< 以西結書 33 >
Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
2 「人子啊,你要告訴本國的子民說:我使刀劍臨到哪一國,那一國的民從他們中間選立一人為守望的。
“You human, speak to your fellow Israelis and say this to them: ‘When I bring an enemy army [MTY] to attack a country, and the people of that country choose one of their men and appoint him to be a watchman,
if he sees the enemy army [MTY] coming to attack his country, and he blows a trumpet to warn the people,
4 凡聽見角聲不受警戒的,刀劍若來除滅了他,他的罪就必歸到自己的頭上。
if anyone hears the trumpet and does not heed the warning, and as a result he is killed by the sword [of one of his enemies], he will be responsible for his own death [MTY].
5 他聽見角聲,不受警戒,他的罪必歸到自己的身上;他若受警戒,便是救了自己的性命。
If he had heeded the warning, he would have (have saved his life/still be alive). But because he heard the sound of the trumpet and did not heed that warning, his death will be his own fault.
6 倘若守望的人見刀劍臨到,不吹角,以致民不受警戒,刀劍來殺了他們中間的一個人,他雖然死在罪孽之中,我卻要向守望的人討他喪命的罪。
But if the watchman sees the enemy army [MTY] coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people, and one of his people is killed by an enemy sword, that person will die because of his sin, but I will consider that the watchman is responsible for that man’s death.’
7 「人子啊,我照樣立你作以色列家守望的人。所以你要聽我口中的話,替我警戒他們。
So, you human, I have appointed you to be a watchman for the Israeli people [MTY]. So always listen to what I say and warn the people for me.
8 我對惡人說:『惡人哪,你必要死!』你-以西結若不開口警戒惡人,使他離開所行的道,這惡人必死在罪孽之中,我卻要向你討他喪命的罪。
When I say to some wicked person, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die [because of your sins,’ you must tell him that]. If you do not speak to that person to warn him that he should turn away from his sins, that wicked person will die because of his sins, but I will say that you are responsible for his death [MTY].
9 倘若你警戒惡人轉離所行的道,他仍不轉離,他必死在罪孽之中,你卻救自己脫離了罪。」
But if you warn that wicked person that he should turn away from his sins, and he does not do that, he will die because of his sins, but you will have saved your life.
10 「人子啊,你要對以色列家說:『你們常說:我們的過犯罪惡在我們身上,我們必因此消滅,怎能存活呢?』
You human, say to the Israeli people, ‘This is what you all are saying: “[The guilt that we have for] disobeying God’s laws and sinning is like a heavy weight on us, and it is hurting us, and we are slowly dying. So what can we do to continue to remain alive?”’
11 你對他們說,主耶和華說:我指着我的永生起誓,我斷不喜悅惡人死亡,惟喜悅惡人轉離所行的道而活。以色列家啊,你們轉回,轉回吧!離開惡道,何必死亡呢?
Say to them, ‘Yahweh the Lord says, “As surely as I am alive, I am not happy when wicked people die; I would prefer that they turn away from their wicked behavior and continue to live. So repent! Turn away from your evil behavior! You Israeli people, do you really want to die [RHQ]?”’
12 人子啊,你要對本國的人民說:義人的義,在犯罪之日不能救他;至於惡人的惡,在他轉離惡行之日也不能使他傾倒;義人在犯罪之日也不能因他的義存活。
Therefore, you human, say to your fellow Israelis, ‘If righteous people start to disobey me, their being righteous previously will not save them [from being punished]. And if wicked people turn away from their wicked behavior, they will not die because of the sins that they committed [previously]. And if righteous people start to sin, they will not be allowed to remain alive because of their formerly being righteous.’
13 我對義人說:『你必定存活!』他若倚靠他的義而作罪孽,他所行的義都不被記念。他必因所作的罪孽死亡。
If I tell righteous people that they will surely remain alive, but then they trust/think that because they have been righteous previously, they can start to do evil [and not be punished], I will not think about the righteous things that they did previously; they will die because of the evil things that they are doing.
14 再者,我對惡人說:『你必定死亡!』他若轉離他的罪,行正直與合理的事:
And if I say to some wicked person, ‘You will surely die [because of your sins],’ that person may turn away from his sinful behavior and do what is just and right [DOU].
15 還人的當頭和所搶奪的,遵行生命的律例,不作罪孽,他必定存活,不致死亡。
For example, he may return what he took from another person to guarantee [that that person would pay back what he owes], or he may return things that he has stolen, and he may obey the laws that will enable [those who obey them] to remain alive, and he will not continue to do evil things. If that happens, he will surely remain alive; he will not die [because of the sins that he committed previously].
