< Jezekiel 17 >
1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
上主的話傳給我說:「
2 Son of man, relate a tale, and speak a parable to the house of Israel:
人子,你要向以色列家族說寓言,講比喻。
3 and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; A great eagle with large wings, spreading them out very far, with many claws, which has the design of entering into Libanus—and he took the choice [branches] of the cedar:
你應宣講說:吾主上主這樣說:有一隻大鷹,翅膀龐大,翅翼廣闊,羽毛豐滿,異彩燦爛,飛到黎巴嫩,啄下香柏的樹梢,
4 he cropped off the ends of the tender twigs, and brought them into the land of Chanaan; he laid them up in a walled city.
折下了嫩枝的尖端,帶到貿易的地方,安放在商賈的城中。
5 And he took of the seed of the land, and sowed it in a field planted by much water; he set it in a conspicuous place.
牠又取了本地的種子,種植在苗圃中,把它栽種在多水之旁,有如栽植柳樹。
6 And it sprang up, and became a weak and little vine, so that the branches thereof appeared [upon] it, and its roots were under it: and it became a vine, and put forth shoots, and sent forth its tendrils.
它果然長起,成了一棵蔓延而軀幹矮小的葡萄樹;蔓子向鷹伸展,根子向下生長;它遂成了一棵葡萄樹,生出蔓子,長出枝子。
7 And there was another great eagle, with great wings and many claws: and, behold, this vine bent itself round toward him, and her roots [were turned] towards him, and she sent forth her branches towards him, that [he] might water her together with the growth of her plantation.
又有另一隻大鷹,翅膀龐大,羽毛豐滿;看,這裏葡萄樹往牠那裏伸展自己的根子,也把枝子蔓延到牠那裏,想獲得比在被栽植的園圃中更多的滋潤。
8 She thrives in a fair field by much water, to produce shoots and bear fruit, that she might become a great vine.
但它原是種植在多水的肥田中,為生長枝蔓,結出果實,成為一棵茂盛的葡萄樹。
9 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord; Shall it prosper? shall not the roots of her tender stem and her fruit be blighted? yea, all her early shoots shall be dried up, and [that] not by a mighty arm, nor by many people, to tear her up from her roots.
你應宣講:吾主上主這樣說:它能茂盛嗎﹖那鷹豈不是要拔出它的根子,啄下它的果實,使正在生出的枝葉枯萎;為拔出它的根子,並不需要強有力的手和眾多的人。
10 And, behold, it thrives: shall it prosper? shall it not wither as soon as the east wind touches it? it shall be withered together with the growth of its shoots.
它雖被栽植,但豈能茂盛﹖東風一吹來,豈不全要枯萎﹖它必在生長的園圃中枯萎。」
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me saying,
上主的話又傳給我說:「
12 Son of man, say now to the provoking house, Know ye not what these things were? say [to them], Whenever the king of Babylon shall come against Jerusalem, then he shall take her king and her princes, and shall take them home to Babylon.
請向這叛逆的家族說:你們明白不明白這有什麼意思﹖你要說:看,巴比倫王來到耶路撒冷,捉住城中的君王和官員,把他 穿了王室的一個後裔同他立了約叫他宣了誓帶到巴比倫來見他。
13 And he shall take of the seed royal, and shall make a covenant with him, and shall bind him with an oath: and he shall take the princes of the land:
他挑選了王室的一個後裔,同他立了約,叫他宣了誓;以後擄走了那地的貴族,
14 that it may become a weak kingdom, so as never to lift itself up, that he may keep his covenant, and establish it.
為使那王國衰微,不再有野心,使她遵守盟約,得以生存。
15 And [if] he shall revolt from him, to send his messengers into Egypt, that [they] may give him horses and much people; shall he prosper? shall he that acts as an adversary be preserved? and shall he that transgresses the covenant be preserved?
但是耶路撒冷的君王卻背叛了他,派使臣到埃及去,要求給他戰馬和大軍。他作了這事,豈能順利獲得救援﹖他破壞了盟約,豈能幸免逃脫﹖
16 [As] I live, saith the Lord, verily in [the] place where the king is that made him king, who dishonoured my oath, and who broke my covenant, shall he die with him in the midst of Babylon.
我指著我的生命起誓:──吾主上主的斷語──他必要死在立他為王者的地方,即巴比倫,因為他沒有尊重自己的誓言,破壞了同他所立的盟約。
17 And Pharaoh shall make war upon him not with a large force or great multitude, in throwing up a mound, and in building of forts, to cut off souls.
當人們堆起高台,建造雲梯,屠殺許多生靈時,法郎卻沒有率領大軍,也沒有召集人馬來協助他作戰。
18 Whereas he has profaned the oath so as to break the covenant, when, behold, I engage his hand, and he has done all these things to him, he shall not escape.
他既然不尊重誓言,破壞了盟約,舉手宣誓之後,而又行了這一切,他決不會逃脫。
19 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord; [As] I live, surely mine oath which he has profaned, and my covenant which he has transgressed, I will even recompense it upon his head.
因此,吾主上主這樣說:我指著我的生命起誓:因為他輕視了我的誓言,破壞了我的盟約,報復必臨在他的頭上。
20 And I will spread a net upon him, and he shall be caught in its snare.
我要在他上面張開羅網,叫他陷在我的網中而被逮捕;以後帶他到巴比倫去,由於他背叛我的罪過,我要在那裏栽判他。
21 In every battle of his they shall fall by the sword, and I will scatter [his] remnant to every wind: and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it.
他軍中所有的精兵都要亡於刀下,剩餘的逃散到四方。那時你們便要承認是我上主說了這話。」
22 For thus saith the Lord; I will even take of the choice [branches] of the cedar from the top [thereof], I will crop off their hearts, and I will plant it on a high mountain:
吾主上主這樣說:「我要親自由高大的香柏樹梢上取下一枝條,從嫩枝的尖上折下一根嫩芽,親自把它栽植在高山峻嶺之上,
23 and I will hang it on a lofty mountain of Israel: yea, I will plant it, and it shall put forth shoots, and shall bear fruit, and it shall be a great cedar: and every bird shall rest beneath it, even every fowl shall rest under its shadow: its branches shall be restored.
栽植在以色列的高山上,它要生長枝葉,結出果實,成為一棵高大的香柏;各種飛鳥要棲在它下,棲在他枝葉的蔭影之下。
24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord that bring low the high tree, and exalt the low tree, and wither the green tree, and cause the dry tree to flourish: I the Lord have spoken, and will do [it].
如此,田野間的一切樹木都承認我是上主,都知道我曾使高大的樹矮小,使矮小的樹高大,使綠樹枯萎,使枯木發綠,我上主言出必行。