给西底家的信息
巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒率领他的全军和地上他管辖的各国各邦，攻打耶路撒冷和耶路撒冷所有的城镇。那时，耶和华的话临到耶利米，说：
The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying,
2“耶和华－以色列的神说，你去告诉犹大王西底家，耶和华如此说：看哪，我要把这城交在巴比伦王的手中，他必用火焚烧。Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:
3你必不能逃脱他的手，定被拿住，交在他手中。你要亲眼看到巴比伦王，他要亲口跟你说话，你也必到巴比伦去。And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon.
4犹大王西底家啊，你一定要听耶和华的话。耶和华论到你如此说：你必不死于刀下；Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword:
5必平安而终，人要为你焚烧，好像为你祖先，就是在你以前早先的王焚烧一样。人要为你举哀说：‘哀哉！我主啊。’这话是我说的。这是耶和华说的。”But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the LORD.
6于是，耶利米先知在耶路撒冷把这一切话告诉犹大王西底家。Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,
7那时，巴比伦王的军队正攻打耶路撒冷，又攻打犹大仅存的城镇，就是拉吉和亚西加；原来犹大的坚固城只剩下这两座。违背释放奴隶的约
When the king of Babylon's army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.
8西底家王与耶路撒冷的众百姓立约，要他们宣告自由，叫各人释放自己的仆人和婢女，使希伯来的男人和女人得自由，谁也不可使他的犹大弟兄作奴仆。这事以后，耶和华的话临到耶利米。This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them;
9所有前来立约的领袖和众百姓都顺从，各人释放自己的仆人和婢女，使他们得自由，不再叫他们作奴仆。大家都顺从，将仆婢释放了。That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.
10但后来他们又反悔，叫被释放得自由的仆人婢女回来，强迫他们仍为仆婢。Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go.
11因此耶和华的话临到耶利米，说：But afterward 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“耶和华－以色列的神如此说：我将你们祖先从埃及地为奴之家领出时，与他们立约说：Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
13‘你的一个希伯来弟兄若卖给你，服事你六年，到第七年你们各人就要释放他自由出去。’只是你们祖先不听我，不侧耳而听。Thus saith the LORD, 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 bondmen, saying,
14如今你们回转，行我眼中看为正的事，各人向邻舍宣告自由，并且在我面前、在称为我名下的殿中立约。At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.
15你们却反悔，亵渎我的名，各人叫所释放得自由的仆人婢女回来，强迫他们仍为仆婢。And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:
16所以耶和华如此说：你们不听从我，各人不向弟兄邻舍宣告自由。看哪！我要向你们宣告自由，把你们自由地交给刀剑、饥荒、瘟疫，并且使地上万国因你们而惊骇。这是耶和华说的。But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.
17那些违背我约的人，就是不遵守在我面前立约之话的，我要使他们成了那劈成两半的牛犊，使人从切块中经过：Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
18犹大的领袖、耶路撒冷的领袖、官员、祭司，和从牛犊切块中经过的这地的众百姓，And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof,
19我必将他们交在仇敌和寻索其命的人手中；他们的尸首必给空中的飞鸟和地上的走兽作食物。The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf;
20我必将犹大王西底家和他的众领袖交在仇敌和寻索其命的人手中，与那暂时离你们而去的巴比伦王军队的手中。I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.
21看哪，我要吩咐他们回到这城，攻打这城，将城攻取，用火焚烧；我也要使犹大的城镇变为废墟，无人居住。这是耶和华说的。”And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which are gone up from you.