< 2 Kings 3 >
1 Nowe Iehoram the sonne of Ahab beganne to reigne ouer Israel in Samaria, the eighteenth yeere of Iehoshaphat King of Iudah, and reigned twelue yeeres.
猶大王約沙法特十八年,阿哈布的兒子耶曷蘭在撒瑪黎雅登極作以色列王,在位凡十二年。
2 And he wrought euill in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father nor like his mother: for he tooke away the image of Baal that his father had made.
他行了上主視為惡的事,不過還不像他的父親和母親那樣壞,因此他除去了他父親所立的巴耳神柱,
3 Neuerthelesse, he cleaued vnto the sinnes of Ieroboam, the sonne of Nebat, which made Israel to sinne, and departed not therefrom.
只是對乃巴特的兒子雅洛貝罕使以色列陷於罪過的事,仍戀戀不捨,從未脫離。
4 Then Mesha King of Moab had store of sheepe, and rendred vnto the King of Israel an hundreth thousande lambes, and an hundreth thousande rammes with the wooll.
摩阿布人默沙原是一個以畜牧為業的人,他經常以十萬隻羔羊和十萬隻公山羊毛,巷以色列王進貢;
5 But when Ahab was dead, the king of Moab rebelled against the King of Israel.
但在阿哈布死後,摩阿布王便背叛了以色列王。
6 Therefore King Iehoram went out of Samaria the same season, and nombred all Israel,
那時,耶曷蘭王從撒瑪黎雅出來,檢閱全以色列人,
7 And went, and sent to Iehoshaphat King of Iudah, saying, The King of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou goe with me to battell against Moab? And he answered, I will goe vp: for I am, as thou art, my people, as thy people, and mine horses as thine horses.
以後派使者去見猶大王約沙法特說:「摩阿布王背叛了我,你願意同我一起去攻打摩阿布嗎﹖」約沙法特說:「願意去;你怎樣,我也怎樣;我的人民就如同是你的人民,我的馬就如同是你的馬。」
8 Then said he, What way shall we goe vp? And he answered, The way of the wildernesse of Edom.
約沙法特接著問說:「我們從哪條路上去﹖」耶曷蘭答說:「從厄東曠野那條路。」
9 So went the King of Israel and the king of Iudah, and the King of Edom, and when they had compassed the way seuen dayes, they had no water for the hoste, nor for the cattell that followed them.
於是以色列王、猶大王和厄東王出發,繞道而行,七天以後,軍隊和隨行的一大隊牲畜沒有水喝。
10 Therefore the King of Israel sayde, Alas, that the Lord hath called these three Kings, to giue them into the hand of Moab.
以色列王說:「哎! 上主召集這三個王子,原是將他們交在摩阿布手中啊! 」
11 But Iehoshaphat saide, Is there not here a Prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord by him? And one of the King of Israels seruants answered, and said, Here is Elisha the sonne of Shaphat, which powred water on the handes of Eliiah.
約沙法特問說:「這裏有沒有一位上主的先知,我們可以託他求問上主﹖」以色列王的一個臣僕回答說:「這裏有沙法特的兒子厄里叟,就是常在厄里亞手上倒水的那一位。」
12 Then Iehoshaphat saide, The worde of the Lord is with him. Therefore the King of Israel, and Iehoshaphat, and the King of Edom went downe to him.
約沙法特說:「他必有上主的話。」以色列王、約沙法特和厄東王,於是一同下去見他。
13 And Elisha sayde vnto the King of Israel, What haue I to doe with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father and to the prophets of thy mother. And the King of Israel saide vnto him, Nay: for the Lord hath called these three Kings, to giue them into the hande of Moab.
厄里叟對以色列王說:「我和你有什麼關係﹖你去找你父親和你母親的先知罷! 」以色列王說:「不要這樣說! 上主召集了這三個王子,原是要將他們交於摩阿布手中啊! 」
14 Then Elisha said, As the Lord of hostes liueth, in whose sight I stande, if it were not, that I regarde the presence of Iehoshaphat the King of Iudah, I woulde not haue looked towarde thee, nor seene thee.
厄里叟說:「我指著我所服事的永生萬軍的上主起示:我如果不是為了猶大王約沙法特的情面,我決不看你,也不睬你。
15 But nowe bring me a minstrel. And when the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord came vpon him.
現在,你們給我叫一個彈琴的人來。」原來每逢樂師彈琴的時候,上主的手就臨到他身上。
16 And he saide, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches.
厄里叟說:「上主這樣說:你們在這山谷中遍挖壕溝,
17 For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall neither see winde nor see raine, yet the valley shalbe filled with water, that ye may drinke, both ye and your cattel, and your beastes.
因為上主這樣說:你們不見風,也不見雨,這山谷中卻要充滿了水,使你們、你們的軍隊和牲畜都有水喝。
18 But this is a small thing in the sight of the Lord: for he will giue Moab into your hande.
這在上主看來還是小事,他還要將摩阿布交在你們手中,
19 And ye shall smite euery strong towne and euery chiefe citie, and shall fell euery faire tree, and shall stoppe all the fountaines of water, and marre euery good fielde with stones.
使你們攻破所有設防的城市,砍倒所有的好樹,杜塞所有的水泉,用石頭毀壞所有的良田。」
20 And in the morning whe the meat offring was offred, beholde, there came water by the way of Edom: and the countrey was filled with water.
果然,早上正獻祭的時候,從厄東方面來了大水,遍地滿了水。
21 And when al the Moabites heard that the Kings were come vp to fight against them, they gathered all that was able to put on harnesse, and vpwarde, and stood in their border.
全摩阿布人一聽說三個王子前來進攻,就召集了所有能佩帶武器的人,把守邊界。
22 And they rose earely in the morning, when the sunne arose vpon the water, and the Moabites saw the water ouer against them, as red as blood.
第二天早晨,日光照在水上,摩阿布人起來,看見對面的水紅得像血,
23 And they saide, This is blood the Kings are surely slaine, and one hath smitten another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoyle.
遂說:「這是血! 一定是那三個王子彼此混戰,互相殘殺。摩阿布,起來,前去奪取財物! 」
24 And when they came to the host of Israel, the Israelites arose vp, and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them, but they inuaded them, and smote Moab.
及至他們到了以色列營地,以色列人即奮起迎敵,摩阿布人從他們面前逃走,他們就乘勢追趕,擊殺摩阿布人,
25 And they destroyed the cities: and on all the good field euery man cast his stone, and filled them and they stopt all the fountaines of water, and felled all the good trees: onely in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof: howebeit they went about it with slings, and smote it.
破壞了他們的城市,個個用石頭拋滿了他們的良田,杜塞了所有的水泉,砍倒了各種好樹;只剩下克爾赫勒斯城,拋石頭的人仍包圍攻擊那城。
26 And when the King of Moab saw that the battel was too sore for him, he tooke with him seuen hudreth men that drew the sword, to break through vnto the King of Edom: but they could not.
摩阿布王見戰事激烈,難以敵抗,就帶領七百人,手持刀劍,企圖突圍,往投阿蘭王,卻沒有成功;
27 Then he tooke his eldest sonne, that should haue reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offring vpon the wall: so that Israel was sore grieued, and they departed from him, and returned to their countrey.
於是將那要繼承自己位的長子叫來,在城牆上祭殺了,作為全燔祭。這事使天主向以色列人大發忿怒;他們便離開摩阿布王,各自回了本地。