尼希米記 9
1 同月二十四日，以色列子民都聚集起來，守齋禁食，穿粗毛衣，頭上頂著灰土。
Now in the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, with sackcloth, and dirt on them.
2 以色列的苗裔，同一切外方人的子孫分開之後，便站起來，坦白承認自己的罪過。和祖先的罪惡。
The offspring of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
3 他們各站在自己的地方，三小時之久，誦讀他們天主的法律書；又三小時之久，承認了自己的罪過，跪拜了上主，他們的天主。
They stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of Yahweh their God a fourth part of the day; and a fourth part they confessed and worshiped Yahweh their God.
4 肋未人耶叔亞、彼奴依、卡德米耳、舍巴尼雅、步尼、舍勒彼雅、巴尼、和革納尼，站在高處，大聲呼號上主，他們的天主。
Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani of the Levites stood up on the stairs, and cried with a loud voice to Yahweh their God.
5 隨後肋未人耶叔亞、卡德米耳、巴尼、哈沙彼雅、曷狄雅、舍巴尼雅、培塔希雅說道：「起來! 你們應讚頌上主我們的天主，從永遠直到永遠! 」眾人便讚頌他光榮的聖名，因此名遠超一切稱頌和讚美。
Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless Yahweh your God from everlasting to everlasting! Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 厄斯德拉祈禱說：「唯獨你是上主，是你創造了天，天上的天，和天上的一切軍旅，地和地上的一切，海和海中的一切，是你使一切生存；天上的軍旅常在你前跪拜。
You are Yahweh, even you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their army, the earth and all things that are on it, the seas and all that is in them, and you preserve them all. The army of heaven worships you.
7 上主，你就是那揀選亞巴郎，領他離開加色丁烏爾，給他起名叫阿貝辣罕的天主。
You are Yahweh, the God who chose Abram, brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, gave him the name of Abraham,
8 你見他的心對你忠實，就與他立約，把客納罕人、赫特人、阿摩黎人、培黎齊人、耶步斯人和基爾加士人的土地，賜給了他的後裔；你履行了你的諾言，因為你是正義的。
found his heart faithful before you, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, to give it to his offspring, and have performed your words, for you are righteous.
9 你垂顧了我們祖先在埃及的困苦，俯聽了他們在紅海旁的呼聲，
“You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heard their cry by the Red Sea,
10 遂對法郎和他所有的臣僕，以及他國內所有的民眾，行了奇蹟異能，因為你知道，他們怎樣任性傲慢地，對待了我們的祖先，因而你獲得了大名，直至今日。
and showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants, and against all the people of his land, for you knew that they dealt proudly against them, and made a name for yourself, as it is today.
11 你在我們祖先面前，分開了海，使他們在海中乾地路過，卻把追趕他們的人，拋入深淵，有如把一塊石頭拋入怒潮。
You divided the sea before them, so that they went through the middle of the sea on the dry land; and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters.
12 日間你用雲柱領導，夜間你用火柱光照他們所走的路。
Moreover, in a pillar of cloud you led them by day; and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light in the way in which they should go.
13 你降臨西乃山上，從天上向他們施救，賜給了他們公正的條例、真理的法律、美好的規矩及誡命；
“You also came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments,
14 你令他們知道，你神聖的安息日，藉著你的僕人梅瑟，向他們頒佈了規矩、誡命和法律。
and made known to them your holy Sabbath, and commanded them commandments, statutes, and a law, by Moses your servant,
15 你從天上賜下食物，給他們充飢；使岩石中流出清泉，給他們解渴；命令他們去佔領，。你曾舉手誓許賜與他們的土地。
and gave them bread from the sky for their hunger, and brought water out of the rock for them for their thirst, and commanded them that they should go in to possess the land which you had sworn to give them.
16 但是他們，我們的祖先，任性妄為，硬著脖子，不肯聽從你的命令。
“But they and our fathers behaved proudly, hardened their neck, didn’t listen to your commandments,
17 他們拒絕聽命，忘卻了你在他們中間所行的奇蹟，硬著脖子，立了首領，要回到埃及去當奴隸。但你是寬大為懷，仁愛慈悲，緩於忿怒，富於慈愛的天主，並未拋棄他們；
and refused to obey. They weren’t mindful of your wonders that you did among them, but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage. But you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and didn’t forsake them.
18 甚至連他們鑄了一個牛犢說：「這是領你出埃及的天主! 」犯了褻瀆的大罪時，
Yes, when they had made themselves a molded calf, and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed awful blasphemies,
19 你因你無限的仁慈，也沒有將他們拋棄在曠野中；日間在路上領導他們的雲柱，夜間為他們光照道路的火柱，仍沒有離開他們。
yet you in your manifold mercies didn’t forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud didn’t depart from over them by day, to lead them in the way; neither did the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way in which they should go.
20 你賜下你溫和的風，使他們甦醒，並沒有將「瑪納」扣住，不給他們充飢，仍賜下了水為他們解渴。
You gave also your good Spirit to instruct them, and didn’t withhold your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.
