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；
The Lord sent Nathan to see David. When he got there, he said, “Once there were two men living in the same town. One was rich, and one was poor.
2 富的有很多牛羊；
The rich man had many thousands of sheep and cattle,
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 didn't have anything but one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He cared for it, and it grew up with him and his children. It would eat from his plate and drank from his cup. It slept on his lap and was like a daughter to him.
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。」
One day the rich man had a visitor. He didn't want to take one of his own sheep or cattle to feed his visitor. He took the poor man's lamb instead to prepare a meal for his visitor.”
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!
David became absolutely furious with what that man did, and angrily told Nathan. “As the Lord lives, the man who did this should be put to death!
6 並且，因為他這樣行事，捨不得自己的牛羊，他應七倍償還」。
He must repay that lamb with four of his own for doing this, for being so heartless.”
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，
“You are that man!” Nathan told David. “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel, and I saved you from 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。
I gave your master's house to you and placed your master's wives in your lap. I gave you the kingdom of Israel and Judah, and if that hadn't been enough, I would have given you so much 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。
So why have you treated what Lord said with contempt by doing evil in his sight? You killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword and stole his wife—you killed him using the sword of the Ammonites.
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。
So your descendants will always face the sword that kills because you treated me with contempt and stole Uriah's 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。
This is what the Lord says: I'm going to bring disaster in you from your own family. I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to someone else, and he will sleep openly with your wives where everyone can see.
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」。
You did it all in secret, but I will do it openly where everyone in all of Israel can see.”
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；
David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” “The Lord has forgiven your sins. You're not going to die,” Nathan replied.
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」。
“But because by doing this you have treated the Lord with complete contempt, the son you have will 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。
Then Nathan went home. The Lord made the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David become very sick.
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。
David pleaded with God on behalf of the boy. He fasted, went to his bedroom, and spent the night lying in sackcloth on 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。
His senior officials approached him and tried to help him up from the ground, but he didn't want to, and he refused their appeals to eat.
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﹖」
On the seventh day the child died. But David's officials were scared to tell him that the child was dead, for they said to each other, “Look, while the child was still alive, we talked with him, and he refused to listen to us. How on earth can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something really bad!”
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! 」
But David saw his officials were whispering among themselves, he realized that the child was dead. So he asked his officials, “Did the child die?” “Yes, he died,” they replied.
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。
David got up from the ground, washed and put on scented oils, and changed his clothes. Then he went to the house of the Lord and worshiped. Afterwards he went back home, and asked for some food. So they served him a meal which 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」。
“Why are you acting like this?” his officials asked him. “While the child was still alive, you fasted and cried aloud, but now that he's dead, you get up and eat.”
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﹖
David replied, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and cried aloud, for I thought to myself, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will be gracious to me and let him 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 that he's dead, what's the point for me to go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? One day I will die and go to him, but he will never come back 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，
David consoled his wife Bathsheba, and he made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child,
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。
so he sent a message through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah, because the Lord loved him.
26 那時，約阿布正攻打阿孟子民的辣巴，佔據了水城。
At this time Joab had been fighting against the Ammonite town of Rabbah, and had captured the royal fortress.
27 約阿布就派使者到達味那裏說：「攻打辣巴，已佔了水城；
Joab sent messengers to David to tell him, “I have attacked Rabbah and I have also captured its water supply.
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」。
So please call up the rest of the army, besiege the town, and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city, and I will get the credit.”
29 達味遂召集了所有的軍隊，開到辣巴，攻取了那城。
So David called up the rest of the army and marched on Rabbah. He attacked it and captured 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。
He took the crown from the head of their king, and it was placed on David's head. It weighed a talent of gold and was decorated with precious stones. David took a large amount of plunder from the town.
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。
David took the inhabitants and forced them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes, and he also made them work making bricks. He did the same in all the Ammonite towns. Then David and the whole Israelite army returned to Jerusalem.
