1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, 2 Yahweh says to me: "Make bonds and bars, and put them on your neck. 3 Then send them to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the children of Ammon, to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give them a command to their masters, saying, ‘Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says, "You shall tell your masters: 5 ‘I have made the earth, the men, and the animals that are on the surface of the earth by my great power and by my outstretched arm. I give it to whom it seems right to me. 6 Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant. I have also given the animals of the field to him to serve him. 7 All the nations will serve him, his son, and his son’s son, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings will make him their bondservant.

8 "‘"‘It will happen that I will punish the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon,’ says Yahweh, ‘with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. 9 But as for you, don’t listen to your prophets, to your diviners, to your dreams, to your soothsayers, or to your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, "You shall not serve the king of Babylon;" 10 for they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you far from your land, so that I would drive you out, and you would perish. 11 But the nation that brings their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, that nation I will let remain in their own land,’ says Yahweh; ‘and they will till it and dwell in it.’"’"

12 I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. 13 Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as Yahweh has spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Don’t listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon;’ for they prophesy a lie to you. 15 For I have not sent them," says Yahweh, "but they prophesy falsely in my name; that I may drive you out, and that you may perish, you, and the prophets who prophesy to you."

16 Also I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, Yahweh says, "Don’t listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, ‘Behold, the vessels of Yahweh’s house will now shortly be brought again from Babylon;’ for they prophesy a lie to you. 17 Don’t listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why should this city become a desolation? 18 But if they are prophets, and if Yahweh’s word is with them, let them now make intercession to Yahweh of Armies, that the vessels which are left in Yahweh’s house, in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, don’t go to Babylon. 19 For Yahweh of Armies says concerning the pillars, concerning the sea, concerning the bases, and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon didn’t take when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— 21 yes, Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says concerning the vessels that are left in Yahweh’s house, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem: 22 ‘They will be carried to Babylon, and there they will be, until the day that I visit them,’ says Yahweh; ‘then I will bring them up, and restore them to this place.’"

1 犹大王约西亚的儿子西底家（"西底家"有古抄本作"约雅敬"）开始执政的时候， 有这话从耶和华那里临到耶利米， 说：

2 "耶和华对我这样说： ‘你要用绳套和木头做轭， 套在自己的颈上。

3 然后借着那些前来耶路撒冷朝见犹大王西底家的使臣的手， 把轭送到以东王、摩押王、亚扪王、推罗王、西顿王那里。

4 你要吩咐使臣对他们的王说： 万军之耶和华以色列的 神这样说： 你们要这样对你们的王说：

5 是我用大能和伸出来的膀臂创造了大地， 以及地面上的人和兽； 我看给谁适合， 就把地给谁。

6 现在我已经亲自把这一切国家都交在我仆人巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒的手中， 连田野的走兽， 我也交给他， 供他奴役。

7 列国都要服事他和他的儿子、孙子， 直到他本国遭报的时候来到； 那时， 许多国家和大君王都要奴役他。

8 "‘无论哪一国、哪一邦， 不服事巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒， 不把颈项放在巴比伦王的轭下， 我必用刀剑、饥荒和瘟疫去惩罚那国， 直到我借着巴比伦王的手把他们完全消灭。’这是耶和华的宣告。

9 ‘至于你们， 不可听从你们的先知， 也不可听从占卜的、解梦的、算命的和行邪术的； 他们告诉你们说： 你们必不会服事巴比伦王。

10 因为他们向你们说虚假的预言， 使你们远离你们的土地； 我要赶逐你们， 你们必要灭亡。

11 但哪一国肯把颈项放在巴比伦王的轭下， 服事他， 我就必使那国仍留在本土， 可以在那里耕种和居住。’"这是耶和华的宣告。

12 我照着这一切话对犹大王西底家说： "你们要把颈项放在巴比伦王的轭下， 服事他和他的人民， 就可以生存。

13 你和你的人民为什么要因刀剑、饥荒和瘟疫而死， 正如耶和华论到不肯服事巴比伦王的国家所说的一样呢？

14 不要听从那些对你们说‘你们必不会服事巴比伦王’的先知的话， 因为他们向你们说的是虚假的预言。

15 我并没有差遣他们（这是耶和华的宣告）， 他们却冒我的名说虚假的预言， 以致我赶逐你们， 使你们和那些向你们说虚假预言的先知都一同灭亡。"

16 我又对众祭司和这众民说： "耶和华这样说： ‘你们的先知对你们预言， 说： 耶和华殿中的器皿快要从巴比伦送回来了。他们的话， 你们不要听从， 因为他们对你们说的是虚假的预言。

17 你们不要听从他们， 只要服事巴比伦王， 就可以生存。为什么要使这城变为废墟呢？

18 如果他们是真先知， 如果他们有耶和华的话， 就让他们向万军之耶和华祈求， 使那些留在耶和华殿中和犹大王宫中， 以及在耶路撒冷中的器皿， 不会被送到巴比伦去。’

19 因为万军之耶和华这样说， 论到这些柱子、铜海、盆座和留在这城其余的器皿，

20 就是巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒把犹大王约雅敬的儿子耶哥尼雅， 以及犹大和耶路撒冷所有的贵族， 从耶路撒冷掳到巴比伦去的时候， 没有拿走的器皿；

21 论到那些留在耶和华殿中和犹大王宫中， 以及在耶路撒冷中的器皿， 万军之耶和华以色列的 神这样说：

22 ‘这些器皿必被送到巴比伦， 存在那里， 直到我眷顾这些器皿的日子。那时， 我必把它们带上来， 放回这地方。’"这是耶和华的宣告。