撒母耳記上 15
1 有一天，撒慕爾對撒烏耳說：「上主曾打發我給你傅油，作他人民以色列的君王，如今你應聽上主的話!
[One day] Samuel said to Saul, “Yahweh sent me to appoint you to be the king of the Israeli people. So now listen to this message from Yahweh:
2 萬軍的上主這樣說：我要懲罰阿瑪肋克對以色列所行的事，因為當以色列從埃及上來時，攔截了去路。
Yahweh, [the commander] of the armies [of angels] has declared this: ‘I am going to punish [the descendants of] Amalek for [attacking] the Israeli people after the Israelis left Egypt.
3 如今你去攻打阿瑪肋克，毀滅他們和他們所有的一切，絲毫不可顧惜，要將男女、孩童、嬰兒、牛羊、駱駝和驢，一律殺掉。」
So now go [with your army] and attack the Amalek people-group. Destroy them completely—destroy them and everything that belongs to them—the men and women, their children and infants, their cattle and sheep and camels and donkeys. Do not (spare any of them/allow any of them to remain alive)!’”
4 撒烏耳調集了軍人，在特冷檢閱了他們，計步兵二十萬，猶大人一萬。
So Saul summoned the army, and they gathered at Telaim [town]. There were 200,000 soldiers. 10,000 of them were from Judah, [and the others were from the other Israeli tribes].
5 撒烏耳來到阿瑪肋克城時，在山谷裏設下了埋伏。
Then Saul went [with his army] to a town where some of the Amalek people-group lived. [His army prepared to attack them suddenly by] hiding in the valley.
6 撒烏耳對刻尼人說：「你們起來快走，離開阿瑪肋克人，免得我把你們同他們一起消滅，因為以色列子民由埃及上來時，你們善待了他們。」刻尼人便離開阿瑪肋克人走了。
Then Saul sent this message to the Ken people-group [who lived in that area]: “You acted kindly toward all our Israeli [ancestors] when they left Egypt. But we are going to kill all of the Amalek people-group, [because they opposed/attacked our ancestors]. So move away from where the Amalek people-group live. [If you do not move away], you will be killed when they are killed.” So [when] the Ken people-group [heard that, they immediately] left that area.
7 撒烏耳擊殺哈瑪肋克人，從哈威拉一直殺到埃及東面的叔爾，
Then Saul’s [army] slaughtered the Amalek people-group, from Havilah [town in the east] to Shur [town in the west]. Shur was at the border [between Israel and] Egypt.
8 活捉了阿瑪肋克王阿加格，用刀殺盡了其餘的人民。
Saul’s army captured Agag, the king of the Amalek people-group, but they killed everyone else.
9 但撒烏耳和軍民卻憐惜阿加格和最好的牛羊，肥美的家畜和羔羊；凡是美好的，他們都不願毀滅，只把一切不值錢，不要的牲畜毀滅了。
They not only (spared/did not kill) Agag, but they also took the best sheep and goats and cattle. They took everything that was good. They destroyed only the animals that they considered to be worthless.
10 那時有上主的話傳於撒慕爾說：「
Then Yahweh said to Samuel,
11 我後悔立了撒烏耳為王，因為他背離了我，沒有遵從我的命令。」撒慕爾感到不安，整夜哀求上主。
“I am sorry that I appointed Saul to be your king, because he has turned away from me and has not obeyed what I commanded him to do.” Samuel was very disturbed/upset [when he heard that], and he cried out to Yahweh all that night.
12 撒慕爾清晨起來去見撒烏耳；有人告訴他說：「撒烏耳去了加爾默耳，在那裏立了紀念碑，然後回來經過這裏，又去了基耳加耳。」
Early the next morning, Samuel got up and went to talk with Saul. But someone told Samuel, “Saul went to Camel [city], where he has set up a monument to honor himself. Now he has left there and gone down to Gilgal.”
13 撒慕爾來到撒烏耳那裏，撒烏耳就對他說：「願天主祝福你! 我履行了上主的命令。」
When Samuel arrived [at Gilgal] he approached Saul, and Saul said to him, “I wish/desire that Yahweh will bless you! I have obeyed what Yahweh told me to do.”
14 撒慕爾就問說：「怎麼我耳中聽見有羊叫，有牛嗎﹖」
But Samuel replied, “If that is true, why is it that I hear cattle mooing and I hear sheep bleating?”
15 撒烏耳回答說：「那是從阿瑪肋克帶回來的，因為人民愛惜那些最好的牛羊，好獻給上主你的天主；至於其餘的，我們都毀滅了。」
Saul replied, “The soldiers took them from the Amalek people-group. They saved the best sheep and cattle, in order to offer them as sacrifices to Yahweh, your God. But we have completely destroyed all the others.”
16 撒慕爾對撒烏耳說：「住口! 讓我告訴你，上主昨夜對我說過的話。」撒烏耳答說：「請說罷! 」
Samuel said to Saul, “Stop [talking]! Allow me to tell you what Yahweh said to me last night.” Saul replied, “Tell me [what he said].”
17 撒慕爾說：「雖然你自以為是最微小的，你豈不是已成了以色列眾支派的首領﹖上主不是曾給你傅油，立你作以色列的君王嗎﹖
Samuel said, “Previously you did not think that you were important. But now you have become [RHQ] the leader of the tribes of Israel. Yahweh appointed you to be their king.
