< Nehemiah 1 >
1 The words of Nehemiah the sonne of Hachaliah. In ye moneth Chisleu, in the twentieth yeere, as I was in the palace of Shushan,
哈加里亞的兒子乃赫米雅的言行錄:在第二十年「基斯婁」月,我在穌撒禁城時,
2 Came Hanam, one of my brethren, he and the men of Iudah, and I asked them concerning the Iewes that were deliuered, which were of the residue of the captiuitie, and concerning Ierusalem.
有我的一個兄弟哈納尼,和幾個人由猶大上來,我問及他們,關於那些由充軍回國的猶太遺民,和耶路撒冷的情形;
3 And they sayde vnto me, The residue that are left of the captiuitie there in the prouince, are in great affliction and in reproche, and the wall of Ierusalem is broken downe, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire.
他們回答我說:「充軍回國的那些遺民,在省裏遭大難,受污辱;耶路撒冷城垣坍塌,城門為火焚毀。」
4 And when I heard these wordes, I sate downe and wept, and mourned certeine dayes, and I fasted and prayed before the God of heauen,
我一聽說這些事,就坐下涕哭,悲痛了幾天,同時也在上主天主前,禁食祈禱,
5 And sayde, O Lord God of heauen, the great and terrible God, that keepeth couenant and mercy for them that loue him, and obserue his commandements,
說:「唉! 上主,天上的天主! 偉大可畏的天主! 那對愛你和守你誡命的人,履行信約,施行慈愛的,
6 I pray thee, let thine eares be attet, and thine eies open, to heare the praier of thy seruat, which I pray before thee dayly, day and night for ye childre of Israel thy seruats, and confesse the sinnes of the children of Israel, which we haue sinned against thee, both I and my fathers house haue sinned:
求你側耳,求你睜眼,俯聽你僕人的祈禱即我,現今在你面前,日夜為你的僕人以色列子民所行的祈禱。我承認以色列子民對你所犯的罪過,因為我和我父家都犯了罪。
7 We haue grieuously sinned against thee, and haue not kept the commandements, nor the statutes, nor the iudgements, which thou commandedst thy seruant Moses.
我們的確作惡得罪了你,沒有遵守你吩咐你的僕人梅瑟,所立定的誡命、律令和典章。
8 I beseeche thee, remember the worde that thou commandedst thy seruant Moses, saying, Ye wil transgresse, and I will scatter you abroade among the people.
求你記憶你向你的僕人梅瑟所吩咐的話說:如果你們不忠實,我要將你們分散在萬民之中;
9 But if ye turne vnto me, and keepe my commandements, and doe them, though your scattering were to the vttermost part of the heauen, yet will I gather you from thence, and will bring you vnto the place that I haue chosen to place my Name there.
但如果你們又回心歸向我,遵守履行我的誡命,即便你們分散到天涯地角,我也要從那裏,將你們聚集起來,領你們到我所選,為作我名居所的地方去。──
10 Now these are thy seruants and thy people, whome thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy mightie hand.
他們都是你的僕人,你的人民,是你用強力和大能的手,所拯救出來的。
11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let thine eare now hearken to the prayer of thy seruant, and to the prayer of thy seruants, who desire to feare thy Name, and I pray thee, cause thy seruant to prosper this day, and giue him fauour in the presence of this man: for I was the Kings butler.
我主,求你側耳俯聽你僕人的祈禱,傾聽這些喜愛敬畏你名的僕人的祈禱! 求你今天使你的僕人順利,使他在那人前獲得寵遇。」我當時是君王的酒政。