1 Kings 18
1 After many days, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go and show yourself to Ahab, so that I may grant rain upon the face of the earth.”
[預告旱災結束]過了許多時日，到了第三年，有上主的話傳於厄里亞說：「你去見阿哈布，我要在這地上降雨。」
2 Therefore, Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. For there was a severe famine in Samaria.
厄里亞就去見阿哈布；那時，撒瑪黎雅正遭受嚴重的饑荒。
3 And Ahab called Obadiah, the manager of his household. Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly.
阿哈布將自己的家宰敖巴狄雅召來，─敖巴狄雅原是一位很敬畏上主的人。
4 For when Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord, he took one hundred prophets, and concealed them, fifty and fifty, in caves. And he fed them with bread and water.
當依則貝耳殺害上主的先知時，他曾收留一百個先知，每五十人分藏在一個洞裏，私下供給他們飲食。─
5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go into the land, to all fountains of water, and to all the valleys, for perhaps we will be able to find plants, and save the horses and mules, so that the beasts of burden may not perish entirely.”
阿哈布對敖巴狄雅說：「我們要走遍這地，到所有的水泉和小河那裏去，或許能找到一些青草，使騾馬生存，免得喪失許多牲畜。」
6 And they divided the regions among themselves, so that they might travel through them. Ahab went one way alone, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
他們於是分地巡行；阿哈布獨自走了一條路，敖巴狄雅也獨自走了另一條路。敖巴狄雅遇厄里亞
7 And while Obadiah was on the way, Elijah met him. And when he had recognized him, he fell on his face, and he said, “Are you not my lord Elijah?”
敖巴狄雅走路時，厄里亞恰巧遇見了他；敖巴狄雅認得他，便俯伏在地說：「你不就是我主厄里亞嗎﹖」
8 And he responded to him: “I am. Go and tell your lord that Elijah is here.”
厄里亞回答說：「是，你去告訴你的主人說：厄里亞在這裏。」
9 And he said: “How have I sinned that you would deliver me, your servant, into the hand of Ahab, so that he would put me to death?
敖巴狄雅說：「我犯了什麼罪﹖你竟要將你的僕人交於阿哈布手中，讓他殺死我﹖
10 As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my lord has not sent, seeking you. And when all responded, ‘He is not here,’ he swore each kingdom and nation to an oath, because you were not found at all.
我指著永生的上主，你的天主起誓：沒有一個民族，沒有一個國家，我的主上不派人去尋找你的；如果人們說：厄里亞不在我們這裏；他一定要叫那個國家和那個民族起誓說：實在他們沒有找到你。
11 And now, you say to me, ‘Go and tell your lord that Elijah is here.’
現在你說：你去告訴你的主人說：厄里亞在這裏。
12 And when I will have departed from you, the Spirit of the Lord will transport you to a place that I do not know. And entering, I will report to Ahab. And he, not finding you, will put me to death. Yet your servant has feared the Lord from his infancy.
我一離開你，上主的神把你帶到我所不知道的地方去；我若去告訴阿哈布，而他找不到你，啟不要殺死我﹖你的僕人自幼也是個敬畏上主得人啊!
13 Has it not been revealed to you, my lord, what I did when Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord: how I hid one hundred men from the prophets of the Lord, fifty and fifty, in caves, and how I fed them with bread and water?
難道我主沒有聽說過：當依則耳殘殺上主的先知時，我所作的事﹖我曾隱藏一百個上主的先知，每五十人分藏在一個洞裏，由我供給他們飲食。
14 And now you say: ‘Go and tell your lord that Elijah is here,’ so that he may kill me!”
現在你說：你去告訴你的主人，厄里亞在這裏，他一定要殺我! 」
15 And Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whose face I stand, this day I will appear to him.”
厄里亞說：「我指著我所服侍的萬軍的永生上主起誓：今天我一定要叫阿哈布看見我。」阿哈布和厄里亞見面
16 Therefore, Obadiah went away to meet Ahab, and he reported to him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah.
敖巴狄雅於是前去會見阿哈布，告訴他這消息，阿哈布就去迎接厄里亞。
17 And when he had seen him, he said, “Are you the one who is disturbing Israel?”
阿哈布一見厄里亞，就對他說：「叫以色列遭難的人，不就是你嗎﹖」
18 And he said: “I have not troubled Israel. But it is you, and the house of your father, who have abandoned the commandments of the Lord, and have followed the Baals.
