Yēlìmǐshū 38

1 Mǎ tǎn de érzi Shìfǎtíyǎ , Bāshīhùĕrde érziJīdàlì , Shìlìmǐyǎ de érzi yóu jiǎ , Mǎjīyǎ de érzi bā shì Hùĕr tīngjian Yēlìmǐ duì zhòngrén suǒ shuō de huà , shuō ,

2 Yēhéhuá rúcǐ shuō , zhù zaì zhè chéng lǐ de bì zāo dāo jiàn , jīhuāng , wēnyì ér sǐ . dàn chū qù guī jiàng Jiālèdǐ rén de bì dé cún huó , jiù shì yǐ zìjǐ méng wèi lue wù de , bì dé cún huó .

3 Yēhéhuá rúcǐ shuō , zhè chéng bìyào jiāo zaì Bābǐlún wáng jūnduì de shǒu zhōng , tā bì gōng qǔ zhè chéng .

4 Yúshì shǒulǐng duì wáng shuō , qiú nǐ jiāng zhè rén zhìsǐ . yīn tā xiàng chéng lǐ shèngxia de bīng dīng hé zhòng mín shuō zhèyàng de huà , shǐ tāmende shǒu fā ruǎn . zhè rén bú shì qiú zhè bǎixìng dé píngān , nǎi shì jiào tāmen shòu zāihuò .

5 Xī dǐ jiā wáng shuō , tā zaì nǐmen shǒu zhōng , wúlùn hé shì , wáng yĕ bùnéng yǔ nǐmen fǎnduì .

6 Tāmen jiù ná zhù Yēlìmǐ , xià zaì hā mǐ lēi de érzi ( huò zuò wáng de érzi ) Mǎjīyǎ de laó yù lǐ . nà laó yù zaì hùwèi bīng de yuàn zhōng . tāmen yòng shéngzi jiāng Yēlìmǐ jì xià qù . laó yù lǐ méiyǒu shuǐ , zhǐyǒu yū ní , Yēlìmǐ jiù xiàn zaì yū ní zhōng .

7 Zaì wánggōng de taì jiān Gǔshí rén yǐ bǎi mǐ lēi , tīngjian tāmen jiāng Yēlìmǐ xià le laó yù ( nàshí wáng zuò zaì Biànyǎmǐn ménkǒu ) ,

8 Yǐ bó mǐ lè jiù cóng wánggōng lǐ chūlai , duì wáng shuō ,

9 Zhǔ wǒde wáng a , zhèxie rén xiàng xiānzhī Yēlìmǐ yī wèi dì xíng è , jiāng tā xià zaì laó yù zhōng . tā zaì nàli bì yīn jīè ér sǐ , yīnwei chéng zhōng zaì méiyǒu liángshi .

10 Wáng jiù fēnfu Gǔshí rén yǐ bó mǐ lè shuō , nǐ cóng zhèlǐ daìlǐng sān shí rén , chèn zhe xiānzhī Yēlìmǐ wèi sǐ yǐqián , jiāng tā cóng laó yù zhōng tí shang lái .

11 Yúshì yǐ bó mǐ lè daìlǐng zhèxie rén tóng qù , jìnrù wánggōng , dào kù fáng yǐxià , cóng nàli qǔ le xiē suì bù hé pò làn de yīfu , yòng shéngzi zhuì xià laó yù qù dào Yēlìmǐ nàli .

12 Gǔshí rén yǐ bó mǐ lè duì Yēlìmǐ shuō , nǐ yòng zhèxie suì bù hé pò làn de yīfu fàng zaì shéngzi shang , diàn nǐde gé zhī wō . Yēlìmǐ jiù zhàoyàng xíng le .

13 Zhèyàng , tāmen yòng shéngzi jiāng Yēlìmǐ cóng laó yù lǐ lā shang lái . Yēlìmǐ réng zaì hùwèi bīng de yuàn zhōng .

14 Xī dǐ jiā wáng dǎfa rén daìlǐng xiānzhī Yēlìmǐ , jìn Yēhéhuá diàn zhōng dì sān mén lǐ jiàn wáng . wáng jiù duì Yēlìmǐ shuō , wǒ yào wèn nǐ yī jiàn shì , nǐ sī haó bùkĕ xiàng wǒ yǐnmán .

15 Yēlìmǐ duì Xīdǐjiā shuō , wǒ ruò gàosu nǐ , nǐ qǐbù déng yào shā wǒ ma . wǒ ruò quànjiè nǐ , nǐ bì bú tīng cóng wǒ .

16 Xī dǐ jiā wáng jiù sīxià xiàng Yēlìmǐ shuō , wǒ zhǐ zhe nà zào wǒmen shēngmìng zhī yǒngshēng de Yēhéhuá qǐshì , wǒ bì bú shā nǐ , yĕ bú jiāng nǐ jiāo zaì xún suǒ nǐ méng de rén shǒu zhōng .

17 Yēlìmǐ duì Xīdǐjiā shuō , Yēhéhuá wàn jūn zhī shén , Yǐsèliè de shén rúcǐ shuō , nǐ ruò chū qù guī jiàng Bābǐlún wáng de shǒulǐng , nǐde méng jiù bì cún huó , zhè chéng yĕ bù zhì beì huǒ fùnshāo , nǐ hé nǐde quán jiā dōu bì cún huó .

