Chapter 1

Jeremiah lived in a village not far from Jerusalem.
Jeremiah's father was a priest.

God said to Jeremiah:
"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.
I have appointed you as prophet to the nations."

Jeremiah said to God:
"Lord, I do not know how to speak.
I am so young."

God then touched Jeremiah's mouth and said:
"I now put my words into your mouth.
Go and tell the people everything I ask you to speak.

Do not be dismayed by anyone.
I am making you strong.

You must confront Judah's kings, priests and people.
They will oppose you, but will not overcome you,
for I am with you."

第 1 章

Jeremiah（耶利米/耶肋米亞）住在
一條距離耶路撒冷不遠的村莊。
Jeremiah的父親是一名司祭。

神對Jeremiah說:
「我在母腹內形成你以前，我便認識你。
我已任命你作列國的先知。」

Jeremiah對神說：
「主，我不懂說。 我太年輕。」

神那時觸摸Jeremiah的口，然後說：
「我現在把我的話放在你口中，
去向萬民宣講我要你說的話。

不要害怕任何人。 
我令你堅強。

你必須面對猶大的君王、司祭和民眾。
他們會對抗你，但不能戰勝你，
因我與你同在。」

Lord, please give special courage
 to people who speak your message for the world

主，請將額外的勇氣給那些向世界宣講你信息的人

Chapter 2

This is what God told Jeremiah to shout out loud in Jerusalem:

"The Lord says:
I remember the love you used to have for me.
But now you have forgotten me.

Priests and prophets have no knowledge of me.
King and princes have rebelled against me.

Not only have you abandoned me,
you now follow false gods.

You have abandoned the fountain of living water
in exchange for muddy pools."

第 2 章

神吩咐Jeremiah在耶路撒冷呼喊這些話：

「主說：
我記得你以往對我的愛。
但現在你已忘記了我。

司祭和先知對我一無所知。
君王及王侯已背叛了我。

你不僅拋棄了我，
你現在還信奉假神。

你放棄活水的泉源
以換取渾濁的水池。」  

Lord, please don't let anyone else or anything else
 ever replace you as number one in my life

主，請不要讓任何人或物品
替代你在我生命裡的首位  

Chapters  3 - 6

The country has no rain
because its people have forgotten the Lord.

The people refuse to repent
and so the land has many sorrows.

Stop and think about the past: which was the good way to live?
Follow that way now and you will find peace for yourselves and the land.

第 3 – 6 章  

這國家不會降雨，
因它的人民已忘記了主。

人民拒不悔改，
因此地上有許多悲傷。

停下來想想過去：哪個是好的生活方式？
現在遵循那路，你會為自己和國家找到平安。  

Lord,  please bless our land, by helping us be better people.

主，請祝福我們的國家 - 透過幫助我們成為更好的人  

Chapter 7

At the gate of the Temple in Jerusalem,
Jeremiah proclaimed the word of the Lord:

"You people of Judah who come here to worship,
amend your behavior and actions,
and then I, the Lord,  will meet you here in this Temple.

Do not exploit the stranger, the orphan and the widow.
Do not follow alien gods, do not break the Commandments.

If you don't care about bad behavior
and yet keep on coming to my Temple for worship,
your worship is useless
and you are turning this Temple into a robbers' den.

This nation refuses to listen to the Lord.
Sincerity has vanished since worship and behavior are not related."

第 7 章

在耶路撒冷的殿宇門口，
Jeremiah宣講主的話：

「那些來朝拜的猶大人，
改正你們的行為和品行，
然後我，主，會於這殿宇與你們會面。

不剝削僑居者、孤兒及寡婦。
不信奉外邦的神，不違反十戒。

如你們不理會惡劣行為，
可是繼續到我的殿宇來朝拜，
你們的朝拜是白費的，
並把這殿宇變成強盜的巢穴。

這國家拒絕聽從主的話。
誠心已經消失，因朝拜與行為不相符。」

Lord, please help me "practise what I preach"

主，請幫助我「實踐我所宣揚的」 

Chapters 8 - 11

Jeremiah said sorrowfully:

My people have forgotten God.
My people ignore God.
My people follow false gods.
My people have no time for the real God.

Lord, you know how weak we are.
Correct us gently, Lord.

第 8 – 11 章

Jeremiah悲傷地說：

我的民族已忘記了神。
我的民族忽視神。
我的民族信奉假神。
我的民族不願為真神花時間。

主，你知道我們是多麼脆弱。
和善地糾正我們，主。

Correct us gently, Lord, correct us gently

和善地糾正我們，主，和善地糾正我們

Chapters 12 - 14

Lord, you are in our midst, we are called by your name.
Please give us help and strength in this time of trouble.

