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.

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    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！

耶利米書38:14-28

38:14 西底家王打發人帶領先知耶利米，進耶和華殿中第三門裡見王。王就對耶利米說：「我要問你一件事，你絲毫不可向我隱瞞。」
38:15 耶利米對西底家說：「我若告訴你，你豈不定要殺我嗎？我若勸戒你，你必不聽從我。」
38:16 西底家王就私下向耶利米說：「我指著那造我們生命之永生的耶和華起誓：我必不殺你，也不將你交在尋索你命的人手中。」
38:17 耶利米對西底家說：「耶和華─萬軍之上帝、以色列的上帝如此說：你若出去歸降巴比倫王的首領，你的命就必存活，這城也不致被火焚燒，你和你的全家都必存活。
38:18 你若不出去歸降巴比倫王的首領，這城必交在迦勒底人手中。他們必用火焚燒，你也不得脫離他們的手。」
38:19 西底家王對耶利米說：「我怕那些投降迦勒底人的猶大人，恐怕迦勒底人將我交在他們手中，他們戲弄我。」
38:20 耶利米說：「迦勒底人必不將你交出。求你聽從我對你所說耶和華的話，這樣你必得好處，你的命也必存活。
38:21 你若不肯出去，耶和華指示我的話乃是這樣：
38:22 猶大王宮裡所剩的婦女必都帶到巴比倫王的首領那裡。這些婦女必說：你知己的朋友催逼你，勝過你；見你的腳陷入淤泥中，就轉身退後了。
38:23 「人必將你的后妃和你的兒女帶到迦勒底人那裡；你也不得脫離他們的手，必被巴比倫王的手捉住；你也必使這城被火焚燒。」
38:24 西底家對耶利米說：「不要使人知道這些話，你就不至於死。
38:25 首領若聽見了我與你說話，就來見你，問你說：『你對王說甚麼話不要向我們隱瞞，我們就不殺你。王向你說甚麼話也要告訴我們。』
38:26 你就對他們說：『我在王面前懇求不要叫我回到約拿單的房屋死在那裡。』」
38:27 隨後眾首領來見耶利米，問他，他就照王所吩咐的一切話回答他們。他們不再與他說話，因為事情沒有洩漏。
38:28 於是耶利米仍在護衛兵的院中，直到耶路撒冷被攻取的日子。

¹⁴ King Zedekiah sent for the prophet Jeremiah and received him at the third entrance of the temple of the Lord. The king said to Jeremiah, “I have something to ask you; do not hide anything from me.” ¹⁵Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, you will put me to death, will you not? And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.” ¹⁶So King Zedekiah swore an oath in secret to Jeremiah, “As the Lord lives, who gave us our lives, I will not put you to death or hand you over to these men who seek your life.”

¹⁷ Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, If you will only surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. ¹⁸But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be handed over to the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand.” ¹⁹King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for I might be handed over to them and they would abuse me.” ²⁰Jeremiah said, “That will not happen. Just obey the voice of the Lord in what I say to you, and it shall go well with you, and your life shall be spared. ²¹But if you are determined not to surrender, this is what the Lord has shown me— ²²a vision of all the women remaining in the house of the king of Judah being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and saying,

‘Your trusted friends have seduced you

and have overcome you;

Now that your feet are stuck in the mud,

they desert you.’

²³ All your wives and your children shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon; and this city shall be burned with fire.”

²⁴ Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone else know of this conversation, or you will die. ²⁵If the officials should hear that I have spoken with you, and they should come and say to you, ‘Just tell us what you said to the king; do not conceal it from us, or we will put you to death. What did the king say to you?’ ²⁶then you shall say to them, ‘I was presenting my plea to the king not to send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.’ ” ²⁷All the officials did come to Jeremiah and questioned him; and he answered them in the very words the king had commanded. So they stopped questioning him, for the conversation had not been overheard. ²⁸And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.

