< 撒母耳記下 12 >
1 於是上主打發納堂先知去見達味;他一來到他跟前,就對他說:「在一座城裡有兩個人,一富一貧;
And the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to David; and he went in to him, and said to him, There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor.
And the rich [man] had very many flocks and herds.
3 貧的,除一隻小母羊外,什麼也沒有。這隻小母羊是他買來餵養的,在他和他兒女身邊長大,吃他自己的食物,喝他自己杯中的飲料,睡在他的懷裡,帶他如同自己的女兒一樣。
But the poor [man had] only one little ewe lamb, which he had purchased, and preserved, and reared; an it grew up with himself and his children in common; it ate of his bread and drank of his cup, and slept in his bosom, and was to him as a daughter.
4 有一個客人,來到富人那裡,他捨不得拿自己的牛羊,款待那來到他這裡的旅客,卻取了那貧窮人的母羊,來款待那到他這裡來的人。」
And a traveller came to the rich man, and he spared to take of his flocks and of his herds, to dress for the traveller that came to him; and he took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that came to him.
5 達味對這人大發憤怒,向納堂說:「上主永在! 做這事的人該死!
And David was greatly moved with anger against the man; and David said to Nathan, [As] the Lord lives, the man that did this thing shall surely die.
6 並且,因為他這樣行事,捨不得自己的牛羊,他應七倍償還」。
And he shall restore the lamb seven-fold, because he has not spared.
7 約納堂對達味說:「這人就是你! 以色列的天主上主這樣說:是我給你傅油,立你作以色列的君王,是我由撒烏耳手中將你救出,
And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man that has done this. Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee to be king over Israel, and I rescued thee out the hand of Saul;
8 是我將你主人的家室賜給你;我把你主人的妻妾放在你懷裏,把以色列和猶大的家族也賜給了你;若還以為太少,我願再給你這樣那樣的恩惠。
and I gave thee the house of thy lord, and the wives of thy lord into thy bosom, and I gave to thee the house of Israel and Juda; and if that had been little, I would have given thee yet more.
9 你為什麼輕視上主,作出衪眼中視為邪惡的事,借刀殺了赫特人烏黎雅,為佔取他的妻子,據為己有﹖你借阿孟子民的刀殺了烏黎雅。
Why hast thou set at nought the word of the Lord, to do that which is evil in his eyes? thou hast slain Urias the Chettite with the sword, and thou hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and thou hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
10 從此刀劍永不離開你家! 因為你輕視了我,佔取了赫特的妻子,據為己有。
Now therefore the sword shall not depart from thy house for ever, because thou has set me at nought, and thou hast taken the wife of Urias the Chettite, to be thy wife.
11 上主這樣說:看,我要由自己的家裏激起災禍反對你,我要當你的眼前拿你的妻妾給與你的近人,他要在光天化日之下與你的妻妾同寢。
Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will raise up against thee evil out of thy house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and will give them to thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
12 你暗中行的事,我卻要叫這事在眾以色列前和太陽下進行」。
For thou didst it secretly, but I will do this thing in the sight of all Israel, and before the sun.
13 達味對約納堂說:「我得罪了上主! 」約納堂對達味說:「上主已赦免了你的罪惡,你不致於死;
And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, And the Lord has put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
14 但是你在這事上蔑視了上主,給你生的那個孩子,必要死去」。
Only because thou hast given great occasion of provocation to the enemies of the Lord by this thing, thy son also that is born to thee shall surely die.
15 以後,約納堂就回家去了。上主打擊了烏黎雅給達味所生的孩子,使他患病甚重。
And Nathan departed to his house. And the Lord smote the child, which the wife of Urias the Chettite bore to David, and it was ill.
16 達味就為孩子懇求天主,並且禁食,進入房內,穿著苦衣躺在地上過夜。
And David enquired of God concerning the child, and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the ground.
17 皇室的長老到他前,要將他從地上扶起來,他卻不願意,也不與他們一起吃飯。
And the elders of his house arose [and went] to him to raise him up from the ground, but he would not [rise], nor did he eat bread with them.
18 到了第七天,孩子竟然死了。達味的臣僕怕告訴他孩子死了,因為他們說:「孩子活著的時候,我們勸他,他還不聽我們的話;我們若告訴他孩子死了,豈不是更使他痛苦﹖」
And it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died: and the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive we spoke to him, and he hearkened not to our voice; and thou should we tell him that the child is dead?—so would he do [himself] harm.
19 達味見自己的臣僕低聲耳語,就曉得孩子死了,便問臣僕說:「孩子死了嗎﹖」他們答說:「死了! 」
And David understood that his servants were whispering, and David perceived that the child was dead: and David said to his servants, Is the child dead? and they said, He is dead.
20 達味就由地上起來,沐浴、抹油、更衣,進了上主的庭院朝拜了;然後回到家裏,叫人給他擺上飯來,他就吃了。
Then David rose up from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his raiment, and went into the house of God, and worshipped him; and went into his own house, and called for bread to eat, and they set bread before him and he ate.
21 他的臣僕對他說:「你這是作的什麼事。孩子著,你為他禁食哀哭;孩子死了你反而起來吃飯」。
And his servants said to him, What [is] this thing that thou hast done concerning the child? while it was yet living thou didst fast, and weep, and watch: and when the child was dead thou didst rise up, and didst eat bread, and drink.
22 他答說:「孩子活著,我禁食悲哭,因為我想:也許上主會可憐我,使孩子生存,有誰知道﹖
And David said, While the child yet lived, I fasted and wept; for I said, Who knows if the Lord will pity me, and the child live?
23 如今,他死了,我為什麼還要禁食﹖難道我能叫他回來﹖是我要到他那裏去,他不會回到我這裏來了! 」
But now it is dead, why should I fast thus? shall I be able to bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
24 事後,達味安慰了妻子巴特舍巴,再走近她,與她同寢;她又生了一個兒子,給他起名叫撒羅滿;上主也喜愛他,
And David comforted Bersabee his wife, and he went in to her, and lay with her; and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his named Solomon, and the Lord loved him.
25 派了先知約納堂去,代替上主給他起了個別號,叫耶狄狄雅。
And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and called his name Jeddedi, for the Lord's sake.
26 那時,約阿布正攻打阿孟子民的辣巴,佔據了水城。
And Joab fought against Rabbath of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.
27 約阿布就派使者到達味那裏說:「攻打辣巴,已佔了水城;
And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbath, and taken the city of waters.
28 如今你快調集其餘的軍隊來圍攻,佔領這座城市,免得我攻下了,人拿我的名字作城名」。
And now gather the rest of the people, and encamp against the city, an take it beforehand; lest I take the city first, and my name be called upon it.
29 達味遂召集了所有的軍隊,開到辣巴,攻取了那城。
And David gathered all the people, and went to Rabbath, and fought against it, and took it.
30 達味從米耳公神的頭上,取下了那重一「塔冷通」的金冠來,上面嵌有一塊寶石,達味將這寶石戴在自己頭上,並由城中運走了大批勝利品。
And he took the crown of Molchom their king from off his head, and the weight of it was a talent of gold, with precious stones, and it was upon the head of David; and he carried forth very much spoil of the city.
31 至於城內的居民,根將他們帶走,叫他們拉鋸、操斧、劈石、做磚;達味對待阿孟子民所有的城市都是如此。然後率領自己的軍隊回了耶路撒冷。
And he brought forth the people that were in it, and put them under the saw, and under iron harrows, and axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick-kiln: and thus he did to all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.