4:3 野狗尚且把奶乳哺其子,我民的婦人倒成為殘忍,好像曠野的鴕鳥一般。
4:4 吃奶孩子的舌頭因乾渴貼住上膛;孩童求餅,無人擘給他們。
4:5 素來吃美好食物的,現今在街上變為孤寒;素來臥朱紅褥子的,現今躺臥糞堆。
4:6 都因我眾民的罪孽比所多瑪的罪還大;所多瑪雖然無人加手於她,還是轉眼之間被傾覆。
3 Even jackals offer the breast;
they nurse their young,
but the daughter of my people has become
cruel,
like the ostriches in the wilderness.
4 The tongue of the nursing infant sticks
to the roof of its mouth for thirst;
the
children beg for food,
but no one gives to them.
5 Those who once feasted on delicacies
perish in the streets;
those who were brought up in purple
embrace ash heaps.
6 For the chastisement of the daughter of
my people has been greater
than the punishment of Sodom,
which was overthrown in a moment,
and no hands were wrung for her.
**********
先知再一次用以色列人的犯罪來說明他們為何會遭受到苦難,因為他們得罪了上帝,遭到上帝的棄絕,使他們失去從前的榮境。
當然我們不可以用反推法來說明,也就是說弟兄姊妹遭受到苦難是得罪上帝。我們只能在弟兄姊妹違背上帝旨意時,要他們快快悔改與認罪的時候,警告他們上帝必追討行不義的責任,人必須為自己的行為負責。
也因為如此,我們要清楚犯罪必定要付代價的,再做任何事之前要先三思,想想我們的所作所為是不是違反上帝的命令,以免將來被上帝追討!因為,上帝是輕慢不得的!