耶利米哀歌1:17-22

1:17 錫安舉手，無人安慰。耶和華論雅各已經出令，使四圍的人作他仇敵；耶路撒冷在他們中間像不潔之物。

1:18 耶和華是公義的！他這樣待我，是因我違背他的命令。眾民哪，請聽我的話，看我的痛苦；我的處女和少年人都被擄去。

1:19 我招呼我所親愛的，他們卻愚弄我。我的祭司和長老正尋求食物、救性命的時候，就在城中絕氣。

1:20 耶和華啊，求你觀看，因為我在急難中。我心腸擾亂；我心在我裡面翻轉，因我大大悖逆。在外，刀劍使人喪子；在家，猶如死亡。

1:21 聽見我歎息的有人；安慰我的卻無人！我的仇敵都聽見我所遭的患難；因你做這事，他們都喜樂。你必使你報告的日子來到，他們就像我一樣。

1:22 願他們的惡行都呈在你面前；你怎樣因我的一切罪過待我，求你照樣待他們；因我歎息甚多，心中發昏。

17 Zion stretches out her hands,

but there is none to comfort her;

the Lord has commanded against Jacob

that his neighbors should be his foes;

Jerusalem has become

a filthy thing among them.

18 "The Lord is in the right,

 for I have rebelled against his word;

but hear, all you peoples,

and see my suffering;

 my young women and my young men

have gone into captivity.

19 "I called to my lovers,

but they deceived me;

my priests and elders

perished in the city,

while they sought food

to revive their strength.

20 "Look, O Lord, for I am in distress;

 my stomach churns;

my heart is wrung within me,

because I have been very rebellious.

 In the street the sword bereaves;

in the house it is like death.

21 "They heard my groaning,

yet there is no one to comfort me.

All my enemies have heard of my trouble;

 they are glad that you have done it.

You have brought the day you announced;

 now let them be as I am.

22 "Let all their evildoing come before you,

and deal with them

as you have dealt with me

because of all my transgressions;

for my groans are many,

and my heart is faint."

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    哀歌之所以可以安慰人，就是不教訓人，更不是道德勸說，而是用同理的方式，作者將一個人受到羞辱的狀態寫出來，讓在痛苦中受羞辱的人，真正感受到有人的認同！

    不僅如此，作者更是與受苦中的人同仇敵愾：「聽見我歎息的有人；安慰我的卻無人！我的仇敵都聽見我所遭的患難；因你做這事，他們都喜樂。你必使你報告的日子來到，他們就像我一樣。願他們的惡行都呈在你面前；你怎樣因我的一切罪過待我，求你照樣待他們；因我歎息甚多，心中發昏。」

    作者禱告上帝報應那些恥笑與落井下石的仇敵，真是太有意思了！作者沒有鼓勵人要原諒仇敵，真的十分貼切到人的心理需要！而要原諒仇敵或愛仇敵，必須先將心中的不平先處理才有辦法，沒有處理談愛仇敵，原諒傷害我們的人，既是空談，更是不公義的事！沒有公義，就沒有和平，也就是沒有平安！

耶利米哀歌1:12-16

1:12 你們一切過路的人哪，這事你們不介意嗎？你們要觀看：有像這臨到我的痛苦沒有─就是耶和華在他發烈怒的日子使我所受的苦？

1:13 他從高天使火進入我的骨頭，剋制了我；他鋪下網羅，絆我的腳，使我轉回；他使我終日淒涼發昏。

1:14 我罪過的軛是他手所綁的，猶如軛繩縛在我頸項上；他使我的力量衰敗。主將我交在我所不能敵擋的人手中。

1:15 主輕棄我中間的一切勇士，招聚多人（原文是大會）攻擊我，要壓碎我的少年人。主將猶大居民踹下，像在酒醡中一樣。

1:16 我因這些事哭泣；我眼淚汪汪；因為那當安慰我、救我性命的，離我甚遠。我的兒女孤苦，因為仇敵得了勝。

12 "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?

 Look and see

if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,

which was brought upon me,

which the Lord inflicted

on the day of his fierce anger.

13 "From on high he sent fire;

into my bones he made it descend;

 he spread a net for my feet;

he turned me back;

 he has left me stunned,

faint all the day long.

14 "My transgressions were bound into a yoke;

by his hand they were fastened together;

they were set upon my neck;

he caused my strength to fail;

the Lord gave me into the hands

of those whom I cannot withstand.

15 "The Lord rejected

all my mighty men in my midst;

he summoned an assembly against me

to crush my young men;

 the Lord has trodden as in a winepress

the virgin daughter of Judah.

16 "For these things I weep;

my eyes flow with tears;

for a comforter is far from me,

one to revive my spirit;

my children are desolate,

for the enemy has prevailed."

