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英文原文
Jeremiah the prophet, since he cannot persuade people to submit to God's precept, and so to prevent the destruction of their country by the king of Babylon, is here persuading them to submit to God's providence, by yielding tamely to the king of Babylon, and becoming tributaries to him, which was the wisest course they could now take, and would be a mitigation of the calamity, and prevent the laying of their country waste by fire and sword; the sacrificing of their liberties would be the saving of their lives. I. He gives this counsel, in God's name, to the kings of the neighbouring nations, that they might make the best of bad, assuring them that there was no remedy, but they must serve the king of Babylon; and yet in time there should be relief, for his dominion should last but 70 years, Jer 27:1-11. II. He gives this counsel to Zedekiah king of Judah particularly (Jer 27:12-15) and to the priests and people, assuring them that the king of Babylon should still proceed against them till things were brought to the last extremity, and a patient submission would be the only way to mitigate the calamity and make it easy, Jer 27:16-22. Thus the prophet, if they would but have hearkened to him, would have directed them in the paths of true policy as well as of true piety.
1-11
Nebuchadnezzar's Victories Predicted (597 BC)
尼布甲尼撒的勝利被預告（主前597年）
¹ 猶大王約西亞的兒子約雅敬登基的時候，有這話從耶和華臨到耶利米，說：
² 耶和華對我如此說：「你為自己做繩索與軛，套在頸項上，
³ 藉着那些來到耶路撒冷、見猶大王西底家的使臣之手，把繩索與軛送到以東王、摩押王、亞捫人王、推羅王、西頓王那裏。」
⁴ 又吩咐他們對他們的主子說：「萬軍之耶和華──以色列的神如此說：你們當這樣對你們的主子說：
⁵ 我用大能和伸出來的膀臂，創造了大地和地上的人畜；我把地賜給誰，便賜給誰。
⁶ 現在我將這些地都交在我僕人巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒手中，連田野的走獸我也給了他，使他可供驅使。
⁷ 列國都要服事他，和他的兒子，並他孫子，直到他本國遭報的時期來到；那時必有許多大國和君王使他作奴僕。」
⁸ 「無論哪一邦哪一國，不肯服事這巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒，不肯把頸項放在巴比倫王的軛下的，我必用刀劍、饑荒、瘟疫刑罰那邦，直到我藉他的手將他們滅盡。這是耶和華說的。」
⁹ 「所以你們不可聽從你們的先知，也不可聽從你們的占卜的、做夢的、行法術的、行邪術的；他們對你們說：你們不必服事巴比倫王。」
¹⁰ 「他們向你們說假預言，要叫你們遠離本地，以致我將你們趕出，你們便滅亡。」
¹¹ 「但哪一邦肯把頸項放在巴比倫王的軛下、服事他，我必使那邦仍存留在本地，得以耕種居住。這是耶和華說的。」
這預言的日期有些難解之處。據說這話是在約雅敬登基的時候臨到耶利米（耶27:1），然而他要交付奴役記號的使臣們（耶27:3），卻是來見猶大王西底家的；而西底家是在約雅敬登基之後十一年才作王的。有人認為這是抄本的錯誤，以為耶27:1應讀作西底家登基的時候，因為某一個疏忽的文士，眼目停留在前一章的標題上，便寫成了約雅敬。若要承認某處有誤，便該是這裏；因為西底家在下文（耶27:12）又被提及，而下一篇預言也標註同一年份，說是西底家登基的時候（耶28:1）。萊特富特博士如此解決：在約雅敬登基之初，耶利米要作這些繩索和軛，並套在自己頸上，作為猶大當時開始臣服於巴比倫王的記號；但他要到日後西底家作王時，才把這些軛送給鄰近的諸王；關於西底家接續約雅敬、以及使臣被差到他這裏的事，則是藉預言的方式提及的。
