2 Kings 6
1 Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Please take note that the place where we meet with you is too small for us.
眾先知的弟子對厄里叟說：「看，我們同你住的地方太窄小了，
2 Please let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a log so we can build ourselves a place to live there.” “Go,” said Elisha.
請你讓我們到約旦河去，每人取一根樑木，在那裏建造我們的住所。」他答說：「你們去罷! 」
3 Then one of them said, “Please come with your servants.” “I will come,” he replied.
其中一個人說：「請你也同你的僕人一起去! 」厄里叟答說：「我去。」
4 So Elisha went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they began to cut down some trees.
先知便同他們一起去了。他們到了約旦河，就砍伐樹木。
5 As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. “Oh, my master,” he cried out, “it was borrowed!”
其中一個，砍木樑時，斧頭掉在水裏了，就大聲叫喊說：哎唷! 我主，這把斧子是借來的啊! 」
6 “Where did it fall?” asked the man of God. And when he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it there, and made the iron float.
天主的人問他說：「斧頭掉在那裏﹖」那人將那地方指給先知看。先知即砍下一塊木頭，丟在那裏，使斧頭浮了上來。
7 “Lift it out,” he said, and the man reached out his hand and took it.
先知對他說：「你拿上來罷! 」他就伸手拿了上來。
8 Now the king of Aram was at war against Israel. After consulting with his servants, he said, “My camp will be in such and such a place.”
阿蘭王同以色列交戰時，與自己的臣商議說：要在某某地方埋伏。
9 Then the man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Be careful passing by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.”
但天主的人打發人去見以色列王說：「你要小心提防，不要經過某某地方，因為阿蘭人已在那裏設下埋伏。」
10 So the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had pointed out. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.
以色列王就派人去偵察天主的人警告他的地方；他就小心防備，不只一兩次。
11 For this reason the king of Aram became enraged and called his servants to demand of them, “Tell me, which one of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”
阿蘭王為此事心中頗為煩惱，遂將臣僕召來，對他說：「難道你們不能告訴我：我們中誰支持以色列王嗎﹖」
12 But one of his servants replied, “No one, my lord the king. For Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”
一個臣僕答說：「我主，大王! 沒有誰支持，只有以色列的先知厄里叟，將君王在密室裏所談的事，都告訴了以色列王。」
13 So the king said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send men to capture him.” On receiving the report, “Elisha is in Dothan,”
阿蘭王說：「你們去看看他在那裏，我好派人去捉拿。」有人告訴君王說：「他在多堂。」
14 the king of Aram sent horses, chariots, and a great army. They went there by night and surrounded the city.
阿蘭王就打發馬隊戰車和強大的部隊前去，夜間到了那裏，將城圍住。
15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”
天主的人的僕人清早起來出門時，看見軍隊車馬將城包圍了，就對先知說：「哎! 我主，我們怎麼辦﹖」
16 “Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
先知答說：「不必害怕，因為偕同我們的，比他們的還多。」
17 Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
厄里叟就祈禱說：「上主，求你開啟他的眼，叫他看見。」上主就開了僕人的眼，他看見遍山都是火馬車，圍繞著厄里叟。
18 As the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Please strike these people with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha.
敵人下到先知那裏的時候，厄里叟懇求上主說：「求你打擊這個民族，使他們眼目失明。」上主果然照厄里叟的話打擊了他們，使他們眼目失明。
19 And Elisha told them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are seeking.” And he led them to Samaria.
厄里叟對他們說：「不是這條路，也不是這座城；你們跟我來，我要領你們到你們尋找的人那裏去。」於是先知領他們到了撒瑪黎雅。
20 When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men that they may see.” Then the LORD opened their eyes, and they looked around and discovered that they were in Samaria.
他們一進了撒瑪黎雅，厄里叟就祈禱說：「上主，開啟這些人的眼睛，叫他們看見。」上主果然開了他們的眼睛；他們一看，自己竟在撒瑪黎雅城內。
21 And when the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?”
以色列王看見他們，就對厄里叟說：「我父，要殺死他們嗎﹖」
22 “Do not kill them,” he replied. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and then return to their master.”
厄里叟答說：「不要殺他們；你自己用弓劍擄來的人，你豈可殺死﹖你要為這些人預備飯和水，叫他們吃喝，然後讓他們回到自己的主上那裏去。」
23 So the king prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. And the Aramean raiders did not come into the land of Israel again.
君王就給他們預備了盛宴，叫他們吃了喝了，打發他們回到自己的主上那裏去。從此，阿蘭隊伍再沒有侵犯以色列地方。
24 Some time later, Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army and marched up to besiege Samaria.
這事以後，阿蘭王本哈達得集合了他所有的軍隊，上來圍困撒瑪黎雅。
25 So there was a great famine in Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver.
撒瑪黎雅被圍困後，陷於嚴重的飢荒，甚至一個驢頭，值八十「協刻耳」銀子，四分之一「卡步」豆莢，值五「協刻耳」銀子。
26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the king!”
當以色列王從城牆上經過時，有一個婦人呼求他說：「我主大王，救救我罷! 」
27 He answered, “If the LORD does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress?”
君王答說：「如果上主不救你，我怎能救你﹖靠禾場﹖靠酒池﹖」
28 Then the king asked her, “What is the matter?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him, and tomorrow we will eat my son.’
君王問那婦人說：「你有什麼事﹖」婦人答說：「這個女人曾對我說：把你的兒子交出來，我們今天吃；留下我的兒子，我們明天吃。
29 So we boiled my son and ate him, and the next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him.’ But she had hidden her son.”
於是我們就把我的兒子煮著吃了。第二天我對那女人說：把你的兒子交出來給我們吃，她卻把自己的兒子藏了起來。」
30 When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. And as he passed by on the wall, the people saw the sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin.
君王聽了這婦人的話，就撕裂了自己的衣服，─當他正在城牆上經過，民眾都看見了他貼身穿著苦衣，─
31 He announced, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!”
說「如果沙法特的兒子厄里叟的頭，今天還留在他身上，願天主嚴厲，且加倍嚴厲地懲罰我! 」
32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?”
那時厄里叟正坐在屋裏，長老們同他坐在一起，君王派一個人在他以前去，但是這人還未來到，厄里叟就對長老們說：「你們看，這個兇手之子，竟派人來要斬我的頭。你們注意，使者來到時，你們要把門關上，把他關在門外；在他後面不就是他主上的腳步聲嗎﹖」
33 While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. And the king said, “This calamity is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”
先知還同他們說話的時候，君王就下到他那裏說：「這災難是由上主來的，我對上主還有什麼指望﹖」
