Judges 11
1 At that time, there was a Gileadite, Jephthah, a very strong man and a fighter, the son of a kept woman, and he was born of Gilead.
基肋阿得人依弗大是一個英勇的壯士，是妓女的兒子；父親名基肋阿得。
2 Now Gilead had a wife, from whom he received sons. And they, after growing up, cast out Jephthah, saying, “You cannot inherit in the house of our father, because you were born of another mother.”
基肋阿得的妻子也給他生了幾個兒子，正妻的兒子長大之後，把基肋阿得逐出，他說：「你在我們父家不能承受產業，因為你是外婦的兒子。」
3 And so, fleeing and avoiding them, he lived in the land of Tob. And men who were indigent and robbers joined with him, and they followed him as their leader.
依弗大就從他兄弟面前逃走，定居於托布地方；有些流氓聚集在他那裏，同他來往。
4 In those days, the sons of Ammon fought against Israel.
過了一些時候，阿孟子民與以色列交戰。
5 And being steadfastly attacked, the elders of Gilead traveled so that they might obtain for their assistance Jephthah, from the land of Tob.
當阿孟子民同以色列交戰的時候，基肋阿得的長老到托布地方去請依弗大回來。
6 And they said to him, “Come and be our leader, and fight against the sons of Ammon.”
他們同依弗大說：「請你來作我們的統帥，攻打阿孟子民。」
7 But he answered them: “Are you not the ones who hated me, and who cast me out of my father’s house? And yet now you come to me, compelled by necessity?”
依弗大回答基肋阿得的長老說：「你們不是恨我，將我逐出我的父家﹖現在你們遭難，為什麼來找我﹖」
8 And the leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “But it is due to this necessity that we have approached you now, so that you may set out with us, and fight against the sons of Ammon, and be commander over all who live in Gilead.”
基肋阿得的長老對依弗大說：「我們現在來找你正是為此。請你和我們一同回去，攻打阿孟子民，作我們，作基肋阿得所有居民的首領。」
9 Jephthah also said to them: “If you have come to me so that I may fight for you against the sons of Ammon, and if the Lord will deliver them into my hands, will I truly be your leader?”
依弗大對基肋阿得的長老說：「你們領我回去，同阿孟子民作戰，如果上主將他們交給我，那麼我就作你們的首領! 」
10 They answered him, “The Lord who hears these things is himself the Mediator and the Witness that we shall do what we have promised.”
基肋阿得的長老對依弗大說：「上主在我們中間作證：我們必照你的話實行。」
11 And so Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead, and all the people made him their leader. And Jephthah spoke all his words, in the sight of the Lord, at Mizpah.
依弗大就與基肋阿得的長老一同回去，百姓立他做他們的首領和統帥；依弗大在米茲帕，在上主面前，又把他這一切話陳述了一遍。依弗大與阿孟交涉
12 And he sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, who said on his behalf, “What is there between you and me, that you would approach against me, so that you might lay waste to my land?”
依弗大就派使者到阿孟子民王那裏說：「你與我何干﹖竟來我這裏攻打我的土地﹖」
13 And he responded to them, “It is because Israel took my land, when he ascended from Egypt, from the parts of Arnon, as far as the Jabbok and the Jordan. Now therefore, restore these to me with peace.”
阿孟子民的君王對依弗大的使者說：「因為以色列從埃及上來的時候，侵佔了我的領土，從阿爾農河到雅波克河，直到約但河；現在你應和平交還! 」
14 And Jephthah again commissioned them, and he ordered them to say to the king of Ammon:
依弗大再打發使者去見阿孟子民的君王，
15 “Jephthah says this: Israel did not take the land of Moab, nor the land of the sons of Ammon.
對他說：「依弗大這樣說：以色列並沒有侵佔摩阿布的土地和阿孟子民的土地，
16 But when they ascended together from Egypt, he walked through the desert as far as the Red Sea, and he went into Kadesh.
因為以色列從埃及上來的時候，是經過曠野，到了紅海，而來到卡德士。
17 And he sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Permit me to pass through your land.’ But he was not willing to agree to his petition. Likewise, he sent to the king of Moab, who also refused to offer him passage. And so he delayed in Kadesh,
以色列曾派使者對厄東王說：請讓我們經過你的領土! 但是厄東王不肯答應；又打發使者到摩阿布王那裏，但是他也不肯；於是以色列便逗留在卡德士。
18 and he circled around the side of the land of Edom and the land of Moab. And he arrived opposite the eastern region of the land of Moab. And he made camp across the Arnon. But he was not willing to enter the borders of Moab. (Of course, Arnon is the border of the land of Moab.)
以後他們經過曠野，繞過厄東地和摩阿布地，從摩阿布東面而行，在摩阿農河那邊安營；他們並沒有進入摩阿布的境界，因為阿爾農是摩阿布的邊界。
19 And so Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who was living at Heshbon. And they said to him, “Permit me to cross through your land as far as the river.”
以色列又派使者到阿摩黎王息紅，即赫市朋王那裏；以色列向他說：請讓我們經過你的領土，到我們的地方去。
20 But he, too, despising the words of Israel, would not permit him to cross through his borders. Instead, gathering an innumerable multitude, he went out against him at Jahaz, and he resisted strongly.
