< 耶利米哀歌 3 >

1 在上主盛怒的鞭責下,我成了受盡痛苦的人;
I AM the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
2 他引我走入黑暗,不見光明;
He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
3 且終日再三再四,伸手與我為敵;
Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.
4 他使我肌膚枯瘦,折斷我的骨頭;
My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
5 他在我四周築起圍牆,用毒草和痛苦環繞我,
He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
6 讓我居住在黑暗之中,好像久已死去的人。
He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
7 他用垣牆圍困我,不能逃脫;並且加重我的桎梏;
He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
8 我呼籲求救時,他卻掩耳不聽我的祈禱。
Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
9 他用方石堵住了我的去路,阻塞了我的行徑。
He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
10 上主之於我,像是一隻潛伏的狗熊,是一頭藏匿的獅子,
He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
11 他把我拖到路旁,撲捉撕裂,加以摧殘;
He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
12 又拉開他的弓,瞄準我,把我當作眾矢之的。
He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
13 他用箭囊的箭,射殺了我的雙腰;
He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
14 使我成了萬民的笑柄,終日受他們的嘲笑;
I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
15 他使我飽食苦菜,醉飲苦酒。
He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
16 他用砂礫破碎我的牙齒,用灰塵給我充饑。
He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
17 他除去了我心中的平安,我已經忘記了一切幸福;
And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
18 於是我說:「我的光榮已經消逝,對上主的希望也已經幻滅。」
And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord:
19 我回憶著我的困厄和痛苦,盡是茹苦含辛!
Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 我的心越回想,越覺沮喪。
My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
21 但是我必要追念這事,以求獲得希望:
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 上主的慈愛,永無止境;他的仁慈,無窮無盡。
It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 你的仁慈,朝朝常新;你的忠信,浩大無垠!
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 我心中知道:上主是我的福分;因此,我必信賴他。
The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 上主對信賴他和尋求他的人,是慈善的。
The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 最好是靜待上主的救援,
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
27 最好是自幼背負上主的重軛,
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 默然獨坐,因為是上主加於他的軛;
He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
29 他該把自己的口貼近塵埃,這樣或者還有希望;
He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
30 向打他的人,送上面頰,飽受凌辱。
He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.
31 因為上主決不會永遠把人遺棄;
For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
32 縱使懲罰,他必按照自己豐厚的慈愛,而加以憐憫。
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 因為他苛待和懲罰世人,原不是出於他的心願。
For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
34 將世上所有的俘虜,都踐踏在腳下,
To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 在至上者前剝奪人的權利,
To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
36 與人爭訟時,欺壓他人:難道上主看不見﹖
To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
37 若非上主有命,誰能言出即成呢﹖
Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
38 吉凶禍福,難道不是出自至上者之口﹖
Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
39 人生在世,為自己的罪受罰,為什麼還叫苦﹖
Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 我們應檢討考察我們的行為,回頭歸向上主!
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.
41 應向天上的大主,雙手奉上我們的心!
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
42 正因為我們犯罪背命,你纔沒有寬恕。
We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
43 你藏在盛怒之中,追擊我們,殺死我們,毫不留情。
Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
44 你隱在濃雲深處,哀禱不能上達。
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
45 你使我們在萬民中,成了塵垢和廢物。
Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.
46 我們所有的仇人,都向我們大張其口。
All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
47 為我們只有恐怖和陷阱,破壞和滅亡。
Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.
48 為了我女兒──人民的滅亡,我的眼淚湧流如江河。
Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 我的眼淚湧流不止,始終不停,
Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
50 直到上主從天垂顧憐視,
Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.
51 因我城中的一切女兒,使我觸目傷心。
Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.
52 我的仇人無故追捕我,像獵取飛鳥一樣;
Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
53 他們將我投入坑穴之中,把石塊擲在我身上;
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
54 水淹沒了我的頭頂,我想:「我要死了! 」
Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
55 上主,我從坑穴深處,呼號你的聖名;
I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon.
56 你曾俯聽過我的呼聲,對我的哀禱,不要掩耳不聞。
Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
57 在我呼號你的那一天,願你走近而對我說:「不要害怕! 」
Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
58 上主,你辯護了我的案件,贖回我的性命。
O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
59 上主,你見我遭受冤屈,你替我伸了冤,
O Lord, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
60 你看見了他們對我的種種仇恨和陰謀。
Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
61 上主,你聽見了他們加於我的種種侮辱和陰謀,
Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, and all their imaginations against me;
62 你也聽見了反對我者的誹謗,和他們終日對我的企圖。
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
63 你看! 他們或坐或立,我始終是他們嘲笑的對象。
Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.
64 上主,求你按照他們雙手的作為,報復他們;
Render unto them a recompence, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.
65 求你使他們的心思頑固,並詛咒他們。
Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.
66 上主,求你憤怒地追擊他們,將他們由普天之下除掉。
Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the Lord.

< 耶利米哀歌 3 >