< Numbers 14 >
1 And the whole assembly lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
全會眾都大聲喧嚷,人民哭了一夜。
2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole assembly said to them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! or in this wilderness would that we had died!
以色列子民都抱怨梅瑟和亞郎;全會眾對他們說:「巴不得我們都死在埃及地,都死在曠野裏!
3 And why is Jehovah bringing us to this land that we may fall by the sword, that our wives and our little ones may become a prey? Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?
為什麼上主引我們到那地方死在刀下,叫我們的妻子兒女當作戰利品﹖再回埃及去,為我們豈不更好﹖」
4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return to Egypt.
於是彼此說:「我們另立頭目,回埃及去。」
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell upon their faces before the whole congregation of the assembly of the children of Israel.
梅瑟和亞郎遂俯伏在以色列子民全會眾前。
6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of them that searched out the land, rent their garments.
偵探那地方的人中,有農的兒子若蘇厄和耶孚乃的兒子加肋布,他們撕裂了自己的衣服,
7 And they spoke to the whole assembly of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it out, is a very, very good land.
告訴以色列子民全會眾說:「我們偵探所經過的地方,確是一片極好的地方。
8 If Jehovah delight in us, he will bring us into this land, and give it us, a land that flows with milk and honey;
若上主恩待我們,必引我們到那裏去,將那地方賜給我們。那實在是一塊流奶流蜜的地方。
9 only rebel not against Jehovah; and fear not the people of the land; for they shall be our food. Their defence is departed from them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not.
只要你們不反抗上主,就不必怕那地方的人民,因為他們要作我們的掠物;護佑他們的,離開了他們,上主卻與我們同在;所以不要怕他們。」
10 And the whole assembly said that they should be stoned with stones. And the glory of Jehovah appeared in the tent of meeting to all the children of Israel.
全會眾正說要用石頭砸死他們時,上主的榮耀在會幕上顯示給全以色列子民。
11 And Jehovah said to Moses, How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe me, for all the signs which I have done among them?
上主對梅瑟說:「這人民輕慢我要到幾時呢﹖我雖在他們中行了那些神蹟,他們仍不相信我,要到幾時呢﹖
12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and destroy them, and will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they.
我要用瘟疫打擊他們,剷除他們,使你成為一個比他們更強大,更昌盛的民族。」
13 And Moses said to Jehovah, Then the Egyptians will hear it; for in thy might thou broughtest up this people from the midst of them;
但是梅瑟對上主說:「埃及人如果聽說這事,因為你曾用威力由他們中領出這民族來,
14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land, [who] have heard that thou, Jehovah, art in the midst of this people, that thou, Jehovah, lettest thyself be seen eye to eye, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night;
他們將說什麼﹖這地方的居民也曾聽說:你上主是在這民族中;你上主曾面對面地發顯出來,你的雲彩常停在他們上面;白日你乘雲柱,黑夜你乘火柱,走在他們前面。
15 if thou now slayest this people as one man, then the nations that have heard thy fame will speak, saying,
現在,如果你消滅這民族如消滅一個人一樣,這些曾聽到你聲名的外邦民族必要議論說:『
16 Because Jehovah was not able to bring this people into the land that he had sworn unto them, he has therefore slain them in the wilderness.
由於上主不能引這民族進入他對他們所誓許的地方,就在曠野將他們殺了。』
17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of the Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,
吾主,如今求你,大發寬容,如你曾聲明說:
18 Jehovah is slow to anger, and abundant in goodness, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but by no means clearing [the guilty], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and fourth [generation].
上主緩於發怒,富於仁慈,寬赦過犯和罪過,但決不豁免懲罰,父親的過犯,要向子孫追討,直到三代四代。
19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy loving-kindness, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
求你大發仁慈,寬恕這人民的罪過,就如從埃及一直到現在,你寬赦了他們一樣。」
20 And Jehovah said, I have pardoned according to thy word.
上主回答說:「我就照你祈求的寬赦他們;
21 But as surely as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah!
但是我以我的生命,以充滿全地的上主的榮耀起誓:
22 for all those men who have seen my glory, and my signs, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice,
這些見了我的榮耀,見了我在埃及和曠野裏所行的神蹟的人,已十次試探了我,不聽我的話,
23 shall in no wise see the land which I did swear unto their fathers: none of them that despised me shall see it.
