< Nehemiah 9 >
1 Then, on the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the sons of Israel came together in fasting and in sackcloth, and with soil upon them.
同月二十四日,以色列子民都聚集起來,守齋禁食,穿粗毛衣,頭上頂著灰土。
2 And the offspring of the sons of Israel were separated from all the sons of foreigners. And they stood up, and they confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
以色列的苗裔,同一切外方人的子孫分開之後,便站起來,坦白承認自己的罪過。和祖先的罪惡。
3 And they arose to stand. And they read in the volume of the law of the Lord their God, four times in the day, and four times they confessed. And they adored the Lord their God.
他們各站在自己的地方,三小時之久,誦讀他們天主的法律書;又三小時之久,承認了自己的罪過,跪拜了上主,他們的天主。
4 Then, upon the step of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, and Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani rose up. And they cried out in a great voice to the Lord their God.
肋未人耶叔亞、彼奴依、卡德米耳、舍巴尼雅、步尼、舍勒彼雅、巴尼、和革納尼,站在高處,大聲呼號上主,他們的天主。
5 And the Levites, Jeshua and Kadmiel, Bunni, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said: “Rise up. Bless the Lord your God, from eternity even to eternity! And blessed be the exalted name of your glory, with all blessing and praise.
隨後肋未人耶叔亞、卡德米耳、巴尼、哈沙彼雅、曷狄雅、舍巴尼雅、培塔希雅說道:「起來! 你們應讚頌上主我們的天主,從永遠直到永遠! 」眾人便讚頌他光榮的聖名,因此名遠超一切稱頌和讚美。
6 You yourself alone, O Lord, made heaven, and the heaven of the heavens, and all their host, the earth and all things that are in it, the seas and all things that are in them. And you gave life to all these things. And the host of heaven adores you.
厄斯德拉祈禱說:「唯獨你是上主,是你創造了天,天上的天,和天上的一切軍旅,地和地上的一切,海和海中的一切,是你使一切生存;天上的軍旅常在你前跪拜。
7 You yourself, O Lord God, are the One who chose Abram. And you led him away from the fire of the Chaldeans, and you gave him the name Abraham.
上主,你就是那揀選亞巴郎,領他離開加色丁烏爾,給他起名叫阿貝辣罕的天主。
8 And you found his heart to be faithful before you. And you formed a covenant with him, so that you might give to him the land of the Canaanite, of the Hittite, and of the Amorite, and of the Perizzite, and of the Jebusite, and of the Girgashite, so that you might give it to his offspring. And you have fulfilled your words, for you are just.
你見他的心對你忠實,就與他立約,把客納罕人、赫特人、阿摩黎人、培黎齊人、耶步斯人和基爾加士人的土地,賜給了他的後裔;你履行了你的諾言,因為你是正義的。
9 And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt. And you heard their outcry beside the Red Sea.
你垂顧了我們祖先在埃及的困苦,俯聽了他們在紅海旁的呼聲,
10 And you gave signs and portents to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to the people of his land. For you knew that they acted arrogantly against them. And you made a name for yourself, just as it is in this day.
遂對法郎和他所有的臣僕,以及他國內所有的民眾,行了奇蹟異能,因為你知道,他們怎樣任性傲慢地,對待了我們的祖先,因而你獲得了大名,直至今日。
11 And you divided the sea before them, and they crossed through the midst of the sea on dry land. But their pursuers you cast into the depths, like a stone into great waters.
你在我們祖先面前,分開了海,使他們在海中乾地路過,卻把追趕他們的人,拋入深淵,有如把一塊石頭拋入怒潮。
12 And in the pillar of cloud, you were their leader by day, and in the pillar of fire, by night, so that they might see the way along which they might advance.
日間你用雲柱領導,夜間你用火柱光照他們所走的路。
13 You also descended to mount Sinai, and you spoke with them from heaven. And you gave them upright judgments, and the law of truth, and ceremonies, and good precepts.
你降臨西乃山上,從天上向他們施救,賜給了他們公正的條例、真理的法律、美好的規矩及誡命;
14 You revealed to them your sanctified Sabbath, and you instructed them in commandments, and ceremonies, and the law, by the hand of Moses, your servant.
