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 the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward 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，
And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:
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 come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So 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! 」
And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, 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。
And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine 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 thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, 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 is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon 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 unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge 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 Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house: 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, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee 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」。
Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember Yhwh thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As Yhwh liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.
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, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto 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, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again 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 must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled 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 that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that 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, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of 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! 」
Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: Therefore Yhwh thy God will 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! 」
Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now 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 with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade 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」。
To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to 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 unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.
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 to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled 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。
So Joab arose and 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。
And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own 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。
But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: 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, ( for it was at every year’s end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it: ) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king’s weight.
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 unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.
28 阿貝沙隆在耶路撒冷住了兩年，仍未得見君王的面。
So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and 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。
Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, 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。
Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he hath 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 arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore 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 Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king’s face; and if there be any 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 came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.
