耶利米書39:1-10

39:1 猶大王西底家第九年十月，巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒率領全軍來圍困耶路撒冷。
39:2 西底家十一年四月初九日，城被攻破。
39:3 耶路撒冷被攻取的時候，巴比倫王的首領尼甲‧沙利薛、三甲‧尼波、撒西金─拉撒力、尼甲‧沙利薛─拉墨，並巴比倫王其餘的一切首領都來坐在中門。
39:4 猶大王西底家和一切兵丁看見他們，就在夜間從靠近王園兩城中間的門出城逃跑，往亞拉巴逃去。
39:5 迦勒底的軍隊追趕他們，在耶利哥的平原追上西底家，將他拿住，帶到哈馬地的利比拉、巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒那裡；尼布甲尼撒就審判他。
39:6 巴比倫王在利比拉、西底家眼前殺了他的眾子，又殺了猶大的一切貴冑，
39:7 並且剜西底家的眼睛，用銅鍊鎖著他，要帶到巴比倫去。
39:8 迦勒底人用火焚燒王宮和百姓的房屋，又拆毀耶路撒冷的城牆。
39:9 那時，護衛長尼布撒拉旦將城裡所剩下的百姓和投降他的逃民，以及其餘的民都擄到巴比倫去了。
39:10 護衛長尼布撒拉旦卻將民中毫無所有的窮人留在猶大地，當時給他們葡萄園和田地。

In the ninth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the tenth month, King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it; ²in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city. ³When Jerusalem was taken, all the officials of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim the Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, with all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon. ⁴When King Zedekiah of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward the Arabah. ⁵But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and when they had taken him, they brought him up to King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, at Riblah, in the land of Hamath; and he passed sentence on him. ⁶The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes; also the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. ⁷He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters to take him to Babylon. ⁸The Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the houses of the people, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. ⁹Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard exiled to Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the people who remained. ¹⁰Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.

************

    耶利米說的預言終於實現了，因為巴比倫攻陷了耶路撒冷，將猶大的國王俘虜到巴比倫，如經文所說：「巴比倫王在利比拉、西底家眼前殺了他的眾子，又殺了猶大的一切貴冑，並且剜西底家的眼睛，用銅鍊鎖著他，要帶到巴比倫去。」

    聖經之所以記載這段歷史，不僅印證耶利米是上帝的先知，更重要的是要說明，將來的被擄歸回是事實，因為被擄的是確實發生，耶路撒冷確實被巴比倫所破壞了，是一點生機沒有了！將來的盼望，只有被擄歸回！

    同樣人生走到盡頭，不是沒有盼望的時候，這正是盼望的開始，因為上帝的救恩就是出現在人生的盡頭，就讓那些看輕你的人看輕吧，因為他們只會看輕人，他們的命運自己也無法掌控，他們只是平平庸庸過一生！但你不一樣，因為上帝的手要拯救與扶持你！耶穌基督沒有死，就沒有復活！