Yēlìmǐshū 16

1 Yēhéhuá de huà yòu líndào wǒ shuō ,

2 Nǐ zaì zhè dìfang bùkĕ qǔ qī , shēng ér yǎng nǚ .

3 Yīnwei lún dào zaì zhè dìfang suǒ shēng de érnǚ , yòu lún dào zaì zhè guó zhōng shēng yǎng tāmende fùmǔ , Yēhéhuá rúcǐ shuō ,

4 Tāmen bì sǐ dé shén kǔ , wú rén āikū , bì bùdé zàng mán , bì zaì dì shang xiàng fèntǔ , bì beì dāo jiàn hé jīhuāng mièjué . tāmende shī shǒu bì gĕi kōng zhōng de fēiniǎo hé dì shang de yĕshòu zuò shíwù .

5 Yēhéhuá rúcǐ shuō , búyào jìnrù sāng jiā , búyào qù āikū , yĕ búyào wèi tāmen bēi shāng , yīn wǒ yǐ jiāng wǒde píngān , cíaì , liánmǐn cóng zhè bǎixìng duó qù le . zhè shì Yēhéhuá shuō de .

6 Lián dà daì xiǎo , dōu bì zaì zhè dì sǐwáng , bùdé zàng mán . rén bì bú wèi tāmen āikū , búyòng dāo huá shēn , yĕ bú shǐ tóu guāng tū .

7 Tāmen yǒu sāng shì , rén bì bú wèi tāmen bò bǐng , yīn sǐ rén ānwèi tāmen . tāmen sāng fù sāng mǔ , rén yĕ bù gĕi tāmen yī bēi jiǔ ānwèi tāmen .

8 Nǐ bùkĕ jìnrù yàn lè de jiā , yǔ tāmen tóng zuò chī hē .

9 Yīnwei wàn jūn zhī Yēhéhuá Yǐsèliè de shén rúcǐ shuō , nǐmen hái huó zhe de rìzi zaì nǐmen yǎnqián , wǒ bì shǐ huānxǐ hé kuaìlè de shēngyīn , xīnláng hé xīn fù de shēngyīn , cóng zhè dìfang zhǐxī le .

10 Nǐ jiāng zhè yīqiè de huà zhǐshì zhè bǎixìng . tāmen wèn nǐ shuō , Yēhéhuá wèishénme shuō , yào jiàng zhè dà zāihuò gōngjī wǒmen ne . wǒmen yǒu shénme zuìniè ne . wǒmen xiàng Yēhéhuá wǒmen de shén fàn le shénme zuì ne .

11 Nǐ jiù duì tāmen shuō , Yēhéhuá shuō , yīnwei nǐmen lièzǔ lí qì wǒ , suícóng bié shén , shìfèng jìngbaì , bù zūnshǒu wǒde lǜfǎ ,

12 Érqiĕ nǐmen xíng è bǐ nǐmen lièzǔ gēng shén . yīnwei gèrén suícóng zìjǐ wán gĕng de è xīn xíngshì , shènzhì bú tīng cóng wǒ ,

13 Suǒyǐ wǒ bìjiāng nǐmen cóng zhè dì gǎn chū , zhí gǎn dào nǐmen hé nǐmen lièzǔ sù bú rènshi de dì . nǐmen zaì nàli bì zhòuyè shìfèng bié shén , yīnwei wǒ bì bú xiàng nǐmen shī ēn .

14 Yēhéhuá shuō , rìzi jiāng dào , rén bì bú zaì zhǐ zhe nà lǐng Yǐsèliè rén cóng Āijí dì shang lái zhī yǒngshēng de Yēhéhuá qǐshì ,

15 Què yào zhǐ zhe nà lǐng Yǐsèliè rén cóng bĕi fāng zhī dì , bìng gǎn tāmen dào de ge guó shang lái zhī yǒngshēng de Yēhéhuá qǐshì , bìngqiĕ wǒ yào lǐng tāmen zaì rù wǒ cóng qián cìgĕi tāmen lièzǔ zhī dì .

16 Yēhéhuá shuō , wǒ yào zhào xǔduō dá yú de bǎ Yǐsèliè rén dá shang lái , ránhòu wǒ yào zhào xǔduō dá liè de , cóng ge shān shang , ge gāng shang , ge shí xué zhōng liè qǔ tāmen .

17 Yīn wǒde yǎnmù chákàn tāmende yīqiè xíngwéi . tāmen bùnéng zaì wǒ miànqián shào yǎn , tāmende zuìniè yĕ bùnéng zaì wǒ yǎnqián yǐncáng .

