21:1 耶和華的話臨到耶利米。那時，西底家王打發瑪基雅的兒子巴施戶珥和瑪西雅的兒子祭司西番雅去見耶利米，說：
21:2 「請你為我們求問耶和華；因為巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒來攻擊我們，或者耶和華照他一切奇妙的作為待我們，使巴比倫王離開我們上去。」
21:3 耶利米對他們說：「你們當對西底家這樣說：
21:4 『耶和華─以色列的上帝如此說：我要使你們手中的兵器，就是你們在城外與巴比倫王和圍困你們的迦勒底人打仗的兵器翻轉過來，又要使這些都聚集在這城中。
21:5 並且我要在怒氣、忿怒，和大惱恨中，用伸出來的手，並大能的膀臂，親自攻擊你們；
21:6 又要擊打這城的居民，連人帶牲畜都必遭遇大瘟疫死亡。
21:7 以後我要將猶大王西底家和他的臣僕百姓，就是在城內，從瘟疫、刀劍、饑荒中剩下的人，都交在巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒的手中和他們仇敵，並尋索其命的人手中。巴比倫王必用刀擊殺他們，不顧惜，不可憐，不憐憫。這是耶和華說的。』
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King
Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah and Zephaniah the priest, the
son of Maaseiah, saying, “Inquire of the
Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us.
Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and
will make him withdraw from us.”
Then Jeremiah said to them: “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel:
Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with
which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans
who are besieging you outside the walls. And I will bring them together into
the midst of this city. I myself will
fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury
and in great wrath. And I will strike
down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a
great pestilence. Afterward, declares
the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in
this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the
hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of
the sword. He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.’
************
在這裡我們看見猶大國的國王將先知當成說預言的人，向他問未來面對巴比倫帝國的結果。這種方式其實是誤解了「先知」的意義了！上帝透過先知說話，說出祂的心意，是要人遵行祂的律法，回到祂的面前，過上帝子民的生活。也因此，上帝給先知耶利米向猶大說的話是凶信，而不是吉言！也就是說，上帝給國王的話，不是他所期盼的！
對基督徒而言，我們都喜歡聽好聽和積極的話，所謂說正面的話、鼓勵的話。其實上帝的話除了積極和正面之外，也有消極和負面，甚至是責備與咒罵的話，要我們認清自己是有罪且會滅亡的！若沒有這樣的認識，我們就不會珍惜與渴望耶穌基督在十字架上的救恩。
也因此，牧者不是迎合聽眾說聽眾喜歡的話，而是要滿足上帝的心意，用責備和提醒的話，使弟兄姊妹回頭，不要沉溺在無知的罪中，還自以為自己是得救的，是蒙賜福的！因此，傳道人要勇敢地說出上帝的呼籲和警告，使世人歸回，離棄罪惡。
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