耶利米書34:1-7

34:1 巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒率領他的全軍和地上屬他的各國各邦，攻打耶路撒冷和屬耶路撒冷所有的城邑。那時，耶和華的話臨到耶利米說：
34:2 「耶和華─以色列的上帝說，你去告訴猶大王西底家，耶和華如此說：我要將這城交付巴比倫王的手，他必用火焚燒。
34:3 你必不能逃脫他的手，定被拿住，交在他的手中。你的眼要見巴比倫王的眼，他要口對口和你說話，你也必到巴比倫去。
34:4 猶大王西底家啊，你還要聽耶和華的話。耶和華論到你如此說：你必不被刀劍殺死，
34:5 你必平安而死，人必為你焚燒物件，好像為你列祖，就是在你以前的先王焚燒一般。人必為你舉哀說：『哀哉！我主啊。』耶和華說：這話是我說的。」
34:6 於是，先知耶利米在耶路撒冷將這一切話告訴猶大王西底家。
34:7 那時，巴比倫王的軍隊正攻打耶路撒冷，又攻打猶大所剩下的城邑，就是拉吉和亞西加。原來猶大的堅固城只剩下這兩座。

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms of the earth and all the peoples under his dominion were fighting against Jerusalem and all its cities: ²Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Go and speak to King Zedekiah of Judah and say to him: Thus says the Lord: I am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. ³And you yourself shall not escape from his hand, but shall surely be captured and handed over to him; you shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face; and you shall go to Babylon. ⁴Yet hear the word of the Lord, O King Zedekiah of Judah! Thus says the Lord concerning you: You shall not die by the sword; ⁵you shall die in peace. And as spices were burned for your ancestors, the earlier kings who preceded you, so they shall burn spices for you and lament for you, saying, “Alas, lord!” For I have spoken the word, says the Lord.

⁶ Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, ⁷when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, Lachish and Azekah; for these were the only fortified cities of Judah that remained.

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    猶大王西底家雖然是大衛的子孫，卻不是上帝應許給大衛的那位永遠做王的子孫，反而是猶大亡國的君王。通常這樣的君王的命運是悲慘的，是不得善終的，但是西底家王不是如此，他竟然可以善終。為甚麼呢？

    因為上帝的應許要成就在西底家王的後代，基督要從他的後代而出，要來復興以色列國，使上帝的國實現！這是上帝的應許，所以祂藉由先知耶利米向西底家王宣告，讓他不至於失望！

    而今日這位永遠的君王已顯明了，更讓我們感受到上帝的保守與預備，祂應許的永不失落，更是讓我們確定，在基督裡的應許，是永遠的「是」，是必定實現的，上帝的國必完全實現，我們要在基督裡一同享受基督的榮耀！