厄里亞答說：「不是我叫以色列遭難，而是你和你的父家，因為你們拋棄了上主的誡命，歸順了巴耳邪神。
19 Yet truly now, send and gather to me all of Israel, on Mount Carmel, with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of the sacred groves, who eat from the table of Jezebel.”
現在，你派人去召集全以色列人，同受依則貝耳供養的那四百五十個巴耳的先知，【及那四百個阿舍辣的先知，】上加爾默耳山，到我跟前來。」
20 Ahab sent to all the sons of Israel, and he gathered together the prophets on mount Carmel.
阿哈布便派人召集了所有的以色列子民，聚集了那些先知，一起到了加爾默耳山上。厄里亞與假先知比試
21 Then Elijah, drawing near to all the people, said: “How long will you waver between two sides? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal is, then follow him.” And the people did not respond a word to him.
厄里亞走向全體民眾面前說：「你們搖擺不定，模稜兩可，要到幾時呢﹖如果上主是天主，你們就應該隨從上主；如果巴耳是天主，就該隨從巴耳。」人民一句話也不回答。
22 And Elijah said again to the people: “I alone remain as a prophet of the Lord. But the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men.
厄里亞對人民說：「上主的先知指剩下我一個人了，巴耳的先知卻有四百五十人。
23 Let two oxen be given to us. And let them choose one ox for themselves, and, cutting it into pieces, let them set it on the wood. But they may not place fire under it. And I will prepare the other ox, and set it on the wood. But I will not place fire under it.
請給我們牽兩隻公牛犢來；他們可任選一隻，剖分成塊，放在木柴上，不要點火；我也照樣預備另一隻，放在木柴上，也不點火。
24 Call upon the names of your gods. And I will call on the name of my Lord. And the God who will have heeded with fire, let him be God.” And in response, all the people said, “Excellent proposition.”
你們呼求你們神的名字，我也呼求上主的名字：那降火顯示應允的神，就是真神。」民眾回答說：「你這話說得很好! 」
25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal: “Choose for yourselves one ox, and prepare it first. For you are many. And call on the names of your gods, but do not place fire under it.”
厄里亞對巴耳的先知們說：「因為你們人數眾多，你們應該先挑選一隻牛犢，準備好，然後呼求你們神的名字，只是不要點火。」
26 And when they had taken an ox, which he had given to them, they prepared it. And they called on the name of Baal, from morning even until midday, saying, “O Baal, heed us.” And there was no voice, nor did anyone respond. And so they leaped upon the altar that they had made.
他們即將人給他們的公牛犢牽來，預備好，從早晨直到中午呼求巴耳的名字說：「巴耳，應允我們罷! 」但是沒有聲音，也沒有答應的。他們就在自己所築的祭壇旁，跪下又起來，跳個不停。
27 And when it was now midday, Elijah ridiculed them, saying: “Cry out with a louder voice. For he is a god, and perhaps he is talking, or at an inn, or on a journey, or certainly he may be asleep, and must be awakened.”
到了中午，厄里亞嘲弄他們說：「你們再高聲喊叫，因為他是神，或者他正在沉思冥想，或者它暫時隱退，或者正在外旅行，或者他正在睡覺，必須把他叫醒。」
28 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and they cut themselves, in accord with their ritual, with knives and lancets, until they were entirely covered in blood.
他們遂更高聲喊叫，照他們的習慣，用刀用槍割傷自己，直到全身流出血來。
29 Then, after midday had passed, and they were prophesying, the time had arrived when the sacrifice is usually offered. And there was no voice heard, neither did anyone heed or respond to the praying.
過了中午，他們仍繼續狂喊亂叫，直到晚祭的時候，但仍然沒有聲音，也沒有答應的，也沒有理會。
30 Elijah said to all the people, “Draw near to me.” And as the people were drawing near to him, he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down.
厄里亞對全你人民說：「你們到我這裏來。」全體人民便都到他那裏去；厄里亞立即重修了已經坍塌了的上主的祭壇；
31 And he took twelve stones, in accord with the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”
依照雅各伯子孫的支派數目，取了十二塊石頭，─這雅各伯就是上主曾對他說過：「你的名字要叫以色列。」─
32 And he built from the stones an altar to the name of the Lord. And he made a trench for water, like two furrows of plowed land, all around the altar.
