2 Kings 7
1 Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the LORD says: ‘About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel, and two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel.’”
厄里叟說：「請聽上主的話：上主這樣說：明天這個時候，在撒瑪黎雅城門口，一「色阿」上等麵粉只值一「協刻耳，」兩「色阿」大麥，只值一「協刻耳。」
2 But the officer on whose arm the king leaned answered the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” “You will see it with your own eyes,” replied Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it.”
那個手扶君王的侍衛回答天主的人說：「縱使上主打開天上的閘，也不會有這樣的事! 」先知說：「你必親眼看到，只是吃不上。」
3 Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate, and they said to one another, “Why just sit here until we die?
在城門口有四個癩病人，他們彼此說：「我們為什麼在這裏坐著等死呢﹖
4 If we say, ‘Let us go into the city,’ we will die there from the famine in the city; but if we sit here, we will also die. So come now, let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die.”
如果我們決意進城去，城裏也有饑荒，我們必死在那裏；如果留在這裏，我們也是一樣死；不如去投到阿蘭人營中，假如他們讓我們活著，我們就活著；假如他們要殺我們，我們就死罷。」
5 So they arose at twilight and went to the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the outskirts of the camp, there was not a man to be found.
他們於是在黃昏時起身，往阿蘭人的營盤那裏去；及至到了阿蘭人的營盤邊時，哦! 那裏一個人也沒有了。
6 For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us.”
原來上主早已使阿蘭人的營盤中聽到戰車馬隊和大軍的喧囂聲，他們就彼此說：「呀! 以色列王雇用了赫特人王和慕茲黎人王來攻打我們了。」
7 Thus the Arameans had arisen and fled at twilight, abandoning their tents and horses and donkeys. The camp was intact, and they had run for their lives.
所以，他們在黃昏時，即起身逃走，丟下了他們的帳幕騾馬，只顧逃命，留下營盤未動。
8 When the lepers reached the edge of the camp, they went into a tent to eat and drink. Then they carried off the silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid them. On returning, they entered another tent, carried off some items from there, and hid them.
這些癩病人到了營盤邊，進了一個帳幕，又吃又喝，將那裏的金銀和衣服拿走，去收藏起來；然後又回來，進了另一帳幕，拿走了那裏的東西，去收藏起來。
9 Finally, they said to one another, “We are not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until morning light, our sin will overtake us. Now, therefore, let us go and tell the king’s household.”
以後，癩病人彼此說：「我們這樣做得不對，今天原是報喜訊的日子，我們竟然不聲不響；如果等到早晨天亮，我們就有罪了。來，現在我們就去向王室報信! 」
10 So they went and called out to the gatekeepers of the city, saying, “We went to the Aramean camp and no one was there—not a trace—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents were intact.”
他們於是去向把守城門的人喊叫，給他們報告說：「我們曾到過罷蘭人的營盤，那裏一個人也沒有，也沒有人聲，只有栓著的馬，栓著的驢；帳幕一點未動。」
11 The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported to the king’s household.
把守城門的人就高聲喊叫，向王室傳報消息。
12 So the king got up in the night and said to his servants, “Let me tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving, so they have left the camp to hide in the field, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and enter the city.’”
君王夜間起來，對自己的臣僕說：「現在讓我給你們解釋，阿蘭人對我們所做得事：他們知道我們鬧饑荒，所以離開營盤，埋伏在田間，心想：以色列人必由城裏出來，那時，我們可將他們活活捉住，然後開進城去。」
13 But one of his servants replied, “Please, have scouts take five of the horses that remain in the city. Their plight will be no worse than all the Israelites who are left here. You can see that all the Israelites here are doomed. So let us send them and find out.”
有個臣僕回答說：「請叫人從這裏所剩下的馬中，牽出五匹來，無論怎樣，同別的一樣要死，倒不如派人去看看。
14 Then the scouts took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, “Go and see.”
他們於是推出兩輛戰車，五匹馬，君王就派他們去追趕阿蘭軍隊說：「你們去看看! 」
15 And they tracked them as far as the Jordan, and indeed, the whole way was littered with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown off in haste. So the scouts returned and told the king.
那些人追蹤阿蘭人，直到約旦河，見路上滿是阿蘭人在倉卒逃走中，丟下的衣服和裝備；使者們便回來報告了君王。
16 Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. It was then that a seah of fine flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
人民便出來搶掠了阿蘭人的營盤。於是一「色阿」上等麵粉，只值一「協刻耳，」兩「色阿」大麥，只值一「協刻耳，」正應驗了上主所說的話。
17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose arm he leaned to be in charge of the gate, but the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king had come to him.
君王派定那手扶自己的侍衛，把守城門；但人民在城門口把他踏死了，應驗了天主的人，在君王下來見他時，所說的話。
18 It happened just as the man of God had told the king: “About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel.”
原來，天主的人對君王說過：「明天這個時候，在撒瑪黎雅城門口一『色阿』上等麵粉，只值一『協刻耳。』兩『色阿』大麥，只值一『協刻耳。』」
19 And the officer had answered the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” So Elisha had replied, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!”
那侍衛曾回答天主的人說：「縱然上主打開天上的閘，也不會有這樣的事! 」先知回答說：「你必親眼看到，只是吃不上。」
20 And that is just what happened to him. The people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.
這事果然發生在他身上了：人民在城門口把他踏死了。
