Yēlìmǐshū 44

1 Yǒu líndào Yēlìmǐ de huà , lún jí yīqiè zhù zaì Āijí dì de Yóudà rén , jiù shì zhù zaì Mìduó , dá bǐ nì , nuó Fú , bā tè luó jìng neì de Yóudà rén , shuō ,

2 Wàn jūn zhī Yēhéhuá Yǐsèliè de shén rúcǐ shuō , wǒ suǒ jiang yù Yēlùsǎlĕng hé Yóudà gè chéng de yīqiè zāihuò nǐmen dōu kànjian le . nàxiē chéngyì jīnrì huāngliáng , wú rén jūzhù .

3 Zhè shì yīn jūmín suǒ xíng de è , qù shāoxiāng shìfèng bié shén , jiù shì tāmen hé nǐmen , bìng nǐmen lièzǔ suǒ bú rènshi de shén , rĕ wǒ fānù .

4 Wǒ cóng zǎo qǐlai chāiqiǎn wǒde púrén zhòng xiānzhī qù shuō , nǐmen qiē búyào xíng wǒ suǒ yànwù zhè kĕ zēng zhī shì .

5 Tāmen què bù tīng cóng , bù zè ĕr ér tīng , bù zhuǎn lí è shì , réng xiàng bié shén shāoxiāng .

6 Yīncǐ , wǒde nùqì hé fèn nù dōu dǎo chūlai , zaì Yóudà chéngyì zhōng hé Yēlùsǎlĕng de jiēshì shang , rú huǒ zhe qǐ , yǐzhì dōu huāng feì qī liáng , zhēng rújīn rì yíyàng .

7 Xiànzaì Yēhéhuá wàn jūn zhī shén , Yǐsèliè de shén rúcǐ shuō , nǐmen wèihé zuò zhè dà è zì haì jǐ méng , shǐ nǐmen de nánrén , fùnǚ , yīnghái , hé chī nǎi de dōu cóng Yóudà zhōng jiǎnchú , bù liú yī rén ne .

8 Jiù shì yīn nǐmen shǒu suǒ zuò de , zaì suǒ qù jìjū de Āijí dì xiàng bié shén shāoxiāng rĕ wǒ fānù , shǐ nǐmen beì jiǎnchú , zaì tiān xià wàn guó zhōng líng rén zhòuzǔ xiūrǔ .

9 Nǐmen lièzǔ de è xíng , Yóudà liè wáng hé tāmen hòu fēi de è xíng , nǐmen zìjǐ hé nǐmen qīzi de è xíng , jiù shì zaì Yóudà dì , Yēlùsǎlĕng jiē shang suǒ xíng de , nǐmen dōu wáng le ma .

10 Dào rújīn hái méiyǒu àohuǐ , méiyǒu jùpà , méiyǒu zūnxíng wǒ zaì nǐmen hé nǐmen lièzǔ miànqián suǒ shèlì de fǎdù lǜ lì .

11 Suǒyǐ wàn jūn zhī Yēhéhuá Yǐsèliè de shén rúcǐ shuō , wǒ bì xiàng nǐmen biàn liǎn jiang zāi , yǐzhì jiǎnchú Yóudà zhòngrén .

12 Nà déng yì jìnrù Āijí dì , zaì nàli jìjū de , jiù shì suǒ shèngxia de Yóudà rén , wǒ bì shǐ tāmen jǐn dōu mièjué , bì zaì Āijí dì pú dǎo , bì yīn dāo jiàn jīhuāng mièjué . cóng zuì xiǎo de dào zhì dà de dōu bì zāo dāo jiàn jīhuāng ér sǐ , yǐzhì líng rén rǔmà , jīnghaì , zhòuzǔ , xiūrǔ .

13 Wǒ zĕnyàng yòng dāo jiàn , jīhuāng , wēnyì xíngfá Yēlùsǎlĕng , yĕ bì zhàoyàng xíngfá nàxiē zhù zaì Āijí dì de Yóudà rén .

14 Shènzhì nà jìnrù Āijí dì jìjū de , jiù shì suǒ shèngxia de Yóudà rén , dōu bùdé taótuō , yĕ bùdé cún liú guī huí Yóudà dì . tāmen xīn zhōng shén xiǎng guī huí jūzhù zhī dì . chúle taótuō de yǐwaì , yī gè dōu bùnéng guī huí .