一、耶利米要為這一切國家歸服巴比倫王預備一個記號（耶27:2）：你為自己做繩索與軛——就是帶着繩索的軛，好將其繫緊，使牲畜不能從軛中脫出頸項。先知要把自己的頸項套在其中，使人注意這是一個預言性的表徵；因為人人都要問：耶利米的軛是甚麼意思呢？我們看見他後來果然戴着一個（耶28:10）。藉此他暗示，他所勸別人去行的，正是他自己決意要行的；因為他不是那種把難挑的担子捆起來擱在別人肩頭上，自己連一個指頭也不肯動的人。傳道人也當如此，使自己置身於他們所傳信息之分量與義務之下。
二、他要連同一篇信息，把這記號送給鄰近的諸王；這些都是與迦南地相毗鄰的（耶27:3）。看來猶大王與那一切別的王之間，當時正在洽商一項盟約。耶路撒冷被定為商談之地。他們都差遣全權使臣到那裏；並議定要彼此結成攻守同盟，互相扶持，以抗衡巴比倫王日益壯大、可畏的勢力，要削減他那過分的權勢。他們對自己聯合的力量大有信心，樂於自稱為「崇高同盟」；但當使臣們帶着這盟約的批准書各自回國之時，耶利米給每一位使臣一個軛，要他帶給他的主子，藉此表明：他或出於情願、或出於勉强，都必作巴比倫王的奴僕，任憑他自行選擇。在這記號之上的信息中：1. 神申明了自己對列國憑己意處置的無可爭辯之權（耶27:5）。他是萬物的創造主；他起初造了大地，建立它，它就存立；雖一代過去一代又來，地卻仍舊如此。他又以持續的創造，在地上造了人和牲畜，是憑他的大能和伸出來的膀臂。他的膀臂有無窮的力量，雖然伸出卻不稍減。基於此，他可以將產業和統治權賜給他所喜悅的人。他既恩慈地將地賜給世人（詩115:16），也將各人當得的份——或大或小——賜給各人。注意，無論人有今世美物中的任何一份，都是神看他們當得的而賜下的；所以我們自己當知足，即使所得極少；也不可嫉妒別人所得的份，即使他們所得極多。2. 他宣告，他已將這一切國家賜給了尼布甲尼撒。Sciant præsentes et futuri——「願今世與後世的人都知道。」「特此通告一切有關之人：我已將這一切的地，連同其中一切財富，都交在巴比倫王的手中；甚至田野的走獸，無論馴的野的，我都給了他，連同園囿和牧場；這一切都是屬他自己的。」尼布甲尼撒是個驕傲的惡人、拜偶像的人；然而神在他的護理中，卻賜給他這樣廣大的版圖、這樣龐大的產業。注意，今世之物並非最好的東西，因為神常把其中最大的份賜給與他爭競、背叛他的壞人。他是個惡人，然而他所有的，乃是出於神的賜予。注意，統治權並非建立在恩典之上。那些對永恆福樂毫無可憑之權利的人，也可能對他們今世的美物有正當的業權。尼布甲尼撒是個極壞的人，然而神稱他為「我的僕人」，因為神用他作為護理的工具來懲罰列國，特別是懲罰他自己的百姓；為他在這事上的服事，神如此慷慨地報償他。凡神所使用的人，必不因他而有所失；何況那些存心誠懇事奉他的人，他更必顯為豐厚的賞賜者。3. 他向他們保證，他們都必無可避免地在一段時期之內服在巴比倫王的統治之下（耶27:7）：列國——就是這一切國家，並許多別的國家——都要服事他，和他的兒子，並他孫子。他的兒子是以未米羅達，他孫子的兒子是伯沙撒，到了他那裏，這國便止息：那時與他的本國算賬的時候便到了，局面翻轉，許多大國和君王，被納入瑪代波斯帝國之中，便使他作奴僕，正如先前所言（耶25:14）。這樣，亞多尼比色便如他從前踐踏別的王一般，自己也被人踐踏了。4. 他向那些頑抗不肯服巴比倫王的人發出軍事報應的威脅（耶27:8）：凡不肯把頸項放在他軛下的那國，我必以刀劍和饑荒——以一個接一個的審判——刑罰他，直到我藉他的手將他們滅盡。尼布甲尼撒這樣侵犯鄰國的權利與自由、强使他們臣服於自己，是極不公義、極野蠻的事；然而神容許他如此行，卻有公義聖潔的目的，為要刑罰這些國家拜偶像與種種顯而易見的不道德。那些不肯事奉造他們的神的人，公義地被交去事奉那圖謀毀滅他們的仇敵。5. 他向他們指出，他們所用以自養、以為可以保全自由的盼望，盡都虛妄（耶27:9-10）。這些國家也有他們的先知，自稱能藉星象、或作夢、或法術預告未來之事；他們為討好主子，又因自己也願意如此，便以保證不必服事巴比倫王的話來諂媚他們。他們這樣是要激勵他們頑抗到底；他們雖無根據，卻盼望藉此為他們效勞。但他告訴他們，這事必以他們的毀滅告終；因為頑抗必惹動征服者嚴厲對待他們，將他們遷移、趕出，進入悲慘的被擄之中，在其中他們都要喪亡、被遺忘。論到這些與以色列毗鄰各國的具體預言——此處所概括預告的毀滅——我們將在耶48:1-49:39和結25:1-17中再遇見，它們與此處的預言有同一的應驗。注意，當神施行審判時，他必得勝。6. 他指引他們一條穩妥的路，藉着安靜順服來避免毀滅（耶27:11）。凡甘心服事巴比倫王、向他納貢七十年（整整七個安息年週期）的國家，我必使那邦仍存留在本地。肯屈身的，便不致折斷。或許巴比倫王的統治並不比他們本國君王的統治更難忍受。看重自由過於性命，往往是出於體面，而非出於真智慧。聖經並不因以薩迦見安息為美好、地土為佳美，便甘心屈肩服勞、作納貢的僕人（創49:14-15）而加以非難，正如這裏所勸他們去行的一樣：*服事巴比倫王，你們就可以耕種這地、居住其中。*有人或許以此為卑鄙之心的明證而加以定罪，但先知卻推薦這是柔和之心的表現，是向必要之事低頭，藉着安靜順服於護理最嚴厲的轉折而善處逆境：這樣行總勝於因掙扎而使情形更糟。
許多人本可因在降卑的護理之下自卑，而避免了那毀滅性的護理。在自己路上背負一個較輕的十字架，總勝於自己將一個更重的拉到頭上。
英文原文
Nebuchadnezzar's Victories Predicted (597 BC)
¹ In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
² Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,
³ And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;
⁴ And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;
