列王纪上 20
1 亚兰王便·哈达聚集他的全军，率领三十二个王，带着车马上来围攻撒马利亚；
Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, gathered all his army, and he persuaded 32 other kings to join him with their armies and horses and chariots. They marched to Samaria [city, the capital of Israel], and surrounded it, and [prepared to] attack it.
2 又差遣使者进城见以色列王亚哈，对他说：“便·哈达如此说：
Ben-Hadad sent messengers into the city to King Ahab, to say this to him: “This is what King Ben-Hadad says:
3 你的金银都要归我，你妻子儿女中最美的也要归我。”
‘[You must give to] me all your silver and gold, your (good-looking/most beautiful) wives/women and strongest children.’”
4 以色列王回答说：“我主我王啊，可以依着你的话，我与我所有的都归你。”
The king of Israel replied to them, “Tell this to King Ben-Hadad: ‘I agree to do what you requested. You can have me and everything that I own.’”
5 使者又来说：“便·哈达如此说：我已差遣人去见你，要你将你的金银、妻子、儿女都给我。
[The messengers told that to] Ben-Hadad, and he [sent them back with] another message: “I sent a message to you saying that you must give me all your silver and gold and your wives and your children.
6 但明日约在这时候，我还要差遣臣仆到你那里，搜查你的家和你仆人的家，将你眼中一切所喜爱的都拿了去。”
But [in addition to that], about this time tomorrow, I will send some of my officials to search your palace and the houses of your officials, and to bring to me everything that pleases them.”
7 以色列王召了国中的长老来，对他们说：“请你们看看，这人是怎样地谋害我，他先差遣人到我这里来，要我的妻子、儿女，和金银，我并没有推辞他。”
King Ahab summoned all the leaders of Israel, and said to them, “You can see/realize for yourselves that this man is trying to cause much trouble. He sent me a message insisting that I must give him my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, and I agreed to do that.”
8 长老和百姓对王说：“不要听从他，也不要应允他。”
The leaders and all the other people said to him, “Do not pay any attention to him! Do not do what he is requesting!”
9 故此，以色列王对便·哈达的使者说：“你们告诉我主我王说：王头一次差遣人向仆人所要的，仆人都依从；但这次所要的，我不能依从。”使者就去回复便·哈达。
So Ahab said to Ben-Hadad’s messengers, “Tell the king that I agree to give him the things that he first requested, but I do not agree to allow his officials to take anything that they want from my palace and from the houses of my officials.” So the messengers [reported that to King Ben-Hadad, and they] returned with another message from Ben-Hadad.
10 便·哈达又差遣人去见亚哈说：“撒马利亚的尘土若够跟从我的人每人捧一捧的，愿神明重重地降罚与我！”
In that message he said, “[We will destroy] your city [completely, with the result that] there will not be enough dust and rubble left for each of my soldiers to have one handful! I hope/wish that the gods will strike me dead if we do not do that!”
11 以色列王说：“你告诉他说，才顶盔贯甲的，休要像摘盔卸甲的夸口。”
King Ahab replied [to the messengers], “Tell King Ben-Hadad that a soldier who is putting on his armor [preparing to fight a battle] [MTY] should not boast at that time; he [should wait until] after he wins the battle.”
12 便·哈达和诸王正在帐幕里喝酒，听见这话，就对他臣仆说：“摆队吧！”他们就摆队攻城。
Ben-Hadad heard that message while he and the other rulers were drinking [wine] in their temporary shelters. He told his men to prepare to attack [MTY] the city. So his men did that.
13 有一个先知来见以色列王亚哈，说：“耶和华如此说：‘这一大群人你看见了吗？今日我必将他们交在你手里，你就知道我是耶和华。’”
At that moment, a prophet came to King Ahab and said to him, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘[Do not be at all afraid of] [RHQ] the large enemy army that you see! I will enable your army to defeat them today, and you will know that it is I, Yahweh, [who have the power to do what I say that I will do].’”
14 亚哈说：“借着谁呢？”他回答说：“耶和华说，借着跟从省长的少年人。”亚哈说：“要谁率领呢？”他说：“要你亲自率领。”
Ahab asked, “What group [of our army] will defeat them?” The prophet replied, “The young soldiers who are commanded by the district governors will do it.” The king asked, “Who should lead the attack?” The prophet replied, “You should!”
15 于是亚哈数点跟从省长的少年人，共有二百三十二名，后又数点以色列的众兵，共有七千名。
So Ahab gathered the young soldiers who were commanded by the district governors. There were 232 of those men. Then he also summoned all the Israeli army. There were [only] 7,000 soldiers.