18 Wǒ xiān yào jiābeì bàoyìng tāmende zuìniè hé zuìè . yīnwei tāmen yòng kĕ zēng zhī shī diànwū wǒde dì tǔ , yòu yòng kĕ yàn zhī wù chōngmǎn wǒde chǎnyè .

19 Yēhéhuá a , nǐ shì wǒde lìliang , shì wǒde bǎo zhàng . zaì kǔnàn zhī rì shì wǒde bìnàn suǒ . liè guó rén bì cóng dìjí lái dào nǐ zhèlǐ , shuō , wǒmen lièzǔ suǒ chéngshòu de , bú guo shì xūjiǎ , shì xū kōng wúyì zhī wù .

20 Rén qǐ kĕ wèi zìjǐ zhìzào shén ne . qíshí zhè bú shì shén .

21 Yēhéhuá shuō , wǒ yào shǐ tāmen zhīdào , jiù shì zhè yī cì shǐ tāmen zhīdào wǒde shǒu hé wǒde nénglì . tāmen jiù zhīdào wǒde míng shì Yēhéhuá le .

Yēlìmǐshū 16 Commentary

Chapter 16

Prohibitions given to the prophet. (1-9) The justice of God in these judgments. (10-13) Future restoration of the Jews, and the conversion of the Gentiles. (14-21)

Verses 1-9 The prophet must conduct himself as one who expected to see his country ruined very shortly. In the prospect of sad times, he is to abstain from marriage, mourning for the dead, and pleasure. Those who would convince others of the truths of God, must make it appear by their self-denial, that they believe it themselves. Peace, inward and outward, family and public, is wholly the work of God, and from his loving-kindness and mercy. When He takes his peace from any people, distress must follow. There may be times when it is proper to avoid things otherwise our duty; and we should always sit loose to the pleasures and concerns of this life.

Verses 10-13 Here seems to be the language of those who quarrel at the word of God, and instead of humbling and condemning themselves, justify themselves, as though God did them wrong. A plain and full answer is given. They were more obstinate in sin than their fathers, walking every one after the devices of his heart. Since they will not hearken, they shall be hurried away into a far country, a land they know not. If they had God's favour, that would make even the land of their captivity pleasant.

Verses 14-21 The restoration from the Babylonish captivity would be remembered in place of the deliverance from Egypt; it also typified spiritual redemption, and the future deliverance of the church from antichristian oppression. But none of the sins of sinners can be hidden from God, or shall be overlooked by him. He will find out and raise up instruments of his wrath, that shall destroy the Jews, by fraud like fishers, by force like hunters. The prophet, rejoicing at the hope of mercy to come, addressed the Lord as his strength and refuge. The deliverance out of captivity shall be a figure of the great salvation to be wrought by the Messiah. The nations have often known the power of Jehovah in his wrath; but they shall know him as the strength of his people, and their refuge in time of trouble.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 16

In this chapter the ruin and destruction of the Jews is set forth, and confirmed by the prophet's being forbid to be merry, or to go into the house of feasting or mourning, with the reasons thereof; also the sins of the people, the cause of it, are pointed at; and afterwards a promise of their restoration is made; and the chapter is concluded with a prayer of the prophet, pressing his faith in the divine protection, and in the calling of the Gentiles. After the preface or introduction, Jer 16:1, the prophet is forbid to take a wife, or have any children, with the reason of it; because that parents and children would die of grievous deaths unlamented, and not be buried, Jer 16:2-4 and he is also forbid to go into the house of mourning, because peace, lovingkindness, and mercy, were taken from the people, and both great and small would die, and no lamentation be made for them, nor have any burial also, Jer 16:5-7, nor might he go into the house of feasting, because the voice of joy and gladness would cease out of the land, Jer 16:8,9, and upon the people's inquiring the reason of all this, the prophet is bid to tell them, that it was for their forsaking the Lord and his worship, and for their idolatrous practices; of which they were more guilty than their forefathers, and therefore would be cast out of the land, and carried captive into a strange country, Jer 16:10-13 but, after all this, they should be restored again to their own land, and have a greater deliverance than that out of Egypt, as they themselves would own, Jer 16:14,15 but before this would be, fishers and hunters should be sent to distress them, and all because of their iniquities, which God's eye was upon, and would recompense, Jer 16:16-18, and the chapter is closed with the prophet's prayer, in which he expresses his faith in the Lord, and in the conversion of the Gentiles, who would be convinced of their idolatry, and made to know the power and name of the Lord, Jer 16:19,20.