撒母耳記下 12
1 耶和華差遣拿單去見大衛。拿單到了大衛那裏，對他說：「在一座城裏有兩個人：一個是富戶，一個是窮人。
The Lord sent Nathan to see David. When he got there, he said, “Once there were two men living in the same town. One was rich, and one was poor.
2 富戶有許多牛群羊群；
The rich man had many thousands of sheep and cattle,
3 窮人除了所買來養活的一隻小母羊羔之外，別無所有。羊羔在他家裏和他兒女一同長大，吃他所吃的，喝他所喝的，睡在他懷中，在他看來如同女兒一樣。
but the poor man didn't have anything but one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He cared for it, and it grew up with him and his children. It would eat from his plate and drank from his cup. It slept on his lap and was like a daughter to him.
4 有一客人來到這富戶家裏；富戶捨不得從自己的牛群羊群中取一隻預備給客人吃，卻取了那窮人的羊羔，預備給客人吃。」
One day the rich man had a visitor. He didn't want to take one of his own sheep or cattle to feed his visitor. He took the poor man's lamb instead to prepare a meal for his visitor.”
5 大衛就甚惱怒那人，對拿單說：「我指着永生的耶和華起誓，行這事的人該死！
David became absolutely furious with what that man did, and angrily told Nathan. “As the Lord lives, the man who did this should be put to death!
6 他必償還羊羔四倍；因為他行這事，沒有憐恤的心。」
He must repay that lamb with four of his own for doing this, for being so heartless.”
7 拿單對大衛說：「你就是那人！耶和華－以色列的上帝如此說：『我膏你作以色列的王，救你脫離掃羅的手。
“You are that man!” Nathan told David. “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel, and I saved you from Saul.
8 我將你主人的家業賜給你，將你主人的妻交在你懷裏，又將以色列和猶大家賜給你；你若還以為不足，我早就加倍地賜給你。
I gave your master's house to you and placed your master's wives in your lap. I gave you the kingdom of Israel and Judah, and if that hadn't been enough, I would have given you so much more.
9 你為甚麼藐視耶和華的命令，行他眼中看為惡的事呢？你借亞捫人的刀殺害赫人烏利亞，又娶了他的妻為妻。
So why have you treated what Lord said with contempt by doing evil in his sight? You killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword and stole his wife—you killed him using the sword of the Ammonites.
10 你既藐視我，娶了赫人烏利亞的妻為妻，所以刀劍必永不離開你的家。』
So your descendants will always face the sword that kills because you treated me with contempt and stole Uriah's wife.
11 耶和華如此說：『我必從你家中興起禍患攻擊你；我必在你眼前把你的妃嬪賜給別人，他在日光之下就與她們同寢。
This is what the Lord says: I'm going to bring disaster in you from your own family. I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to someone else, and he will sleep openly with your wives where everyone can see.
12 你在暗中行這事，我卻要在以色列眾人面前，日光之下，報應你。』」
You did it all in secret, but I will do it openly where everyone in all of Israel can see.”
13 大衛對拿單說：「我得罪耶和華了！」拿單說：「耶和華已經除掉你的罪，你必不至於死。
David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” “The Lord has forgiven your sins. You're not going to die,” Nathan replied.
14 只是你行這事，叫耶和華的仇敵大得褻瀆的機會，故此，你所得的孩子必定要死。」
“But because by doing this you have treated the Lord with complete contempt, the son you have will die.”
15 拿單就回家去了。 耶和華擊打烏利亞妻給大衛所生的孩子，使他得重病。
Then Nathan went home. The Lord made the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David become very sick.
16 所以大衛為這孩子懇求上帝，而且禁食，進入內室，終夜躺在地上。
David pleaded with God on behalf of the boy. He fasted, went to his bedroom, and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground.
17 他家中的老臣來到他旁邊，要把他從地上扶起來，他卻不肯起來，也不同他們吃飯。
His senior officials approached him and tried to help him up from the ground, but he didn't want to, and he refused their appeals to eat.
18 到第七日，孩子死了。大衛的臣僕不敢告訴他孩子死了，因他們說：「孩子還活着的時候，我們勸他，他尚且不肯聽我們的話，若告訴他孩子死了，豈不更加憂傷嗎？」
On the seventh day the child died. But David's officials were scared to tell him that the child was dead, for they said to each other, “Look, while the child was still alive, we talked with him, and he refused to listen to us. How on earth can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something really bad!”
19 大衛見臣僕彼此低聲說話，就知道孩子死了，問臣僕說：「孩子死了嗎？」他們說：「死了。」
But David saw his officials were whispering among themselves, he realized that the child was dead. So he asked his officials, “Did the child die?” “Yes, he died,” they replied.
20 大衛就從地上起來，沐浴，抹膏，換了衣裳，進耶和華的殿敬拜；然後回宮，吩咐人擺飯，他便吃了。
David got up from the ground, washed and put on scented oils, and changed his clothes. Then he went to the house of the Lord and worshiped. Afterwards he went back home, and asked for some food. So they served him a meal which he ate.
21 臣僕問他說：「你所行的是甚麼意思？孩子活着的時候，你禁食哭泣；孩子死了，你倒起來吃飯。」
“Why are you acting like this?” his officials asked him. “While the child was still alive, you fasted and cried aloud, but now that he's dead, you get up and eat.”
22 大衛說：「孩子還活着，我禁食哭泣；因為我想，或者耶和華憐恤我，使孩子不死也未可知。
David replied, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and cried aloud, for I thought to myself, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will be gracious to me and let him live.’
23 孩子死了，我何必禁食，我豈能使他返回呢？我必往他那裏去，他卻不能回我這裏來。」
But now that he's dead, what's the point for me to go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? One day I will die and go to him, but he will never come back to me.”
24 大衛安慰他的妻拔示巴，與她同寢，她就生了兒子，給他起名叫所羅門。耶和華也喜愛他，
David consoled his wife Bathsheba, and he made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child,
25 就藉先知拿單賜他一個名字，叫耶底底亞，因為耶和華愛他。
so he sent a message through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah, because the Lord loved him.
26 約押攻取亞捫人的京城拉巴。
At this time Joab had been fighting against the Ammonite town of Rabbah, and had captured the royal fortress.
27 約押打發使者去見大衛，說：「我攻打拉巴，取其水城。
Joab sent messengers to David to tell him, “I have attacked Rabbah and I have also captured its water supply.
28 現在你要聚集其餘的軍兵來，安營圍攻這城，恐怕我取了這城，人就以我的名叫這城。」
So please call up the rest of the army, besiege the town, and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city, and I will get the credit.”
29 於是大衛聚集眾軍，往拉巴去攻城，就取了這城，
So David called up the rest of the army and marched on Rabbah. He attacked it and captured it.
30 奪了亞捫人之王所戴的金冠冕，其上的金子重一他連得，又嵌着寶石。人將這冠冕戴在大衛頭上。大衛從城裏奪了許多財物，
He took the crown from the head of their king, and it was placed on David's head. It weighed a talent of gold and was decorated with precious stones. David took a large amount of plunder from the town.
31 將城裏的人拉出來，放在鋸下，或鐵耙下，或鐵斧下，或叫他經過磚窯；大衛待亞捫各城的居民都是如此。其後，大衛和眾軍都回耶路撒冷去了。
David took the inhabitants and forced them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes, and he also made them work making bricks. He did the same in all the Ammonite towns. Then David and the whole Israelite army returned to Jerusalem.
