¹ 有临到耶利米的话，论及一切住在埃及地的犹大人，就是住在密夺、答比匿、挪弗、巴忒罗境内的犹大人，说：

² 万军之耶和华─以色列的神如此说：我所降与耶路撒冷和犹大各城的一切灾祸你们都看见了。那些城邑今日荒凉，无人居住；

³ 这是因居民所行的恶，去烧香事奉别神，就是他们和你们，并你们列祖所不认识的神，惹我发怒。

⁴ 我从早起来差遣我的仆人众先知去说，你们切不要行我所厌恶这可憎之事。

⁵ 他们却不听从，不侧耳而听，不转离恶事，仍向别神烧香。

⁶ 因此，我的怒气和忿怒都倒出来，在犹大城邑中和耶路撒冷的街市上，如火着起，以致都荒废凄凉，正如今日一样。

⁷ 现在耶和华─万军之神、以色列的神如此说：你们为何作这大恶自害己命，使你们的男人、妇女、婴孩，和吃奶的都从犹大中剪除、不留一人呢？

⁸ 就是因你们手所做的，在所去寄居的埃及地向别神烧香惹我发怒，使你们被剪除，在天下万国中令人咒诅羞辱。

⁹ 你们列祖的恶行，犹大列王和他们后妃的恶行，你们自己和你们妻子的恶行，就是在犹大地、耶路撒冷街上所行的，你们都忘了麽？

¹⁰ 到如今还没有懊悔，没有惧怕，没有遵行我在你们和你们列祖面前所设立的法度律例。

¹¹ 所以万军之耶和华─以色列的神如此说：我必向你们变脸降灾，以致剪除犹大众人。

¹² 那定意进入埃及地、在那里寄居的，就是所剩下的犹大人，我必使他们尽都灭绝，必在埃及地仆倒，必因刀剑饥荒灭绝；从最小的到至大的都必遭刀剑饥荒而死，以致令人辱骂、惊骇、咒诅、羞辱。

¹³ 我怎样用刀剑、饥荒、瘟疫刑罚耶路撒冷，也必照样刑罚那些住在埃及地的犹大人；

¹⁴ 甚至那进入埃及地寄居的，就是所剩下的犹大人，都不得逃脱，也不得存留归回犹大地。他们心中甚想归回居住之地；除了逃脱的以外，一个都不能归回。

¹⁵ 那些住在埃及地巴忒罗知道自己妻子向别神烧香的，与旁边站立的众妇女，聚集成群，回答耶利米说：

¹⁶ 论到你奉耶和华的名向我们所说的话，我们必不听从。

¹⁷ 我们定要成就我们口中所出的一切话，向天后烧香、浇奠祭，按着我们与我们列祖、君王、首领在犹大的城邑中和耶路撒冷的街市上素常所行的一样；因为那时我们吃饱饭、享福乐，并不见灾祸。

