allies, Sunk into mire have thy feet, They have been turned backward.

²³你所有的后妃和你的儿女，都必被带出来，去到迦勒底人那里；你自己也不能从他们的手里逃脱，因为你必被巴比伦王的手抓住；这城也必被火烧毁（“这城也必被火烧毁”有古抄本作“你必放火烧毁这城”）。”

²³`And all thy wives, and thy sons, are brought forth unto the Chaldeans, and thou dost not escape from their hand, for by the hand of the king of Babylon thou art caught, and this city is burnt with fire.`

²⁴王命耶利米要保密西底家对耶利米说：“不要给人知道这些话，这样你就不会死。

²⁴And Zedekiah saith unto Jeremiah, `Let no man know of these words, and thou dost not die;

²⁵众领袖若听见了我和你说过话，就会来见你，对你说：‘告诉我们，你对王说了些什么？不可向我们隐瞒，我们就不会杀死你。王又对你说了些什么？’

²⁵and when the heads hear that I have spoken with thee, and they have come in unto thee, and have said unto thee, Declare to us, we pray thee, what thou didst speak unto the king, do not hide [it] from us, and we do not put thee to death, and what the king spake unto thee,

²⁶你就要对他们说：‘我只是把我的恳求呈到王面前，求他不要把我送回约拿单的房子去，免得我死在那里。’”

²⁶then thou hast said unto them, I am causing my supplication to fall before the king, not to cause me to return to the house of Jonathan, to die there.`

²⁷所有的领袖果然来见耶利米，查问他；他就照着王所吩咐的这一切话告诉他们。于是他们不再追问他，因为王和他说话的内容没有给人听见。

²⁷And all the heads come in unto Jeremiah, and ask him, and he declareth to them according to all these words that the king commanded, and they keep silent from him, for the matter was not heard;

²⁸这样，耶利米留在卫兵的院子里，直到耶路撒冷被攻取的那一天。

²⁸and Jeremiah dwelleth in the court of the prison till the day that Jerusalem hath been captured, and he was [there] when Jerusalem was captured.