18 Nǐ ruò bù chū qù guī jiàng Bābǐlún wáng de shǒulǐng , zhè chéng Bìjiāo zaì Jiālèdǐ rén shǒu zhōng . tāmen bì yòng huǒ fùnshāo , nǐ yĕ bùdé tuōlí tāmende shǒu .

19 Xī dǐ jiā wáng duì Yēlìmǐ shuō , wǒ pà nàxiē tóu jiàng Jiālèdǐ rén de Yóudà rén , kǒngpà Jiālèdǐ rén jiāng wǒ jiāo zaì tāmen shǒu zhōng , tāmen xìnòng wǒ .

20 Yēlìmǐ shuō , Jiālèdǐ rén bì bú jiāng nǐ jiāo chū . qiú nǐ tīng cóng wǒ duì nǐ suǒ shuō Yēhéhuá de huà , zhèyàng nǐ bì dé hǎo chù , nǐde méng yĕ bì cún huó .

21 Nǐ ruò bù kĕn chū qù , Yēhéhuá zhǐshì wǒde huà nǎi shì zhèyàng ,

22 Yóudà wánggōng lǐ suǒ shèng de fùnǚ bì dōu daì dào Bābǐlún wáng de shǒulǐng nàli . zhèxie fùnǚ bì shuō , nǐ zhī jǐ de péngyou cuībī nǐ , shēng guo nǐ . jiàn nǐde jiǎo xiàn rù yū ní zhōng , jiù zhuǎn shēn tuì hòu le .

23 Rén bìjiāng nǐde hòu fēi hé nǐde érnǚ daì dào Jiālèdǐ rén nàli . nǐ yĕ bùdé tuōlí tāmende shǒu , bì beì Bābǐlún wáng de shǒu zhuō zhù . nǐ yĕ bì shǐ zhè chéng beì huǒ fùnshāo .

24 Xī dǐ jiā duì Yēlìmǐ shuō , búyào shǐ rén zhīdào zhèxie huà , nǐ jiù búzhìyú sǐ .

25 Shǒulǐng ruò tīngjian le wǒ yǔ nǐ shuōhuà , jiù lái jiàn nǐ , wèn nǐ shuō , nǐ duì wáng shuō shénme huà búyào xiàng wǒmen yǐnmán , wǒmen jiù bú shā nǐ . wáng xiàng nǐ shuō shénme huà yĕ yào gàosu wǒmen . nǐ jiù duì tāmen shuō , wǒ zaì wáng miànqián kĕnqiú búyào jiào wǒ huí dào Yuēnádān de fángwū sǐ zaì nàli .

26 Nǐ jiù duì tāmen shuō , wǒ zaì wáng miànqián kĕnqiú búyào jiào wǒ huí dào Yuēnádān de fángwū sǐ zaì nàli .

27 Suíhòu zhòng shǒulǐng lái jiàn Yēlìmǐ , wèn tā , tā jiù zhào wáng suǒ fēnfu de yīqiè huà huídá tāmen . tāmen bú zaì yǔ tā shuōhuà , yīnwei shìqing méiyǒu xiè lòu .

28 Yúshì Yēlìmǐ réng zaì hùwèi bīng de yuàn zhōng , zhídào Yēlùsǎlĕng beì gōng qǔ de rìzi .

Yēlìmǐshū 38 Commentary

Chapter 38

Jeremiah is cast into a dungeon, from whence he is delivered by an Ethiopian. (1-13) He advises the king to surrender to the Chaldeans. (14-28)

Verses 1-13 Jeremiah went on in his plain preaching. The princes went on in their malice. It is common for wicked people to look upon God's faithful ministers as enemies, because they show what enemies the wicked are to themselves while impenitent. Jeremiah was put into a dungeon. Many of God's faithful witnesses have been privately made away in prisons. Ebed-melech was an Ethiopian; yet he spoke to the king faithfully, These men have done ill in all they have done to Jeremiah. See how God can raise up friends for his people in distress. Orders were given for the prophet's release, and Ebed-melech saw him drawn up. Let this encourage us to appear boldly for God. Special notice is taken of his tenderness for Jeremiah. What do we behold in the different characters then, but the same we behold in the different characters now, that the Lord's children are conformed to his example, and the children of Satan to their master?

Verses 14-28 Jeremiah was not forward to repeat the warnings, which seemed only to endanger his own life, and to add to the king's guilt, but asked whether he feared to do the will of God. The less men fear God, the more they fear men; often they dare not act according to their own judgments and consciences.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 38

This chapter is taken up in giving an account of Jeremiah's being cast into a dungeon; his deliverance from it; and private conversation with King Zedekiah. The occasion of the prophet's being cast into a dungeon was his discourse to the people, which four of the princes represented to the king as seditious, and moved to have him put to death; and, being delivered into their hands, was put into a miry dungeon, Jer 38:1-6. Ebedmelech, the Ethiopian, hearing of his miserable case, represented it to the king, and interceded for his release; which being granted, with the help of thirty men, and by means of old clouts and rotten rags, let down by cords, drew him up, and placed him in the court of the prison, Jer 38:7-13. King Zedekiah sends for Jeremiah, and has a private conference with him about the state of affairs; when the prophet faithfully told him how things would issue, and gave him his best advice, Jer 38:14-23; upon parting, the king desires the conference might be kept a secret from the princes, which was accordingly done, Jer 38:24-27; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison till the taking of Jerusalem, Jer 38:28.