So prophesy and say:‘ This is what the sovereign LORD says: Surely because they have made you desolate and crushed you from all directions, so that you have become the property of the rest of the nations, and have become the subject of gossip and slander among the people,

所以要发预言说，主耶和华如此说：因为敌人使你荒凉，四围吞吃，好叫你归与其余的外邦人为业，并且多嘴多舌的人提起你来，百姓也说你有臭名。

所以你要预言，说：主耶和华如此说：因为敌人使你荒凉，四围践踏你，要叫你归其余的列国为业，使你们成为各族的话柄与百姓的笑谈；

所以你要预言，说：主耶和华如此说：因为敌人使你荒凉，四围践踏你，要叫你归其余的列国为业，使你们成为各族的话柄与百姓的笑谈；

所以你要发预言，宣告主耶和华这样说，‘你们被蹂躏、掠夺，归了列国所有，成了外族人的话柄和笑谈。

所以你要说预言：主耶和华这样说：因为敌人使你们荒凉，四围践踏你们，好使你们归给列国中余剩的人为业，成为人们提说和嘲笑的对象，

所以要發預言說，主耶和華如此說：因為敵人使你荒涼，四圍吞吃，好叫你歸與其餘的外邦人為業，並且多嘴多舌的人提起你來，百姓也說你有臭名。

所以你要預言，說：主耶和華如此說：因為敵人使你荒涼，四圍踐踏你，要叫你歸其餘的列國為業，使你們成為各族的話柄與百姓的笑談；

所以你要預言，說：主耶和華如此說：因為敵人使你荒涼，四圍踐踏你，要叫你歸其餘的列國為業，使你們成為各族的話柄與百姓的笑談；

所以你要發預言，宣告主耶和華這樣說，『你們被蹂躪、掠奪，歸了列國所有，成了外族人的話柄和笑談。

所以你要說預言：主耶和華這樣說：因為敵人使你們荒涼，四圍踐踏你們，好使你們歸給列國中餘剩的人為業，成為人們提說和嘲笑的對象，

所以你要傳神言說：主永恆主這麼說：因為敵人真地使你們淒涼，四圍蹂躪你們，要使你們歸於其餘的外國人為業，被鼓舌傷人者的嘴和暴民的讒誹所取笑；

故爾當預言曰、主耶和華云、敵人使爾荒涼、四周吞噬、俾為列國遺民之業、為喋喋者談論、被人毀謗、

爾當以我言告之云、主耶和華曰、敵縱橫噬、使山荒寂、為他邦之人所得、虛誕之徒、播其流言、

故爾當預言曰、主天主如是云、爾四周之敵、使爾荒蕪、使爾荒蕪或作毀滅爾吞噬爾、致爾為未滅未滅原文作所餘下同之異邦人所得、又為人所談論、所譏刺、

Therefore prophesy and say,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because they ravaged and crushed you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and the object of people’s malicious talk and slander,

Ezekiel, prophesy. Say,‘ The Lord and King says,“ Your enemies destroyed you. They crushed you from every side. So the rest of the nations took over your land. People talked about you. They told lies about you.” ’ ”

therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God: Precisely because they made you desolate and crushed you from all sides, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you became the talk and evil gossip of the people,

Therefore, son of man, give the mountains of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: Your enemies have attacked you from all directions, making you the property of many nations and the object of much mocking and slander.

therefore, prophesy and say,‘ This is what the Lord GOD says: Because they have made you desolate and have trampled you from every side, so that you became a possession for the rest of the nations and an object of people’s gossip and slander,

therefore prophesy and say,‘ This is what the Lord God says:“ For good reason they have made you desolate and harassed you from every side, so that you would become a possession of the rest of the nations; and you have been taken up in the talk and the rumor of the people.” ’ ”

therefore prophesy, and say,‘ Thus says the Lord GOD:“ Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you are taken up by the lips of talkers and slandered by the people”—

therefore prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the nations, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people;

therefore, prophesy and say: This is what the Lord God says: Because they have made you desolate and have trampled you from every side, so that you became a possession for the rest of the nations and an object of people’s gossip and slander,

Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they have made[ you] desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and[ are] an infamy of the people:

therefore prophesy, and say,‘ The Lord Yahweh says:“ Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that you might be a possession to the residue of the nations, and you are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people;”

You made us an object of disdain to our neighbors; those who live on our borders taunt and insult us.You made us an object of ridicule among the nations; foreigners treat us with contempt.

All who passed by on the road clapped their hands to mock you. They sneered and shook their heads at Daughter Jerusalem.“ Ha! Is this the city they called‘ The perfection of beauty, the source of joy of the whole earth!’?”פ( Pe)All your enemies gloated over you. They sneered and gnashed their teeth; they said,“ We have destroyed her! Ha! We have waited a long time for this day. We have lived to see it!”ע( Ayin)

So their land will become an object of horror. People will forever hiss out their scorn over it. All who pass that way will be filled with horror and will shake their heads in derision.

then I will remove Israel from the land I have given them, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence, and Israel will be mocked and ridiculed among all the nations.This temple will become a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss out their scorn, saying,‘ Why did the LORD do this to this land and this temple?’

