< Joshua 22 >

1 In the same time, Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the one half tribe of Manasseh.
那時若蘇厄將勒烏本人加特人和默納協半支派的人召來,
2 And he said to them: “You have done all that Moses, the servant of the Lord, instructed you. You have also obeyed me in all things.
對他們說:「上主僕人梅瑟吩咐你們的一切,你們都遵守了,在我吩咐他們的一切事上,你們也都聽了我的話。
3 Neither have you forsaken your brothers during this long time, even to the present day, keeping the orders of the Lord your God.
這許多日子,你們從來沒有你們的的弟兄,直到今天,忠信遵守了上主你們天主的命令。
4 Therefore, since the Lord your God has given your brothers peace and quiet, just as he promised: return, and go into your tents and into the land of your possession, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, delivered to you beyond the Jordan.
現在上主我們的天主,照衪所應許的,使你們的弟兄獲得了安居,你們現在可返回自己的帳幕,回到上主的僕人梅瑟在約旦河東岸,賜你們為產業的地方去,
5 And may you continue to observe attentively, and to work to fulfill, the commandment and the law that Moses, the servant of the Lord, instructed to you, so that you may love the Lord your God, and walk in all his ways, and keep all his commandments, and cling to him, and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
只要要你們遵守上主的僕人梅瑟吩咐你們的誡命和法律:愛慕上主你們的天主,遵行衪的一切道路,謹守衪的誡命,全心人靈歸屬上主,服事上主。」
6 And Joshua blessed them, and he sent them away. And they returned to their tents.
若蘇厄於是祝福了他們,打發他們回去;他們就返回了自己的帳幕。──
7 Now to the one half tribe of Manasseh, Moses had given a possession in Bashan. And therefore, to the one half that was left over, Joshua gave a lot among the remainder of their brothers across the Jordan, in the western region. And when he had blessed them and dismissed them to their tents,
梅瑟在巴商已分給了默納協半支派土地。至於另半個支派,若蘇厄在約旦河西,在他們的弟兄中,也分給了他們土地,此外,當若蘇厄打發他們回帳幕的時候,祝福了他們,
8 he said to them: “Return to your settlements with much substance and wealth, with silver and gold, brass and iron, and a multitude of garments. Divide the spoils of your enemies with your brothers.”
向他們說:「現在你們帶著這許多財物、牛、羊、金銀、銅鐵,和大批衣服回到自己的帳幕,也要將你們從由敵人奪得的財物,分給你們的弟兄! 」
9 And the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the one half tribe of Manasseh returned, and they went away from the sons of Israel at Shiloh, which is situated in Canaan, so that they might enter into Gilead, the land of their possession, which they had obtained according to the order of the Lord, by the hand of Moses.
勒烏本人、召集人和默納協半支派的人,於是從客納罕的史羅起身,離開以色列人,回到自己得為產業的基肋阿得,即上主藉梅瑟吩咐給他們作為產業的地方。
10 And when they had arrived at the hills of the Jordan in the land of Canaan, they built an altar of immense magnitude beside the Jordan.
當勒烏本人、加得和默納協半支派的人來到屬客納罕地的約旦河附近地區時,在約旦河邊築了一座祭壇,一座高大可觀的祭壇。
11 And when the sons of Israel had heard of it, and certain messengers had reported to them that the sons of Reuben, and of Gad, and of the one half tribe of Manasseh had built an altar in the land of Canaan, upon the hills of the Jordan, facing the sons of Israel,
以色列人聽見說:「看,勒烏本人、加得人和默納協半支派的人,在屬客納罕地的約旦河附近地區,以色列子民境內,築了一座祭壇。」
12 they all assembled at Shiloh, so that they might go up and battle against them.
以色列子民一聽說這事,全會眾便聚集在史羅,要去作戰攻打他們。
13 And in the interim, they sent to them, in the land of Gilead, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the priest,
以色列子民便委派厄肋阿匝爾的兒子丕乃哈斯司祭,到基肋阿得地方去見勒烏本人、加得人和默納協半支派人,
14 and ten leaders with him, one from each tribe.
和他們同去的尚有十位領袖,每支派一個,他們都是以色列各家族的族長。
15 And they went to the sons of Reuben, and of Gad, and of the one half tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them:
他們來到基肋阿得地方,見勒烏本人、加得人和默納協半支派人,向他們說:
16 “All the people of the Lord declare this: What is this transgression? Why have you forsaken the Lord, the God of Israel, by building a sacrilegious altar, and by withdrawing from the worship of him?
「上主的全會眾這樣說:你們相反以色列的天主,犯這不信的罪,有什麼意思﹖為什麼你們今天離開上主,另建立祭壇,公開背叛上主﹖
17 Is it a small thing to you that you have sinned with Baal of Peor, and that the stain of that crime continues among us, even to the present day? And many of the people have fallen.
以前敬拜培敖爾的罪萵為我們還不夠嗎﹖為了那個罪過,災禍降於上主的會眾,直到今天,我們還沒洗淨:
18 And yet you have forsaken the Lord today, and tomorrow his wrath will rage against all of Israel.
看,你們今天又要離開上主,你們今天違背上主,明天衪必向以色列全會眾發怒。
19 But if you consider the land of your possession to be unclean, cross over to the land in which is the tabernacle of the Lord, and live among us. But do not withdraw from the Lord, and from our fellowship, by building an altar contrary to the altar of the Lord our God.