16 午间，他们就出城；便·哈达和帮助他的三十二个王正在帐幕里痛饮。
They started to attack at noon, while Ben-Hadad and the other rulers were getting drunk in their temporary shelters.
17 跟从省长的少年人先出城；便·哈达差遣人去探望，他们回报说：“有人从撒马利亚出来了。”
The young soldiers advanced first. Some scouts who had been sent out by Ben-Hadad reported to him, “There are men coming out of Samaria [city]”!
18 他说：“他们若为讲和出来，要活捉他们；若为打仗出来，也要活捉他们。”
He said, “It does not matter whether they are coming to fight against us or to ask for peace. Capture them, but do not kill them
19 跟从省长的少年人出城，军兵跟随他们；
The young Israeli soldiers went out of the city to attack [the Syrian army], and the other soldiers in the Israeli army followed them.
20 各人遇见敌人就杀。亚兰人逃跑，以色列人追赶他们；亚兰王便·哈达骑着马和马兵一同逃跑。
Each [Israeli soldier] killed a [Syrian] soldier. The rest of the Syrian army then ran away, and the Israeli soldiers pursued them. But King Ben-Hadad escaped riding his horse, along with some other men riding horses.
21 以色列王出城攻打车马，大大击杀亚兰人。
Then the king of Israel went out [of the city], and he and his soldiers captured [all] the [other Syrian] horses and chariots, and also killed a large number of Syrian soldiers.
22 那先知来见以色列王，对他说：“你当自强，留心怎样防备；因为到明年这时候，亚兰王必上来攻击你。”
Then that same prophet went to King Ahab and said to him, “Go back and prepare your soldiers, and think carefully about what will be necessary for you to do, because the king of Syria with attack with his army again in the springtime of next year.”
23 亚兰王的臣仆对亚兰王说：“以色列人的神是山神，所以他们胜过我们；但在平原与他们打仗，我们必定得胜。
[After the Syrian army was defeated, ] Ben-Hadad’s officials said to him, “The gods that the Israelis [worship] are gods [who live] in the hills. [Samaria is built on a hill, and] that is why their soldiers were able to defeat us. But if we fight against them in the plains/lowlands, we certainly will be able to defeat them.
24 王当这样行：把诸王革去，派军长代替他们，
So, this is what you should do: You must remove the 32 kings [who are leading your troops] and replace them with army commanders.
25 又照着王丧失军兵之数，再招募一军，马补马，车补车，我们在平原与他们打仗，必定得胜。”王便听臣仆的话去行。
Then gather an army like the army that was defeated. Gather an army that has as many horses and chariots as the first army had. Then we will fight the Israelis in the plains/lowlands, and we will surely defeat them.” Ben-Hadad agreed with them, and he did what they suggested.
26 次年，便·哈达果然点齐亚兰人上亚弗去，要与以色列人打仗。
In the spring of the following year, he gathered his soldiers and marched [with them] to Aphek [city east of Galilee Lake], to fight against the Israeli army.
27 以色列人也点齐军兵，预备食物，迎着亚兰人出去，对着他们安营，好像两小群山羊羔；亚兰人却满了地面。
The Israeli army was also gathered together, and they were equipped with the things that they needed [for the battle]. Then they marched out and formed two groups facing the Syrian army. Their army was very small; they resembled two small flocks of goats, whereas the Syrian army [was very large and] spread all over the countryside.
28 有神人来见以色列王，说：“耶和华如此说：‘亚兰人既说我—耶和华是山神，不是平原的神，所以我必将这一大群人都交在你手中，你们就知道我是耶和华。’”
A prophet came to King Ahab and said to him, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘The Syrians say that I am a god who lives in the hills, and that I am not a god who lives in the valleys. So I will [show that they are wrong by] enabling your men to defeat this huge army [IDM] [in the valley], and you will know that I, Yahweh, [have done it].’”
29 以色列人与亚兰人相对安营七日，到第七日两军交战；那一日以色列人杀了亚兰人步兵十万，
The two armies stayed in their tents for seven days, in groups that faced each other. Then, on the seventh day, they started fighting. The Israeli army killed 100,000 Syrian soldiers.
30 其余的逃入亚弗城；城墙塌倒，压死剩下的二万七千人。 便·哈达也逃入城，藏在严密的屋子里。
The other Syrian soldiers ran away into Aphek City. Then the wall of the city collapsed and killed 27,000 more Syrian soldiers. Ben-Hadad also escaped into the city, and hid in the back room of a house.