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    西底家王和先知耶利米在這裡有非常私密的對話，但是耶利米還是堅定的將上帝的心意告訴西底家王：「你若出去歸降巴比倫王的首領，你的命就必存活，這城也不致被火焚燒，你和你的全家都必存活。你若不出去歸降巴比倫王的首領，這城必交在迦勒底人手中。他們必用火焚燒，你也不得脫離他們的手。」

    國王是聽得明白，但是身不由己，為了救耶利米，就使用了權宜之計，告訴耶利米：「首領若聽見了我與你說話，就來見你，問你說：『你對王說甚麼話不要向我們隱瞞，我們就不殺你。王向你說甚麼話也要告訴我們。』你就對他們說：『我在王面前懇求不要叫我回到約拿單的房屋死在那裡。』」

    這也道出國王和先知的辛苦，因為成為領袖者，常常受到群眾左右，如何能保護自己又不違背上帝的命令，或是能繼續領導或影響人，常常需要超然的智慧，圓滑的手段，目的是要使上帝的旨意成全，保護該保護的人，不是用來圖謀權力、操縱別人！

約珥書2:23

錫安的民哪，你們要快樂，為耶和華─你們的上帝歡喜；因他賜給你們合宜的秋雨，為你們降下甘霖，就是秋雨、春雨，和先前一樣。

Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.

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    在舊約中似乎充滿上帝的審判與憤怒，尤其是在先知書裡面更是如此！但是在這裡我們卻看見，上帝的安慰和應許，並且呼籲百姓「要快樂，為耶和華─你們的上帝歡喜」！為甚麼原因呢？

    約珥先知在這裡說：「因他賜給你們合宜的秋雨，為你們降下甘霖，就是秋雨、春雨，和先前一樣」。這是甚麼意思呢？也就是說：「上帝要拯救以色列人，重新回到上帝的眷顧和賜福」。因為，對以色列人來說，上帝的賜福的表徵就是我們所說的，風調雨順、五穀豐收，使身體和靈魂得飽足！

    而耶穌基督也將這樣的豐盛應許給我們，正如約翰福音10章10節所說：「盜賊來，無非要偷竊，殺害，毀壞；我來了，是要叫羊（或譯：人）得生命，並且得的更豐盛。」

    快來信靠耶穌基督，透過他與上帝建立正確和合宜的關係，你就要享受這樣的豐盛，並且在永生的時候，一同與基督做王到永遠呢！快快來信靠主耶穌，他正在乎召你！

耶利米書38:7-13

38:7 在王宮的太監古實人以伯‧米勒，聽見他們將耶利米下了牢獄（那時王坐在便雅憫門口），
38:8 以伯‧米勒就從王宮裡出來，對王說：
38:9 「主─我的王啊，這些人向先知耶利米一味地行惡，將他下在牢獄中；他在那裡必因飢餓而死，因為城中再沒有糧食。」
38:10 王就吩咐古實人以伯‧米勒說：「你從這裡帶領三十人，趁著先知耶利米未死以前，將他從牢獄中提上來。」
38:11 於是以伯‧米勒帶領這些人同去，進入王宮，到庫房以下，從那裡取了些碎布和破爛的衣服，用繩子縋下牢獄去到耶利米那裡。
38:12 古實人以伯‧米勒對耶利米說：「你用這些碎布和破爛的衣服放在繩子上，墊你的胳肢窩。」耶利米就照樣行了。
38:13 這樣，他們用繩子將耶利米從牢獄裡拉上來。耶利米仍在護衛兵的院中。

⁷ Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. The king happened to be sitting at the Benjamin Gate, ⁸So Ebed-melech left the king’s house and spoke to the king, ⁹“My lord king, these men have acted wickedly in all they did to the prophet Jeremiah by throwing him into the cistern to die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city.” ¹⁰Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take three men with you from here, and pull the prophet Jeremiah up from the cistern before he dies.” ¹¹So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe of the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern by ropes. ¹²Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Just put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so. ¹³Then they drew Jeremiah up by the ropes and pulled him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

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    我們從聖經的記載中，看見外邦人往往比以色列人更敬畏上帝，一再的讓我們感受到，上帝是萬國萬民的上帝，不單單是以色列的上帝，雖然以色列是上帝的選民。

    而耶利米還好有這樣一位古實的太監，將他從淤泥中拯救出來，使他不致餓死，又可以獲得一些自由，這當然也是上帝的恩惠！而在我們的生命中，也常常會有這樣意想不到的恩惠。

    願上帝恩惠的眷顧，也常常在你我的生命中，好可以向世人見證上帝是恩慈的上帝，祂的慈愛永遠長存，更讓我們的心得滿足和溫馨！

耶利米書38章

          耶利米書38:1-6   ,   耶利米書38:7-13   ,  耶利米書38:14-28  ,