“ But as for the bad figs, so bad they are inedible, this is what the Lord says: in this way I will deal with king Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem— those remaining in this land and those living in the land of Egypt.

耶和华如此说：“我必将犹大王西底家和他的首领，以及剩在这地耶路撒冷的余民，并住在埃及地的犹大人都交出来，好像那极坏、坏得不可吃的无花果。

耶和华如此说：“我必将犹大王西底家和他的众领袖，以及留在这地耶路撒冷剩余的人，并住在埃及地的犹大人都交出来，好像那极坏、坏得不能吃的无花果。

耶和华如此说：“我必将犹大王西底家和他的众领袖，以及留在这地耶路撒冷剩余的人，并住在埃及地的犹大人都交出来，好像那极坏、坏得不能吃的无花果。

至于那些坏得不能吃的无花果，耶和华这样说，‘犹大王西底迦及其官员，以及留在耶路撒冷和埃及的人在我眼中就像坏得不能吃的无花果。我必丢弃他们，

“但耶和华这样说：‘我怎样处置那些坏到不能吃的坏无花果，我也必照样对待犹大王西底家、他的众领袖和耶路撒冷的余民，不论是余剩在这地的，或是住在埃及地的。

耶和華如此說：「我必將猶大王西底家和他的首領，以及剩在這地耶路撒冷的餘民，並住在埃及地的猶大人都交出來，好像那極壞、壞得不可吃的無花果。

耶和華如此說：「我必將猶大王西底家和他的眾領袖，以及留在這地耶路撒冷剩餘的人，並住在埃及地的猶大人都交出來，好像那極壞、壞得不能吃的無花果。

耶和華如此說：「我必將猶大王西底家和他的眾領袖，以及留在這地耶路撒冷剩餘的人，並住在埃及地的猶大人都交出來，好像那極壞、壞得不能吃的無花果。

至於那些壞得不能吃的無花果，耶和華這樣說，『猶大王西底迦及其官員，以及留在耶路撒冷和埃及的人在我眼中就像壞得不能吃的無花果。我必丟棄他們，

“但耶和華這樣說：‘我怎樣處置那些壞到不能吃的壞無花果，我也必照樣對待猶大王西底家、他的眾領袖和耶路撒冷的餘民，不論是餘剩在這地的，或是住在埃及地的。

『但是永恆主這麼說：我必將猶大王西底家和眾首領、以及耶路撒冷的餘民、剩在這地的、和住在埃及地的、都看像那壞的無花果，壞到喫不得的。

至於無花果之劣而不可食者、耶和華曰、此若猶大王西底家、與其牧伯、及耶路撒冷遺民、居於斯土之眾、與旅於埃及者、

惟彼劣果、不堪適口、可比猶大王西底家、以及牧伯、耶路撒冷居民、斯土之遺眾、暨旅於埃及者。

主如是云、惟猶大王西底家、與其牧伯、及耶路撒冷之遺民、尚遺於斯地者、及旅於伊及者、我必使若此劣甚不可食之劣無花果、

“‘ But like the bad figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord,‘ so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.

“‘ But there are also bad figs. In fact, they are so bad they can’t be eaten,’ says the Lord.‘ Zedekiah, the king of Judah, is like these bad figs. So are his officials and the people of Jerusalem who are still left alive. I will punish them whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.

“ But thus says the Lord: Like the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat Zedekiah the king of Judah, his officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt.

“ But the bad figs,” the Lord said,“ represent King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, all the people left in Jerusalem, and those who live in Egypt. I will treat them like bad figs, too rotten to eat.

“ But as for the bad figs, so bad they are inedible, this is what the LORD says: In this way I will deal with King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem— those remaining in this land or living in the land of Egypt.

‘ But like the bad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness,’ indeed, this is what the Lord says,‘ so will I give up Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and the ones who live in the land of Egypt.

‘ And as the bad figs which cannot be eaten, they are so bad’— surely thus says the Lord—‘ so will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, his princes, the residue of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt.