⁵ I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.
⁶ And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
⁷ And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.
⁸ And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.
⁹ Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:
¹⁰ For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.
¹¹ But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.
Some difficulty occurs in the date of this prophecy. This word is said to come to Jeremiah in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim (Jer 27:1), and yet the messengers, to whom he is to deliver the badges of servitude, are said (Jer 27:3) to come to Zedekiah king of Judah, who reigned not till eleven years after the beginning of Jehoiakim's reign. Some make it an error of the copy, and think that it should be read (Jer 27:1), In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, for which some negligent scribe, having his eye on the title of the foregoing chapter, wrote Jehoiakim. And, if one would admit a mistake any where, it should be here, for Zedekiah is mentioned again (Jer 27:12), and the next prophecy is dated the same year, and said to be in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, Jer 28:1. Dr. Lightfoot solves it thus: In the beginning of Jehoiakim's reign Jeremiah is to make these bonds and yokes, and to put them upon his own neck, in token of Judah's subjection to the king of Babylon, which began at that time; but he is to send them to the neighbouring kings afterwards in the reign of Zedekiah, of whose succession to Jehoiakim, and the ambassadors sent to him, mention is made by way of prediction.
I. Jeremiah is to prepare a sign of the general reduction of all these countries into subjection to the king of Babylon (Jer 27:2): Make thee bonds and yokes, yokes with bonds to fasten them, that the beast may not slip his neck out of the yoke. Into these the prophet must put his own neck to make them taken notice of as a prophetic representation; for every one would enquire, What is the meaning of Jeremiah's yokes? We find him with one on, Jer 28:10. Hereby he intimated that he advised them to nothing but what he was resolved to do himself; for he was not one of those that bind heavy burdens on others, which they themselves will not touch with one of their fingers. Ministers must thus lay themselves under the weight and obligation of what they preach to others.
