尼希米記 4
1 桑巴拉特一聽說我們重修城垣，就大發忿怒，十分生氣，譏諷猶太人，
But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and was very indignant, and mocked the Jews.
2 向他們的同僚即撒瑪黎雅的軍隊說：「這些可憐的猶太人想作什麼﹖他們想要修築城垣嗎﹖想要獻祭嗎﹖想要在一天內完成嗎﹖想從那堆灰土中，在立起那些燒過的石頭來嗎﹖」
He spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, since they are burnt?”
3 阿孟託人托彼雅也在旁說到：「讓他們修罷! 就是上去一隻野狗，也能推翻他們修了石牆。」
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, “What they are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall.”
4 我們的天主，請聽! 我們是怎樣受侮辱! 請把這辱罵歸到他們的頭上，使他們在流亡之地受迫害。
“Hear, our God, for we are despised. Turn back their reproach on their own head. Give them up for a plunder in a land of captivity.
5 不要遮掩他們的罪行，他們的罪孽也不應從你面前抹去，因為他們實在侮辱了修建的人。
Don’t cover their iniquity. Don’t let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders.”
6 我們仍繼續修建城牆，把整個城牆都聯結起來，高底已到一半，因為民眾都有心火工作。
So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
7 當桑巴拉特和托彼雅，以及阿剌伯人、阿孟人和阿市多得人，聽說耶路撒冷城垣正在進行修建中，缺口已開始修補，就大發忿怒，
But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be filled, they were very angry;
8 都聯合起來，圖謀來攻打耶路撒冷，擾亂我們。
and they all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion amongst us.
9 我們一面祈求我們的天主，一面派了衛隊，日夜防守。
But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night because of them.
10 有一個猶太人說︰「運夫的力量已耗盡，積土又太多，我們不能再修建城牆了! 」
Judah said, “The strength of the bearers of burdens is fading and there is much rubble, so that we are not able to build the wall.”
11 我們的仇敵已議決說：「不讓他們知道，不讓他們看出，我們直衝入他們中間，將他們殺掉，停止那工程。」
Our adversaries said, “They will not know or see, until we come in amongst them and kill them, and cause the work to cease.”
12 那時，有些靠近他們居住的猶太人，十次前來通知我們說︰「他們由所住的各方上來，攻打我們，
When the Jews who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13 已在城牆下低處的田野中安了營。」我就按照家族分派了人，帶上刀槍和弓。
Therefore I set guards in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places. I set the people by family groups with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14 我巡視之後，就起來對權貴、長官和其餘的人民說︰「對他們，你們不可畏縮! 要記住吾主是偉大而可畏的：應為你們的兄弟、兒女、妻子、家庭而作戰。」
I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them! Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
15 我們的敵人一聽說我們得了情報，同時天主也破壞了他們的陰謀，他們遂都撤退；我們也都回到城牆那裏，各返自己的工作崗位。
When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work.
16 從那天起，我的僕人一半做工，一半佩帶著刀、矛盾、弓和鎧甲，立在全猶大家後邊，
From that time forth, half of my servants did the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
17 即在城牆作工的人後邊。那些搬運的人，也都武裝起來︰一手作工，一手拿著武器；
Those who built the wall, and those who bore burdens loaded themselves; everyone with one of his hands did the work, and with the other held his weapon.
18 修牆的工人，每人腰間都配著刀工作。吹號筒的站在我身旁。
Amongst the builders, everyone wore his sword at his side, and so built. He who sounded the shofar was by me.
19 我向權貴、長官和其餘的人民說︰「這工程範圍很大，我們在城牆上彼此分離甚遠，
I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread out, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another.
20 所以你們無論在什麼地方，一聽到號聲，就立時聚集在我們身旁；我們的天主必為我們戰爭。」
Wherever you hear the sound of the shofar, rally there to us. Our God will fight for us.”
21 我們便這樣繼續工作，由旭日初昇，直到星辰出現。
So we did the work. Half of the people held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.
22 同時我又吩咐民眾說：「每人和他的僕人，應在耶路撒冷過夜。如此在夜間可為我們守衛，白天可以工作。」
Likewise at the same time I said to the people, “Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labour in the day.”
23 至於我和我的兄弟，以及我的僕人和跟隨我、護衛我的人，沒有一人脫過衣服，各人手中常拿著武器。
So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water.
