< 2 Chronicles 29 >
1 And so Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old. And he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
[希則克雅登極]希則克雅登極時年二十五歲,在耶路撒冷作王凡二十九年;他的母親名叫阿彼雅,是則加黎雅的女兒。
2 And he did what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord, in accord with all that his father David had done.
希則克雅行了上主視為正義的事,完全像他的祖先達味所行的一樣。[清除聖殿]
3 In the first year and month of his reign, he opened the double doors of the house of the Lord, and he repaired them.
他作王元年正月,開了上主殿宇的門,再加以修理;
4 And he brought together the priests and Levites. And he gathered them in the wide eastern street.
召司祭和肋未人來,聚集在東面廣場上,
5 And he said to them: “Listen to me, O Levites, and be sanctified. Cleanse the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and take away every uncleanness from the sanctuary.
對他們說:「肋未人,請聽我的話! 現在你們應自潔,好清除上主你們祖先的天主的殿宇,將聖所內的污穢之物除去。
6 Our fathers sinned and did evil in the sight of the Lord our God, abandoning him. They turned their faces away from the tabernacle of the Lord, and they presented their backs.
因為我們的祖先犯了罪,行了上主我們的天主視為不悅的事,離棄了他,並轉臉不顧上主的居所,所以背相向;
7 They closed up the doors which were in the portico, and they extinguished the lamps. And they did not burn incense, and they did not offer holocausts, in the sanctuary of the God of Israel.
又封閉了廊門,熄滅了燈,未在聖所內給以色列的天主焚香,獻全燔祭。
8 And so the fury of the Lord was stirred up against Judah and Jerusalem, and he handed them over to turmoil, and to destruction, and to hissing, just as you discern with your own eyes.
因此,上主的盛怒降於猶大和耶路撒冷,使之成為恐懼、驚駭、恥笑的對象,正如你們親眼所見的。
9 Lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword. Our sons, and our daughters and wives have been led away as captives because of this wickedness.
並且我們的祖先因此死於刀下,我們的妻子兒女作了俘虜。
10 Now therefore, it is pleasing to me that we should enter into a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel. And he will turn away the fury of his indignation from us.
現在,我有意與上主以色列的天主立約,使他的烈怒轉離我們。
11 My sons, do not choose to be negligent. The Lord has chosen you so that you would stand before him, and minister to him, and worship him, and burn incense to him.”
我的孩子們! 現在不要再怠慢,因為上主揀選了你們侍立在他面前,為奉事他,向他焚香。」
12 Therefore, the Levites rose up, Mahath, the son of Amasai, and Joel, the son of Azariah, from the sons of Kohath; then, from the sons of Merari, Kish, the son of Abdi, and Azariah, the son of Jehallelel; and from the sons of Gershon, Joah, the son of Zimmah, and Eden, the son of Joah;
於是肋未人起來:刻哈特族中有阿瑪賽的兒子瑪哈特和阿匝黎雅的兒子約厄耳;默辣黎族中有阿貝狄的兒子克士和雅肋肋耳的兒子阿匝黎雅;革爾雄族中有齊瑪的兒子約阿黑和約阿黑的兒子厄登;
13 and truly, from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; also, from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;
厄里匝番的子孫中有史默黎和耶烏耳;阿撒夫子孫中有則加黎雅和瑪塔尼雅;
14 indeed also, from the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; then too, from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.
赫曼子孫中有耶希耳和史米;耶杜通子孫中有舍瑪雅和烏齊耳,
15 And they gathered together their brothers. And they were sanctified. And they entered in accord with the command of the king and the order of the Lord, so that they might expiate the house of God.
他們集合自己的弟兄,先行自潔,後照君王的吩咐,根據上主的命令,來清除上主的殿。
16 And the priests, entering the temple of the Lord so that they might sanctify it, took every uncleanness, which they had found inside, out to the vestibule of the house of the Lord; and the Levites took it away and transported it outside, to the torrent Kidron.
司祭進入上主的殿宇裏面去清除,將上主殿內所有的污穢之物,移到上主殿宇的院內;肋未人接過來,運到城外的克德龍溪。
17 Now they began to cleanse on the first day of the first month. And on the eighth day of the same month, they entered the portico of the temple of the Lord. And then they expiated the temple over eight days. And on the sixteenth day of the same month, they finished what they had begun.
他們在正月一日開始清除,第八天清除到上主的殿。正月十六日清除完畢。
18 Also, they entered to king Hezekiah, and they said to him: “We have sanctified the entire house of the Lord, and the altar of holocaust, and its vessels, indeed also the table of the presence, with all its vessels,
於是他們去見希則克雅說:「我們已經將上主的殿宇、全燔祭壇、以及壇上所有的器具、供餅桌、以及桌上所有的用具,全部清潔了;
19 and all the equipment of the temple, which king Ahaz, during his reign, had polluted after his transgression. And behold, these have all been set forth before the altar of the Lord.”
並且連阿哈次王在位犯罪時,所丟棄的器具,我們都整理好,也都清潔了;現在都放在上主祭壇前面。」[獻祭贖罪]
20 And rising up at first light, king Hezekiah joined as one all the leaders of the city, and they ascended to the house of the Lord.
