尼希米記 13
1 當日，人念摩西的律法書給百姓聽，遇見書上寫着說，亞捫人和摩押人永不可入上帝的會；
On that day, when someone read to the people parts of the laws [that God gave] to Moses, they read where it was written that no one from the Ammon people-group or the Moab people-group was ever to be allowed to be with God’s people while they were gathered together [to worship].
2 因為他們沒有拿食物和水來迎接以色列人，且雇了巴蘭咒詛他們，但我們的上帝使那咒詛變為祝福。
The reason for that was that the people of Ammon and the people of Moab did not give/sell any food or water to the Israelis [while the Israelis were going through their areas after they left Egypt]. Instead, the people of Ammon and Moab paid money to Balaam in order that he would curse the Israelis. But God commanded Balaam to bless the people, not to curse them.
3 以色列民聽見這律法，就與一切閒雜人絕交。
So when the people heard these laws [being read to them], they sent away all the people whose ancestors had come from other countries.
4 先是蒙派管理我們上帝殿中庫房的祭司以利亞實與多比雅結親，
Previously, Eliashib the priest had been appointed to be in charge of the storerooms in the temple. He was a relative of [our enemy] Tobiah.
5 便為他預備一間大屋子，就是從前收存素祭、乳香、器皿，和照命令供給利未人、歌唱的、守門的五穀、新酒，和油的十分之一，並歸祭司舉祭的屋子。
He allowed Tobiah to use a large room in which they had previously stored the grain offerings and the incense, the equipment that is used in the temple, the offerings [that the people had brought] for the priests, and the tithes of grain and wine and [olive] oil that [God] had commanded the people to bring to the [other] descendants of Levi, and to the temple musicians, and to the temple guards.
6 那時我不在耶路撒冷；因為巴比倫王亞達薛西三十二年，我回到王那裏。過了多日，我向王告假。
While [Tobias was using that room], I was not in Jerusalem, because in the 32nd year that Artaxerxes was the king of Babylonia, I went back there to report to him. After a while I requested the king to allow me to return to Jerusalem, [and he allowed me to go].
7 我來到耶路撒冷，就知道以利亞實為多比雅在上帝殿的院內預備屋子的那件惡事。
When I arrived in Jerusalem, I found out that Eliashib had done an evil thing by allowing Tobiah to use a room in God’s temple.
8 我甚惱怒，就把多比雅的一切家具從屋裏都拋出去，
I became very angry, and I threw out of that room everything that belonged to Tobiah.
9 吩咐人潔淨這屋子，遂將上帝殿的器皿和素祭、乳香又搬進去。
Then I commanded [that they perform a ritual] to make the rooms (pure/acceptable to God) again. And I also ordered that all the equipment used in the temple and all the grain offerings and incense should be put in that room again.
10 我見利未人所當得的分無人供給他們，甚至供職的利未人與歌唱的俱各奔回自己的田地去了。
I also found out that the temple musicians and [other] descendants of Levi had left Jerusalem and returned to their fields/farms, because the Israeli people had not been bringing to them the food [that they needed].
11 我就斥責官長說：「為何離棄上帝的殿呢？」我便招聚利未人，使他們照舊供職。
So I rebuked the officials, saying to them, “(Why have you not taken care of the work in the temple?/It is disgraceful that you have not taken care of the work in the temple.)” [RHQ] So I brought the descendants of Levi and the musicians back to the temple, and told them to do their work there again.
12 猶大眾人就把五穀、新酒，和油的十分之一送入庫房。
Then all the people of Judah again started to bring to the temple storerooms their tithes of grain, wine, and [olive] oil.
13 我派祭司示利米雅、文士撒督，和利未人毗大雅作庫官管理庫房；副官是哈難。哈難是撒刻的兒子；撒刻是瑪他尼的兒子。這些人都是忠信的，他們的職分是將所供給的分給他們的弟兄。
I appointed these men to be in charge of the storerooms: Shelemiah, who was a priest; Zadok, who knew the Jewish laws very well; and Pedaiah, a descendant of Levi. I appointed Hanan, who is the son of Zaccur and grandson of Mattaniah, to assist them. I knew that I could trust these men while they distributed those offerings to their fellow workers.
14 我的上帝啊，求你因這事記念我，不要塗抹我為上帝的殿與其中的禮節所行的善。
My God, do not forget all these good things that I have faithfully done for your temple and for the work that is done there!
15 那些日子，我在猶大見有人在安息日醡酒，搬運禾捆馱在驢上，又把酒、葡萄、無花果，和各樣的擔子在安息日擔入耶路撒冷，我就在他們賣食物的那日警戒他們。
During that time, I saw some people in Judea [who were working] on the Sabbath day. [Some were] pressing grapes [to make wine]. Others were putting grain, [bags of] wine, [baskets of] grapes, figs, and many [HYP] other things, on their donkeys and taking them into Jerusalem. I warned them that they should not sell things to the people of Judea on Sabbath days.
16 又有泰爾人住在耶路撒冷；他們把魚和各樣貨物運進來，在安息日賣給猶大人。
I also saw some people from Tyre [city] who were living there in Jerusalem who were bringing fish and other things [into Jerusalem] to sell to the people of Judea on the Sabbath day.