你令他們知道,你神聖的安息日,藉著你的僕人梅瑟,向他們頒佈了規矩、誡命和法律。
15 You also gave them bread from heaven in their hunger, and you brought forth water from the rock for them in their thirst. And you said to them that they should enter and possess the land, over which you lifted up your hand so that you might give it to them.
你從天上賜下食物,給他們充飢;使岩石中流出清泉,給他們解渴;命令他們去佔領,。你曾舉手誓許賜與他們的土地。
16 Yet truly, they and our fathers acted arrogantly, and they hardened their necks, and they did not listen to your commandments.
但是他們,我們的祖先,任性妄為,硬著脖子,不肯聽從你的命令。
17 And they were not willing to hear, and they did not remember, your miracles which you had accomplished for them. And they hardened their necks, and they offered their head, so that they would return to their servitude, as if in contention. But you, a forgiving God, lenient and merciful, longsuffering and full of compassion, did not abandon them.
他們拒絕聽命,忘卻了你在他們中間所行的奇蹟,硬著脖子,立了首領,要回到埃及去當奴隸。但你是寬大為懷,仁愛慈悲,緩於忿怒,富於慈愛的天主,並未拋棄他們;
18 Indeed, even when they had made for themselves a molten calf, and they had said, ‘This is your God, who led you away from Egypt!’ and had committed great blasphemies,
甚至連他們鑄了一個牛犢說:「這是領你出埃及的天主! 」犯了褻瀆的大罪時,
19 even so, in the multitude of your mercies, you did not send them away in the desert. The pillar of cloud did not withdraw from them by day, so that it might lead them on the way, nor the pillar of fire by night, so that it might show them the way along which they might advance.
你因你無限的仁慈,也沒有將他們拋棄在曠野中;日間在路上領導他們的雲柱,夜間為他們光照道路的火柱,仍沒有離開他們。
20 And you gave them your good Spirit, so that he might teach them, and you did not withhold your manna from their mouth, and you gave them water in their thirst.
你賜下你溫和的風,使他們甦醒,並沒有將「瑪納」扣住,不給他們充飢,仍賜下了水為他們解渴。
21 For forty years, you fed them in the desert, and nothing was lacking to them; their garments did not grow old, and their feet were not worn down.
四十年之久,你在曠野照顧他們,使他們一無所缺;他們的衣服沒有穿破,他們的腳也沒有腫脹。
22 And you gave them kingdoms and peoples, and you distributed to them by lot. And they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, the king of Bashan.
你將各國和眾民交給了他們,將各個角落分給了他們,他們遂佔領了赫市朋王息紅,和巴商王敖格的土地。
23 And you multiplied their sons like the stars of heaven. And you led them into the land, about which you had said to their fathers that they would enter and possess it.
你使他們的子孫繁衍,有如天上的繁星,領他們道你誓許與他們的祖先,要去佔領的土地,
24 And the sons arrived and possessed the land. And you humbled the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, before them. And you delivered them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, so that they might do with them just as it was pleasing to them.
他們的子孫便去佔領了那地方;你使那地方的居民客納罕人,屈服在他們面前,將他們的君王和地方上的人民,交在他們的手中,任他們隨意處置。
25 And so they seized fortified cities and fat soil. And they possessed houses filled with all kinds of goods, cisterns made by others, vineyards, and olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. And they ate and were satisfied. And they were fattened, and they abounded with delights from your great goodness.
他們攻取了堅固的城池,和肥沃的土地,奪得了滿藏寶物的房舍、掘好的井、葡萄園、橄欖園和豐富的果林;他們都吃得飽滿,身體肥胖,安逸享樂,這都是因你無量的慈善。
26 But they provoked you to wrath, and they withdrew from you, and they cast your law behind their backs. And they killed your prophets, who contended with them so that they might return to you. And they committed great blasphemies.
