2 Samuel 14
1 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.
責魯雅的兒子約阿布看透了君王懷念阿貝沙隆的心，
2 And Joab sent to Tekoa, and fetched from there a wise woman, and said to her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel, I pray thee, and do not anoint thyself with oil, but be as a woman who has a long time mourned for the dead.
就派人到特科亞去，從那裏叫來一位明智的婦人，對她說：「請妳裝作一個居喪的婦心，穿上喪服，別抹油，像一個居喪很多自己婦人，
3 And go in to the king, and speak on this manner to him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.
然後去見君王，對他這樣這樣說....」約阿布就把要說的話，口授給她。
4 And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king.
科特亞的婦人一來到君王前，便俯伏在地，叩拜喊說：「大王，救命! 」
5 And the king said to her, What troubles thee? And she answered, Of a truth I am a widow, and my husband is dead.
君王對她說：「妳有什麼事﹖「她答說：「哎! 我是個寡婦，我的丈夫死了。
6 And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and killed him.
你的婢女有兩個兒子，他們倆在田野裏爭鬥，無人解勸，彼此對打，竟將一個打死了。
7 And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they say, Deliver him who smote his brother that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed, and so destroy the heir also. Thus they will quench my coal which is left, and will leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the face of the earth.
全族的人都起來反對你的婢女說：將那打死自己兄弟的交出來，讓我們殺了他，抵償他所殺的兄弟的命，既便是後嗣，我們也要消滅。這樣，他們連我所剩下的一星之火，也要熄滅，不讓我的丈夫在世上留名，或者留後」。
8 And the king said to the woman, Go to thy house, and I will give charge concerning thee.
執行對婦人說：「妳回家去吧! 我會為妳下令查辦」。
9 And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house, and the king and his throne be guiltless.
特科亞的婦人立即對君王說：「我主，大王! 願此罪歸於我及我父家，與大王，與陛下無干」。
10 And the king said, Whoever says anything to thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.
君王說：「凡向妳再出言恐嚇的，你把他帶到我這裏來，誰也不敢再麻煩妳了」。
11 Then she said, I pray thee, let the king remember Jehovah thy God, that the avenger of blood not destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As Jehovah lives, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.
她繼續說：「望大王提及上主你的天主名，不許報復血仇的人再從事破壞，不將我的兒子消滅」。他答說：「我指著永生的上主起誓：妳兒子的一根頭髮，也決不會落在地上」。
12 Then the woman said, Let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Say on.
婦人接著說：「望我主大王，許你的婢女再進一言! 」他答說：「說吧! 」
13 And the woman said, Why then have thou devised such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as he who is guilty, in that the king does not fetch home again his banished one.
婦人說：「為什麼大王想出這樣的事來，反對天主的百姓。君王說出這話，若不將自己放逐的人召回來，就不免有罪了!
14 For we must die, and are as water split on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again, neither does God take away life, but devises means that he who is banished be not an outcast from him.
我們原來都該死，如同潑在地, 上的水，不能再收回，天主也不再給人生命；所以大王要設法不使那放逐的人，成為一個永不能再回家的人。
15 Now therefore seeing that I have come to speak this word to my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid. And thy handmaid said, I will now speak to the king. It may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.
我現今到這裏來，向我主大王提及此事，是因為有些人恐嚇我，為此你的婢女想：我得向君王說明，也許君王會實踐他婢女的請求。
16 For the king will hear to deliver his servant out of the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.
因為大王必會聽從我，從那由天主產業中剷除和我兒子之人的手中，救出自己的婢女來。
17 Then thy handmaid said, Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be gracious, for as an agent of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad. And Jehovah thy God be with thee.
所以你的婢女說：我主大王的話，實能安慰人心，因為我主大王對於分辨善惡，實如同天主的使者。望上主你的天主，與你同在! 」
18 Then the king answered and said to the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, anything that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.
君王回答婦人說：「我有一事問妳，妳可不要對我隱瞞」。婦人答說：「我主大王，請說! 」
19 And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul lives, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken, for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid.
君王問說：「在這一切事上，是不是約阿布的手在妳後面﹖」婦人答說：「我一王萬歲! 我主君王所說的，絲毫不差，正是你的僕人約阿布吩咐了我，是他將這一切話，口授給你的婢女。
20 Thy servant Joab has done this thing to change the face of the matter. And my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an agent of God, to know all things that are on the earth.
事實改變真相的，確是你的僕人約阿布所做的；但是我主賢明，賢明得如同天主的使者，曉得地上所有的事」。
21 And the king said to Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing. Go therefore, bring the young man Absalom back.
王便對約阿布說：「好，現在我就履行此事，召回孩子阿貝沙隆來! 」
22 And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and did obeisance, and blessed the king. And Joab said, Today thy servant knows that I have found favor in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has performed the request of his servant.
約阿布就俯首至地，叩拜祝福君王，隨後說：「我主大王，今天今日你的僕人知道，我在你眼前蒙得了寵幸，因為大王實踐了他僕人的請求」。
23 So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
約阿布就起身，往革叔爾去，將阿貝沙隆領回耶路撒冷。
24 And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, but let him not see my face. So Absalom turned to his own house, and did not see the king's face.
君王說：「叫他回自己家裏去吧! 不要來見我」。於是阿貝沙隆回到自己家裏，不是見君王的面。
25 Now in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty; from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
在全以色列中，沒有一人像阿貝沙隆那樣英俊，堪受讚美的，在他身上，自踵至頂，沒有一默缺陷。
26 And when he cut the hair of his head (now it was at every year's end that he cut it, because it was heavy on him, therefore he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, after the king's weight.
他剪髮以後，──他每年年底剪髮一次，因為頭上積髮太多，他必須剪去，──稱了稱剪的頭髮，依王家的衡制，重二百「協刻耳」。
27 And to Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a woman of a fair countenance.
阿貝沙隆有三個兒子，一個女兒；女兒名叫塔瑪爾，是個很美麗的女子。
28 And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and he did not see the king's face.
阿貝沙隆在耶路撒冷住了兩年，仍未得見君王的面。
29 Then Absalom sent for Joab to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. And he sent again a second time, but he would not come.
阿貝沙隆遂派人到約阿布那裏，求他引自己去見君王。但是，約阿布不願到他那裏去，他又派人去，他仍是不肯來。
30 Therefore he said to his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire.
他於是對的僕人說：「你們看，約阿布的莊田與我的相接，他在那裏種了大麥，你們去放火燒田」。阿貝沙隆的僕人於是放火燒了田。
31 Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom to his house, and said to him, Why have thy servants set my field on fire?
約阿布就起身來到阿貝沙隆的家裡，對他說：「你的僕人為什麼燒了我的田？」
32 And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent to thee, saying, Come here, that I may send thee to the king to say, Why have I come from Geshur? It were better for me to still be there. Now therefore let me see the king's face, and if there be iniquity in me, let him kill me.
阿貝沙隆回答約阿布說：「看，我派人到你那裡說：請你到我這裡來，我願派你去見君王，問他為什麼叫我從革叔爾回來？假如我仍留在那裡，為我豈不更好！如今我願見君王的面，我若有罪，他可殺我！」
33 So Joab came to the king, and told him. And when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.
約阿布便去見君王，稟告了這些話。王遂召見阿貝沙隆；他來到君王前，俯首至地，叩拜君王；君王就吻了阿貝沙隆。