21 四十年之久，你在曠野照顧他們，使他們一無所缺；他們的衣服沒有穿破，他們的腳也沒有腫脹。
“Yes, forty years you sustained them in the wilderness. They lacked nothing. Their clothes didn’t grow old, and their feet didn’t swell.
22 你將各國和眾民交給了他們，將各個角落分給了他們，他們遂佔領了赫市朋王息紅，和巴商王敖格的土地。
Moreover you gave them kingdoms and peoples, which you allotted according to their portions. So they possessed the land of Sihon, even the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.
23 你使他們的子孫繁衍，有如天上的繁星，領他們道你誓許與他們的祖先，要去佔領的土地，
You also multiplied their children as the stars of the sky, and brought them into the land concerning which you said to their fathers that they should go in to possess it.
24 他們的子孫便去佔領了那地方；你使那地方的居民客納罕人，屈服在他們面前，將他們的君王和地方上的人民，交在他們的手中，任他們隨意處置。
“So the children went in and possessed the land; and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hands, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they pleased.
25 他們攻取了堅固的城池，和肥沃的土地，奪得了滿藏寶物的房舍、掘好的井、葡萄園、橄欖園和豐富的果林；他們都吃得飽滿，身體肥胖，安逸享樂，這都是因你無量的慈善。
They took fortified cities and a rich land, and possessed houses full of all good things, cisterns dug out, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate, were filled, became fat, and delighted themselves in your great goodness.
26 但是，他們竟抗命背叛了你，將你的法律置諸背後，殺了那些警戒他們，勸他們歸順於你的先知；他們竟犯了這褻瀆的大罪，
“Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against you, cast your law behind their back, killed your prophets that testified against them to turn them again to you, and they committed awful blasphemies.
27 因此你把他們交在仇人的手中，受人迫害。他們遭遇迫害時，一呼求你，你就由天上俯聽了他們，照你無限的仁慈，打發救援者，由仇人手中救出他們；
Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them. In the time of their trouble, when they cried to you, you heard from heaven; and according to your manifold mercies you gave them saviors who saved them out of the hands of their adversaries.
28 然而他們一享平安，便又去做惡背叛你，因此你又把他們拋在他們敵人手中，受他們的管轄；幾時他們再回心轉意呼號你，你就再由天上俯聽他們，照你無限的仁慈拯救他們。
But after they had rest, they did evil again before you; therefore you left them in the hands of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them; yet when they returned and cried to you, you heard from heaven; and many times you delivered them according to your mercies,
29 你曾警告他們轉向你的法律，但是他們仍恣意妄行，不聽從你的命令，違反你的典章，－人若遵行，必因此而生活，－扭轉倔強的肩膀，硬著脖子，不願服從。
and testified against them, that you might bring them again to your law. Yet they were arrogant, and didn’t listen to your commandments, but sinned against your ordinances (which if a man does, he shall live in them), turned their backs, stiffened their neck, and would not hear.
30 你多年來容忍他們，藉先知和以你的精神，警戒他們，但他們仍不聽從，所以你將他們交在異方人民手中。
Yet many years you put up with them, and testified against them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not listen. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
31 但因你無限的仁慈，你沒有消滅他們，也沒有拋棄他們，因為你是博愛仁慈的天主。
“Nevertheless in your manifold mercies you didn’t make a full end of them, nor forsake them; for you are a gracious and merciful God.
32 現在，我們的天主! 遵守信約，保持仁愛，偉大、全能和可畏的天主! 請不要把我們、我們的君王、我們的首長、我們的司祭、我們的先知、我們的祖先和你的全民眾，從亞述王時代直到今日所遭遇的一切迫害，看作小事。
Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness, don’t let all the travail seem little before you that has come on us, on our kings, on our princes, on our priests, on our prophets, on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.
33 你使這一切降在我們身上，是公義的，因為你所行的是忠義，而我們所行的是邪惡。
However you are just in all that has come on us; for you have dealt truly, but we have done wickedly.
34 我們的君王、我們的首領、我們的司祭和我們的祖先，實在都沒有遵行你的法律，也沒有聽從你的命令和你警戒他們的勸告。
Also our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law, nor listened to your commandments and your testimonies with which you testified against them.
35 他們在你賜給他們的國土上和許多幸福中，在你擺在他們面前的廣大而肥沃的土地上，並沒有侍奉你，也沒有放棄他們的惡行。
For they have not served you in their kingdom, and in your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land which you gave before them. They didn’t turn from their wicked works.
36 我們今天竟成了奴隸! 看，我們在你賞給我們祖先吃那裏的果實和出產的土地上，作了奴隸!
“Behold, we are servants today, and as for the land that you gave to our fathers to eat its fruit and its good, behold, we are servants in it.
37 為了我們的罪過，那豐富的出產歸於你派定來管轄我們的君王，他們隨意處置了我們的肉體和我們的牲畜；我們實在是處在極大的困苦中! 」
It yields much increase to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. Also they have power over our bodies and over our livestock, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.
38 鑑於這一切，我們立了盟約，也寫了出來；我們的族長、我們的肋未人和司祭，也在上面蓋了印。
Yet for all this, we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our Levites, and our priests, seal it.”