17 我就斥責猶大的貴冑說：「你們怎麼行這惡事犯了安息日呢？
So I rebuked the Jewish leaders and told them, “This is [RHQ] a very evil thing that you are doing! You are causing the Sabbath days to be unholy.
18 從前你們列祖豈不是這樣行，以致我們上帝使一切災禍臨到我們和這城嗎？現在你們還犯安息日，使忿怒越發臨到以色列！」
Your ancestors did [RHQ] things like that, so God punished them, and as a result, this city was destroyed! And now by causing the Sabbath day to be unholy, you are going to cause God to be angry with us Israeli people [and punish us] more!”
19 在安息日的前一日，耶路撒冷城門有黑影的時候，我就吩咐人將門關鎖，不過安息日不准開放。我又派我幾個僕人管理城門，免得有人在安息日擔甚麼擔子進城。
So I ordered that at (the beginning of every Sabbath day/every Friday evening) they should shut the gates of the city before it became dark. I also ordered that they should not open the gates until (the Sabbath day was ended [the next day]/Saturday evening). Then [each Sabbath day] I put some of my men at the gates, so they would make sure that nothing to sell was brought into the city on that day.
20 於是商人和販賣各樣貨物的，一兩次住宿在耶路撒冷城外。
One or two times merchants [DOU] stayed outside of the city on (Friday night/[the night before the Sabbath day]).
21 我就警戒他們說：「你們為何在城外住宿呢？若再這樣，我必下手拿辦你們。」從此以後，他們在安息日不再來了。
I warned them, “It is useless [RHQ] for you to stay here outside the walls [on Friday night]! If you do this again, I will tell my men to arrest you!” So after that, they did not come on Sabbath days.
22 我吩咐利未人潔淨自己，來守城門，使安息日為聖。我的上帝啊，求你因這事記念我，照你的大慈愛憐恤我。
I also commanded the descendants of Levi to [perform the ritual to] purify themselves and to guard the city gates, to make sure that the Sabbath was kept holy [by not allowing merchants to enter it on Sabbath days]. My God, do not forget this also that I [have done for you]! And because of your faithfully loving me, allow me to continue to live [many more years]!
23 那些日子，我也見猶大人娶了亞實突、亞捫、摩押的女子為妻。
During that time, I also found out that many of the Jewish men had married women from Ashdod [city], and from [the] Ammon and Moab [people-groups].
24 他們的兒女說話，一半是亞實突的話，不會說猶大的話，所說的是照着各族的方言。
The result was that half of their children spoke the language that people in Ashdod speak or some other language, and they didn’t know how to speak our language.
25 我就斥責他們，咒詛他們，打了他們幾個人，拔下他們的頭髮，叫他們指着上帝起誓，必不將自己的女兒嫁給外邦人的兒子，也不為自己和兒子娶他們的女兒。
So I rebuked those men, and I [asked God to] curse them, and I beat them and pulled out [some of] their hair. Then I forced them to solemnly promise, knowing that God [MTY] was [listening], that they would never again marry foreigners, and never allow their children to marry foreigners.
26 我又說：「以色列王所羅門不是在這樣的事上犯罪嗎？在多國中並沒有一王像他，且蒙他上帝所愛，上帝立他作以色列全國的王；然而連他也被外邦女子引誘犯罪。
[I said to them], “Solomon, the king of Israel, sinned [RHQ] as a result of [marrying] foreign women. He was greater than any of the kings of other nations. God loved him, and caused him to become the king of all the Israeli people, but his foreign wives caused even him to sin.
27 如此，我豈聽你們行這大惡，娶外邦女子干犯我們的上帝呢？」
[Do you think that] we should do what you have done, and disobey our God by marrying foreign women [who worship idols]? [RHQ]”
28 大祭司以利亞實的孫子、耶何耶大的一個兒子是和倫人參巴拉的女婿，我就從我這裏把他趕出去。
One of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the Supreme Priest, had married the daughter of [our enemy] Sanballat, from Beth-Horon [town]. So I forced Jehoiada’s son to leave Jerusalem.
29 我的上帝啊，求你記念他們的罪；因為他們玷污了祭司的職任，違背你與祭司利未人所立的約。
My God, do not forget that those people [who have married foreign women] have caused it to be a shame/disgrace to be a priest, and have caused people to despise the agreement that you made with the priests and with the [other] descendants of Levi [who help the priests])!
30 這樣，我潔淨他們，使他們離絕一切外邦人，派定祭司和利未人的班次，使他們各盡其職。
I did all that to make sure that there were no more foreign people among the [Israeli] people [who would encourage them to worship idols]. I also established regulations for the priests and [other] descendants of Levi, in order that they would know what work they should do.
31 我又派百姓按定期獻柴和初熟的土產。我的上帝啊，求你記念我，施恩與我。
I also arranged for people to bring the firewood [that was needed to burn on the altar, as Moses had declared] that we should [do]. I also arranged for the people to bring the first part of what they harvested [each year]. My God, do not forget [that] I [have done all these things], and bless me [for doing them]!