希則克雅清晨起來,召集城內的首領,上到上主殿內。
21 And together they offered seven bulls and seven rams, seven lambs and seven he-goats, for sin, for the kingdom, for the Sanctuary, for Judah. And he spoke to the priests, the sons of Aaron, so that they would offer these upon the altar of the Lord.
人們帶來了七隻牛犢,七隻公綿羊和七隻羔羊;此外,還有七隻公山羊,為國家,為聖殿,為猶大作為贖罪祭;王遂吩咐亞郎的子孫司祭奉獻在上主的祭壇上。
22 And so they slaughtered the bulls. And the priests took up the blood, and they poured it upon the altar. Then they also slaughtered the rams, and they poured their blood upon the altar. And they immolated the lambs, and they poured the blood upon the altar.
祭殺了牛犢,司祭將血取來,灑在祭壇上;祭殺了綿羊,將血灑在祭壇上;祭殺了羔羊,也將血灑在祭壇上。
23 They brought the he-goats for sin before the king and the entire multitude. And they laid their hands upon them.
最後,將獻作贖罪祭的公山羊,牽到君王和會眾面前,他們將手按在公山羊身上,
24 And the priests immolated them, and they sprinkled their blood before the altar, for the expiation of all Israel. For certainly the king had instructed that the holocaust and the sin offering should be made on behalf of all Israel.
司祭宰殺了,將血獻在祭壇上,作為贖罪祭,為以色列民眾贖罪,因為君王曾吩咐過:全燔祭和贖罪祭,應為以色列民眾奉獻。
25 Also, he situated the Levites in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, and psalteries, and harps, according to the disposition of king David, and of the seer Gad, and of the prophet Nathan. For indeed, this was the precept of the Lord, by the hand of his prophets.
王又派定肋未人用鈸、瑟和琴,在上主殿內奏樂,有如達味、王的先見者加得和先知納堂所吩咐的,亦即上主藉先知所吩咐的。
26 And the Levites stood, holding the musical instruments of David, and the priests held the trumpets.
於是肋未人拿著達味的樂器,司祭拿著號筒,一起站著。
27 And Hezekiah ordered that they should offer holocausts upon the altar. And when the holocausts were being offered, they began to sing praises to the Lord, and to sound the trumpets, and to play various musical instruments, which David, the king of Israel, had prepared.
希則克雅遂下令在祭壇上奉獻全燔祭。全燔祭開始時,頌揚上主的歌聲和號聲,也在以色列王達味的樂器伴奏下,隨之開始。
28 Then the entire crowd was adoring, and the singers and those who were holding the trumpeters were exercising their office, until the holocaust was completed.
同時全會眾跪拜,唱歌的唱歌,吹號的吹號,這樣直到全燔祭獻完為止。
29 And when the oblation was finished, the king, and all who were with him, bowed down and adored.
獻完了祭,君王和所有同他自場的人,都屈膝跪拜。
30 And Hezekiah and the rulers instructed the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David, and of Asaph, the seer. And they praised him with great joy, and kneeling down, they adored.
此後,希則克雅王和眾首領,又吩咐肋未人用達味和先見者阿撒夫的詩詞,讚頌上主。他們便歡樂地讚頌了上主,隨即俯首朝拜。
31 And now Hezekiah also added: “You have filled your hands for the Lord. Draw near, and offer victims and praises in the house of the Lord.” Therefore, the entire multitude offered victims and praises and holocausts, with devout intention.
希則克雅又吩咐說:「你們既然奉獻了自己與上主,請近前來,將感恩祭祭物,送入上主殿內。」會眾便將感恩祭祭物,以及甘心獻的全燔祭獻上。
32 Now the number of the holocausts that the multitude offered was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, two hundred lambs.
會眾所獻的全燔祭犧牲總數為:牛犢七十隻,公山羊一百隻,羔羊二百隻,全獻給上主作全燔祭。
33 And they sanctified to the Lord six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.
還有祝聖的牲畜:牛犢六百隻,羊三千隻。
34 Truly, the priests were few; neither were they sufficient to remove the pelts from the holocausts. Therefore, the Levites, their brothers, also assisted them, until the work was completed, and the priests, who were of higher rank, were sanctified. For indeed, the Levites are sanctified with an easier ritual than the priests.
由於司祭太少,不能剝盡全燔祭犧牲的皮,所以他們的弟兄肋未人前來協助,直到工作作完,直到司祭自潔完畢,因為肋未人自潔的誠心勝過司祭。
35 Thus, there were very numerous holocausts, with the fat of the peace offerings and the libations of the holocausts. And the service of the house of the Lord was completed.
此外,還有許多全燔祭、和平祭、脂油,及與全燔祭同奠的酒,等待處理。這樣,上主殿內的禮儀就全恢復了。
36 And Hezekiah and all the people were joyful because the ministry of the Lord was accomplished. For certainly, it had pleased them to do this suddenly.
希則克雅和全民眾都很快樂,因為天主為人民準備,使此事迅速完成。