但是,他們竟抗命背叛了你,將你的法律置諸背後,殺了那些警戒他們,勸他們歸順於你的先知;他們竟犯了這褻瀆的大罪,
27 And so you gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they afflicted them. And in the time of their tribulation, they cried out to you, and from heaven you heard them. And in accord with your great compassion, you gave to them saviors, who might save them from the hand of their enemies.
因此你把他們交在仇人的手中,受人迫害。他們遭遇迫害時,一呼求你,你就由天上俯聽了他們,照你無限的仁慈,打發救援者,由仇人手中救出他們;
28 But after they had rested, they turned back, so that they did evil in your sight. And you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, and they possessed them. And they converted, and they cried out to you. And from heaven you heeded them, and you freed them many times, by your mercies.
然而他們一享平安,便又去做惡背叛你,因此你又把他們拋在他們敵人手中,受他們的管轄;幾時他們再回心轉意呼號你,你就再由天上俯聽他們,照你無限的仁慈拯救他們。
29 And you contended with them, so that they might return to your law. Yet truly, they acted in arrogance, and they did not listen to your commandments, and they sinned against your judgments, which, if a man does them, he shall live by them. And they withdrew from offering their shoulder, and they hardened their neck; neither would they listen.
你曾警告他們轉向你的法律,但是他們仍恣意妄行,不聽從你的命令,違反你的典章,-人若遵行,必因此而生活,-扭轉倔強的肩膀,硬著脖子,不願服從。
30 And you continued to forbear them for many years. And you contended with them by your Spirit, through the hand of your prophets. And they did not listen, and so you delivered them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
你多年來容忍他們,藉先知和以你的精神,警戒他們,但他們仍不聽從,所以你將他們交在異方人民手中。
31 Yet in your very many mercies, you did not cause them to be consumed, nor did you abandon them. For you are a compassionate and lenient God.
但因你無限的仁慈,你沒有消滅他們,也沒有拋棄他們,因為你是博愛仁慈的天主。
32 Now therefore, our great God, strong and terrible, who keeps covenant and mercy, may you not avert your face from all the hardship that has found us, we and our kings, and our leaders, and our priests, and our prophets, and our fathers, and all the people, from the days of king Assur, even to this day.
現在,我們的天主! 遵守信約,保持仁愛,偉大、全能和可畏的天主! 請不要把我們、我們的君王、我們的首長、我們的司祭、我們的先知、我們的祖先和你的全民眾,從亞述王時代直到今日所遭遇的一切迫害,看作小事。
33 For you are just, concerning all things that have overwhelmed us. For you have done truth, but we have acted impiously.
你使這一切降在我們身上,是公義的,因為你所行的是忠義,而我們所行的是邪惡。
34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our fathers have not done your law, and they have not been attentive to your commandments and your testimonies, to which you have testified among them.
我們的君王、我們的首領、我們的司祭和我們的祖先,實在都沒有遵行你的法律,也沒有聽從你的命令和你警戒他們的勸告。
35 And they have not served you, in their kingdoms and with your many good things, which you gave to them, and in the very wide and fat land, which you delivered into their sight, nor did they return from their most wicked pursuits.
他們在你賜給他們的國土上和許多幸福中,在你擺在他們面前的廣大而肥沃的土地上,並沒有侍奉你,也沒有放棄他們的惡行。
36 Behold, we ourselves this day are servants. And the land, which you gave to our fathers so that they might eat its bread and have its good things, we ourselves are servants within it.
我們今天竟成了奴隸! 看,我們在你賞給我們祖先吃那裏的果實和出產的土地上,作了奴隸!
37 And its fruits are multiplied for the kings, whom you have set over us because of our sins. And they rule over our bodies, and over our cattle, according to their will. And we are in great tribulation.
為了我們的罪過,那豐富的出產歸於你派定來管轄我們的君王,他們隨意處置了我們的肉體和我們的牲畜;我們實在是處在極大的困苦中! 」
38 Therefore, concerning all of these things, we ourselves are forming and writing a covenant, and our leaders, our Levites, and our priests are signing it.”
鑑於這一切,我們立了盟約,也寫了出來;我們的族長、我們的肋未人和司祭,也在上面蓋了印。