列王紀下 17
1 猷大王阿哈次十二年，厄拉的兒子曷舍亞在撒瑪黎雅登極為以色列王，在位凡九年。
Hoshea, son of Elah, became king of Israel, in the twelfth year of the reign of King Ahaz of Judah. He reigned in Samaria for nine years.
2 他行了上主視為惡的事，但不像他以前的以色列列王。
He did what was evil in the Lord's sight, but not in the same way the kings of Israel who were before him.
3 亞述王沙耳瑪乃色上來攻打曷舍亞，他便向亞述王稱臣納貢。
Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, came and attacked him, and Hoshea submitted to him and paid him tribute.
4 後來亞述王發覺曷舍亞企圖造反。原來曷舍亞曾派使者去見埃及王索阿，就不再向亞述王每年納貢，所以亞述王將他拘捕，囚在監裡。
But then the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was being disloyal. Hoshea had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, asking for help, and he also had stopped sending annual tribute to the king of Assyria as he had done previously. So the king of Assyria arrested Hoshea and put him in prison.
5 隨後，亞述王進軍侵入全國，直逼撒瑪黎雅，圍攻了三年。
Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole country, and attacked Samaria, besieging it for three years.
6 曷舍亞九年，亞述王攻陷了撒瑪黎雅，把以色列人擄往亞述，把他們安置在哈拉黑和靠近哥倉河的哈波爾，以及瑪待各城。
In the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River, and in the towns of the Medes.
7 這是因為以色列子民犯罪，得罪了領他們離開埃及地，擺脫埃及王法郎之手的上主，他們的天主，而去敬拜了別的神，
All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, the one who had led them out of Egypt, saving them from the power of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods,
8 隨從了上主由以色列子民面前，所驅逐的異民的習俗，和以色列列王所規定的律例。
adopting the ways of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites, and the pagan practices introduced by the kings of Israel.
9 以色列子民作了不義的事，得罪了上主他們的天主：在他們所有的城中，從守望台直到設防的城，到處建有高丘；
Secretly the Israelites did things that were not right against the Lord their God. They built high places in all their towns, from watchtowers to fortified cities.
10 在各高崗上，在所有的綠樹下，豎有石柱和木偶；
They set up pagan stone pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
11 在高丘上，依照上主從他們面前所驅逐的異民的習俗，焚香獻祭，作惡激怒上主；
They offered sacrifices on all the high places, just like the nations the Lord drove out before them. They did evil things, angering the Lord.
12 又敬拜偶像，雖然天主曾明明吩咐他們說：你們不可行這樣的事!
They worshiped idols, even though the Lord had told them, “You are not to do this.”
13 上主曾藉眾先知和先見者警告以色列和猶大說：「你們應離棄你們的邪道，按照我給你們祖先所規定的，藉我的僕人，眾先知給你們傳授的一切法律，遵守我的誡命和我的法令。」
Yet the Lord had warned Israel and Judah repeatedly through all his prophets and seers, saying, “Leave your wicked ways and keep my commandments and instructions. Follow the whole law that I ordered your forefathers to obey, and gave to you through my servants the prophets.”
14 他們卻不聽從，如同他們的祖先一樣執拗，不肯相信上主他們的天主，
But they refused listen, and they were as stubborn as their forefathers who did not trust the Lord their God.
15 拒絕了上主的法律和他與他們祖先所訂立的盟約，以及對他們所發出的警告；隨從他們四周上主曾命令他們不可效法的異民，追求虛無，自己成為虛無；
They gave up on his regulations and the covenant he had made with their forefathers, as well as the decrees he had given them. They followed pointless idols and they became pointless themselves, copying the nations around them that the Lord ordered them not to copy.
16 拋棄了上主他們天主的一切命令，為自己鑄造神像，即兩個牛犢，製造木偶，敬拜天上萬象，事奉巴耳，
They ignored all the commandments of the Lord their God, and they made themselves two metal idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down in worship to the sun, moon, and stars and served Baal.
17 使兒女經火獻神，行占卜和法術，出賣自己，行上主視為惡的事，激怒上主；
They sacrificed their sons and daughters as pagan burnt offerings, and practiced fortune-telling and witchcraft. They gave themselves over to doing what was evil in the Lord's sight, making him angry.
18 因此，上主對以色列大發憤怒，將他們從自己面前趕走，只留下了猶大支派。
So the Lord was extremely angry with Israel, and he banished them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left,
19 但是，猶大也沒有遵守上主，他們天主的命令，反而也隨從了以色列所行的習俗。
but even Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but followed the idolatry that Israel had introduced.
20 為此，上主拋棄了以色列所有的後裔，使他們受壓迫，任人宰割，終於將他們從自己面前趕走。
The Lord gave up on all the descendants of Israel. He punished them and handed them over to their enemies, until he had banished them from his presence.
21 的確，自從上主使以色列與達味家分裂以後，以色列便立了乃巴特的兒子雅洛貝罕為王；雅洛貝罕即引以色列遠離了上主，使他們陷於重罪。
When the Lord ripped Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam, son of Nebat, their king. Jeroboam led Israel away from the Lord and made them commit terrible sins.