¹⁸ 自从我们停止向天后烧香、浇奠祭，我们倒缺乏一切，又因刀剑饥荒灭绝。

¹⁹ 妇女说：我们向天后烧香、浇奠祭，做天后像的饼供奉他，向他浇奠祭，是外乎我们的丈夫麽？

²⁰ 耶利米对一切那样回答他的男人妇女说：

²¹ 你们与你们列祖、君王、首领，并国内的百姓，在犹大城邑中和耶路撒冷街市上所烧的香，耶和华岂不记念，心中岂不思想麽？

²² 耶和华因你们所作的恶、所行可憎的事，不能再容忍，所以你们的地荒凉，令人惊骇咒诅，无人居住，正如今日一样。

²³ 你们烧香，得罪耶和华，没有听从他的话，没有遵行他的律法、条例、法度，所以你们遭遇这灾祸，正如今日一样。

²⁴ 耶利米又对众民和众妇女说：你们在埃及地的一切犹大人当听耶和华的话。

²⁵ 万军之耶和华─以色列的神如此说：你们和你们的妻都口中说、手里做，说：我们定要偿还所许的愿，向天后烧香、浇奠祭。现在你们只管坚定所许的愿而偿还罢！

²⁶ 所以你们住在埃及地的一切犹大人当听耶和华的话。耶和华说：我指着我的大名起誓，在埃及全地，我的名不再被犹大一个人的口称呼说：我指着主─永生的耶和华起誓。

²⁷ 我向他们留意降祸不降福；在埃及地的一切犹大人必因刀剑、饥荒所灭，直到灭尽。

²⁸ 脱离刀剑、从埃及地归回犹大地的人数很少；那进入埃及地要在那里寄居的，就是所剩下的犹大人，必知道是谁的话立得住，是我的话呢？是他们的话呢？

²⁹ 耶和华说：我在这地方刑罚你们，必有预兆，使你们知道我降祸与你们的话必要立得住。

³⁰ 耶和华如此说：我必将埃及王法老合弗拉交在他仇敌和寻索其命的人手中，像我将犹大王西底家交在他仇敌和寻索其命的巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒手中一样。

¹⁸ 孩子捡柴，父亲烧火，妇女抟面做饼，献给天后，又向别神浇奠祭，惹我发怒。

¹ The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

² Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and drop [your word] toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

³ and tell the land of Israel, Thus says Yahweh: Behold, I am against you, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked.

⁴ Seeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:

⁵ and all flesh shall know that I, Yahweh, have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath; it shall not return any more.

⁶ Sigh therefore, you son of man; with the breaking of your thighs and with bitterness you will sigh before their eyes.

⁷ It shall be, when they tell you, Why do you sigh? that you shall say, Because of the news, for it comes; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it comes, and it shall be done, says the Lord Yahweh.

⁸ The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

⁹ Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says Yahweh: say, A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished;

¹⁰ it is sharpened that it may make a slaughter; it is furbished that it may be as lightning: shall we then make mirth? the rod of my son, it condemns every tree.

¹¹ It is given to be furbished, that it may be handled: the sword, it is sharpened, yes, it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the killer.

¹² Cry and wail, son of man; for it is on my people, it is on all the princes of Israel: they are delivered over to the sword with my people; strike therefore on your thigh.

¹³ For there is a trial; and what if even the rod that condemns shall be no more? says the Lord Yahweh.

¹⁴ You therefore, son of man, prophesy, and strike your hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the deadly wounded: it is the sword of the great one who is deadly wounded, which enters into their rooms.

¹⁵ I have set the threatening sword against all their gates, that their heart may melt, and their stumblings be multiplied: ah! it is made as lightning, it is pointed for slaughter.

¹⁶ Gather yourselves together, go to the right, set yourselves in array, go to the left, wherever your face is set.

¹⁷ I will also strike my hands together, and I will cause my wrath to rest: I, Yahweh, have spoken it.

¹⁸ The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying,

¹⁹ Also, you son of man, appoint two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come; they both shall come forth out of one land: and mark out a place, mark it out at the head of the way to the city.

²⁰ You shall appoint a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and to Judah in Jerusalem the fortified.

²¹ For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shook the arrows back and forth, he consulted the teraphim, he looked in the liver.

²² In his right hand was the divination [for] Jerusalem, to set battering rams, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up mounds, to build forts.

²³ It shall be to them as a false divination in their sight, who have sworn oaths to them; but he brings iniquity to memory, that they may be taken.

²⁴ Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear; because you have come to memory, you shall be taken with the hand.

²⁵ You, deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose day is come, in the time of the iniquity of the end,

²⁶ thus says the Lord Yahweh: Remove the turban, and take off the crown; this [shall be] no more the same; exalt that which is low, and abase that which is high.

²⁷ I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: this also shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it [him].

²⁸ You, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and say, A sword, a sword is drawn, for the slaughter it is furbished, to cause it to devour, that it may be as lightning;

²⁹ while they see for you false visions, while they divine lies to you, to lay you on the necks of the wicked who are deadly wounded, whose day is come in the time of the iniquity of the end.

³⁰ Cause it to return into its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your birth, will I judge you.

³¹ I will pour out my indignation on you; I will blow on you with the fire of my wrath; and I will deliver you into the hand of brutish men, skillful to destroy.

³² You shall be for fuel to the fire; your blood shall be in the midst of the land; you shall be remembered no more: for I, Yahweh, have spoken it.