Wherever I go I see sadness and despair.
Our land has been invaded by the foreign soldier.

If I go into the countryside,
I see men killed by the sword.

If I go into the city,
I see people sick with hunger.

O God, you are our hope.
For your name's sake, please forgive us and help us.

第 12 – 14 章

主，你在我們中間，我們稱為你名下的人。
在患難時候，請給我們援助和力量。

無論我到那裡去，我都看到悲傷和絕望。
我們的國土已被外邦士兵入侵。

我若走入田間，
我看見被刀殺死的人。

我若進入城裏，
我看見饑餓的病人。

噢神，你是我們的希望。
因你的名，請原諒我們，並幫助我們。

Lord, please help people whose countries
are under occupation by foreign soldiers

主，請幫助其國家
被外邦士兵佔領的人民

Chapter 15

Alas, my mother, for you gave me birth
to be a man of strife and dissension for everyone.

I neither lend nor borrow,
yet everyone curses me.
Lord, remember how I suffer insult for your sake.

When I heard your word, I devoured it.
Your word was my delight and the joy of my heart
for you called me to speak your word.

第 15 章

有禍了，我的母親，因你生了我這個
與普世對抗相爭的人。

我既不貸也不借，
然而每個人咒罵我。
主，記得我是如何因你的緣故而遭受侮辱。

當我聽到你的話，我入神地聽它。
你的話就是我的喜悅、我心中的歡樂，
因你叫我說你的話。

Lord, please increase my love for your word, my love for the Bible

主，請增加我對你的話的愛，對聖經的愛

Chapters 16, 17

The Lord will bring back Israel's exiles,
back to the land he gave to our ancestors.

Lord, my strength, my stronghold,
all the nations will come to you
and acknowledge that you alone are God in all the earth.

第 16、17 章

主會帶以色列的流放者回來，
回到他給我們祖先的土地。

主，我的力量，我的堡壘，
列國會回到你身邊，
並承認你是地上唯一的神。

Let all the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you

讓萬民稱讚你，噢神，讓萬民稱讚你

Chapter 18

The Lord told Jeremiah to go to the house of the potter.

At the potter's house, Jeremiah watched the potter working.
Sometimes a vessel he was making wasn't shaped properly.

So the potter would take the clay and start again
and shape the clay into a new vessel.

Then the Lord told Jeremiah:
"The House of Israel is clay, I am  the potter.
I  keep on trying to form Israel into a holy nation."

第 18 章

主吩咐Jeremiah到陶工家去。

在陶工家裡，Jeremiah見陶工正在工作。
有時，他正在做的器皿會弄得不好。

因此，陶工會將粘土重新開始，
把粘土塑造成另一新的器皿。

那時，主告訴Jeremiah：
「以色列家族是粘土，我是陶工。 我繼續
嘗試把以色列塑造成一個聖潔的民族。」

Lord, you are the potter, we are the clay - the work of your hands.
Please mould us into what you want us to become.

主，你是陶工，我們是粘土 – 你手中的製成品。
請把我們塑造成你所希望的

Chapters 18 -20

Some officials decided to get rid of Jeremiah.
They did not want to listen to his message any more.
"Come on," they said, "let us make a case against him."

Jeremiah prayed to God:
"Lord, you know that people are plotting against me.
Please help me and keep me safe."

One of the Temple priests had Jeremiah beaten
and put in stocks for a day near the Temple.

Again Jeremiah prayed to God:
"You have seduced me, Lord.
You have told me to proclaim a harsh message for the people.

This has made me a laughing-stock.
Being your messenger has caused me insult  all the day long.

At one stage I even thought of not speaking your message any more.
But then I felt a fire burning in my heart. 

I could not stop thinking of you. 
I just had to speak your message."

第 18 – 20 章

一些官員決定鏟除Jeremiah。
他們不想再聽Jeremiah的信息。
「來吧，」他們說：「讓我們向他提出控告。」

Jeremiah向神禱告：
「主，你知道人們正在對我圖謀不軌。
請幫助我及保護我。」

其中一位聖殿司祭打Jeremiah，並給他
扣上腳鐐，囚禁在主的殿宇附近一天。

Jeremiah再向神禱告：
「你誘騙我，主。
你吩咐我去給人民宣布一個残酷的信息。

這使我成為一個笑柄。
作為你的使者給我終日帶來侮辱。

有一段時間，我甚至想不再講述你的信息。
不過我感覺到火在我心中燃燒。

我不停地想著你。 
我必須要說出你的信息。」

Lord,  please increase my love for you. Please give me more courage to speak your message to my family, friends and people I meet

主，請增加我對你的愛。 請給我更多的勇氣
對我的家人、朋友和我所遇到的人說出你的信息

Chapters 21 -23

Jerusalem was under siege by the Chaldaeans.
The Lord told Jeremiah to tell the leaders of Jerusalem to surrender.

