< 列王紀上 22 >

1 [南北兩國戰阿蘭]阿蘭與以色列之間連續三年沒有戰爭。
For almost three years there was no war between Syria and Israel.
2 第三年上,猶大王約沙法特下去見以色列王。
Then King Jehoshaphat, who ruled Judah, went to [visit] King Ahab, who ruled Israel.
3 以色列王對自己的臣僕說:「你們知道辣摩特基肋阿得原屬於我們,而我們一直沒有設法從阿蘭王的手中奪回來。」
[While they were talking, ] Ahab said to his officials, “Do you realize that the Syrians are still occupying our city of Ramoth in [the] Gilead [region]? And we are doing nothing to retake that city!”
4 然後對約沙法特說:「你願意同我一起去攻取辣摩特基肋阿得嗎﹖」約沙法特回答以色列王說:「你怎樣,我也怎樣;我的人民就如同是你的人民,我的馬就如同是你的馬。」假先知預言戰勝
Then he turned to Jehoshaphat and asked, “Will your [army] join my [army] to fight against the people of Ramoth [and retake that city]?” Jehoshaphat replied, “[Certainly] I [will do whatever] you [want], and you may command my troops. You may take my horses into battle, also.”
5 以後,約沙法特對以色列王說:「請你先求問上主說什麼﹖」
Then he added, “But we should ask Yahweh first, to find out what he wants us to do.”
6 以色列王於是召集了眾先知,人數約有四百,問他們說:「我上去進攻辣摩特基肋阿得,還是不去呢﹖」他們回答說:「上去,上主必將那地交於大王手中。」
So Ahab summoned about 400 of his prophets together, and he asked them, “Should my [army] go to fight the people in Ramoth and retake that city, or not?” They answered, “Yes, go [and attack them], because God will enable your [army] to defeat them.”
7 但是,約沙法特說:「這裏就沒有一位上主的先知,我們可託他求問嗎﹖」
But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of Yahweh here whom we can ask?”
8 以色列王回答約沙法特說:「還有一個我們可以託他求問上主;不過我憎恨他,因為他對我說預言,總不說吉祥話,只說兇言;這人即是依默拉的兒子米加雅。」約沙法特對他說:「請大王別這樣說! 」
The King of Israel replied, “There is one man we can talk to. We can ask him if he can find out what Yahweh wants. His name is Micaiah; he is the son of Imlah. But I hate him, because when he (prophesies/tells what God says to him) he never says [that] anything good [will happen] to me. He always predicts [that] bad things [will happen to me].” Jehoshaphat replied, “King Ahab, you should not say that!”
9 以色列王於是召一個宦官來,吩咐他說:「快去將依默拉的兒子米加雅召來! 」
So the king of Israel told one of his officers to summon Micaiah immediately.
10 當時以色列王和猶大王在撒瑪黎雅城門前的廣場上,各穿朝服,坐在寶座上;所有的先知在他們面前說預言。
The king of Israel and the king of Judah were wearing their (royal robes/robes that showed that they were kings). They were sitting on thrones at the place where people threshed grain, near the gate of Samaria [city]. All of Ahab’s prophets were standing in front of the kings, (prophesying/predicting what was going to happen).
11 革納阿納的兒子漆德克雅帶來了些自製的鐵角說:「上主這樣說:你要用這些鐵角殺盡阿蘭人。」
One of them, whose name was Zedekiah, the son of Kenaanah, had made from iron [something that resembled] horns of a bull. Then he proclaimed [to Ahab], “This is what Yahweh says: ‘With horns like these your [army] will keep attacking the Syrians [like a bull attacks another animal] [MET], until you completely destroy them!’”
12 所有的先知也同樣預言說:「你上辣摩特基肋阿得去,必然順利,上主必將那地交於大王手中! 」米加雅預言戰敗
All the [other] prophets [of Ahab] agreed. They said, “Yes! If you go up to attack Ramoth [city] in [the] Gilead [region], you will be successful, because Yahweh will enable you to defeat them!”
13 那去召米加雅的使者對米加雅說:「看,先知們都一口同聲對君王說吉祥話,希望你說話,也如同他們中的一個一樣,也說吉祥話。」
Meanwhile, the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Listen to me! All the other prophets are predicting that the king’s army will defeat the Syrians. So be sure that you agree with them and say (what will be favorable/that the king’s army will be successful).”
14 米加雅回答說:「我指著永生的上主起誓:上主吩咐我什麼,我就說什麼! 」
But Micaiah replied, “As surely as Yahweh lives, I will tell him only what Yahweh tells me to say.”
15 米加雅來到君王那裏,君王問他說:「米加雅,我們應該上去進攻辣摩特基肋阿得,還是不去呢﹖」他回答說:「上去,必然順利! 上主必將那地交在大王手中! 」
When Micaiah came to Ahab, Ahab asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to fight against [the people of] Ramoth, or not?” Micaiah replied, “Sure, go! Yahweh will enable your army to defeat them!”
16 君王對他說:「我應該多少次叫你宣誓,你纔奉上主的名對我說實話呢﹖」
But King Ahab [realized that Micaiah was (lying/being sarcastic), so he] said to Micaiah, “I have told you [RHQ] many times that you must always tell only the truth when you say what Yahweh [has revealed to you]!”
