耶利米書27:1-11

27:1 猶大王約西亞的兒子約雅敬（約雅敬是西底家的別名，看第三節）登基的時候，有這話從耶和華臨到耶利米說：
27:2 「耶和華對我如此說：你做繩索與軛，加在自己的頸項上，
27:3 藉那些來到耶路撒冷見猶大王西底家的使臣之手，把繩索與軛送到以東王、摩押王、亞捫王、泰爾王、西頓王那裡，
27:4 且囑咐使臣，傳與他們的主人說，萬軍之耶和華─以色列的上帝如此說：
27:5 我用大能和伸出來的膀臂，創造大地和地上的人民、牲畜。我看給誰相宜，就把地給誰。
27:6 現在我將這些地都交給我僕人巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒的手，我也將田野的走獸給他使用。
27:7 列國都必服事他和他的兒孫，直到他本國遭報的日期來到。那時，多國和大君王要使他作他們的奴僕。
27:8 「無論哪一邦哪一國，不肯服事這巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒，也不把頸項放在巴比倫王的軛下，我必用刀劍、饑荒、瘟疫刑罰那邦，直到我藉巴比倫王的手將他們毀滅。這是耶和華說的。
27:9 至於你們，不可聽從你們的先知和占卜的、圓夢的、觀兆的，以及行邪術的；他們告訴你們說：『你們不致服事巴比倫王。』
27:10 他們向你們說假預言，要叫你們遷移，遠離本地，以致我將你們趕出去，使你們滅亡。
27:11 但哪一邦肯把頸項放在巴比倫王的軛下服事他，我必使那邦仍在本地存留，得以耕種居住。這是耶和華說的。」​​

In the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah son of Josiah of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. ²Thus the Lord said to me: Make yourself a yoke of straps and bars, and put them on your neck. ³Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to King Zedekiah of Judah. ⁴Give them this charge for their masters: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: ⁵It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the people and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever I please. ⁶Now I have given all these lands into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him even the wild animals of the field to serve him. ⁷All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.

⁸ But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this king, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, then I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, says the Lord, until I have completed its destruction by his hand. ⁹You, therefore, must not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, “You shall not serve the king of Babylon.” ¹⁰For they are prophesying a lie to you, with the result that you will be removed far from your land; I will drive you out, and you will perish. ¹¹But any nation that will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave on its own land, says the Lord, to till it and live there.

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    耶利米傳講的內容的確不太重聽，尤其是說到要國王、大臣、…將來都要成為亡國奴，被帶到巴比倫去！這在今日也是不受歡迎的，簡直是失敗主義，或是失敗論！

    今日大多說要積極、要正面，尤其是現今教會中的「幸福小組」的思潮下，都說基督徒一定會幸福，會過豐盛的生活，充滿上帝的賜福，一定凡事都順利的，一定會幸福的！

    但是，基督徒真正的幸福是在苦難中有上帝的同在，因為基督是以十字架的生命來向人啟示，是受人厭棄的，是不被人看好的！但是，卻在這樣的狀態下，反映出上帝兒子的榮光！不因外表的軟弱、不光彩、大大失敗、被人拒絕，就不人認出他是上帝的兒子！祂反倒願意謙卑順服，以被釘十字架的人來顯明上帝的拯救！

    耶穌基督雖以軟弱與失敗者的樣式讓人看見，但是在將來再來的時候，卻要以榮耀出現！你有厭棄軟弱與失敗的耶穌嗎？將來得榮耀的基督也要厭棄你！你現在歡呼成功、高舉自己，將來你卻要在黑暗中咬牙切齒！