II. He is to send this, with a sermon annexed to it, to all the neighbouring princes; those are mentioned (Jer 27:3) that lay next to the land of Canaan. It should seem, there was a treaty of alliance on foot between the king of Judah and all those other kings. Jerusalem was the place appointed for the treaty. Thither they all sent their plenipotentiaries; and it was agreed that they should bind themselves in a league offensive and defensive, to stand by one another, in opposition to the growing threatening greatness of the king of Babylon, and to reduce his exorbitant power. They had great confidence in their strength thus united, and were ready to call themselves the high allies; but, when the envoys were returning to their respective masters with the ratification of this treaty, Jeremiah gives each of them a yoke to carry to his master, to signify to him that he must either by consent or by compulsion become a servant to the king of Babylon, let him choose which he will. In the sermon upon this sign, 1. God asserts his own indisputable right to dispose of kingdoms as he pleases, Jer 27:5. He is the Creator of all things; he made the earth at first, established it, and it abides: it is still the same, though one generation passes away and another comes. He still by a continued creation produces man and beast upon the ground, and it is by his great power and outstretched arm. His arm has infinite strength, though it be stretched out. Upon this account he may give and convey a property and dominion to whomsoever he pleases. As he hath graciously given the earth to the children of men in general (Ps 115:16), so he give to each his share of it, be it more or less. Note, Whatever any have of the good things of this world, it is what God sees fit to give them; we ourselves should therefore be content, though we have ever so little, and not envy any their share, though they have ever so much. 2. He publishes a grant of all these countries to Nebuchadnezzar. Know all men by these presents. Sciant præsentes et futuri—Let those of the present and those of the future age know. "This is to certify to all whom it may concern that I have given all these lands, with all the wealth of them, into the hands of the king of Babylon; even the beasts of the field, whether tame or wild, have I given to him, parks and pastures; they are all his own." Nebuchadnezzar was a proud wicked man, an idolater; and yet God, in his providence, gives him this large dominion, these vast possessions. Note, The things of this world are not the best things, for God often gives the largest share of them to bad men, that are rivals with him and rebels against him. He was a wicked man, and yet what he had he had by divine grant. Note, Dominion is not founded in grace. Those that have not any colourable title to eternal happiness may yet have a justifiable title to their temporal good things. Nebuchadnezzar is a very bad man, and yet God calls him his servant, because he employed him as an instrument of his providence for the chastising of the nations, and particularly his own people; and for his service therein he thus liberally repaid him. Those whom God makes use of shall not lose by him; much more will he be found the bountiful rewarder of all those that designedly and sincerely serve him. 3. He assures them that they should all be unavoidably brought under the dominion of the king of Babylon for a time (Jer 27:7): All nations, all these nations and many others, shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son. His son was Evil-merodach, and his son's son Belshazzar, in whom his kingdom ceased: then the time of reckoning with his land came, when the tables were turned, and many nations and great kings, incorporated into the empire of the Medes and Persians, served themselves of him, as before, Jer 25:14. Thus Adonibezek was trampled upon himself, as he had trampled on other kings. 4. He threatens those with military execution that stood out and would not submit to the king of Babylon (Jer 27:8): That nation that will not put their neck under his yoke I will punish with sword and famine, with one judgment after another, till it is consumed by his hand. Nebuchadnezzar was very unjust and barbarous in invading the rights and liberties of his neighbours thus, and forcing them into a subjection to him; yet God had just and holy ends in permitting him to do so, to punish these nations for their idolatry and gross immoralities. Those that would not serve the God that made them were justly made to serve their enemies that sought to ruin them. 5. He shows them the vanity of all the hopes they fed themselves with, that they should preserve their liberties, Jer 27:9,10. These nations had their prophets too, that pretended to foretell future events by the stars, or by dreams, or enchantments; and they, to please their patrons, and because they would themselves have it so, flattered them with assurances that they should not serve the king of Babylon. Thus they designed to animate them to a vigorous resistance; and, though they had no ground for it, they hoped hereby to do them service. But he tells them that it would prove to their destruction; for by resisting they would provoke the conqueror to deal severely with them, to remove them, and drive them out into a miserable captivity, in which they should all be lost and buried in oblivion. Particular prophecies against these nations that bordered on Israel severally, the ruin of which is here foretold in the general, we shall meet with, Jer 48:1-49:39, Eze 25:1-17, which had the same accomplishment with this here. Note, When God judges he will overcome. 6. He puts them in a fair way to prevent their destruction by a quiet and easy submission, Jer 27:11. The nations that will be content to serve the king of Babylon, and pay him tribute for seventy years (ten apprenticeships), those will I let remain still in their own land. Those that will bend shall not break. Perhaps the dominion of the king of Babylon may bear no harder upon them than that of their own kings had done. It is often more a point of honour than true wisdom to prefer liberty before life. It is not mentioned to the disgrace of Issachar that because he saw rest was good, and the land pleasant, that he might peaceably enjoy it, he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant to tribute (Ge 49:14,15), as these are here advised to do: Serve the king of Babylon and you shall till the land and dwell therein. Some would condemn this as the evidence of a mean spirit, but the prophet recommends it as that of a meek spirit, which yields to necessity, and by a quiet submission to the hardest turns of Providence makes the best of bad: it is better to do so than by struggling to make it worse.
Many might have prevented destroying providences by humbling themselves under humbling providences. It is better to take up a lighter cross in our way than to pull a heavier on our own head.
