< Nehemiah 9 >
1 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth upon them.
這月二十四日,以色列人聚集禁食,身穿麻衣,頭蒙灰塵。
2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
以色列人就與一切外邦人離絕,站着承認自己的罪惡和列祖的罪孽。
3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the Law of the LORD their God a fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and prostrated themselves before the LORD their God.
那日的四分之一站在自己的地方念耶和華-他們上帝的律法書,又四分之一認罪,敬拜耶和華-他們的上帝。
4 Then stood up upon the platform of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God.
耶書亞、巴尼、甲篾、示巴尼、布尼、示利比、巴尼、基拿尼站在利未人的臺上,大聲哀求耶和華-他們的上帝。
5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said: 'Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting; and let them say: Blessed be Thy glorious Name, that is exalted above all blessing and praise.
利未人耶書亞、甲篾、巴尼、哈沙尼、示利比、荷第雅、示巴尼、毗他希雅說:「你們要站起來稱頌耶和華-你們的上帝,永世無盡。耶和華啊,你榮耀之名是應當稱頌的!超乎一切稱頌和讚美。」
6 Thou art the LORD, even Thou alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are thereon, the seas and all that is in them, and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth Thee.
「你,惟獨你是耶和華!你造了天和天上的天,並天上的萬象,地和地上的萬物,海和海中所有的;這一切都是你所保存的。天軍也都敬拜你。
7 Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;
你是耶和華上帝,曾揀選亞伯蘭,領他出迦勒底的吾珥,給他改名叫亞伯拉罕。
8 and foundest his heart faithful before Thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, even to give it unto his seed, and hast performed Thy words; for Thou art righteous;
你見他在你面前心裏誠實,就與他立約,應許把迦南人、赫人、亞摩利人、比利洗人、耶布斯人、革迦撒人之地賜給他的後裔,且應驗了你的話,因為你是公義的。
9 And Thou sawest the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red Sea;
「你曾看見我們列祖在埃及所受的困苦,垂聽他們在紅海邊的哀求,
10 and didst show signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land; for Thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them; and didst get Thee a name, as it is this day.
就施行神蹟奇事在法老和他一切臣僕,並他國中的眾民身上。你也得了名聲,正如今日一樣,因為你知道他們向我們列祖行事狂傲。
11 And Thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their pursuers Thou didst cast into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters.
你又在我們列祖面前把海分開,使他們在海中行走乾地,將追趕他們的人拋在深海,如石頭拋在大水中;
12 Moreover in a pillar of cloud Thou didst lead them by day; and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.
並且白晝用雲柱引導他們,黑夜用火柱照亮他們當行的路。
13 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spokest with them from heaven, and gavest them right ordinances and laws of truth, good statutes and commandments;
你也降臨在西奈山,從天上與他們說話,賜給他們正直的典章、真實的律法、美好的條例與誡命,
14 and madest known unto them Thy holy sabbath, and didst command them commandments, and statutes, and a law, by the hand of Moses Thy servant;
又使他們知道你的安息聖日,並藉你僕人摩西傳給他們誡命、條例、律法。
15 and gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and didst command them that they should go in to possess the land which Thou hadst lifted up Thy hand to give them.
從天上賜下糧食充他們的飢,從磐石使水流出解他們的渴,又吩咐他們進去得你起誓應許賜給他們的地。
16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their neck, and hearkened not to Thy commandments,
「但我們的列祖行事狂傲,硬着頸項不聽從你的誡命;
17 and refused to hearken, neither were mindful of Thy wonders that Thou didst among them; but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage; but Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, and forsookest them not.
不肯順從,也不記念你在他們中間所行的奇事,竟硬着頸項,居心背逆,自立首領,要回他們為奴之地。但你是樂意饒恕人,有恩典,有憐憫,不輕易發怒,有豐盛慈愛的上帝,並不丟棄他們。
18 Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said: 'This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations;
他們雖然鑄了一隻牛犢,彼此說『這是領你出埃及的神』,因而大大惹動你的怒氣;
19 yet Thou in Thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness; the pillar of cloud departed not from over them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go.
你還是大施憐憫,在曠野不丟棄他們。白晝,雲柱不離開他們,仍引導他們行路;黑夜,火柱也不離開他們,仍照亮他們當行的路。
20 Thou gavest also Thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not Thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
你也賜下你良善的靈教訓他們;未嘗不賜嗎哪使他們糊口,並賜水解他們的渴。
21 Yea, forty years didst Thou sustain them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
在曠野四十年,你養育他們,他們就一無所缺:衣服沒有穿破,腳也沒有腫。
22 Moreover Thou gavest them kingdoms and peoples, which Thou didst allot quarter by quarter; so they possessed the land of Sihon, even the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.
