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，
And Joab the son of Saruia knew that the heart of the king was toward Abessalom.
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，
And Joab sent to Thecoe, and took thence a cunning woman, and said to her, Mourn, I pray thee, and put on mourning apparel, and anoint thee not with oil, and thou shalt be as a woman mourning for one that is dead thus for many days.
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。
And thou shalt go to the king, and speak to him according to this word. 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! 」
So the woman of Thecoe went in to the king and fell upon her face to the earth, and did him obeisance, and said, Help, O king, help.
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。
And the king said to her, What is the matter with thee? And she said, I am indeed a widow woman, and 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 moreover thy handmaid had two sons, and they fought together in the field, and there was no one to part them; and the one smote the other his brother, and slew 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」。
And behold the whole family rose up against thine handmaid, and they said, Give up the one that smote his brother, and we will put him to death for the life of his brother, whom he slew, and we will take away even your heir: so they will quench my coal that is left, so as not to leave my husband remnant or name on the face of the earth.
8 執行對婦人說：「妳回家去吧! 我會為妳下令查辦」。
And the king said to the woman, Go in peace to thy house, and I will give commandment concerning thee.
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」。
And the woman of Thecoe said to the king, On me, my lord, O king, and on my father's house [be] the iniquity, and 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」。
And the king said, Who was it that spoke to thee? thou shalt even bring him to me, and [one] shall not touch him any more.
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」。
And she said, Let now the king remember concerning his Lord God in that the avenger of blood is multiplied to destroy, and let them not take away my son. And he said, [As] the lord lives, not a hair of thy son shall 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! 」
And the woman said, Let now thy servant speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Say on.
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!
And the woman said, Why hast thou devised this thing against the people of God? or [is] this word out of the king's mouth as a transgression, so that the king should not bring back his banished?
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 we shall surely die, and be as water poured upon the earth, which shall not be gathered up, and God shall take the life, even as he devises to thrust forth from him his outcast.
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。
And now whereas I came to speak this word to my lord the king, [the reason is] that the people will see me, and thy handmaid will say, Let one now speak to my lord the king, if peradventure the king will perform the request of his handmaid;
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. Let him rescue his handmaid out of the hand of the man that seeks to cast out me and my son from the inheritance of God.
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 the woman said, If now the word of my lord the king be gracious, —[well]: for as an angel of God, so [is] my lord the king, to hear good and evil: and the Lord thy God shall be with thee.
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! 」
And the king answered, and said to the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the matter which I ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king by all means speak.
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。
And the king said, [Is] not the hand of Joab in all this matter with thee? and the woman said to the king, [As] thy soul lives, my lord, O king, there is no turning to the right hand or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken; for thy servant Joab himself charged me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid.
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」。
In order that this form of speech might come about [it was] that thy servant Joab has framed this matter: and my lord is wise as [is] the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.
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! 」
And the king said to Joab, Behold now, I have done to thee according to this thy word: go, bring back the young man Abessalom.
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」。
And Joab fell on his face to the ground, and did obeisance, and blessed the king: and Joab said, To-day thy servant knows that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, for my lord the king has performed the request of his servant.
23 約阿布就起身，往革叔爾去，將阿貝沙隆領回耶路撒冷。
And Joab arose, and went to Gedsur, and brought Abessalom 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。
And the king said, Let him return to his house, and not see my face. And Abessalom returned to his house, and saw not the king's face.
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。
And there was not a man in Israel so very comely as Abessalom: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
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 polled his head, (and it was at the beginning of every year that he polled it, because it grew, heavy upon him, ) even when he polled it, he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels according to the royal shekel.
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。
And there were born to Abessalom three sons and one daughter, and her name was Themar: she was a very beautiful woman, and she becomes the wife of Roboam son of Solomon, and she bears to him Abia.
28 阿貝沙隆在耶路撒冷住了兩年，仍未得見君王的面。
And Abessalom remained in Jerusalem two full years, and he saw not the king's face.
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。
And Abessalom sent to Joab to bring him in to the king, and he would not come to him: and he sent to him the second time, and he 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。
And Abessalom said to his servants, Behold, Joab's portion in the field [is] next to mine, and he has in it barley; go and set it on fire. And the servants of Abessalom set the field on fire: and the servants of Joab come to him with their clothes rent, and they said to him, The servants of Abessalom have 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？」
And Joab arose, and came to Abessalom into the house, and said to him, Why have thy 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！」
And Abessalom said to Joab, Behold, I sent to thee, saying, Come hither, and I will send thee to the king, saying, Why did I come out of Gedsur? it would have been better for me to have remained there: and now, behold, I have not seen the face of the king; but if there is iniquity in me, then put me to death.
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。
And Joab went in to the king, and brought him word: and he called Abessalom, and he went in to the king, and did him obeisance, and fell upon his face to the ground, even in the presence of the king; and the king kissed Abessalom.
