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。

¹⁰ 耶和华说：我向这城变脸，降祸不降福；这城必交在巴比伦王的手中，他必用火焚烧。

¹ "As for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him.

² Now will I show you the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and when he has grown strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.

³ A mighty king shall stand up, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.

⁴ When he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of the sky, but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others besides these.

⁵ The king of the south shall be strong, and [one] of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.

⁶ At the end of years they shall join themselves together; and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the strength of her arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm; but she shall be given up, and those who brought her, and he who became the father of her, and he who strengthened her in those times.

⁷ But out of a shoot from her roots shall one stand up in his place, who shall come to the army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail.

⁸ Also their gods, with their molten images, [and] with their goodly vessels of silver and of gold, shall he carry captive into Egypt; and he shall refrain some years from the king of the north.

⁹ He shall come into the realm of the king of the south, but he shall return into his own land.

¹⁰ His sons shall war, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall come on, and overflow, and pass through; and they shall return and war, even to his fortress.

¹¹ The king of the south shall be moved with anger, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north; and he shall set forth a great multitude, and the multitude shall be given into his hand.

¹² The multitude shall be lifted up, and his heart shall be exalted; and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.

¹³ The king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former; and he shall come on at the end of the times, [even of] years, with a great army and with much substance.

¹⁴ In those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the children of the violent among your people shall lift themselves up to establish the vision; but they shall fall.

¹⁵ So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mound, and take a well-fortified city: and the forces of the south shall not stand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to stand.

¹⁶ But he who comes against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him; and he shall stand in the glorious land, and in his hand shall be destruction.

¹⁷ He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and with him equitable conditions; and he shall perform them: and he shall give him the daughter of women, to corrupt her; but she shall not stand, neither be for him.

¹⁸ After this shall he turn his face to the islands, and shall take many: but a prince shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; yes, moreover, he shall cause his reproach to turn on him.

¹⁹ Then he shall turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.

²⁰ Then shall stand up in his place one who shall cause a tax collector to pass through the kingdom to maintain its glory; but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.

²¹ In his place shall stand up a contemptible person, to whom they had not given the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in time of security, and shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

²² The overwhelming forces shall be overwhelmed from before him, and shall be broken; yes, also the prince of the covenant.

²³ After the treaty made with him he shall work deceitfully; for he shall come up, and shall become strong, with a small people.

²⁴ In time of security shall he come even on the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them prey, and spoil, and substance: yes, he shall devise his devices against the strongholds, even for a time.

²⁵ He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall war in battle with an exceeding great and mighty army; but he shall not stand; for they shall devise devices against him.

²⁶ Yes, they who eat of his dainties shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow; and many shall fall down slain.

²⁷ As for both these kings, their hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table: but it shall not prosper; for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.

²⁸ Then shall he return into his land with great substance; and his heart [shall be] against the holy covenant; and he shall do [his pleasure], and return to his own land.

²⁹ At the time appointed he shall return, and come into the south; but it shall not be in the latter time as it was in the former.

³⁰ For ships of Kittim shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and shall return, and have indignation against the holy covenant, and shall do [his pleasure]: he shall even return, and have regard to those who forsake the holy covenant.

³¹ Forces shall stand on his part, and they shall profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and shall take away the continual [burnt offering], and they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.

³² Such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he pervert by flatteries; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and do [exploits].

³³ Those who are wise among the people shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by spoil, [many] days.

³⁴ Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help; but many shall join themselves to them with flatteries.

³⁵ Some of those who are wise shall fall, to refine them, and to purify, and to make them white, even to the time of the end; because it is yet for the time appointed.

³⁶ The king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods; and he shall prosper until the indignation be accomplished; for that which is determined shall be done.

³⁷ Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all.

³⁸ But in his place shall he honor the god of fortresses; and a god whom his fathers didn't know shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.

³⁹ He shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god: whoever acknowledges [him] he will increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for a price.

⁴⁰ At the time of the end shall the king of the south contend with him; and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass through.

⁴¹ He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many [countries] shall be overthrown; but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.

⁴² He shall stretch forth his hand also on the countries; and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

⁴³ But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

⁴⁴ But news out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him; and he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to sweep away many.

⁴⁵ He shall plant the tents of his palace between the sea and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.