撒母耳記下 14
1 責魯雅的兒子約阿布看透了君王懷念阿貝沙隆的心，
Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart longed for Absalom.
2 就派人到特科亞去，從那裏叫來一位明智的婦人，對她說：「請妳裝作一個居喪的婦心，穿上喪服，別抹油，像一個居喪很多自己婦人，
So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.
3 然後去見君王，對他這樣這樣說....」約阿布就把要說的話，口授給她。
Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 科特亞的婦人一來到君王前，便俯伏在地，叩拜喊說：「大王，救命! 」
When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell facedown in homage and said, “Help me, O king!”
5 君王對她說：「妳有什麼事﹖「她答說：「哎! 我是個寡婦，我的丈夫死了。
“What troubles you?” the king asked her. “Indeed,” she said, “I am a widow, for my husband is dead.
6 你的婢女有兩個兒子，他們倆在田野裏爭鬥，無人解勸，彼此對打，竟將一個打死了。
And your maidservant had two sons who were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.
7 全族的人都起來反對你的婢女說：將那打死自己兄弟的交出來，讓我們殺了他，抵償他所殺的兄弟的命，既便是後嗣，我們也要消滅。這樣，他們連我所剩下的一星之火，也要熄滅，不讓我的丈夫在世上留名，或者留後」。
Now the whole clan has risen up against your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who struck down his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of the brother whom he killed. Then we will cut off the heir as well!’ So they would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on the earth.”
8 執行對婦人說：「妳回家去吧! 我會為妳下令查辦」。
“Go home,” the king said to the woman, “and I will give orders on your behalf.”
9 特科亞的婦人立即對君王說：「我主，大王! 願此罪歸於我及我父家，與大王，與陛下無干」。
But the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord the king, may any blame be on me and on my father’s house, and may the king and his throne be guiltless.”
10 君王說：「凡向妳再出言恐嚇的，你把他帶到我這裏來，誰也不敢再麻煩妳了」。
“If anyone speaks to you,” said the king, “bring him to me, and he will not trouble you again!”
11 她繼續說：「望大王提及上主你的天主名，不許報復血仇的人再從事破壞，不將我的兒子消滅」。他答說：「我指著永生的上主起誓：妳兒子的一根頭髮，也決不會落在地上」。
“Please,” she replied, “may the king invoke the LORD your God to prevent the avenger of blood from increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!” “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”
12 婦人接著說：「望我主大王，許你的婢女再進一言! 」他答說：「說吧! 」
Then the woman said, “Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?” “Speak,” he replied.
13 婦人說：「為什麼大王想出這樣的事來，反對天主的百姓。君王說出這話，若不將自己放逐的人召回來，就不免有罪了!
The woman asked, “Why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought back his own banished son?
14 我們原來都該死，如同潑在地, 上的水，不能再收回，天主也不再給人生命；所以大王要設法不使那放逐的人，成為一個永不能再回家的人。
For surely we will die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises ways that the banished one may not be cast out from Him.
15 我現今到這裏來，向我主大王提及此事，是因為有些人恐嚇我，為此你的婢女想：我得向君王說明，也許君王會實踐他婢女的請求。
Now therefore, I have come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king. Perhaps he will grant the request of his maidservant.
16 因為大王必會聽從我，從那由天主產業中剷除和我兒子之人的手中，救出自己的婢女來。
For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would cut off both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’
17 所以你的婢女說：我主大王的話，實能安慰人心，因為我主大王對於分辨善惡，實如同天主的使者。望上主你的天主，與你同在! 」
And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king bring me rest, for my lord the king is able to discern good and evil, just like the angel of God. May the LORD your God be with you.’”
18 君王回答婦人說：「我有一事問妳，妳可不要對我隱瞞」。婦人答說：「我主大王，請說! 」
Then the king said to the woman, “I am going to ask you something; do not conceal it from me!” “Let my lord the king speak,” she replied.
19 君王問說：「在這一切事上，是不是約阿布的手在妳後面﹖」婦人答說：「我一王萬歲! 我主君王所說的，絲毫不差，正是你的僕人約阿布吩咐了我，是他將這一切話，口授給你的婢女。
So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind all this?” The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant exactly what to say.
20 事實改變真相的，確是你的僕人約阿布所做的；但是我主賢明，賢明得如同天主的使者，曉得地上所有的事」。
Joab your servant has done this to bring about this change of affairs, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that happens in the land.”
21 王便對約阿布說：「好，現在我就履行此事，召回孩子阿貝沙隆來! 」
Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”
22 約阿布就俯首至地，叩拜祝福君王，隨後說：「我主大王，今天今日你的僕人知道，我在你眼前蒙得了寵幸，因為大王實踐了他僕人的請求」。
Joab fell facedown in homage and blessed the king. “Today,” said Joab, “your servant knows that he has found favor with you, my lord the king, because the king has granted his request.”
23 約阿布就起身，往革叔爾去，將阿貝沙隆領回耶路撒冷。
So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24 君王說：「叫他回自己家裏去吧! 不要來見我」。於是阿貝沙隆回到自己家裏，不是見君王的面。
But the king added, “He may return to his house, but he must not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the king.
25 在全以色列中，沒有一人像阿貝沙隆那樣英俊，堪受讚美的，在他身上，自踵至頂，沒有一默缺陷。
Now there was not a man in all Israel as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw.
26 他剪髮以後，──他每年年底剪髮一次，因為頭上積髮太多，他必須剪去，──稱了稱剪的頭髮，依王家的衡制，重二百「協刻耳」。
And when he cut the hair of his head—he shaved it every year because his hair got so heavy—he would weigh it out to be two hundred shekels, according to the royal standard.
27 阿貝沙隆有三個兒子，一個女兒；女兒名叫塔瑪爾，是個很美麗的女子。
Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman.
28 阿貝沙隆在耶路撒冷住了兩年，仍未得見君王的面。
Now Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years without seeing the face of the king.
29 阿貝沙隆遂派人到約阿布那裏，求他引自己去見君王。但是，約阿布不願到他那裏去，他又派人去，他仍是不肯來。
Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So Absalom sent a second time, but Joab still would not come.
30 他於是對的僕人說：「你們看，約阿布的莊田與我的相接，他在那裏種了大麥，你們去放火燒田」。阿貝沙隆的僕人於是放火燒了田。
Then Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire!” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
31 約阿布就起身來到阿貝沙隆的家裡，對他說：「你的僕人為什麼燒了我的田？」
Then Joab came to Absalom’s house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”
32 阿貝沙隆回答約阿布說：「看，我派人到你那裡說：請你到我這裡來，我願派你去見君王，問他為什麼叫我從革叔爾回來？假如我仍留在那裡，為我豈不更好！如今我願見君王的面，我若有罪，他可殺我！」
“Look,” said Absalom, “I sent for you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.’ So now, let me see the king’s face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him kill me.”
33 約阿布便去見君王，稟告了這些話。王遂召見阿貝沙隆；他來到君王前，俯首至地，叩拜君王；君王就吻了阿貝沙隆。
So Joab went and told the king, and David summoned Absalom, who came to him and bowed facedown before him. Then the king kissed Absalom.