12-22
Jeremiah's Counsel to Zedekiah; Submission to Nebuchadnezzar Urged (597 BC)
耶利米對西底家的勸戒；勸其順服尼布甲尼撒（主前 597 年）
¹² 我也照這一切的話，對猶大王西底家說：要將你們的頸項放在巴比倫王的軛下服事他和他的百姓，使你們存活。
¹³ 你和你的百姓為何要因刀劍、饑荒、瘟疫而死呢？正如耶和華論到不肯服事巴比倫王的那國所說的話。
¹⁴ 所以你們不要聽那些對你們說「你們不要服事巴比倫王」的先知的話，因為他們向你們說假預言。
¹⁵ 耶和華說：我並沒有差遣他們，他們卻奉我的名說假預言，好使我將你們和你們中間說預言的先知一同趕出，一同滅亡。
¹⁶ 我也對祭司和這眾百姓說：耶和華如此說：不要聽你們的先知對你們說預言說：看哪，耶和華殿的器皿快要從巴比倫帶回來了；因為他們向你們說假預言。
¹⁷ 不可聽從他們；要服事巴比倫王，使你們存活；這城何竟變為荒場呢？
¹⁸ 他們若是先知，耶和華的話若在他們裏面，就讓他們現在向萬軍之耶和華懇求，使那留在耶和華殿中、猶大王宮中並耶路撒冷的器皿，不致被帶到巴比倫去。
¹⁹ 因為萬軍之耶和華論到柱子、論到海、論到座，以及論到留在這城其餘的器皿，如此說：
²⁰ 就是巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒擄猶大王約雅敬的兒子耶哥尼雅和猶大、耶路撒冷的一切貴冑，從耶路撒冷到巴比倫去的時候，所沒有帶走的器皿。
²¹ 論到那留在耶和華殿中、猶大王宮中並耶路撒冷的器皿，萬軍之耶和華以色列的神如此說：
²² 它們必被帶到巴比倫，在那裏直留到我眷顧他們的日子——這是耶和華說的；那時我必將它們帶上來，歸還這地方。
從前對萬國所說的話，如今以特別的體恤應用在猶太人身上——耶利米對他們深為關切。如今的情形是這樣：猶大和耶路撒冷屢次與巴比倫王爭戰，屢戰屢敗；他們許多寶貴的人和寶貴的財物已被帶到巴比倫，其中包括耶和華殿的器皿。如今這場爭持將如何了局，是個問題。耶路撒冷有自稱先知的人，吩咐他們堅持下去，不久他們必能勝過巴比倫王，收回一切所失的。如今耶利米奉差去吩咐他們投降屈服，因為他們若不如此，不但收不回所失的，反而要失去一切所剩下的；勸他們如此行，就是這幾節的重點。
一. 耶利米謙卑地向猶大王進言，勸他向巴比倫王投降。王的行動將決定百姓的行動，因此他對王說話，如同對他們全體說話一樣（Jer 27:12）：要將你們的頸項放在巴比倫王的軛下，使你們存活。他們的智慧若是為保全身體性命而順服殘酷暴君的沉重鐵軛，那我們順服我們合法的主和主人耶穌基督那甘甜輕省的軛以保全靈魂的性命，豈不更是大有智慧？當將你們的心降卑以致悔改和信心，那就是將你們的心提升到天國和榮耀的途徑。我們勸將滅亡的靈魂時，比耶利米在此勸將滅亡的百姓，可以有更大的說服力和憐憫心腸：「你們為何要因刀劍和饑荒而死呢？」——那是悲慘的死，是你們藉口要避免悲慘的生活，卻不可避免地要投入的。神從前對一切不肯服事巴比倫王的人所說的一般性話語，他要他們應用在自己身上，引以為戒。罪人若照樣害怕那對一切不願基督作王管轄之人所宣告的毀滅，並如此推論：「我們為何要死第二次的死——那比因刀劍和饑餓*而死壞一千倍——而其實我們本可順服而存活呢？」*那該多好。
二. 他也向祭司和百姓進言（Jer 27:16），勸他們服事巴比倫王，好存活，並阻止這城的荒涼（Jer 27:17）：「這城何竟變為荒場呢？你們若硬撐到底，它就必定如此。」祭司素來是耶利米的仇敵，曾尋索他的命要除滅他，他卻證明自己是他們的朋友，尋求他們的性命，為要保全他們——這是我們以善報惡的榜樣。當好流人血的恨惡正直人時，義人卻尋求他的性命——顧念他的福祉（箴 29:10）。此處情形已極嚴重；他們已處在毀滅的邊緣——若他們聽從耶利米的勸戒，本不致落到這地步；然而他仍繼續對他們發出友善的警戒，要挽救最後的本錢並妥善管理——如今在他們還有一日可以回轉之時，要明白關乎平安的事。