31 他的臣仆对他说：“我们听说以色列王都是仁慈的王，现在我们不如腰束麻布，头套绳索，出去投降以色列王，或者他存留王的性命。”
His officials went to him and said, “We have heard a report that the Israelis act mercifully. So allow us to go to the king of Israel, wearing coarse sacks around our waists and ropes on our heads/necks [to indicate that we will be his slaves]. Perhaps [if we do that, ] he will allow you to remain alive.”
32 于是他们腰束麻布，头套绳索，去见以色列王，说：“王的仆人便·哈达说，求王存留我的性命。”亚哈说：“他还活着吗？他是我的兄弟。”
[The king permitted them to do that, ] so they wrapped coarse sacks around their waists and put ropes on their heads/necks, and they went to the king of Israel and said to him, “Ben-Hadad, who greatly respects you, says, ‘Please do not kill me.’” Ahab replied, “Is he still alive? He is like a brother to me!”
33 这些人留心探出他的口气来，便急忙就着他的话说：“便·哈达是王的兄弟！”王说：“你们去请他来。”便·哈达出来见王，王就请他上车。
Ben-Hadad’s officials were trying to find out if Ahab would act mercifully, and when Ahab said “brother,” they (were optimistic/thought that Ahab would be merciful). So they replied, “Yes, he is like your brother!” Ahab said, “Go and bring him to me.” So they [went and] brought Ben-Hadad to him. [When Ben-Hadad arrived, ] Ahab told him to get in his chariot [and sit with him].
34 便·哈达对王说：“我父从你父那里所夺的城邑，我必归还。你可以在大马士革立街市，像我父在撒马利亚所立的一样。”亚哈说：“我照此立约，放你回去”，就与他立约，放他去了。
Ben-Hadad said to him, “I will give back to you the towns that my father’s army took from your father. And I will allow you to set up market areas for your merchants in Damascus [my capital], just as my father did in Samaria [your capital].” Ahab replied, “Because you agree to do that, I will not execute you.” So Ahab made an agreement with Ben-Hadad, and allowed him to go home.
35 有先知的一个门徒奉耶和华的命对他的同伴说：“你打我吧！”那人不肯打他。
Then Yahweh spoke to a member of a group of prophets and said to him, “Ask one of your fellow prophets to strike and wound you.” [So he did what Yahweh told him to do]. [He said to one of his fellow prophets, ‘Strike me and wound me].’ But that man refused to do it.
36 他就对那人说：“你既不听从耶和华的话，你一离开我，必有狮子咬死你。”那人一离开他，果然遇见狮子，把他咬死了。
So the prophet said to him, “Because you refused to obey what Yahweh told you to do, a lion will kill you as soon as you leave me.” And as soon as he left that prophet, a lion suddenly pounced on him and killed him.
37 先知的门徒又遇见一个人，对他说：“你打我吧！”那人就打他，将他打伤。
Then the prophet found another prophet, and said to him, “Strike me!” So that man hit him [very hard] and injured him.
38 他就去了，用头巾蒙眼，改换面目，在路旁等候王。
Then the prophet put a large bandage/cloth over his face so that no one would recognize him. Then he went and stood alongside the road, waiting for the king to come by.
39 王从那里经过，他向王呼叫说：“仆人在阵上的时候，有人带了一个人来，对我说：‘你看守这人，若把他失了，你的性命必代替他的性命；不然，你必交出一他连得银子来。’
When the king passed by, the prophet cried out to him, saying “Your majesty, [after I was wounded] while I was fighting in a battle, a soldier brought to me one of our enemies that he had captured, and said to me, ‘Guard this man! If he escapes, you must pay me 3,000 pieces of silver, and if you do not pay that, you will be executed!’
40 仆人正在忙乱之间，那人就不见了。”以色列王对他说：“你自己定妥了，必照样判断你。”
But while I was busy doing other things, the man escaped!” The king of Israel said to him, “That is your problem! You yourself have said that you deserve to be punished.”
41 他急忙除掉蒙眼的头巾，以色列王就认出他是一个先知。
The prophet immediately took off the bandage, and the king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets.
42 他对王说：“耶和华如此说：‘因你将我定要灭绝的人放去，你的命就必代替他的命，你的民也必代替他的民。’”
And the prophet said to him, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘You have allowed that man [Ben-Hadad] to escape after I commanded you to be sure to execute him! Since you did not do that, you will be killed instead. And your army will be destroyed because you allowed [some of] his army to escape!’”
43 于是以色列王闷闷不乐地回到撒马利亚，进了他的宫。
The king went back home to Samaria, very angry and depressed/dejected.