And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad, surely thus saith Jehovah, So will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt,

And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:

“ I, the LORD, also solemnly assert:‘ King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and the people who remain in Jerusalem or who have gone to live in Egypt are like those bad figs. I consider them to be just like those bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.

“‘ As the bad figs, which can’t be eaten, they are so bad,’ surely Yahweh says,‘ So I will give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the remnant of Jerusalem, who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt.

When Jeremiah had finished speaking to all the people all the words of the Lord their God— all these words the Lord their God had sent him to give them—then Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the other arrogant men responded to Jeremiah,“ You are speaking a lie! The Lord our God has not sent you to say,‘ You must not go to Egypt to live there for a while!’Rather, Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Chaldeans to put us to death or to deport us to Babylon!”So Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies did not obey the voice of the Lord to stay in the land of Judah.Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies took the whole remnant of Judah, those who had returned from all the nations where they had been banished to live in the land of Judah for a while—the men, women, children, king’s daughters, and everyone whom Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, had allowed to remain with Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, along with Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah—and they went to the land of Egypt because they did not obey the voice of the Lord. They went as far as Tahpanhes.Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah at Tahpanhes:“ Pick up some large stones and set them in the mortar of the brick pavement that is at the opening of Pharaoh’s palace at Tahpanhes. Do this in the sight of the Judean menand tell them: This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will place his throne on these stones that I have embedded, and he will pitch his pavilion over them.He will come and strike down the land of Egypt— those destined for death, to death; those destined for captivity, to captivity; and those destined for the sword, to the sword.I will kindle a fire in the temples of Egypt’s gods, and he will burn them and take them prisoner. He will clean the land of Egypt as a shepherd picks lice off his garment, and he will leave there unscathed.He will smash the sacred pillars of the sun temple in the land of Egypt and burn down the temples of the Egyptian gods.”This is the word that came to Jeremiah for all the Jews living in the land of Egypt— at Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in the land of Pathros:

One basket contained very good figs, like early figs, but the other basket contained very bad figs, so bad they were inedible.

Indeed, if you were to strike down the entire Chaldean army that is fighting with you, and there remained among them only the badly wounded men, each in his tent, they would get up and burn this city down.”

Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am about to hand this city over to the Chaldeans, to Babylon’s king Nebuchadnezzar, and he will capture it.The Chaldeans who are going to fight against this city will come, set this city on fire, and burn it along with the houses where incense has been burned to Baal on their rooftops and where drink offerings have been poured out to other gods to provoke Me to anger.

“ Therefore, this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed Me by proclaiming freedom, each man for his brother and for his neighbor. I hereby proclaim freedom for you”— this is the Lord’s declaration—“ to the sword, to plague, and to famine! I will make you a horror to all the earth’s kingdoms.As for those who disobeyed My covenant, not keeping the terms of the covenant they made before Me, I will treat them like the calf they cut in two in order to pass between its pieces.The officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the pieces of the calfwill be handed over to their enemies, to those who want to take their life. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.I will hand Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials over to their enemies, to those who want to take their lives, to the king of Babylon’s army that is withdrawing.I am about to give the command”— this is the Lord’s declaration—“ and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down. I will make Judah’s cities a desolation, without inhabitant.”

Zedekiah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight just as Jehoiakim had done.Because of the Lord’s anger, it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that He finally banished them from His presence. Nevertheless, Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem with his entire army. They laid siege to the city and built a siege wall all around it.The city was under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that the people of the land had no food.Then the city was broken into, and all the warriors fled. They left the city by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans surrounded the city. They made their way along the route to the Arabah.The Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. Zedekiah’s entire army was scattered from him.The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him.At Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes and also slaughtered the Judean commanders.Then he blinded Zedekiah and bound him with bronze chains. The king of Babylon brought Zedekiah to Babylon, where he kept him in custody until his dying day.