15 Nàxiē zhù zaì Āijí dì bā te1 luó zhīdào zìjǐ qīzi xiàng bié shén shāoxiāng de , yǔ pángbiān zhàn lì de zhòng fùnǚ , jùjí chéngqún , huídá Yēlìmǐ shuō ,

16 Lún dào nǐ fèng Yēhéhuá de míng xiàng wǒmen suǒ shuō de huà , wǒmen bì bù tīng cóng .

17 Wǒmen déng yào chéngjiù wǒmen kǒu zhōng suǒ chū de yīqiè huà , xiàng tiān hòu shāoxiāng , jiāo diàn jì , àn zhe wǒmen yǔ wǒmen lièzǔ , jūnwáng , shǒulǐng zaì Yóudà de chéngyì zhōng hé Yēlùsǎlĕng de jiēshì shang sùcháng suǒ xíng de yíyàng . yīnwei nàshí wǒmen chī bǎo fàn , xiǎng fú lè , bìng bú jiàn zāihuò .

18 Zì cóng wǒmen tíng zhǐ xiàng tiān hòu shāoxiāng , jiāo diàn zhaì , wǒmen dǎo quē fá yīqiè , yòu yīn dāo jiàn jīhuāng mièjué .

19 Fùnǚ shuō , wǒmen xiàng tiān hòu shāoxiāng , jiāo diàn zhaì , zuò tiān hòu xiàng de bǐng gōng fèng tā , xiàng tā jiāo diàn zhaì , shì waì hū wǒmen de zhàngfu ma .

20 Yēlìmǐ duì yīqiè nàyàng huídá tāde nánrén fùnǚ shuō ,

21 Nǐmen yǔ nǐmen lièzǔ , jūnwáng , shǒulǐng , bìng guóneì de bǎixìng , zaì Yóudà chéngyì zhōng hé Yēlùsǎlĕng jiēshì shang suǒ shāo de xiāng , Yēhéhuá qǐbù jìniàn , xīn zhōng qǐbù sīxiǎng ma .

22 Yēhéhuá yīn nǐmen suǒ zuò de è , suǒ xíng kĕ zēng de shì , bùnéng zaì róng rĕn , suǒyǐ nǐmen de dì huāngliáng , líng rén jīnghaì zhòuzǔ , wú rén jūzhù , zhēng rújīn rì yíyàng .

23 Nǐmen shāoxiāng , dé zuì Yēhéhuá , méiyǒu tīng cóng tāde huà , méiyǒu zūnxíng tāde lǜfǎ , tiaólì , fǎdù , suǒyǐ nǐmen zāoyù zhè zāihuò , zhēng rújīn rì yíyàng .

24 Yēlìmǐ yòu duì zhòng mín hé zhòng fùnǚ shuō , nǐmen zaì Āijí dì de yīqiè Yóudà rén dāng tīng Yēhéhuá de huà .

25 Wàn jūn zhī Yēhéhuá Yǐsèliè de shén rúcǐ shuō , nǐmen hé nǐmen de qī dōu kǒu zhōng shuō , shǒu lǐ zuò , shuō , wǒmen déng yào chánghuán suǒ xǔ de yuàn , xiàng tiān hòu shāoxiāng , jiāo diàn zhaì . xiànzaì nǐmen zhǐguǎn jiāndéng suǒ xǔ de yuàn ér chánghuán ba .

26 Suǒyǐ nǐmen zhù zaì Āijí dì de yīqiè Yóudà rén dāng tīng Yēhéhuá de huà . Yēhéhuá shuō , wǒ zhǐ zhe wǒde dà míng qǐshì , zaì Āijí quán dì , wǒde míng bú zaì beì Yóudà yī gèrén de kǒu chēnghu shuō , wǒ zhǐ zhe zhǔ yǒngshēng de Yēhéhuá qǐshì .

27 Wǒ xiàng tāmen liúyì jiàng huò bú jiàng fú . zaì Āijí dì de yīqiè Yóudà rén bì yīn dāo jiàn , jīhuāng suǒ miè , zhídào miè jǐn .