他們決不能見我對他們祖先誓許的地方;凡輕慢我的人,決不會見到那地方。
24 But my servant Caleb, because he hath another spirit in him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he came; and his seed shall possess it.
惟有我的僕人加肋布,因懷有另一種精神,全心服從我,我必引他進入他去過的地方,他的後裔必佔有那地方為產業。
25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley.) To-morrow turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness, on the way to the Red sea.
現今阿瑪肋克人和客納罕人盤據在山谷中,明天你們應轉身向紅海出發,往曠野去。」
26 And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
上主吩咐梅瑟和亞郎說:「
27 How long [shall I bear] with this evil assembly, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
這個邪惡的會眾抱怨我要到幾時﹖以色列子民抱怨我的話我都聽見了。
28 Say unto them, As surely as I live, saith Jehovah, if I do not do unto you as ye have spoken in mine ears!
你對他們說:我以我的生命起誓:──上主的斷語──我必照你們在我耳中所說的話,對待你們:
29 In this wilderness shall your carcases fall; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number from twenty years old and upwards, who have murmured against me,
你們中凡二十歲以上登過記的,凡抱怨過我的,都要倒斃在這曠野中。
30 shall in no wise come into the land, concerning which I have lifted up my hand to make you dwell in it; save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
你們決不得進入我誓許給你們居住的地方,只有耶孚乃的加肋布和農的兒子若蘇厄除外。
31 But your little ones, of whom ye said they should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land that ye have despised.
至於你們的幼童,你們曾說他們要當戰利品的,我要領他們進去,使他們享受你們所輕視的地方。
32 And as to you, your carcases shall fall in this wilderness.
至於你們,你們必倒斃在這曠野中;
33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
你們的子女要在曠野漂流四十年,受你們背信之罰,直到你們的屍首在曠野中爛盡。
34 After the number of the days in which ye have searched out the land, forty days, each day for a year shall ye bear your iniquities forty years, and ye shall know mine estrangement [from you].
你們偵探那地方的日子,共計四十天,一天算一年,你們應受四十年的罪罰,叫你們知道我放棄你們是什麼一回事。
35 I Jehovah have spoken; I will surely do it unto all this evil assembly which have gathered together against me! in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
我上主既說了,也必對這聚集反抗我的邪惡會眾這樣做:在這曠野他們都要滅絕,在這裏都要死盡。」
36 And the men whom Moses had sent to search out the land, who returned, and made the whole assembly to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report upon the land,
梅瑟派遣去偵探那地方的人,回來以後,對那地方散佈謠言,致使全會眾抱怨梅瑟。
37 even those men who had brought up an evil report upon the land, died by a plague before Jehovah.
這些對那地方講說壞話的人,都遭了災罰,死在上主面前;
38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, lived still of the men that had gone to search out the land.
前去偵探那地方的人,只有農的兒子若蘇厄和耶孚乃的兒子加肋布,保全了性命。
39 And Moses told all these sayings to all the children of Israel; then the people mourned greatly.
梅瑟將這些話告訴了全以色列子民;人民都非常憂悶。
40 And they rose up early in the morning, and went up to the hill-top, saying, Here are we, and we will go up to the place of which Jehovah has spoken; for we have sinned.
次日清晨他們起來,要上山頂去,說:「我們犯了罪,現在我們已準備好,要往上主所說的地方去。」
41 And Moses said, Why now do ye transgress the commandment of Jehovah? but it shall not prosper!
但是梅瑟說:「你們為什麼要違背上主的命令﹖這事必不會成功。
42 Go not up, for Jehovah is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies;
不要上去,因為上主不在你們中間,難免不被敵人擊敗。
43 for the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword; for as ye have turned away from Jehovah, Jehovah will not be with you.
因為阿瑪肋克人和客納罕人在那裏要抵擋你們,你們必喪身刀下;你們既背離了上主,上主自然不再與你們同在。」
44 Yet they presumed to go up to the hill-top; but the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and Moses, did not depart from the midst of the camp.
他們仍擅自上了山頂;但上主的約櫃和梅瑟沒有由營幕中移動。
45 And the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt on that hill, came down and smote them, and cut them to pieces, as far as Hormah.
住在山中的阿瑪肋克人和客納罕人就下來,擊殺了他們,將他們追擊到曷爾瑪。