The word of the Lord came to me:“ Now say to that rebellious house: Don’t you know what these things mean? Tell them: The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon.He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he took away the leading men of the land,so the kingdom might be humble and not exalt itself but might keep his covenant in order to endure.However, this king revolted against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt so they might give him horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still escape?“ As I live”— this is the declaration of the Lord God—“ he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke.Pharaoh will not help him with his great army and vast horde in battle, when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives.He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. He did all these things even though he gave his hand in pledge. He will not escape!”Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:“ As I live, I will bring down on his head My oath that he despised and My covenant that he broke.I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there for the treachery he committed against Me.All the fugitives among his troops will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to every direction of the wind. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken.”

But this is what the Lord says concerning the king sitting on David’s throne and concerning all the people living in this city— that is, concerning your brothers who did not go with you into exile.This is what the Lord of Hosts says:“ I am about to send against them sword, famine, and plague and will make them like rotten figs that are inedible because they are so bad.I will pursue them with sword, famine, and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth— a curse and a desolation, an object of scorn and a disgrace among all the nations where I have banished them.

“ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Like these good figs, so I regard as good the exiles from Judah I sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans.

King Zedekiah later sent for him and received him, and in his house privately asked him,“ Is there a word from the Lord?”“ There is,” Jeremiah responded, and he continued,“ You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”

“ Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you Judeans who live in the land of Egypt:‘ I have sworn by My great name, says Yahweh, that My name will never again be invoked by anyone of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying,“ As the Lord God lives.”I am watching over them for disaster and not for good, and every man of Judah who is in the land of Egypt will meet his end by sword or famine until they are finished off.Those who escape the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah only few in number, and the whole remnant of Judah, the ones going to the land of Egypt to live there for a while, will know whose word stands, Mine or theirs!This will be a sign to you’— this is the Lord’s declaration—‘ that I am about to punish you in this place, so you may know that My words of disaster concerning you will certainly come to pass.This is what the Lord says: I am about to hand over Pharaoh Hophra, Egypt’s king, to his enemies, to those who want to take his life, just as I handed over Judah’s King Zedekiah to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar, who was his enemy, the one who wanted to take his life.’”

But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape from them.’”But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah,“ I am worried about the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans. They may hand me over to the Judeans to abuse me.”“ They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied.“ Obey the voice of the Lord in what I am telling you, so it may go well for you and you can live.But if you refuse to surrender, this is the verdict that the Lord has shown me:‘ All the women who remain in the palace of Judah’s king will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon and will say: Your trusted friends misled you and overcame you. Your feet sank into the mire, and they deserted you.All your wives and sons will be brought out to the Chaldeans. You yourself will not escape from them, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon and this city will burn down.’”

For I have turned against this city to bring disaster and not good’”— this is the Lord’s declaration.“‘ It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, who will burn it down.’

The prince who is among them will lift his bags to his shoulder in the dark and go out. They will dig through the wall to bring him out through it. He will cover his face so he cannot see the land with his eyes.But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, yet he will not see it, and he will die there.I will also scatter all the attendants who surround him and all his troops to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword to chase after them.They will know that I am Yahweh when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries.But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine, and plague so they can tell about all their detestable practices among the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.”

In the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, on the ninth day of the month, the city was broken into.All the officials of the king of Babylon entered and sat at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer, Samgar, Nebusarsechim the Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer the Rab-mag, and all the rest of the officials of Babylon’s king.When he saw them, Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers fled. They left the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate between the two walls. They left along the route to the Arabah.However, the Chaldean army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, arrested him, and brought him to Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s king, at Riblah in the land of Hamath. The king passed sentence on him there.At Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all Judah’s nobles.Then he blinded Zedekiah and put him in bronze chains to take him to Babylon.The Chaldeans next burned down the king’s palace and the people’s houses and tore down the walls of Jerusalem.Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, deported the rest of the people to Babylon— those who had remained in the city and those deserters who had defected to him along with the rest of the people who had remained.