But the leaders of Jerusalem did not obey Jeremiah's words.
So the Lord got Jeremiah to say these words:

"Woe to the shepherds who allow my sheep to be scattered and killed.
You have not taken care of my sheep.

Therefore I will raise up a leader who will be wise and just.
He will be a good shepherd of my people."

第 21 – 23 章

耶路撒冷遭Chaldaeans（迦勒底人/加色丁人）圍攻。
主吩咐Jeremiah告訴耶路撒冷的領袖投降。

但耶路撒冷的領袖不聽從Jeremiah的話。
於是主要Jeremiah說這些話：

「牧羊人有禍了，你們竟讓我的羊被驅散
和殺害。 你們沒有照顧我的羊。

因此，我會興起一個英明和公正的領導人。
他將會是我百姓的善牧。」

Lord, please help our leaders to be good shepherds

主，請幫助我們的領袖成為善牧

Chapters 24 - 29

For 23 years Jeremiah spoke the message of the Lord,
calling on people to do good and turn away from evil.

But the people, especially the leaders, refused to listen to Jeremiah.
They eventually arrested Jeremiah and planned to kill him.

Jeremiah also sent a message to the exiles in Babylon.
But they too refused his message.

第 24 – 29 章

二十三年以來，Jeremiah講述主的信息，
呼籲人們行善，和遠離惡事。

但人們，尤其是領袖，拒絕聽Jeremiah。
他們最終逮捕Jeremiah並計劃殺死他。

Jeremiah也發出信息給在巴比倫的流放者。
但他們也拒絕了他的信息。

Lord, please give me some of Jeremiah's courage and faith

主，請給我一些Jeremiah的勇氣和信心

Chapters 30 - 31

God told Jeremiah to tell the people these words:

"I will restore you to health.
I will heal your wounds.

I have loved you with an everlasting love.
Strong and constant is my love for you.

I will bring back the exiles and save them.
I will change their sorrow into joy.

The days are coming when I will make a new agreement with my people.
Deep within their hearts I will plant love of my Law.

I will be their God and they will be my people.
I will forgive all their sins."

第 30 – 31 章

神吩咐Jeremiah告訴人們這些話：

「我會恢復你的健康。 
我會治愈你的傷口。

我以永恆的愛愛著你。
我對你的愛是堅定和恆久的。

我會帶流放者回來和救助他們。
我會把他們的悲哀變為歡樂。

時日將至，我會與我的百姓訂立新的盟約。
我會在他們內心深處植入對我法律的愛。

我會作他們的神，而他們要作我的百姓。
我會寬恕他們所有的罪過。」

Lord, please plant love of you deep within my heart

主，請在我內心深處植入我對你的愛

Chapter  32

Jerusalem was about to be captured by the Chaldaeans.
But God  promised that Jerusalem would recover its freedom.

As a sign that Jerusalem would be free again,
God told Jeremiah to buy a field.

People thought Jeremiah was crazy.
But through this action Jeremiah delivered God's message:

This city and this land are now a waste,
but soon people will again buy land and build homes
in freedom and safety.

第 32 章

耶路撒冷即將被Chaldaeans攻陷。
但神承諾耶路撒冷會恢復其自由。

作為耶路撒冷重獲自由的標記，
神告訴Jeremiah買一塊田地。

人們以為Jeremiah瘋了。
但Jeremiah藉著這行動來傳遞神的信息：

這城市和這片土地現在是荒涼地區，
但不久，人們會再次自由地和安全地
買土地和建造房子。

Lord, when things get really bad, please increase our trust in you
that you will turn things around in our lives

主，當事情變得很糟糕，請增加我們對你的信頼，
你會在我們的生活中扭轉逆境

Chapters 33 - 35

Most of the people and their leaders ignored God's message
delivered by Jeremiah.

But one group listened to Jeremiah and obeyed God's message:
that group was the nomad clan of Rechabites.

At God's command Jeremiah invited them to a meal  near the Temple
and invited them to drink wine.