22 以色列子民遂追隨雅洛貝罕所犯的一切罪惡，始終沒有離開，
The Israelites continued to practice all the sins that Jeroboam committed. They did not stop doing them,
23 直到上主將以色列從自己面前趕走，正如上主藉自己的僕人眾先知所說的話。因此，以色列由本國被擄往亞述，直到今日。
so the Lord eventually expelled them from his presence, just as he had said he would through all his servants, the prophets. So the Israelites were deported from their land and taken to Assyria, where they are to this day.
24 亞術王從巴比倫、雇特、阿瓦、哈瑪特和色法瓦因徙置一些人民，住在撒瑪黎雅各城，以代替以色列人；這些人佔據了撒瑪黎雅，就住在各城內。
The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria instead of the Israelites. They took over ownership of Samaria and lived in its towns.
25 他們起初住在那裡的時候，因為不敬畏上主，所以上主打發獅子來，咬死了他們一些人。
When they first started living there they did not worship the Lord, so he sent lions there among them, killing some of them.
26 有人報告亞述王說：「你在撒瑪黎雅各城徙置的人民，不知敬拜土神的禮儀，因此那神打發獅子來咬死了他們一些人，因為他們不知敬拜土神的禮儀。」
The king of Assyria was told, “The peoples that you brought and settled in the towns of Samaria they don't not know the rules of the God of the land. As a result, he has sent lions among them, which are killing them off because they don't know what the God of the land requires.”
27 亞述王於是下令說：「你們叫一個從撒瑪黎雅擄來的司祭回去，住在那裡，教給他們敬拜土神的禮儀。」
The king of Assyria gave the order: “Send back one of the priests you deported from Samaria, and let him go back and live there and teach the rules of the God of the land.”
28 於是，有一個從撒瑪黎雅擄去的司祭回來，住在貝特耳，教給他們該怎麼敬拜雅威。
So one of the priests who had been deported from Samaria returned to live in Bethel, and taught them how to worship the Lord.
29 雖然如此，各個民族仍然製造自己的神，供在撒瑪黎雅人所建築的高丘上的廟宇中；各個民族在自己所住的城內，供著自己的神。
But the people of the different nations went on making their own gods in the towns where they had settled, and they placed them in the shrines of the high places that the people of Samaria had made.
30 巴比倫人製造了穌苛特貝諾特，雇特人製造了乃爾加耳，哈瑪特人製造了阿史瑪，
Those from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima.
31 阿瓦人製造了尼貝哈次和塔爾塔克，色法瓦因人使兒女經火，獻於色法瓦因的神阿德辣默肋客和阿納默肋客；
The Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites sacrificed their children as burnt offerings to their gods Adrammelech and Anammelech.
32 同時他們也敬拜上主，從自己中間選派一些人作高丘上的司祭，在高丘上的廟宇內自己獻祭。
While they worshiped the Lord, they also appointed priests from all kinds of their own people to offer sacrifices for them in the shrines of the high places.
33 這樣，他們也敬拜上主，也奉事自己的神，從那一國徙置而來的，就照那一國的禮儀。
So even though they worshiped the Lord, they also worshiped their own gods following the practices of the nations they had come from.
34 直到今日，他們仍然依照先前的禮儀而行。雅各伯──上主給他改名為以色列──的子孫，也不全心敬畏上主，也不按照上主給他們所立的條例、禮儀、法律和誡命而行。
Even to this day they are still following their former practices. None of them truly worship the Lord or observe the regulations, requirements, laws, and commandments that the Lord gave to the descendants of Jacob, the one he named Israel.
35 上主曾與他們立約，吩咐他們說：「你們不可敬拜別的神，也不可跪拜，也不可事奉，也不可向他們獻祭；
For the Lord had made an agreement with the Israelites, ordering them, “Don't worship other gods or bow down to them; don't serve them or offer sacrifices to them.
36 只應敬拜那以強力和伸展的手臂，領你們離開埃地的上主，只應向他跪拜，向他獻祭。
You must worship only the Lord, who led you out of Egypt, helping you with his great power and strong arm. Only bow down to him; only offer sacrifices to him.
37 我為你們寫定的條例、禮儀、法律和誡命，要時常謹守遵行，不可敬拜別的神。
Always pay attention to observe the regulations, requirements, laws, and commandments he gave you in writing, and don't worship other gods.
38 我與你們立的盟約，不要忘記，也不要敬拜別的神，
Don't forget the agreement I have made with you, and don't worship other gods.
39 只應敬拜上主你們的天主，他必拯救你們脫離你們一切仇敵的權勢。」
You must worship only the Lord your God, and he will save you from all your enemies.”
40 然而，他們不聽，仍然依照他們先前的禮儀而行。
But they refused to listen, and continued their former idolatrous practices.
41 這樣，這些人民敬拜上主，又事奉他們的雕像；他們的子子孫孫也是如此：祖先怎樣行，子孫也怎樣行，直到今日。
Even while these people from different nations were worshiping the Lord, they were actually worshiping their idols. Their children and grandchildren continue to do as their forefathers did to this day.