28 Tuōlí dāo jiàn , cóng Āijí dì guī huí Yóudà dì de rén shǔ hĕn shǎo . nà jìnrù Āijí dì yào zaì nàli jìjū de , jiù shì suǒ shèngxia de Yóudà rén , bì zhīdào shì shuí de huà lì dé zhù , shì wǒde huà ne . shì tāmende huà ne .

29 Yēhéhuá shuō , wǒ zaì zhè dìfang xíngfá nǐmen , bì yǒu yùzhào , shǐ nǐmen zhīdào wǒ jiàng huò yǔ nǐmen de huà bìyào lì dé zhù .

30 Yēhéhuá rúcǐ shuō , wǒ bìjiāng Āijí wáng fǎlǎo hé Fú lá jiāo zaì tā chóudí hé xún suǒ qí méng de rén shǒu zhōng , xiàng wǒ jiāng Yóudà wáng Xīdǐjiā jiāo zaì tā chóudí , hé xún suǒ qí méng de Bābǐlún wáng Níbùjiǎnísǎ shǒu zhōng yíyàng .

Yēlìmǐshū 44 Commentary

Chapter 44

The Jews in Egypt persist in idolatry. (1-14) They refuse to reform. (15-19) Jeremiah then denounces destruction upon them. (20-30)

Verses 1-14 God reminds the Jews of the sins that brought desolations upon Judah. It becomes us to warn men of the danger of sin with all seriousness: Oh, do not do it! If you love God, do not, for it is provoking to him; if you love your own souls, do not, for it is destructive to them. Let conscience do this for us in the hour of temptation. The Jews whom God sent into the land of the Chaldeans, were there, by the power of God's grace, weaned from idolatry; but those who went by their own perverse will into the land of the Egyptians, were there more attached than ever to their idolatries. When we thrust ourselves without cause or call into places of temptation, it is just with God to leave us to ourselves. If we walk contrary to God, he will walk contrary to us. The most awful miseries to which men are exposed, are occasioned by the neglect of offered salvation.

Verses 15-19 These daring sinners do not attempt excuses, but declare they will do that which is forbidden. Those who disobey God, commonly grow worse and worse, and the heart is more hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Here is the real language of the rebellious heart. Even the afflictions which should have parted them from their sins, were taken so as to confirm them in their sins. It is sad when those who should quicken each other to what is good, and so help one another to heaven, harden each other in sin, and so ripen one another for hell. To mingle idolatry with Divine worship, and to reject the mediation of Christ, are provoking to God, and ruinous to men. All who worship images, or honour saints, and angels, and the queen of heaven, should recollect what came from the idolatrous practices of the Jews.

Verses 20-30 Whatever evil comes upon us, it is because we have sinned against the Lord; we should therefore stand in awe, and sin not. Since they were determined to persist in their idolatry, God would go on to punish them. What little remains of religion were among them, would be lost. The creature-comforts and confidences from which we promise ourselves most, may fail as soon as those from which we promise ourselves least; and all are what God makes them, not what we fancy them to be. Well-grounded hopes of our having a part in the Divine mercy, are always united with repentance and obedience.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 44

This chapter contains a sermon of Jeremiah's to the Jews in Egypt, reproving them for their idolatry there; their answer to it, expressing their resolution to continue in their idolatrous practices; and a denunciation of judgments upon them, of which a sign is given. The sermon begins with observing to them the destruction of Jerusalem, and the causes of it, idolatry and contempt of the prophets, Jer 44:1-6; then follows an expostulation with the present Jews for doing the same things, and exposing themselves and their posterity to the same punishment, Jer 44:7-10; upon which they are threatened with the sore judgments of God that should come upon them, and cut them off in general, Jer 44:11-14; yet such were the impudence and obstinacy of this people, that they declared they would not hearken to the prophet, but persist in their idolatry; it having been better with them when they practised it than when they left it, Jer 44:15-19; to which the prophet replies by observing, that for the idolatry of their fathers their land was become a desolation and a curse, as at this day, Jer 44:20-23; and assures them that destruction would come from the Lord upon them, which he had swore to, Jer 44:24-28; and a sign of it is given; the delivery of the king of Egypt into the hand of the king of Babylon, Jer 44:29,30.