Do not let them say to themselves,“ Aha! We have what we wanted!” Do not let them say,“ We have devoured him!”

But in the seventh month Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama who was a member of the royal family and had been one of Zedekiah’s chief officers, came with ten of his men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating a meal together with him there at Mizpah,Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him stood up, pulled out their swords, and killed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan. Thus Ishmael killed the man that the king of Babylon had appointed to govern the country.Ishmael also killed all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah and the Babylonian soldiers who happened to be there.On the day after Gedaliah had been murdered, before anyone even knew about it,eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves to show they were mourning. They were carrying grain offerings and incense to present at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem.Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them. He was pretending to cry as he walked along. When he met them, he said to them,“ Come with me to meet Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”But as soon as they were inside the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw their bodies in a cistern.But there were ten men among them who said to Ishmael,“ Do not kill us. For we will give you the stores of wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey we have hidden in a field. So he spared their lives and did not kill them along with the rest.Now the cistern where Ishmael threw all the dead bodies of those he had killed was a large one that King Asa had constructed as part of his defenses against King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with dead bodies.Then Ishmael took captive all the people who were still left alive in Mizpah. This included the royal princesses and all the rest of the people in Mizpah that Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, had put under the authority of Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took all these people captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the atrocities that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed.So they took all their troops and went to fight against Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the large pool at Gibeon.When all the people that Ishmael had taken captive saw Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers with him, they were glad.All those people that Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah.But Ishmael son of Nethaniah managed to escape from Johanan along with eight of his men, and he went on over to Ammon.Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led off all the people who had been left alive at Mizpah. They had rescued them from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after he killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. They led off the men, women, children, soldiers, and court officials whom they had brought away from Gibeon.They set out to go to Egypt to get away from the Babylonians, but stopped at Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem.They were afraid of what the Babylonians might do because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed to govern the country.

Those who passed by defamed him, shaking their headsand saying,“ You who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are God’s Son, come down from the cross!”In the same way even the chief priests– together with the experts in the law and elders– were mocking him:“ He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the king of Israel! If he comes down now from the cross, we will believe in him!He trusts in God– let God, if he wants to, deliver him now because he said,‘ I am God’s Son’!”The robbers who were crucified with him also spoke abusively to him.

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah.He did what displeased the LORD just as Jehoiakim had done.What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the LORD’s anger when he drove them out of his sight. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and set up camp outside it. They built siege ramps all around it. He arrived on the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year that Zedekiah ruled over Judah.The city remained under siege until Zedekiah’s eleventh year.By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city was so severe the residents had no food.They broke through the city walls, and all the soldiers tried to escape. They left the city during the night. They went through the gate between the two walls that is near the king’s garden.( The Babylonians had the city surrounded.) Then they headed for the Jordan Valley.But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and his entire army deserted him.They captured him and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the territory of Hamath and he passed sentence on him there.The king of Babylon had Zedekiah’s sons put to death while Zedekiah was forced to watch. He also had all the nobles of Judah put to death there at Riblah.He had Zedekiah’s eyes put out and had him bound in chains. Then the king of Babylon had him led off to Babylon and he was imprisoned there until the day he died.On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard who served the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem.He burned down the LORD’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house.The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took into exile some of the poor, the rest of the people who remained in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the rest of the craftsmen.But he left behind some of the poor and gave them fields and vineyards.The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the temple of the LORD, as well as the movable stands and the large bronze basin called the“ The Sea.” They took all the bronze to Babylon.They also took the pots, shovels, trimming shears, basins, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests.The captain of the royal guard took the gold and silver bowls, censers, basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and vessels.The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the LORD’s temple( including the two pillars, the large bronze basin called“ The Sea,” the twelve bronze bulls under“ The Sea,” and the movable stands) was too heavy to be weighed.Each of the pillars was about 27 feet high, about 18 feet in circumference, three inches thick, and hollow.The bronze top of one pillar was about seven and one-half feet high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate-shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its pomegranate-shaped ornaments was like it.There were ninety-six pomegranate-shaped ornaments on the sides; in all there were one hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments over the latticework that went around it.The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers.From the city he took an official who was in charge of the soldiers, seven of the king’s advisers who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary who drafted citizens for military service, and sixty citizens who were discovered in the middle of the city.Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed at Riblah in the territory of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile away from its land.Here is the official record of the number of people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: In the seventh year, 3, 023 Jews;in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem;in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, carried into exile 745 Judeans. In all 4, 600 people went into exile.In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, Evil-Merodach, in the first year of his reign, pardoned King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison.He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position than the other kings who were with him in Babylon.Jehoiachin took off his prison clothes and ate daily in the king’s presence for the rest of his life.He was given daily provisions by the king of Babylon for the rest of his life until the day he died.Alas! The city once full of people now sits all alone! The prominent lady among the nations has become a widow! The princess who once ruled the provinces has become a forced laborer!ב( Bet)She weeps bitterly at night; tears stream down her cheeks. She has no one to comfort her among all her lovers. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies.ג( Gimel)Judah has departed into exile under affliction and harsh oppression. She lives among the nations; she has found no resting place. All who pursued her overtook her in narrow straits.ד( Dalet)The roads to Zion mourn because no one travels to the festivals. All her city gates are deserted; her priests groan. Her virgins grieve; she is in bitter anguish!ה( He)Her foes subjugated her; her enemies are at ease. For the Lord afflicted her because of her many acts of rebellion. Her children went away captive before the enemy.ו( Vav)

“‘ This is because they have led my people astray saying,“ All is well,” when things are not well. When anyone builds a wall without mortar, they coat it with whitewash.

