¹耶和华 的话 又临到我说 ：

¹The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying,

¹ CHAPTER XII

The prophet proceeds, by a variety of types and parables, to

convince those of the captivity that their brethren who were

left behind to sustain the miseries of a seige and the insults

of a conqueror, would be in a much worse condition than they

who were already settled in a foreign land. In the beginning of

this chapter he foretells the approaching captivity of Judah by

action instead of words, 1-7.

He predicts particularly the flight, capture, captivity, and

sufferings of Zedekiah and his followers, 8-16,

compared with Jer 52:11.

He is to eat his food with trembling and signs of terror, as an

emblem of the consternation of the Jews when surrounded by

their enemies, 17-20;

and then he answers the objections and bywords of scoffers and

infidels, who either disbelieved his threatening or supposed

the accomplishment of them very distant, 21-28.

Josephus (Antiq. xi. 10) tells us that Zedekiah thought the

prophecy of Ezekiel in the thirteenth verse inconsistent with

that of Jeremiah, (Jer 34:3,)

and resolved to believe neither. Both, however, were literary

fulfilled; and the event convinced him that they were not

irreconcilable. Thus, blinded by infidelity, sinners rush on to

that detruction against which they are sufficiently warned.

NOTES ON CHAP. XII

²人 子 啊，你住在 悖逆的 家 中 。他们有眼睛 看不见 ，有耳朵 听不见 ，因为他们是悖逆 之家 。

²Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.

² Verse 2. Which have eyes to see, and see not] It is not want of

grace that brings them to destruction. They have eyes to see,

but they will not use them. No man is lost because he had not

sufficient grace to save him, but because he abused that grace.

³所以人 子 啊，你要预备 掳去 使用的物件 ，在白日 当他们眼前 从你所住的地方 移到 别 处 去；他们虽是悖逆 之家 ，或者可以揣摩思想 。

³Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.^a

³ Verse 3. Prepare thee stuff for removing] Get carriages to

transport thy goods to another place; signifying by this the

captivity that was at hand.

⁴你要在白日 当他们眼前 带出 你的物件 去，好象预备掳去 使用的物件 。到了晚上 ，你要在他们眼前 亲自出去 ，象被掳的人 出去 一样。

⁴Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.^b

⁵你要在他们眼前 挖 通了墙 ，从其中将物件带出去 。

⁵Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.^c

⁵ Verse 5. Dig thou through the wall] This refers to the manner in

which Zedekiah and his family would escape from the city. They

escaped by night through a breach in the wall. See Jer 39:2-4;

and 2Ki 25:4.

⁶到天黑 时，你要当他们眼前 搭在 肩头 上带出去 ，并要蒙住 脸 看不见 地 ，因为我立 你作以色列 家 的预兆 。

⁶In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.

⁶ Verse 6. Thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the

ground] Referring to the blinding of Zedekiah: even the covering

of the face might be intended to signify that in this way Zedekiah

should be carried to Babylon on men's shoulders in some sort of

palanquin, with a cloth tied over his eyes, because of the

recent wounds made by extracting them. All the prophecies from

this to the twentieth chapter are supposed to have been delivered

in the sixth year of Zedekiah, five years before the taking of

Jerusalem. How accurate the prediction! and how exactly fulfilled!

⁷我就照着所吩咐 的去行 ，白日 带出 我的物件 ，好象预备掳去 使用的物件 。到了晚上 ，我用手 挖通了 墙 。天黑 的时候，就当他们眼前 搭在 肩头 上带出去 。

⁷And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight.^d

⁸次日早晨 ，耶和华 的话 临到我说 ：

⁸ ¶ And in the morning came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,

⁹人 子 啊，以色列 家 ，就是那悖逆 之家 ，岂不是问你说 ：你做甚么 呢？

⁹Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou?

¹⁰你要对他们说 ：主 耶和华 如此说 ：这是关乎耶路撒冷 的君王 和他周围以色列 全家 的预表（原文是担子 ）。

¹⁰Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them.

¹⁰ Verse 10. This burden] This prediction concerning the prince. By

this I point out the capture, misery, and ruin of Zedekiah.

¹¹你要说 ：我作你们的预兆 ：我怎样行 ，他们所遭遇的也必怎样 ，他们必被掳去 。

¹¹Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity.^e

¹²他们中间 的君王 也必在天黑 的时候将物件搭在 肩头 上带出去 。他们要挖 通了墙 ，从其中带出去 。他必蒙住 脸 ，眼 看不见 地 。

¹²And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.