But they replied that they had been told by God
never to own property or build houses or be farmers or drink wine.

Jeremiah then spoke to the people watching the Rechabites:
"See how this clan is obedient to the message of the Lord,
unlike most of the people and its leaders who ignore God.

Because this clan has been faithful and obedient,
therefore it will  always be blessed by the Lord".

第 33 – 35 章

大部分的人民和他們的領袖都漠視
神的信息由Jeremiah所傳遞。

但有一族人聽取Jeremiah和服從神的信息：
這一族人是Rechabites（利甲族/勒加布人）遊牧部族。

神命令Jeremiah請他們到殿宇附近吃飯，
並邀請他們喝酒。

但他們回答，神吩咐他們永不可擁有自己
的財產或建造房屋或成為農民或喝酒。

Jeremiah然後對看著Rechabites的人們說：
「看，這個氏族多麼服從主的信息，
不像大多數的人民及其領袖忽視神。

因為這個氏族一直忠誠和服從，
因此，它常蒙主祝福。」

Lord, please help me be faithful to you,  like the Rechabites

主，請幫助我忠於你，像Rechabites般

Chapter 36

God told Jeremiah to write down
all the messages he had spoken for God.

So Jeremiah got Baruch to make a written record of all his messages.
Baruch wrote the messages on a scroll.

Some good officials took the scroll to the king to read.
The officials hoped the king would obey the words of the scroll.

The king had the scroll read aloud for him.
As each section was read, the king used a knife to cut off the section,
and then threw the section into a fire.

Eventually the whole scroll was burnt.
The king then issued an order for Jeremiah to be arrested.

God protected Jeremiah and did not allow him to be arrested for the time being. God also told Jeremiah to have another scroll made.

第 36 章

神吩咐Jeremiah寫下
他為神講述的所有信息。

所以Jeremiah找Baruch（巴錄/巴路克）筆錄他所有的信息。
Baruch把信息寫在紙卷上。

一些好官員拿這些紙卷給君王閱讀。
官員們希望君王會遵守紙卷上的信息。

君王找人大聲為他朗讀紙卷。
當每一章節朗讀完後，君王便用刀把那一章節割下，
然後把那一章節拋入火裏。

最後，整個紙卷被燒毀。
然後，君王發出命令逮捕Jeremiah。

神保護Jeremiah，當其時沒有讓他被捕。
神還吩咐Jeremiah安排書寫另一紙卷。

Lord, please move world leaders' hearts
to be open to your message of justice and peace and love

主，請感動世界領袖們的心，
願意接受你正義、和平與愛的信息

Chapters 37 - 45

Jeremiah was arrested and put into a muddy well to die.
But a good official persuaded the king to free Jeremiah.

When the Chaldaeans captured Jerusalem,
they sent many people to Babylon as exiles.

Jeremiah was spared from exile
and he kept trying to get the people to accept defeat as God had told them.

But most of the people would not listen to Jeremiah,
even though all his prophecies about defeat had come true.

God protected the good officials who had helped Jeremiah.

第 37 – 45 章

Jeremiah被捕並投入泥井裏等死。
但一名好官員說服了君王釋放Jeremiah。

當Chaldaeans攻佔了耶路撒冷，
他們遣送許多人到巴比倫作流放者。

Jeremiah免於流亡，
他繼續嘗試讓人們接受神所告知的戰敗。

但大部分人不聽Jeremiah，
即使他所有關於戰敗的預言成真。

神保護曾幫助Jeremiah的好官員。

Lord, please help government leaders be good,
like the good officials who helped Jeremiah.

主，請幫助政府首長們成為好人，
像曾經幫助Jeremiah的好官員  

Chapters 46 - 52

Jeremiah predicted that the powerful nations involved in Israel's capture would all fall:

the Egyptians, the Philistines, the Moabites, the Ammonites,
the Babylonians and others.

Jeremiah also reminded Israel to rely on the help of the Lord
more than the help of other nations:

"Our redeemer is strong. The Lord is his name.
He will bring peace to the world".

第 46 – 52 章

Jeremiah預言那些參與攻佔以色列的
強大國家都會滅亡:

埃及人、Philistines、Moabites（摩押人/摩阿布人）、Ammonites、巴比倫人和其他人。

Jeremiah還提醒以色列依靠主的幫助
勝過依靠其他國家的幫助:

「我們的救世主是強大的。
主是他的名字。 他會帶給世界和平。」

Lord, help us to rely on you more than on human help

主，幫助我們依靠你多於依靠人的幫助