Nehemiah 4
1 Now, Sanballat, hearing that we were building the wall, was very angry, and in his wrath made sport of the Jews.
桑巴拉特一聽說我們重修城垣，就大發忿怒，十分生氣，譏諷猶太人，
2 And in the hearing of his countrymen and the army of Samaria he said, What are these feeble Jews doing? will they make themselves strong? will they make offerings? will they get the work done in a day? will they make the stones which have been burned come again out of the dust?
向他們的同僚即撒瑪黎雅的軍隊說：「這些可憐的猶太人想作什麼﹖他們想要修築城垣嗎﹖想要獻祭嗎﹖想要在一天內完成嗎﹖想從那堆灰土中，在立起那些燒過的石頭來嗎﹖」
3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Such is their building that if a fox goes up it, their stone wall will be broken down.
阿孟託人托彼雅也在旁說到：「讓他們修罷! 就是上去一隻野狗，也能推翻他們修了石牆。」
4 Give ear, O our God, for we are looked down on: let their words of shame be turned back on themselves, and let them be given up to wasting in a land where they are prisoners:
我們的天主，請聽! 我們是怎樣受侮辱! 請把這辱罵歸到他們的頭上，使他們在流亡之地受迫害。
5 Let not their wrongdoing be covered or their sin washed away from before you: for they have made you angry before the builders.
不要遮掩他們的罪行，他們的罪孽也不應從你面前抹去，因為他們實在侮辱了修建的人。
6 So we went on building the wall; and all the wall was joined together half-way up: for the people were working hard.
我們仍繼續修建城牆，把整個城牆都聯結起來，高底已到一半，因為民眾都有心火工作。
7 But when it came to the ears of Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites, that the building of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the broken places were being made good, they were full of wrath;
當桑巴拉特和托彼雅，以及阿剌伯人、阿孟人和阿市多得人，聽說耶路撒冷城垣正在進行修建中，缺口已開始修補，就大發忿怒，
8 And they made designs, all of them together, to come and make an attack on Jerusalem, causing trouble there.
都聯合起來，圖謀來攻打耶路撒冷，擾亂我們。
9 But we made our prayer to God, and had men on watch against them day and night because of them.
我們一面祈求我們的天主，一面派了衛隊，日夜防守。
10 And Judah said, The strength of the workmen is giving way, and there is much waste material; it is impossible for us to put up the wall.
有一個猶太人說︰「運夫的力量已耗盡，積土又太多，我們不能再修建城牆了! 」
11 And those who were against us said, Without their knowledge and without their seeing us, we will come among them and put them to death, causing the work to come to a stop.
我們的仇敵已議決說：「不讓他們知道，不讓他們看出，我們直衝入他們中間，將他們殺掉，停止那工程。」
12 And it came about that when the Jews who were living near them came, they said to us ten times, From all directions they are coming against us.
那時，有些靠近他們居住的猶太人，十次前來通知我們說︰「他們由所住的各方上來，攻打我們，
13 So in the lowest part of the space at the back of the walls, in the open places, I put the people by families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
已在城牆下低處的田野中安了營。」我就按照家族分派了人，帶上刀槍和弓。
14 And after looking, I got up and said to the great ones and to the chiefs and to the rest of the people, Have no fear of them: keep in mind the Lord who is great and greatly to be feared, and take up arms for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives and your houses.
我巡視之後，就起來對權貴、長官和其餘的人民說︰「對他們，你們不可畏縮! 要記住吾主是偉大而可畏的：應為你們的兄弟、兒女、妻子、家庭而作戰。」
15 And when it came to the ears of those who were against us, that we had knowledge of their designs and that God had made their purpose come to nothing, we all went back to the wall, everyone to his work
我們的敵人一聽說我們得了情報，同時天主也破壞了他們的陰謀，他們遂都撤退；我們也都回到城牆那裏，各返自己的工作崗位。
16 And from that time, half of my servants were doing their part of the work, and half kept the spears and body-covers and the bows and the metal war-dresses; and the chiefs were at the back of the men of Judah.
從那天起，我的僕人一半做工，一半佩帶著刀、矛盾、弓和鎧甲，立在全猶大家後邊，
17 Those who were building the wall and those who were moving material did their part, everyone working with one hand, with his spear in the other;
即在城牆作工的人後邊。那些搬運的人，也都武裝起來︰一手作工，一手拿著武器；
18 Every builder was working with his sword at his side. And by my side was a man for sounding the horn.
修牆的工人，每人腰間都配著刀工作。吹號筒的站在我身旁。
19 And I said to the great ones and the chiefs and the rest of the people, The work is great and widely spaced and we are far away from one another on the wall:
我向權貴、長官和其餘的人民說︰「這工程範圍很大，我們在城牆上彼此分離甚遠，
20 Wherever you may be when the horn is sounded, come here to us; our God will be fighting for us.
所以你們無論在什麼地方，一聽到號聲，就立時聚集在我們身旁；我們的天主必為我們戰爭。」
21 So we went on with the work: and half of them had spears in their hands from the dawn of the morning till the stars were seen.
我們便這樣繼續工作，由旭日初昇，直到星辰出現。
22 And at the same time I said to the people, Let everyone with his servant come inside Jerusalem for the night, so that at night they may keep watch for us, and go on working by day.
同時我又吩咐民眾說：「每人和他的僕人，應在耶路撒冷過夜。如此在夜間可為我們守衛，白天可以工作。」
23 So not one of us, I or my brothers or my servants or the watchmen who were with me, took off his clothing, everyone went armed to the water.
至於我和我的兄弟，以及我的僕人和跟隨我、護衛我的人，沒有一人脫過衣服，各人手中常拿著武器。