如果你們認為所得的地方不潔,可以回到上主的地方,上主帳幕的所在地,住在我們中間;決不可違背上主,激怒我們,在上主我們的祭壇以外,為自己另築祭壇。
20 Did not Achan, the son of Zerah, go against the commandment of the Lord, and so his wrath was laid over all the people of Israel? And he was only one man. If only he had perished in his wickedness alone!”
以前則辣黑的子孫阿干,在應毀滅的財物上犯了不忠之罪,雖只他一人犯罪,憤怒豈不是臨到以色列全會眾﹖死在他罪過中的不只他一人」。
21 And the sons of Reuben, and of Gad, and of the one half tribe of Manasseh responded to the leaders of the delegation from Israel:
勒烏本人、加得和默納協半支派的人,回答以色列的首長說:
22 “The Lord, the almighty God, the Lord, the almighty God, he knows, and also Israel will understand: If we have constructed this altar with intent of transgression, let him not preserve us, but instead punish us immediately.
「大能者天主上主,大能者天主上主清楚知道,以色列也明白:如果我們有違背或干犯上主的事,願衪今天別救我們!
23 And if we have acted with a mind so that we might present upon it holocausts, and sacrifice, and victims of peace offerings, let him inquire and judge.
如果我們建築這祭壇,有意離開上主,或有意在祭壇上祭全燔祭、素祭或和平祭,願上主自己懲罰我們!
24 Instead, we have acted with this greater thought and design, that we would say: Tomorrow your sons will say to our sons: ‘What is there between you and the Lord, the God of Israel?
我們做這事,其實正是顧慮到:將來你們的子孫會對我們的子孫說:你們和上主以色列的天主有什麼關係﹖
25 The Lord has stationed the river Jordan as the border between us and you, O sons of Reuben, O sons of Gad. And therefore, you have no part in the Lord.’ And by this occasion, your sons would turn away our sons from the fear of the Lord. And so we sought something better,
天主定了約旦河為我們和你們勒烏本和和得人之間的界限,你們和上主已沒有分子。這樣你們的子孫必使我們的的子孫不再敬畏上主。
26 and we said: Let us build us an altar, not for holocausts, and not to offer victims,
因此我們想:我們還是建築一座祭壇,不是為獻全燔祭,也不是為祭獻犧牲,
27 but as a testimony between us and you, and between our descendants and your progeny, so that we may serve the Lord, and so that it may be our right to offer holocausts, and victims, and peace offerings, and so that tomorrow your sons may not say to our sons: ‘You have no part in the Lord.’
只是為在你我之間,在你我後人之間作一證據,證明我們願在上主面前以全燔祭犧牲及和平祭敬禮上主,免得日後你們的子孫對我們的子孫說:你們與上主已沒有分子o
28 And if they decide to say this, they shall respond to them: ‘Behold, the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for holocausts, and not for sacrifice, but instead as a testimony between us and you.’
因此我們想:日後如有人對我們或我們的子孫說,我們可以說:你們試看我們的祖先所築的上主的祭壇的式樣,不是為獻全燔祭,也不是為獻犧牲,而是為作你我之間的證劇。
29 May this wickedness be far from us, such that we would withdraw from the Lord, and would forsake his paths, by constructing an altar to offer holocausts, and sacrifices, and victims, contrary to the altar of the Lord our God, which was built before his tabernacle.”
我們今天沒有意思違背上主,離開上主,在上主我們天主的帳幕前的祭壇以外,為獻全墦祭、素祭和犧牲,另建立一祭壇。」
30 And when Phinehas, the priest, and the leaders of the delegation who were with him, had heard this, they were pleased. And they accepted very willingly the words of the sons of Reuben, and of Gad, and of the one half tribe of Manasseh.
司祭丕乃哈斯和同他同來的會眾的首領,即以色列人的族長,聽了勒烏本人、加得人和默納協人所的話,都表示滿意。
31 And Phinehas, the priest, the son of Eleazar, said to them: “Now we know that the Lord is with us. For you are a stranger to this transgression. And so you have freed the sons of Israel from the hand of the Lord.”
厄肋阿則爾的兒子丕乃哈司祭對勒烏本人、加得人和默納協人說:「今天我們知道上主是在我們中間,因為你們對上主沒有犯過這樣不忠信的罪,現在你們由上主手中救了以色列子民。」
32 And he returned with the leaders, from the sons of Reuben and of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, into the parts of Canaan, to the sons of Israel. And he reported to them.
厄肋阿則爾的兒子丕乃哈司祭和首領便離開勒烏本人、加得人和默納協半支派的人,從基肋阿得地方回到客納罕地見以色列子民,給他們報告了這事。
33 And the word pleased all who heard it. And the sons of Israel praised God, and they no longer said that they would go up against them, and fight, and destroy the land of their possession.
以色列子民對這報告都表示滿意,遂頌揚上主,不再想作戰攻打勒烏本人和加得人,毀滅他們所住的地方。
34 And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad called the altar that they had built: Our testimony that the Lord himself is God.
勒烏本人和加得人給那祭壇起名叫「赫得,」因為他們說:「這祭壇在我們中間證明上主是真天主。」

< Joshua 22 >