18 上主派你去打仗，曾吩咐你說：去剿滅那些犯罪的阿瑪肋克人，攻打他們，直至將他們完全消滅。
And Yahweh sent you to do something [for him]. He said to you, ‘Go and get rid of all those sinful people, the Amalek people-group. Attack them and kill all of them.’
19 為什麼你沒有順聽上主的命令，只顧急忙搶掠財物，行了上主不喜歡的事﹖」
So why did you not obey Yahweh [RHQ]? Why did your men take the best animals [RHQ]? Why did you do what Yahweh said was evil?” [RHQ]
20 撒烏耳回答撒慕爾說：「我的確聽從了上主的命令，走了上主指給我的路，擒獲了阿瑪肋克王阿加格，毀滅了阿瑪肋克人。
Saul replied to Samuel, “Hey, I did what Yahweh sent me to do! I brought back King Agag, but we killed everyone else!
21 但是軍民由當毀滅的勝利品中，選出了最好的牛羊，要在基耳加耳祭獻上主，你的天主。」
My men brought back only the best sheep and cattle and other things, in order to sacrifice them to Yahweh your God here at Gilgal.”
22 撒慕爾回答說：「上主豈能喜歡全燔祭和犧牲，勝過聽從上主的命令﹖聽命勝於祭獻，服從勝過綿羊的肥油脂。
But Samuel replied, “Which [do you think] pleases Yahweh more, animals that are completely burned [on the altar] and other sacrifices, or people obeying him [SYN]? It is better to obey [Yahweh] than [to offer] sacrifices [to him]. It is better to pay attention to what he says than [to burn] the fat of rams, [even though God said they should be sacrificed to him].
23 背命等於行卜，頑抗與敬拜偶像無異。因為你拒絕了上主的命令，上主也拒絕了你作王。」
To rebel [against God] is as sinful as doing sorcery/black magic, and being stubborn is as sinful as worshiping idols. So, because you disobeyed what Yahweh told you to do, he has declared that you will no longer be king.”
24 撒烏耳對撒慕爾說：「我犯了罪，違背了上主的命令和你的話，因我害怕人民，纔聽從了他們的呼聲。
Then Saul said to Samuel, “[Yes], I have sinned. I disobeyed what you told me to do, which is what Yahweh commanded. I did that because I was (afraid of/worried about) what my men would say [if I did not do what they wanted]. So I did what they demanded.
25 現在，請你寬赦我的罪過，同我一起回去；讓我朝拜上主。」
But now, please forgive me for having sinned. And come back with me [to where the people are] in order that I may worship Yahweh.”
26 撒慕爾卻對撒烏耳說：「我不同你回去；既然你拒絕了上主的命令，上主也拒絕你，不要你作以色列王。」
But Samuel replied, “No, I will not go back with you. You have rejected/disobeyed what Yahweh commanded you to do. So he has rejected you, [and declared that you will no longer] be the king of Israel. [So I do not want to talk any more with you].”
27 撒慕爾轉身就走，撒烏耳用力抓住他外氅的衣邊，撕下了一塊。
As Samuel turned to leave, Saul tried to stop him by grabbing the edge of Samuel’s robe, and it tore.
28 撒慕爾於是對他說：「上主今日從你身上撕下了你的王位，給了一個比你更好的人。
Samuel said to him, “[You tore my robe! And] today Yahweh has torn away from you the kingdom of Israel! He will appoint someone else to be king, someone who is a better man than you are.
29 並且以色列的光榮絕不發虛言，也不會懊悔，因為他不像人，可以懊悔。」
And since the one who is the glorious [God] of the Israeli people does not lie, he will not change (his mind/what he has said). Humans sometimes change their minds, but God does not do that, because he is not a human.”
30 撒烏耳遂說：「我固然犯了罪，但如今請你在我民族的長老和以色列前，仍尊重我，同我一起回去，好讓我朝拜上主，你的天主。」
Then Saul [pleaded again. He] said, “I know that I have sinned. But please honor me in front of the leaders of the Israeli people and in front of all the other Israeli people by coming back [to them] with me in order that I may worship Yahweh your God.”
31 撒慕爾便隨同撒烏耳一起回去，撒烏耳朝拜了上主。
So Samuel finally agreed to do that, and they went together back [to where the people were], and Saul worshiped Yahweh there.
32 以後撒慕爾說：「將阿瑪肋克王阿加格給我解來! 」阿加格到了他那裏，很是高興，阿加格心想：「死亡的苦的確過去了。」
Then Samuel said, “Bring King Agag to me.” So they brought Agag to him. Agag was confidently expecting that they would spare him/not kill him. He was thinking, “Surely I will not have to endure an agonizing death!”
33 撒慕爾對他說：「你的劍怎樣使眾多婦女喪子，你的母親在婦女中也要怎樣喪子。」撒慕爾就在基耳加耳上主面前殺了阿加格。
But Samuel said to him, “You have killed the sons of many women with your sword, so now your mother will no longer have a son.” And Samuel cut Agag into pieces [with his sword], there at Gilgal, in the presence of Yahweh.
34 以後撒慕爾去了辣瑪，撒烏耳也回了撒烏耳的基貝亞本家。
Then Samuel left there and returned to his home in Ramah, and Saul went to his home in Gibeah.
35 撒慕爾至死再沒有見撒烏耳。撒慕爾為了撒烏耳很是傷心，因為上主後悔立了撒烏耳作以色列的君王。
Samuel never saw Saul again, but he was very sad about [what] Saul [had done]. And Yahweh was very sorry that he had appointed Saul to be the king of Israel.