三. 在這兩次進言中，他都警告他們不可聽信那些安撫他們、使他們安然沉睡的假先知——因為那些先知看見他們喜愛沉睡：不要聽那些先知的話（Jer 27:14），你們的先知（Jer 27:16）。他們不是神的先知；神從未差遣他們；他們不事奉神，也不討神的喜悅；他們是你們的先知，因為他們說你們要他們說的話，所求的不過是討你們的喜悅。他們的先知以兩件事諂媚他們使之相信：1. 巴比倫王對他們所加的權勢不久必被打破。他們說（Jer 27:14）：「你們不必服事巴比倫王；你們不必自願順服，因為你們也不會被強迫屈服。」他們奉耶和華的名如此說（Jer 27:15），似乎神差遣他們帶著這信息到百姓那裏——是出於對他們的恩慈，免得他們因不光彩的投降而自貶身價。但這是謊言。他們說神差遣了他們；那是假的——神否認了：我並沒有差遣他們，這是耶和華說的。他們說他們永不被巴比倫王制服；那也是假的——事情的結果證明了。他們說硬撐到底是保衛自己和城池的方法；那也是假的，因為這必以他們被趕出和滅亡為結局。所以從頭到尾全是謊言；而那些以這些謊言欺騙百姓的先知，到頭來不過是欺騙了自己：瞎子領瞎子，一同掉在坑裏：使你們和你們中間向你們說預言的先知一同滅亡——他們非但不能保證你們的安全，連他們自己也保不住。注意，那些鼓勵罪人繼續在罪惡道路上行走的人，終必與他們一同滅亡。2. 他們預言巴比倫王已經帶走的聖殿器皿不久必被帶回（Jer 27:16）；他們以此餵養祭司的盼望，知道這對他們何等可悅——他們喜愛殿中的金子過於使金子成聖的殿。這些器皿是在耶哥尼雅被擄到巴比倫時被帶走的（Jer 27:20）。這段故事我們有記載，且是悲慘的（王下 24:13,15；代下 36:10）。一切的寶物（就是耶和華殿中一切金器皿）連同一切財寶都被當作掠物帶到巴比倫。這在他們看來比甚麼都痛苦；因為聖殿是他們的驕傲和倚靠，而聖殿被剝奪，再清楚不過地印證了真先知所告訴他們的——他們的神已經離開他們了。因此他們的假先知別無使他們安心的辦法，只能告訴他們巴比倫王不久必被迫歸還。如今在此：（1.）耶利米吩咐他們寧可憑禱告保守所剩下的器皿，而非憑預言帶回已被帶走的（Jer 27:18）：他們若是先知——如他們所自稱的——耶和華的話若在他們裏面——他們若與天上有任何交通、在那裏有任何影響力——就當善用它來阻止審判的蔓延；就當站在破口中，拿著香爐站在活人死人中間——在被擄的與所剩下的之間——好使瘟疫止息；當讓他們向萬軍之耶和華懇求，使所剩下的器皿不致跟著其餘的而去。[一.] 與其說預言，不如讓他們禱告。注意，先知必須是禱告的人；他們要藉著多禱告來證明自己與天上保持著交通。我們不能相信那些作先知的人若不時常藉禱告向天上發出，竟會從天上聽見甚麼。他們要藉著為聖所的安全和興盛禱告，來證明自己如先知所當有的為公眾之心；而藉著他們禱告的成功，要顯明神是恩待他們的。[二.] 與其關心收回所失的，不如振作起來保衛所剩下的，並以能達到這一點為大恩。當神的審判遍地之時，我們不可求大事，而當為小事感恩。（2.）他向他們保證：連這一點也不能達成——銅器皿要跟在金器皿之後而去（Jer 27:19,22）。尼布甲尼撒從前既得了如此豐厚的戰利品，必會再來取盡他所能找到的一切——不僅在耶和華的殿中，也在王的宮中。這一切必被勝利地帶到巴比倫，在那裏存留。但他以一個滿有恩典的應許作結：時候將到，它們必全被歸還：直到我眷顧他們的日子——照所定的——那時我必將那些器皿帶上來，歸還原處。它們若非在特殊的護理之下，必已被熔化另作他用；但必有一座第二聖殿，它們是為之保留的。我們特別讀到它們歸回的記載（拉 1:8）。注意，教會復興的盼望雖不在我們的時代來到，我們也不可因此絕望，因為它必在神的時候來到。那些說耶和華殿的器皿快要被帶回的人，雖說了假預言（Jer 27:16），但那位說它們終必被帶回的人，卻說了真實的話。我們容易把我們的時鐘撥在神的日晷之前，然後因兩者不一致而抱怨；但耶和華是施行判斷的神，我們理當等候祂。
英文原文
Jeremiah's Counsel to Zedekiah; Submission to Nebuchadnezzar Urged (597 BC)
¹² I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
¹³ Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
¹⁴ Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
¹⁵ For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.