“ But now they mock me, those who are younger than I, whose fathers I disdained too much to put with my sheep dogs.Moreover, the strength of their hands– what use was it to me? Men whose strength had perished;gaunt with want and hunger, they would gnaw the parched land, in former time desolate and waste.By the brush they would gather herbs from the salt marshes, and the root of the broom tree was their food.They were banished from the community– people shouted at them like they would shout at thieves–so that they had to live in the dry stream beds, in the holes of the ground, and among the rocks.They brayed like animals among the bushes and were huddled together under the nettles.Sons of senseless and nameless people, they were driven out of the land with whips.“ And now I have become their taunt song; I have become a byword among them.They detest me and maintain their distance; they do not hesitate to spit in my face.

The Lord destroyed mercilessly all the homes of Jacob’s descendants. In his anger he tore down the fortified cities of Daughter Judah. He knocked to the ground and humiliated the kingdom and its rulers.ג( Gimel)

O God, hear my cry for help! Pay attention to my prayer!

But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together; they gathered together to ambush me. They tore at me without stopping to rest.When I tripped, they taunted me relentlessly, and tried to bite me.

“ You have surely noticed what these people are saying, haven’t you? They are saying,‘ The LORD has rejected the two families of Israel and Judah that he chose.’ So they have little regard that my people will ever again be a nation.

O Lord, according to all your justice, please turn your raging anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. For due to our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people are mocked by all our neighbors.

The land will be abandoned by them in order that it may make up for its Sabbaths while it is made desolate without them, and they will make up for their iniquity because they have rejected my regulations and have abhorred my statutes.

We will swallow them alive like Sheol, those full of vigor like those going down to the Pit.

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it. The siege began in the tenth month of the ninth year that Zedekiah ruled over Judah.It lasted until the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year. On that day they broke through the city walls.Then Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim, who was a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer, who was a high official, and all the other officers of the king of Babylon came and set up quarters in the Middle Gate.When King Zedekiah of Judah and all his soldiers saw them, they tried to escape. They departed from the city during the night. They took a path through the king’s garden and passed out through the gate between the two walls. Then they headed for the Jordan Valley.But the Babylonian army chased after them. They caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho and captured him. They took him to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon at Riblah in the territory of Hamath and Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him there.There at Riblah the king of Babylon had Zedekiah’s sons put to death while Zedekiah was forced to watch. The king of Babylon also had all the nobles of Judah put to death.Then he had Zedekiah’s eyes put out and had him bound in chains to be led off to Babylon.The Babylonians burned down the royal palace, the temple of the LORD, and the people’s homes, and they tore down the wall of Jerusalem.Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took captive the rest of the people who were left in the city. He carried them off to Babylon along with the people who had deserted to him.But he left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing. He gave them fields and vineyards at that time.Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had issued orders concerning Jeremiah. He had passed them on through Nebuzaradan, the captain of his royal guard,“ Find Jeremiah and look out for him. Do not do anything to harm him, but do with him whatever he tells you.”So Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, Nebushazban, who was a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer, who was a high official, and all the other officers of the king of Babylonsent and had Jeremiah brought from the courtyard of the guardhouse. They turned him over to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and the grandson of Shaphan, to take him home with him. But Jeremiah stayed among the people.Now the LORD had spoken to Jeremiah while he was still confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse,“ Go and tell Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian,‘ The LORD God of Israel who rules over all says,“ I will carry out against this city what I promised. It will mean disaster and not good fortune for it. When that disaster happens, you will be there to see it.But I will rescue you when it happens. I, the LORD, affirm it! You will not be handed over to those whom you fear.I will certainly save you. You will not fall victim to violence. You will escape with your life because you trust in me. I, the LORD, affirm it!”’”

“ King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon devoured me and drove my people out. Like a monster from the deep he swallowed me. He filled his belly with my riches. He made me an empty dish. He completely cleaned me out.”

I will bring such disaster on them that all the kingdoms of the earth will be horrified. I will make them an object of reproach, a proverbial example of disaster. I will make them an object of ridicule, an example to be used in curses. That is how they will be remembered wherever I banish them.

Those who sit at the city gate gossip about me; drunkards mock me in their songs.

Why should the nations say,“ Where is their God?” Before our very eyes may the shed blood of your servants be avenged among the nations!

The Lord, like an enemy, destroyed Israel. He destroyed all her palaces; he ruined her fortified cities. He made everyone in Daughter Judah mourn and lament.ו( Vav)

when people lie about us, we answer in a friendly manner. We are the world’s dirt and scum, even now.

You will become an occasion of horror, a proverb, and an object of ridicule to all the peoples to whom the LORD will drive you.