尼希米記 13
1 那日，當著民眾宣讀梅瑟書時，人們聽到書中寫著說：「永遠不准阿孟人和摩阿布人，加入天主的會眾，
On that day, when someone read to the people parts of the laws [that God gave] to Moses, they read where it was written that no one from the Ammon people-group or the Moab people-group was ever to be allowed to be with God’s people while they were gathered together [to worship].
2 因為他們沒有攜帶飲食歡迎以色列人民，反賄賂巴郎詛咒他們，我們的天主卻將詛咒轉為祝福。
The reason for that was that the people of Ammon and the people of Moab did not give/sell any food or water to the Israelis [while the Israelis were going through their areas after they left Egypt]. Instead, the people of Ammon and Moab paid money to Balaam in order that he would curse the Israelis. But God commanded Balaam to bless the people, not to curse them.
3 民眾一聽了這法律，便將各外族由以色列人中隔絕。
So when the people heard these laws [being read to them], they sent away all the people whose ancestors had come from other countries.
4 這事以前，厄肋雅史布司祭，曾被派管理天主的倉庫，他是托彼雅的親信，
Previously, Eliashib the priest had been appointed to be in charge of the storerooms in the temple. He was a relative of [our enemy] Tobiah.
5 遂為托彼雅準備了一所大倉房，以前其中是存敦供物、乳香、器具、以及肋未人。歌詠者和守門者按法律所應得的什一之榖、酒和油，並司祭所應得的供物。
He allowed Tobiah to use a large room in which they had previously stored the grain offerings and the incense, the equipment that is used in the temple, the offerings [that the people had brought] for the priests, and the tithes of grain and wine and [olive] oil that [God] had commanded the people to bring to the [other] descendants of Levi, and to the temple musicians, and to the temple guards.
6 發生這一切事時，我不在耶路撒冷，因為在巴比倫王阿塔薛西斯三十二年，我已回到君王那裏；滿了一個時以後，我又求得君王准許，
While [Tobias was using that room], I was not in Jerusalem, because in the 32nd year that Artaxerxes was the king of Babylonia, I went back there to report to him. After a while I requested the king to allow me to return to Jerusalem, [and he allowed me to go].
7 回了耶路撒冷；此時我才發覺出，厄雅史布為托彼雅所行的壞事，為他在天主聖殿的庭院中，準備了一所大倉房。
When I arrived in Jerusalem, I found out that Eliashib had done an evil thing by allowing Tobiah to use a room in God’s temple.
8 我感覺十分難受，立即將托彼雅的一切器物，拋出倉房之外，
I became very angry, and I threw out of that room everything that belonged to Tobiah.
9 下命清潔那倉房，將天主聖殿的器具、供物和乳香仍放在裏面。
Then I commanded [that they perform a ritual] to make the rooms (pure/acceptable to God) again. And I also ordered that all the equipment used in the temple and all the grain offerings and incense should be put in that room again.
10 我還發覺肋未人應得之分，人們已不繳納，為此供職的肋未人和歌詠者，各回了本鄉。
I also found out that the temple musicians and [other] descendants of Levi had left Jerusalem and returned to their fields/farms, because the Israeli people had not been bringing to them the food [that they needed].
11 我便責斥首長們說：「為什麼又將肋未人召喚起來，又恢復了他們的職務。
So I rebuked the officials, saying to them, “(Why have you not taken care of the work in the temple?/It is disgraceful that you have not taken care of the work in the temple.)” [RHQ] So I brought the descendants of Levi and the musicians back to the temple, and told them to do their work there again.
12 那時，全猶大又將什一之穀、酒和油送入倉房。
Then all the people of Judah again started to bring to the temple storerooms their tithes of grain, wine, and [olive] oil.
13 我派定了舍肋米雅司祭、匝多克經師和肋未人培達雅，作管理倉房的人；委任瑪塔尼雅的子孫，匝雇爾的兒子哈南，作他們的助手，都是忠實可靠的人；他們的職務是將十一之物，分給他們的兄弟。
I appointed these men to be in charge of the storerooms: Shelemiah, who was a priest; Zadok, who knew the Jewish laws very well; and Pedaiah, a descendant of Levi. I appointed Hanan, who is the son of Zaccur and grandson of Mattaniah, to assist them. I knew that I could trust these men while they distributed those offerings to their fellow workers.
14 我的天主，這了這事，請記憶我! 不要抹去我對我天主的聖殿，和其中的禮儀所做的一切善事。
My God, do not forget all these good things that I have faithfully done for your temple and for the work that is done there!
15 那時我在猶大，看見有人在安息日踏榨酒池，搬運禾綑，馱在驢上，並把油、葡萄無花果和其他各種重載，安息日運到耶路撒冷；為了他們在此日買賣應用品，我曾警戒了他們。
During that time, I saw some people in Judea [who were working] on the Sabbath day. [Some were] pressing grapes [to make wine]. Others were putting grain, [bags of] wine, [baskets of] grapes, figs, and many [HYP] other things, on their donkeys and taking them into Jerusalem. I warned them that they should not sell things to the people of Judea on Sabbath days.