17 米加雅答說:「我看見全以色列人散在山上,好像沒有牧人的羊群。上主說:這些人既然沒有主人,就讓他們各自平安回家罷! 」
So Micaiah said to him, “[The truth is that] in a vision I saw all the troops of Israel scattered on the mountains. They seemed to be like sheep that did not have a shepherd. And Yahweh said, ‘Their master has been killed. So tell them all to go home peacefully.’”
18 以色列王對約沙法特說:「我不是告訴過你:他對我說預言總不說吉祥話,只說凶話﹖」
Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “I told you [RHQ] that he never predicts [that] anything good [will happen to me]! He [always] predicts [that] bad things [will happen to me].”
19 米加亞答說:「為此,你且靜聽上主的話:我見上主坐在寶座上,天上的萬軍侍立在他左右。
But Micaiah continued, saying, “Listen to what Yahweh showed to me! [In a vision] I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, with all the armies of heaven surrounding him, on his right side and on his left side.
20 上主問說:有誰能去唆使阿哈布,叫他上去進攻辣摩特基肋阿得,而死在那裏呢﹖那時有的說這樣,有的說那樣。
And Yahweh said, ‘Who can persuade Ahab to go to fight against the people of Ramoth, in order that he may be killed there?’ Some suggested one thing, and others suggested something else.
21 以後,有一個神出來,立在上主面前說:我能唆使他。上主問他說:用什麼方法﹖
Finally one [evil] spirit came to Yahweh and said, ‘I can do it!’
22 那神回答說:我去,在他所有的先知口中做虛言的神。上主答說:你必能唆使他,也必會成功,你去照辦罷!
Yahweh asked him, ‘How will you do it?’ The spirit replied, ‘I will go and inspire all of Ahab’s prophets to tell lies.’ Yahweh said, ‘You will be successful; go and do it!’
23 現在上主將虛言的神,放入你這些先知口中,上主已注定你必遭殃。」
So now [I tell you that] Yahweh has caused all of your prophets to lie to you. Yahweh has decided that something terrible will happen to you.”
24 那時,革納阿納的兒子漆德克雅前來,打米加雅的臉說:「上主的神有何曾離開了我,而同你談話呢﹖」
Then Zedekiah walked over to Micaiah and slapped him on his face. He said, “Do you think that Yahweh’s Spirit left me in order to speak to you?” [RHQ]
25 米加雅答說:「在你進入最嚴密的室內隱藏的那一天,你就會知道了。」
Micaiah replied, “You will find out for yourself [which of us Yahweh’s Spirit has truly spoken to] on the day when you go into a room of some house to hide [from the Syrian troops]!”
26 以色列王吩咐說:「將米加雅帶回去,交給阿孟市長及約阿士王子,
King Ahab commanded [his soldiers], “Seize Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of this city, and to my son Joash.
27 說君王這樣吩咐:將這人下在監裏,少給他吃的喝的,等我平安回來。」
Tell them that I have commanded that they should put this man in prison and give him only bread and water. Do not give him anything else to eat until I return safely from the battle!”
28 米加雅說:「你如果能平安回來,那麼,上主就沒有藉我說過話。」後又說:「眾百姓! 你們要聽清楚啊! 」阿哈布陣亡
Micaiah replied, “If you return safely, [it will be clear that] it was not Yahweh who told me what to say to you!” Then he said [to all those who were standing there], “Do not forget what I have said [to King Ahab]!”
29 以色列王遂與猶大王約沙法特上去,進攻辣摩特基肋阿得。
So the King of Israel and the King of Judah [led their armies] to Ramoth, in [the] Gilead [region].
30 以色列王對約沙法特說:「我要改裝上陣,你可以仍穿朝服。」於是以色列王改裝上了陣。
King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “I will put on different clothes, [in order that no one will recognize that I am the king]. But you should wear your (royal robe/robe that shows that you are a king).” So Ahab disguised himself, and they both went into the battle.
31 阿蘭王曾吩咐自己的三十二個戰車隊長說:「你們不必與大小將士交戰,只攻打以色列王! 」
The King of Syria told this to his thirty-two men who were driving the chariots: “Attack only the king of Israel!”
32 戰車隊長一看見約沙法特,便說:「這必是以色列王! 」遂轉身向他進攻,約沙法特連聲叫苦;
So when the men who were driving the Syrian chariots saw Jehoshaphat [wearing (his royal robes/clothes that showed he was the king)], they pursued him. They shouted, “There is the king of Israel!” But when Jehoshaphat cried out,
33 戰車隊長見他不是以色列王,就不再追擊他。
they realized that he was not the king of Israel. So they stopped pursuing him.
34 有人偶然一箭,射入以色列王的鎧甲與腰帶中間,君王對駕車的人說:「轉回! 載我離開陣地,我已受傷。」
But one [Syrian] soldier shot an arrow at Ahab, without knowing that it was Ahab. The arrow struck Ahab between the places where the parts of his armor joined together. Ahab told the driver of his chariot, “Turn the chariot around and take me out of here! I have been severely wounded!”