用這些石頭，為上主的名築成一座祭壇，在祭壇四周作了一個水溝，可容二「色阿」穀種。
33 And he arranged the wood, and he cut the ox into pieces, and he placed it on the wood.
把木柴放好，將牛犢剖分成塊，放在木柴上，
34 And he said, “Fill four containers with water, and pour it over the holocaust, and over the wood.” And again, he said, “Do this a second time.” And when they had done it a second time, he said, “Do it also a third time.” And they did so a third time.
然後吩咐說：「盛滿四桶水，倒在全燔祭和木柴上! 」他們就這樣做了。他又吩咐說：「再倒一次! 」他們就再倒了一次；他再吩咐說：「倒第三次! 」他們就倒了第三次；
35 And the water was running down around the altar, and the pit of the trench was filled with water.
水沿祭壇四周奔流，溝裏滿了水。
36 And when it was now time for the holocaust to be offered, the prophet Elijah, drawing near, said: “O Lord, God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Israel, reveal this day that you are the God of Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have acted, in all these things, in accord with your precept.
到了要奉獻晚祭的時候，厄里亞先知走近前來說：「上主，亞巴郎、依撒格和以色列的天主，求你今天使人知道：你是以色列的天主，我是你的僕人，是奉你的命作這一切事。
37 Heed me, O Lord, heed me, so that this people may learn that you are the Lord God, and that you have converted their heart again.”
上主，求你應允我，應允我! 使這人民知道你上主，是真天主，是你叫他們心回意轉。」
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell down and devoured the holocaust, and the wood, and the stones, and even the dust, and it absorbed the water that was in the trench.
於是上主的火降下，焚盡了全燔祭、柴木、石頭和塵土，也燒乾了溝中的水。
39 And when all the people had seen it, they fell upon their face, and they said: “The Lord himself is God! The Lord himself is God!”
全體人民見了，都俯伏在地說：「雅威是天主，雅威是天主!」
40 And Elijah said to them, “Apprehend the prophets of Baal, and do not let even one of them escape.” And when they had apprehended them, Elijah led them down to the torrent Kishon, and he put them to death there.
厄里亞對民眾說：「你們捉住巴耳的先知，不要讓他們走脫一個! 」民眾立即捉住他們。厄里亞帶他們下到克雄小河旁，在那裏將他們全部殺掉。天降大雨
41 And Elijah said to Ahab “Ascend; eat and drink. For there is the sound of an abundance of rain.”
厄里亞對阿哈布說：「你上去吃喝罷! 因為已聽到大雨的怒號聲。」
42 Ahab ascended, so that he might eat and drink. But Elijah ascended to the top of Carmel, and bending down to the ground, he placed his face between his knees.
阿哈布就上去吃喝，厄里亞卻上了加爾默耳山頂，跪伏在地，將臉放在兩膝之間。
43 And he said to his servant, “Ascend, and gaze out toward the sea.” And when he had ascended, and had contemplated, he said, “There is nothing.” And again, he said to him, “Return seven times.”
以後，對自己的僕人說：「你上去，朝海那邊觀看! 」僕人就上去觀看，說：「什麼也沒有。」厄里亞說：「你來回觀看七次! 」他就去了七次。
44 And at the seventh time, behold, a little cloud ascended from the sea like the footstep of a man. And he said: “Ascend, and say to Ahab, ‘Yoke your chariot, and descend; otherwise, the rain may prevent you.’”
第七次僕人說：「看，有一片雲彩，小得像手掌那麼大，從海上升起來了。」厄里亞說：「你上去告訴阿哈布說：快套車下去，免得被雨阻止! 」
45 And as he was turning himself this way and that, behold, the heavens were darkened, and there were clouds and wind, and a great rainstorm occurred. And so Ahab, going up, went away to Jezreel.
轉瞬之間，天空因風雲變為昏黑，落下大雨；阿哈布上車去了依次勒耳。
46 And the hand of the Lord was upon Elijah. And cinching his waist, he ran before Ahab, until he arrived at Jezreel.
上主的手臨於厄里亞身上，他就束上腰，跑在阿哈布前頭，直到依次勒耳的城門口。