然而息紅不信任以色列，不准他們經過他的境界；並且息紅還召集他所有的人民，在雅哈茲安營，同以色列交戰。
21 But the Lord delivered him, with his entire army, into the hands of Israel. And he struck him down, and he possessed all the land of the Amorite, the inhabitant of that region,
但是上主以色列的天主將息紅及他全體百姓交於以色列手中，擊殺他們；於是以色列便取得住在那地的阿摩黎人所有的土地，
22 with all its parts, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even to the Jordan.
取得阿摩黎人，從阿爾農河到雅波克河，從曠野到約但河所有的土地。
23 Therefore, it was the Lord, the God of Israel, who overthrew the Amorites, by means of his people Israel fighting against them. And now you wish to possess his land?
現今上主以色列的天主，由自己的百姓以色列面前驅逐了阿摩黎人，難道你還要佔據這地嗎﹖
24 Are not the things that your god Chemosh possesses owed to you by right? And so, what the Lord our God has obtained by victory falls to us as a possession.
你豈不是應佔據你的神革摩士賜你佔領的地，而我們應佔領我們的天主上主，由我們前所驅逐之人的地嗎﹖
25 Or are you, perhaps, better than Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of Moab? Or are you able to explain what his argument was against Israel, and why he fought against him?
現在，難道你比摩阿士王漆頗爾的兒子巴拉克還強麼﹖他何曾與以色列爭鬥過，或者與他們交戰過﹖
26 And though he has lived in Heshbon, and its villages, and in Aroer, and its villages, and in all the cities near the Jordan for three hundred years, why have you, for such long a time, put forward nothing about this claim?
以色列住在赫市朋及其附近村鎮，阿洛厄爾及其附近村鎮，阿爾農河沿岸各城鎮裏，已有三百年之久，為什麼在這期間，你們沒有收回呢﹖
27 Therefore, I am not sinning against you, but you are doing evil against me, by declaring an unjust war against me. May the Lord be the Judge and the Arbiter this day, between Israel and the sons of Ammon.”
所以我並沒有得罪你，而你竟要加害我，與我交戰；願裁判者上主今天在以色列子民與阿孟子民中間判斷是非! 」
28 But the king of the sons of Ammon was not willing to agree to the words of Jephthah that he commissioned by the messengers.
但是阿孟子民的君王不肯聽從依弗大向他傳報的這些話。依弗大許願
29 Therefore, the Spirit of the Lord rested upon Jephthah, and circling around Gilead, and Manasseh, and also Mizpah of Gilead, and crossing from there to the sons of Ammon,
那時上主的神降於依弗大身上，他就走遍基肋阿得和默納協，來到基肋阿得的米茲帕，又從基肋阿得的米茲帕，到了阿孟子民那裏。
30 he made a vow to the Lord, saying, “If you will deliver the sons of Ammon into my hands,
依弗大向上主許願說：「若你把阿孟子民交於我手中，
31 whoever will be the first to depart from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, the same will I offer as a holocaust to the Lord.”
當我由阿孟子民那裏平安回來時，不論誰由我家門內出來迎接我，誰就應歸上主，我要把他獻作全燔祭。」
32 And Jephthah crossed to the sons of Ammon, so that he might fight against them. And the Lord delivered them into his hands.
於是依弗大到阿孟子民那裏與他們交戰，上主把他們交在他手中，
33 And he struck them down from Aroer, as far as the entrance to Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel, which is covered with vineyards, in an exceedingly great slaughter. And the sons of Ammon were humbled by the sons of Israel.
於是他從阿洛厄爾擊殺他們直到米尼特，直到阿貝耳革辣明，共二十座城，實在是一場大追擊戰；於是阿孟子民在以色列子民前區服了。依弗大還願
34 But when Jephthah returned to Mizpah, to his own house, his only daughter met him with timbrels and dances. For he had no other children.
依弗大回到米茲帕自己家中時，看，他的女兒出來，擊鼓跳舞前來迎接他。她是依弗大的獨生女，除她以外，沒有別的子女。
35 And upon seeing her, he tore his garments, and he said: “Alas, my daughter! You have cheated me, and you yourself have been cheated. For I opened my mouth to the Lord, and I can do nothing else.”
當依弗大一見了她，就撕破衣服說：「哎呀! 我的女兒，你真使我苦惱，太叫我作難了! 因為我對上主開過口不能收回。」
36 And she answered him, “My father, if you have opened your mouth to the Lord, do to me whatever you have promised, since victory has been granted to you, as well as vengeance against your enemies.”
她回來他說：「我的父親，你既然對上主開過口，就照你說出的對待我罷! 因為上主已對你的敵人阿孟子民，為你報了仇。」
37 And she said to her father: “Grant to me this one thing, which I request. Permit me, that I may wander the hillsides for two months, and that I may mourn my virginity with my companions.”
她又向父親說：「請你許我一件事：給我兩個月的期限，讓我與我的伴侶到山上去，哀哭我的童貞。」
38 And he answered her, “Go.” And he released her for two months. And when she had departed with her friends and companions, she wept over her virginity in the hillsides.
他答應說：「你去罷! 」就讓她離去兩個月的時間。她就去了，與她的伴侶在山上哀哭自己的童貞。
39 And when the two months expired, she returned to her father, and he did to her just as he had vowed, though she knew no man. From this, the custom grew up in Israel, and the practice has been preserved,
過了兩個月，她回到父親那裏，父親就在她身上還了所許的願；她還沒有認識男子。於是在以色列成為一種風俗：
40 such that, after each year passes, the daughters of Israel convene as one, and they lament the daughter of Jephthah, the Gileadite, for four days.
每年以色列少女要哀弔基肋阿得人依弗大的女兒，一年四天。