¹⁶ Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
¹⁷ Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?
¹⁸ But if they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.
¹⁹ For thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city,
²⁰ Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;
²¹ Yea, thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem;
²² They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.
What was said to all the nations is here with a particular tenderness applied to the nation of the Jews, for whom Jeremiah was sensibly concerned. The case at present stood thus: Judah and Jerusalem had often contested with the king of Babylon, and still were worsted; many both of their valuable persons and their valuable goods were carried to Babylon already, and some of the vessels of the Lord's house particularly. Now how this struggle would issue was the question. They had those among them at Jerusalem who pretended to be prophets, who bade them hold out and they should, in a little time, be too hard for the king of Babylon and recover all that they had lost. Now Jeremiah is sent to bid them yield and knock under, for that, instead of recovering what they had lost, they should otherwise lose all that remained; and to press them to this is the scope of these verses.
I. Jeremiah humbly addresses the king of Judah, to persuade him to surrender to the king of Babylon. His act would be the people's and would determine them, and therefore he speaks to him as to them all (Jer 27:12): Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and live. Is it their wisdom to submit to the heavy iron yoke of a cruel tyrant, that they may secure the lives of their bodies? And is it not much more our wisdom to submit to the sweet and easy yoke of our rightful Lord and Master Jesus Christ, that we may secure the lives of our souls? Bring down your spirits to repentance and faith, and that is the way to bring up your spirits to heaven and glory. And with much more cogency and compassion may we expostulate with perishing souls than Jeremiah here expostulates with a perishing people: "Why will you die by the sword and the famine—miserable deaths, which you inevitably run yourselves upon, under pretence of avoiding miserable lives?" What God had spoken, in general, of all those that would not submit to the king of Babylon, he would have them to apply to themselves and be afraid of. It were well if sinners would, in like manner, be afraid of the destruction threatened against all those that will not have Christ to reign over them, and reason thus with themselves, "Why should we die the second death, which is a thousand times worse than that by sword and famine, when we might submit and live?"
II. He addresses himself likewise to the priests and the people (Jer 27:16), to persuade them to serve the king of Babylon, that they might live, and might prevent the desolation of the city (Jer 27:17): "Wherefore should it be laid waste, as certainly it will be if you stand it out?" The priests had been Jeremiah's enemies, and had sought his life to destroy it, yet he approves himself their friend, and seeks their lives, to preserve and secure them, which is an example to us to render good for evil. When the blood-thirsty hate the upright, yet the just seek his soul, and the welfare of it, Pr 29:10. The matter was far gone here; they were upon the brink of ruin, which they would not have been brought to if they would have taken Jeremiah's counsel; yet he continues his friendly admonitions to them, to save the last stake and manage that wisely, and now at length in this their day to understand the things that belong to their peace, when they had but one day to turn them in.
