< Joshua 22 >
1 Then Joshua summoned the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the 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 He told them, “You have done everything that Moses, the servant of the Lord, told you to do, and you have followed all the commands I gave you.
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 You have never abandoned your brothers all this time, right up to the present day. You have carefully followed what the Lord your God ordered you to do.
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 Now that the Lord your God has given peace to your brothers, as he promised, go back home to your land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you on the other side of 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 But make sure you keep the commandments and the law as Moses instructed you. Love the Lord your God, follow all his ways, keep his commandments, stay close to him, and serve him with your whole being.”
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 Joshua blessed them, sent them on their way, and they went home.
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 Moses had given to the half-tribe of Manasseh the land of Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua had given land west of the Jordan. Joshua blessed them and sent them home.
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 told them, “Take all the wealth you have gained back home: the great herds of livestock, the things made of gold, silver, copper, and iron, the huge quantity of clothes. Share all this plunder 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 So the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the rest of the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and went home to their land in Gilead that they had received at the Lord's command through 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 When they approached the Jordan region, still in the land of Canaan, the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built a large and impressive altar beside the Jordan River.
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 The Israelites were told, “Look, the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar in the Jordan region of the land of Canaan, on the side belonging to the Israelities.”
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 The Israelites gathered at Shiloh to go to war 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 Before they did so, they sent Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead.
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 Ten leaders went with him, one from each of the ten tribes of Israel, and each the head of his family.
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 After they arrived they told the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,
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 “This is what all of the Lord's people say, ‘What is this disloyal act you have committed against the God of Israel by building an altar for yourselves? How could you turn away from him now in such rebellion?
「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 Wasn't our sin at Peor enough? Even now we're still not clean from the plague that attacked the Lord's people.
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 So why are you turning away from the Lord now? If you rebel against the Lord today, he will be angry with all of us tomorrow!
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 think your land is tainted then come over to the land of the Lord where the Tabernacle of the Lord is located and share some of our land with us. Just don't rebel against the Lord, or against us, by building for yourselves an altar other than 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 When Achan, son of Zerah, acted disloyally in taking consecrated things, didn't the whole of Israel suffer punishment? He wasn't the only one who died because of his sin!”
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 Then the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the Israelite leaders,
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 is God of gods, the Lord is God of gods, and he knows! May Israel also know! If we're in rebellion against God or being disloyal to him then kill us right now!
「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 If our action of building an altar was to turn away from the Lord, or to use the altar to make burnt offerings or grain offerings or friendship offerings, then may the Lord punish us.
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 We did this because we were worried that in the future your descendants might say to ours, ‘What have you got to do with 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 put a border—the Jordan River—between us and you, descendants of Reuben and Gad. You don't belong to the Lord.’ So your descendants might stop our descendants from worshiping the Lord.
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 So we said to ourselves, ‘Let's build an altar, not for burnt offerings or for sacrifices,
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 witness between us and you, and for the generations that come after us, that we will come to worship the Lord in his presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and friendship offerings.’ Then your descendants will not be able to say to ours in the future, ‘You don't belong to 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 If they were to do so in the future, our descendants could reply, ‘Look at this copy of the Lord's altar which our forefathers made, not for burnt offerings or for sacrifices, but as a witness 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 We would never think to rebel against the Lord or to turn away from him now by building an altar to make burnt offerings or grain offerings or sacrifices. The only altar of the Lord our God is the one stands in front of 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 When Phinehas and the Israelite leaders heard this from the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh they were delighted.
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 Phinehas replied to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is with us because you have not acted disloyally in doing this. Now you have saved the Israelites from being punished by 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 Then Phinehas and the Israelite leaders left the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and returned to the land of Canaan to explain the situation to the Israelites.
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 The Israelites were pleased with the report and God blessed them. They didn't talk about going to war any more to destroy the land where the tribes of Reuben and Gad were living.
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 The tribes of Reuben and Gad called the altar, “Witness,” because they said, “It is a witness between us that the Lord is also our 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。」