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    先知在此描寫耶路撒冷因為犯罪被上帝懲罰的情形，尤其是上帝藉由仇敵來欺壓，讓他們最受不了！

    的確，當基督徒跌倒之時，最快樂的就是那些拜偶像的人，他們常常會用鳳翅的話來恥笑與刺激，常常會說：「你看，你們的上帝在哪裡呢？怎麼不保佑你呢？怎麼會發生這樣的事呢？」進而會說：「當初叫你不要信基督教，你偏偏不聽，今天知道了！」

    也因為如此，我們要小心，不要和別的宗教的人混在一起，正如保羅所說：「信與不信是不能同負一軛！」他們的所形行為是要完成他們認為善的事，我們的所行所為是要榮耀上帝，是不相同的！他們看重的是外在行為，我們看重的是內心敬畏上帝，更是不一樣的！

    讓我們遠離宗教徒的行為，讓我們存心謙卑敬畏上帝！讓我們從內在求耶穌基督寶血洗淨，我們才能真正成為聖潔！不要再自欺欺人，外表的良善，不代表內心聖潔、蒙上地喜悅！

耶利米哀歌1:6-11

1:6 錫安城（原文是女子；下同）的威榮全都失去。她的首領像找不著草場的鹿；在追趕的人前無力行走。

1:7 耶路撒冷在困苦窘迫之時，就追想古時一切的樂境。她百姓落在敵人手中，無人救濟；敵人看見，就因她的荒涼嗤笑。

1:8 耶路撒冷大大犯罪，所以成為不潔之物；素來尊敬她的，見她赤露就都藐視她；她自己也歎息退後。

1:9 她的污穢是在衣襟上；她不思想自己的結局，所以非常地敗落，無人安慰她。她說：耶和華啊，求你看我的苦難，因為仇敵誇大。

1:10 敵人伸手，奪取她的美物；她眼見外邦人進入她的聖所─論這外邦人，你曾吩咐不可入你的會中。

1:11 她的民都歎息，尋求食物；他們用美物換糧食，要救性命。他們說：耶和華啊，求你觀看，因為我甚是卑賤。

6 From the daughter of Zion

all her majesty has departed.

Her princes have become like deer

 that find no pasture;

they fled without strength

before the pursuer.

7 Jerusalem remembers

in the days of her affliction and wandering

 all the precious things

that were hers from days of old.

When her people fell into the hand of the foe,

and there was none to help her,

her foes gloated over her;

they mocked at her downfall.

8 Jerusalem sinned grievously;

therefore she became filthy;

all who honored her despise her,

 for they have seen her nakedness;

she herself groans

and turns her face away.

9 Her uncleanness was in her skirts;

 she took no thought of her future;

therefore her fall is terrible;

 she has no comforter.

"O Lord, behold my affliction,

for the enemy has triumphed!"

10 The enemy has stretched out his hands

over all her precious things;

for she has seen the nations

enter her sanctuary,

those whom you forbade

to enter your congregation.

11 All her people groan

as they search for bread;

they trade their treasures for food

to revive their strength.

"Look, O Lord, and see,

for I am despised."

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    先知哀嘆錫安(耶路撒冷)的敗壞，是因為犯罪而來的，以致失去了上帝的榮華，讓她變得一文不值！

    其實這也是警戒基督徒，我們若失去上帝的同在也是如此，也是一文不值！

    故此，我們「在至聖的真道上造就自己，在聖靈裡禱告，保守自己常在上帝的愛中，仰望我們主耶穌基督的憐憫，直到永生。」（猶大書20-21)

耶利米哀歌1:3-5

1:3 猶大因遭遇苦難，又因多服勞苦就遷到外邦。她住在列國中，尋不著安息；追逼她的都在狹窄之地將她追上。

1:4 錫安的路徑因無人來守聖節就悲傷；她的城門淒涼；她的祭司歎息；她的處女受艱難，自己也愁苦。

1:5 她的敵人為首；她的仇敵亨通；因耶和華為她許多的罪過使她受苦；她的孩童被敵人擄去。

3 Judah has gone into exile because of affliction

and hard servitude;

 she dwells now among the nations,

 but finds no resting place;

her pursuers have all overtaken her

in the midst of her distress.

4 The roads to Zion mourn,

for none come to the festival;

 all her gates are desolate;

her priests groan;

her virgins have been afflicted,

and she herself suffers bitterly.

5 Her foes have become the head;

her enemies prosper,

because the Lord has afflicted her

 for the multitude of her transgressions;

 her children have gone away,

captives before the foe.

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    先知在這裡悲嘆猶大國因罪惡被滅，導致錫安的子民流落在外邦，以至於節日沒有人來守，整個地方空蕩蕩！

    這也告訴我們，一切的崇拜不是為了上帝的需要，而是上帝為了賜福人所建立的管道。人不願意承受這樣的福分，自願放棄，損失的不是上帝而是人自己！上帝寧可沒有人來崇拜祂，寧可祂的聖殿被毀，好警戒人要信靠祂，要遵行祂的道。

    所以，人不可以嘔氣，認為上帝不會賜他所要的，或不聽他的禱告，就不來敬拜上帝，對上帝無妨礙，對人而言可說是失去上帝的賜福呢！