35 但那天戰事越來越激烈,君王仍然立在車上,抵抗阿蘭人;晚上君王就死了;傷處的血直流到車底。
The battle continued all the day. Ahab was sitting propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrian troops. The blood from his wound ran down to the floor of the chariot. And late in the afternoon he died.
36 約在日落的時候,營中傳出號令說:「各自回城,各自歸家,
Just as the sun was going down, someone among the Israeli troops shouted, “[The battle is ended!] Everyone should return home!”
37 君王已死! 」人們將君王送回撒瑪黎雅,在那裏埋葬了。
So king Ahab died, and they took his body [in the chariot] to Samaria [city] and buried his body there.
38 在撒瑪黎雅的池塘中,洗滌君王的車時,有狗來舔他的血,有妓女在那裏沐浴,正應驗上主所說的話。
They washed his chariot alongside the pool in Samaria, a pool where the prostitutes bathed. And dogs [came and] licked the king’s blood, just like Yahweh had predicted would happen.
39 阿哈布其餘得事蹟,他的一切作為,所建造的象牙宮,以及修築的一切城市,都記載在以色列列王實錄上。
The account/record of the other things that happened while Ahab was ruling, and about the palace decorated with much ivory [that they built for him], and the cities that were built for him, was written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.
40 阿哈布與祖先同眠,他的兒子阿哈齊雅繼位為王。約沙法特為猶大王
When Ahab died, his body was buried where his ancestors were buried. Then his son Ahaziah became king.
41 以色列王阿哈布四年,阿撒的兒子約沙法特登極作猶大王。
Before King Ahab died, when he had been ruling in Israel for four years, Asa’s son Jehoshaphat started to rule in Judah.
42 約沙法特登極時,年三十五歲;在耶路撒冷作王二十五年;他的母親名叫阿組巴,是史肋希的女兒。
Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he started to rule, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.
43 約沙法特完全走了他父親阿撒的道路,不偏左右,行了上主視為正義的事; 只有丘壇,還沒有鏟除,人民仍在丘壇上焚香獻祭。
Jehoshaphat was a good king, just like his father Asa had been. He did things that pleased Yahweh. But while he was king, he did not remove all the pagan altars [that the people had built] on the hilltops. So the people continued to offer sacrifices [to idols] on those altars and burned incense there.
44 約沙法特與以色列王相安無事。
Jehoshaphat also made [a] peace [agreement] with the king of Israel.
45 約沙法特其餘的事蹟,他所做的英雄事蹟,以及如何作戰,都記載在猶大列王實錄上。
All the other things that happened while Jehoshaphat was ruling, and the great things that he did and the victories his [troops] won, are written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.
46 約沙法特將他父親活著時,所留下的為神賣淫的男女,全從國內鏟除。
Jehoshaphat’s father Asa [had tried to expel] the male prostitutes that stayed at the pagan shrines, but some of them were still there. Jehoshaphat got rid of them.
47 當時在厄東沒有君王,只有總督代理。
At that time, there was no king in Edom; a ruler who had been appointed by Jehoshaphat ruled there.
48 約沙法特建造了塔爾史士船隻,為到敖非爾去運輸黃金,然而沒有到達,船隻就在厄茲雍革貝爾破壞了。
Jehoshaphat [ordered some Israeli men to] build a fleet/group of ships to sail [south] to [the] Ophir [region] to get gold. But they were wrecked at Ezion-Geber/Elath, so the ships never sailed.
49 那時阿哈布的兒子阿哈齊雅對約沙法特說:「讓我的僕人同你的僕人一起坐船去好了! 」但是,約沙法特沒有同意。
Before the ships were wrecked, Ahab’s son Ahaziah suggested to Jehoshaphat, “Allow my sailors to go with your sailors,” but Jehoshaphat refused.
50 約沙法特與祖先同眠,與祖先一同葬在達味城;他的兒子約蘭繼位為王。阿哈齊雅為以色列王
When Jehoshaphat died, his [body] was buried where his ancestors were buried in [Jerusalem, ] the city where King David [had ruled]. Then Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram became king.
51 猶大王約沙法特十七年,阿哈布的兒子阿哈齊雅,在撒瑪黎雅登極作以色列王;他作王統治以色列只有兩年,
Before King Jehoshaphat died, when he had been ruling in Judah for 17 years, Ahab’s son Ahaziah began to rule in Israel. Ahaziah ruled in Samaria for two years.
52 行了上主視為惡的事,隨從了他父親和他母親以及乃巴特的兒子雅洛貝罕,使以色列陷於罪惡的道路,
He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, doing the [evil] things that his father and mother had done and the evil things that Jeroboam had done—the king who had led all the Israeli people to sin [by worshiping idols].
53 服事敬拜了巴耳,激怒了上主,以色列的天主,全像他父親所作的一樣。
Ahaziah bowed in front of Baal’s idol and worshiped it. That caused Yahweh, the God who was the true God of the Israeli people, to become very angry, just as Ahaziah’s father had caused Yahweh to become angry.

< 列王紀上 22 >