16 有住這裏的提洛人，運來了魚和各種貨物，安息日還在耶路撒冷賣給猶太人，
I also saw some people from Tyre [city] who were living there in Jerusalem who were bringing fish and other things [into Jerusalem] to sell to the people of Judea on the Sabbath day.
17 我遂責斥有權勢的猶太人說：「你們怎麼行這樣的壞事，褻瀆安息日呢，
So I rebuked the Jewish leaders and told them, “This is [RHQ] a very evil thing that you are doing! You are causing the Sabbath days to be unholy.
18 你們的祖先不是曾這樣行事，而使我們的天主，加給了我們和這城這一切災禍嗎﹖現今你們褻瀆安息日，還要義怒再多加在以色列人身上嗎﹖
Your ancestors did [RHQ] things like that, so God punished them, and as a result, this city was destroyed! And now by causing the Sabbath day to be unholy, you are going to cause God to be angry with us Israeli people [and punish us] more!”
19 所以在安息日前一天，陰影一來到耶路撒冷城門，我就下令關閉城門，不准開門，直到安息日過去；並派我的僕役守門，安息日不准任何重載運進。
So I ordered that at (the beginning of every Sabbath day/every Friday evening) they should shut the gates of the city before it became dark. I also ordered that they should not open the gates until (the Sabbath day was ended [the next day]/Saturday evening). Then [each Sabbath day] I put some of my men at the gates, so they would make sure that nothing to sell was brought into the city on that day.
20 有一兩次，販夫和賣各種貨物的商人，在耶路撒冷外過夜；
One or two times merchants [DOU] stayed outside of the city on (Friday night/[the night before the Sabbath day]).
21 我警告他們說：「你們為什麼在城垣前過夜﹖若是你們再這樣做，我就要向你們下手，」從此以後，安息日他們不敢再來。
I warned them, “It is useless [RHQ] for you to stay here outside the walls [on Friday night]! If you do this again, I will tell my men to arrest you!” So after that, they did not come on Sabbath days.
22 我也命令肋未人先聖潔自己，然後去看守城門，為聖化聖日。我的天主，為了這事，也請你記憶我! 照你的大仁慈憐恤我!
I also commanded the descendants of Levi to [perform the ritual to] purify themselves and to guard the city gates, to make sure that the Sabbath was kept holy [by not allowing merchants to enter it on Sabbath days]. My God, do not forget this also that I [have done for you]! And because of your faithfully loving me, allow me to continue to live [many more years]!
23 那時，我還發見好些猶太人，娶了阿市多得、阿孟和摩阿布人的女子為妻。
During that time, I also found out that many of the Jewish men had married women from Ashdod [city], and from [the] Ammon and Moab [people-groups].
24 他們的兒子，有一半只會說阿市多得話，或這些民族的一種語言，而不會講猶太話。
The result was that half of their children spoke the language that people in Ashdod speak or some other language, and they didn’t know how to speak our language.
25 我遂責斥咒罵這樣的男人，其中一些我還打了他們，扯了他們的頭髮，叫他們指著天主起誓，向他們說：「你們不可再把你們的女兒，嫁給他們的兒子，也不可為你們的兒子並為你們自己，娶他們的女兒。
So I rebuked those men, and I [asked God to] curse them, and I beat them and pulled out [some of] their hair. Then I forced them to solemnly promise, knowing that God [MTY] was [listening], that they would never again marry foreigners, and never allow their children to marry foreigners.
26 以色列的君王撒羅滿，豈不是在這事上犯了罪嗎﹖在這樣多民族中，沒有一個相似他的君王，他又是天主所愛的，天主使他成為全以色列的君王，但是外方女子竟引他犯了罪。
[I said to them], “Solomon, the king of Israel, sinned [RHQ] as a result of [marrying] foreign women. He was greater than any of the kings of other nations. God loved him, and caused him to become the king of all the Israeli people, but his foreign wives caused even him to sin.
27 我們豈能任憑你們行這一切大壞事，娶外方婦女，背棄天主嗎﹖」
[Do you think that] we should do what you have done, and disobey our God by marrying foreign women [who worship idols]? [RHQ]”
28 大司祭厄肋雅史布的兒子約雅達，有個兒子是曷龍人桑巴拉特的女婿，我便驅逐他離開我。
One of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the Supreme Priest, had married the daughter of [our enemy] Sanballat, from Beth-Horon [town]. So I forced Jehoiada’s son to leave Jerusalem.
29 我的天主，請記住他們! 因為他們褻瀆了司祭和肋未的誓約。
My God, do not forget that those people [who have married foreign women] have caused it to be a shame/disgrace to be a priest, and have caused people to despise the agreement that you made with the priests and with the [other] descendants of Levi [who help the priests])!
30 如此我清除了一切異類，整頓了司祭和肋未人職守，規定了各人應盡的職務，
I did all that to make sure that there were no more foreign people among the [Israeli] people [who would encourage them to worship idols]. I also established regulations for the priests and [other] descendants of Levi, in order that they would know what work they should do.
31 劃定了奉獻木柴和什一之物的時期。我的天主! 求你記憶我，使我蒙福!
I also arranged for people to bring the firewood [that was needed to burn on the altar, as Moses had declared] that we should [do]. I also arranged for the people to bring the first part of what they harvested [each year]. My God, do not forget [that] I [have done all these things], and bless me [for doing them]!