並且你將列國之地照分賜給他們,他們就得了西宏之地、希實本王之地,和巴珊王噩之地。
23 Their children also didst Thou multiply as the stars of heaven, and didst bring them into the land, concerning which Thou didst say to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
你也使他們的子孫多如天上的星,帶他們到你所應許他們列祖進入得為業之地。
24 So the children went in and possessed the land, and Thou didst subdue before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
這樣,他們進去得了那地,你在他們面前制伏那地的居民,就是迦南人;將迦南人和其君王,並那地的居民,都交在他們手裏,讓他們任意而待。
25 And they took fortified cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all good things, cisterns hewn out, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit-trees in abundance; so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and luxuriated in Thy great goodness.
他們得了堅固的城邑、肥美的地土、充滿各樣美物的房屋、鑿成的水井、葡萄園、橄欖園,並許多果木樹。他們就吃而得飽,身體肥胖,因你的大恩,心中快樂。
26 Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against Thee, and cast Thy law behind their back, and slew Thy prophets that did forewarn them to turn them back unto Thee, and they wrought great provocations.
「然而,他們不順從,竟背叛你,將你的律法丟在背後,殺害那勸他們歸向你的眾先知,大大惹動你的怒氣。
27 Therefore Thou didst deliver them into the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them; and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto Thee, Thou heardest from heaven; and according to Thy manifold mercies Thou gavest them saviours who might save them out of the hand of their adversaries.
所以你將他們交在敵人的手中,磨難他們。他們遭難的時候哀求你,你就從天上垂聽,照你的大憐憫賜給他們拯救者,救他們脫離敵人的手。
28 But after they had rest, they did evil again before Thee; therefore didst Thou leave them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them; yet when they returned, and cried unto Thee, many times didst Thou hear from heaven, and deliver them according to Thy mercies;
但他們得平安之後,又在你面前行惡,所以你丟棄他們在仇敵的手中,使仇敵轄制他們。然而他們轉回哀求你,你仍從天上垂聽,屢次照你的憐憫拯救他們,
29 and didst forewarn them, that Thou mightest bring them back unto Thy law; yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto Thy commandments, but sinned against Thine ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them, and presented a stubborn shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
又警戒他們,要使他們歸服你的律法。他們卻行事狂傲,不聽從你的誡命,干犯你的典章(人若遵行就必因此活着),扭轉肩頭,硬着頸項,不肯聽從。
30 Yet many years didst Thou extend mercy unto them, and didst forewarn them by Thy spirit through Thy prophets; yet would they not give ear; therefore gavest Thou them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
但你多年寬容他們,又用你的靈藉眾先知勸戒他們,他們仍不聽從,所以你將他們交在列國之民的手中。
31 Nevertheless in Thy manifold mercies Thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for Thou art a gracious and merciful God.
然而你大發憐憫,不全然滅絕他們,也不丟棄他們;因為你是有恩典、有憐憫的上帝。
32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awful God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the travail seem little before Thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all Thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.
「我們的上帝啊,你是至大、至能、至可畏、守約施慈愛的上帝。我們的君王、首領、祭司、先知、列祖,和你的眾民,從亞述列王的時候直到今日所遭遇的苦難,現在求你不要以為小。
33 Howbeit Thou art just in all that is come upon us; for Thou hast dealt truly, but we have done wickedly;
在一切臨到我們的事上,你卻是公義的;因你所行的是誠實,我們所做的是邪惡。
34 neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept Thy law, nor hearkened unto Thy commandments and Thy testimonies, wherewith Thou didst testify against them.
我們的君王、首領、祭司、列祖都不遵守你的律法,不聽從你的誡命和你警戒他們的話。
35 For they have not served Thee in their kingdom, and in Thy great goodness that Thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which Thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
他們在本國裏沾你大恩的時候,在你所賜給他們這廣大肥美之地上不事奉你,也不轉離他們的惡行。
36 Behold, we are servants this day, and as for the land that Thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it.
我們現今作了奴僕;至於你所賜給我們列祖享受其上的土產,並美物之地,看哪,我們在這地上作了奴僕!
37 And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom Thou hast set over us because of our sins; also they have power over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.'
這地許多出產歸了列王,就是你因我們的罪所派轄制我們的。他們任意轄制我們的身體和牲畜,我們遭了大難。」
38 And yet for all this we make a sure covenant, and subscribe it; and our princes, our Levites, and our priests, set their seal unto it.
因這一切的事,我們立確實的約,寫在冊上。我們的首領、利未人,和祭司都簽了名。