III. In both these addresses he warns them against giving credit to the false prophets that rocked them asleep in their security, because they saw that they loved to slumber: "Hearken not to the words of the prophets (Jer 27:14), your prophets, Jer 27:16. They are not God's prophets; he never sent them; they do not serve him, nor seek to please him; they are yours, for they say what you would have them say, and aim at nothing but to please you." Two things their prophets flattered them into the belief of:—1. That the power which the king of Babylon had gained over them should now shortly be broken. They said (Jer 27:14), "You shall not serve the king of Babylon; you need not submit voluntarily, for you shall not be compelled to submit." This they prophesied in the name of the Lord (Jer 27:15), as if God had sent them to the people on this errand, in kindness to them, that they might not disparage themselves by an inglorious surrender. But it was a lie. They said that God sent them; but that was false; he disowns it: I have not sent them, saith the Lord. They said that they should never be brought into subjection to the king of Babylon; but that was false too, the event proved it so. They said that to hold out to the last would be the way to secure themselves and their city; but that was false, for it would certainly end in their being driven out and perishing. So that it was all a lie, from first to last; and the prophets that deceived the people with these lies did, in the issue, but deceive themselves; the blind leaders and the blind followers fell together into the ditch: That you might perish, you, and the prophets that prophesy unto you, who will be so far from warranting your security that they cannot secure themselves. Note, Those that encourage sinners to go on in their sinful ways will in the end perish with them. 2. They prophesied that the vessels of the temple, which the king of Babylon had already carried away, should now shortly be brought back (Jer 27:16); this they fed the priests with the hopes of, knowing how acceptable it would be to them, who loved the gold of the temple better than the temple that sanctified the gold. These vessels were taken away when Jeconiah was carried captive into Babylon, Jer 27:20. We have the story, and it is a melancholy one, 2Ki 24:13,15, 2Ch 36:10. All the goodly vessels (that is, all the vessels of gold that were in the house of the Lord), with all the treasures, were taken as prey, and brought to Babylon. This was grievous to them above any thing; for the temple was their pride and confidence, and the stripping of that was too plain an indication of that which the true prophet told them, that their God had departed from them. Their false prophets therefore had no other way to make them easy than by telling them that the king of Babylon should be forced to restore them in a little while. Now here, (1.) Jeremiah bids them think of preserving the vessels that remained by their prayers, rather than of bringing back those that were gone by their prophecies (Jer 27:18): If they be prophets, as they pretend, and if the word of the Lord be with them—if they have any intercourse with heaven and any interest there, let them improve it for the stopping of the progress of the judgment; let them step into the gap, and stand with their censer between the living and the dead, between that which is carried away and that which remains, that the plague may be stayed; let them make intercession with the Lord of hosts, that the vessels which are left go not after the rest. [1.] Instead of prophesying, let them pray. Note, Prophets must be praying men; by being much in prayer they must make it to appear that they keep up a correspondence with heaven. We cannot think that those do, as prophets, ever hear thence, who do not frequently by prayer send thither. By praying for the safety and prosperity of the sanctuary they must make it to appear that, as becomes prophets, they are of a public spirit; and by the success of their prayers it will appear that God favours them. [2.] Instead of being concerned for the retrieving of what they had lost, they must bestir themselves for the securing of what was left, and take it as a great favour if they can gain that point. When God's judgments are abroad we must not seek great things, but be thankful for a little. (2.) He assures them that even this point should not be gained, but the brazen vessels should go after the golden ones, Jer 27:19,22. Nebuchadnezzar had found so good a booty once that he would be sure to come again and take all he could find, not only in the house of the Lord, but in the king's house. They shall all be carried to Babylon in triumph, and there shall they be. But he concludes with a gracious promise that the time should come when they should all be returned: Until the day that I visit them in mercy, according to appointment, and then I will bring those vessels up again, and restore them to this place, to their place. Surely they were under the protection of a special Providence, else they would have been melted down and put to some other use; but there was to be a second temple, for which they were to be reserved. We read particularly of the return of them, Ezr 1:8. Note, Though the return of the church's prosperity do not come in our time, we must not therefore despair of it, for it will come in God's time. Though those who said, The vessels of the Lord's house shall shortly be brought again, prophesied a lie (Jer 27:16), yet he that said, They shall at length be brought again, prophesied the truth. We are apt to set our clock before God's dial, and then to quarrel because they do not agree; but the Lord is a God of judgment, and it is fit that we should wait for him.
先知耶利米既然不能勸服百姓順服神的誡命、從而免去巴比倫王對他們國家的毀滅，便在此處勸他們順服神的護理，即溫順地向巴比倫王投降、向他進貢稱臣，這是他們當下所能選擇最明智的道路，能減輕災禍，並避免他們的國土被刀劍與烈火蹂躪為荒場；犧牲他們的自由，反而能保全他們的性命。一、他奉神的名將這忠告賜給鄰國的列王，使他們能在困境中作出最好的安排，並向他們保證別無他法，他們必須事奉巴比倫王；然而日後必將有解救，因為他的統治只持續七十年（耶 27:1-11）。二、他特別將這忠告賜給猶大王西底家（耶 27:12-15），也賜給祭司和百姓，向他們保證巴比倫王必繼續攻打他們，直到事情被推到最後的絕境，而忍耐順服將是減輕災禍、使災禍易於忍受的唯一途徑（耶 27:16-22）。這樣，先知只要他們肯聽從，就必引導他們走在真正的敬虔、同時也是真正的明智之路上。