16 他所犯的一切罪必不被記念。他行了正直與合理的事,必定存活。
I will not think about the sins that he has committed; he will surely remain alive.
17 「你本國的子民還說:『主的道不公平。』其實他們的道不公平。
Your fellow Israelis say, ‘What Yahweh does is not fair.’ But it is your behavior that is not fair.
If a righteous person turns away from doing what is righteous and starts to do what is evil, [it is fair that] he die because of his sins.
19 惡人轉離他的惡,行正直與合理的事,就必因此存活。
And if a wicked person turns away from his wicked behavior and does what is right and fair [DOU], [it is fair] for him to remain alive because of doing that.
20 你們還說:『主的道不公平。』以色列家啊,我必按你們各人所行的審判你們。」
But you Israeli people still say, ‘What Yahweh does is not fair.’ But I will judge each of you for what you do.”
21 我們被擄之後十二年十月初五日,有人從耶路撒冷逃到我這裏,說:「城已攻破。」
Almost twelve years [after we had been taken to Babylonia], on the fifth day of the tenth month [of that year], a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me [in Babylon] and said, “Jerusalem has been captured!”
22 逃來的人未到前一日的晚上,耶和華的靈降在我身上,開我的口。到第二日早晨,那人來到我這裏,我口就開了,不再緘默。
The evening before that man arrived, Yahweh took control [MTY] of me, and when that man arrived, Yahweh enabled me to speak again; I was no longer forced to be silent.
Then Yahweh gave a message to me. He said,
24 「人子啊,住在以色列荒廢之地的人說:『亞伯拉罕獨自一人能得這地為業,我們人數眾多,這地更是給我們為業的。』
“You human, the people who are living in the ruins in Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one person, but Yahweh [promised him that he and his descendants] would possess this land. But we are many; so surely this land has been given to us [by Yahweh] to continue to possess.’
25 所以你要對他們說,主耶和華如此說:你們吃帶血的物,仰望偶像,並且殺人流血,你們還能得這地為業嗎?
So send a message to them. Say, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: You eat meat that still has the animal’s blood in it. You still worship idols. And you still murder others [MTY]. So, (should this land belong to you?/this land should certainly not belong to you!) [RHQ]
26 你們倚仗自己的刀劍行可憎的事,人人玷污鄰舍的妻,你們還能得這地為業嗎?
You rely on using your swords [to obtain things that you want]. You do many detestable things. Each of you has sex with other men’s wives. So (why should you continue to possess the land of Israel?/you should not continue to possess this land!) [RHQ]’
27 你要對他們這樣說,主耶和華如此說:我指着我的永生起誓,在荒場中的,必倒在刀下;在田野間的,必交給野獸吞吃;在保障和洞裏的,必遭瘟疫而死。
Send this message to them: ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: As surely as I am alive, those who are left in the ruins [in Jerusalem] will also be killed by [their enemies’] swords, and those who are living in the countryside will be killed by wild animals, and those who are living in forts and caves will die from a plague.
28 我必使這地荒涼,令人驚駭;她因勢力而有的驕傲也必止息。以色列的山都必荒涼,無人經過。
I will cause your country to become a desolate wasteland. You will no longer be proud of being a strong country. The mountains of Israel will become very desolate, with the result that no one will walk across them.
29 我因他們所行一切可憎的事使地荒涼,令人驚駭。那時,他們就知道我是耶和華。」
Then, when I have caused your country to become a desolate wasteland because of all the detestable things that you have done, you will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].’
30 「人子啊,你本國的子民在牆垣旁邊、在房屋門口談論你。弟兄對弟兄彼此說:『來吧!聽聽有甚麼話從耶和華而出。』
As for you, you human, your fellow Israelis [here in Babylon] are talking about you along the city walls and at the doors of their houses. They are saying to each other, ‘Come and listen to the message that has come from Yahweh!’
31 他們來到你這裏如同民來聚會,坐在你面前彷彿是我的民。他們聽你的話卻不去行;因為他們的口多顯愛情,心卻追隨財利。
My people come to you as they often have done, and they sit in front of you to listen to what you say. But they do not do what you tell them that they must do. With their mouths they say that they love me, but in their inner beings they are eager to acquire things by doing what is unjust.
32 他們看你如善於奏樂、聲音幽雅之人所唱的雅歌,他們聽你的話卻不去行。
To them, you are only a man who sings love songs with a beautiful voice, and you play a musical instrument well. They hear what you say, but they do not do what you tell them to do.
33 看哪,所說的快要應驗;應驗了,他們就知道在他們中間有了先知。」
The terrible things that I have said will happen to them will surely happen. And then they will know that a prophet has been among them, [and that you are that prophet].”