¹³我必将我的网 撒在 他身上，他必在我的网罗 中缠住 。我必带 他到迦勒底人 之地 的巴比伦 ；他虽死 在那里，却看不见 那地。

¹³My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.

¹³ Verse 13. I will bring-him to Babylon-yet shall he not see it]

Because Nebuchadnezzar caused him to have his eyes put out at

Riblah. To Babylon he was carried in his blind state, and there

he died. In saying, My net also will I spread upon him, there is

probably a reference to an ancient manner of fighting. One, who

was called the retiarius, had a small casting net, which if he

could throw over his antagonist's head, he then despatched him

with his sword; if he missed his throw, he was obliged to run in

order to get his net once more adjusted for another throw. In the

mean time the other pursued him with all his speed to prevent

this, and to despatch him; hence he was called secutor: the first

the netman, the second the pursuer.

¹⁴周围 一切帮助 他的和他所有的军队 ，我必分散 四方（方：原文是风 ），也要拔 刀 追赶 他们。

¹⁴And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.

¹⁵我将他们四散在 列国 、分散在 列邦 的时候，他们就知道 我是耶和华 。

¹⁵And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.

¹⁶我却要留下 他们几个 人 得免刀剑 、饑荒 、瘟疫 ，使他们在所到的 各国 中述说 他们一切可憎的事 ，人就知道 我是耶和华 。

¹⁶But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.^f

¹⁷耶和华 的话 又临到我说 ：

¹⁷ ¶ Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

¹⁸人 子 啊，你吃 饭 必胆战 ，喝 水 必惶惶忧虑 。

¹⁸Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;

¹⁸ Verse 18. Eat thy bread with quaking] Assume the manner of a

person who is every moment afraid of his life, who has nothing but

a morsel of bread to eat, and a little water to drink. Thus

signifying the siege, and the straits to which they should be

reduced. See this explained, Eze 12:19.

¹⁹你要对这地 的百姓 说 ：主 耶和华 论耶路撒冷 和以色列 地 的居民 如此说 ，他们吃 饭 必忧虑 ，喝 水 必惊惶 。因其中居住 的众人所行强暴的事 ，这地 必然荒废 ，一无所存 。

¹⁹And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein.^g

²⁰有居民的 城邑 必变为荒场 ，地 也必变为荒废 ；你们就知道 我是耶和华 。

²⁰And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

²¹耶和华 的话 临到我说 ：

²¹ ¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

²²人 子 啊，在你们以色列 地 怎么有这俗语 ，说 日子 迟延 ，一切异象 都落了空 呢？

²²Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?

²² Verse 22. The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?]

These are the words of the infidels and scoffers, who, because

vengeance was not speedily executed on an evil work, set their

heart to do iniquity. "These predictions either will not come in

our days, or will wholly fail; why then should we disquiet

ourselves about them?" Strange, that the very means used by the

most gracious God to bring sinners to repentance, should be made

by them the very instruments of their own destruction! See

2Pe 3:4.

²³你要告诉 他们说：主 耶和华 如此说 ：我必使这俗语 止息，以色列 中不再用这俗语。你却要对他们说 ：日子 临近 ，一切的异象 必都应验。

²³Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.

²³ Verse 23. The days are at hand] Far from failing or being

prolonged, time is posting on, and the destruction threatened is

at the door.

²⁴从此，在以色列 家 中 必不再有虚假的 异象 和奉承的 占卜 。

²⁴For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.

²⁵我―耶和华 说话 ，所说的 必定成就 ，不再耽延 。你们这悖逆 之家 ，我所说的 话 必趁你们在世的日子 成就 。这是主 耶和华 说的 。

²⁵For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD.

²⁵ Verse 25. In your days-will I say the word, and will perform it]

Even these mockers shall live to see and feel this desolation.

This is more particularly intimated in the following verses.

²⁶耶和华 的话 又临到我说 ：

²⁶ ¶ Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

²⁷人 子 啊，以色列 家 的人说 ：他所见的 异象 是关乎后来许多的 日子 ，所说的预言 是指着极远的 时候 。

²⁷Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.

²⁸所以你要对他们说 ：主 耶和华 如此说 ：我的话没有一句 再耽延的 ，我所说的 必定成就 。这是主 耶和华 说的 。

²⁸Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD.

²⁸ Verse 28. There shall none of my words be prolonged any more] He

had waited to be gracious; they abused his mercy; and at last the

protracted wrath rushed upon them with irresistible force.