< Kings I 2 >

1 My heart is established in the Lord, my horn is exalted in my God; my mouth is enlarged over my enemies, I have rejoiced in your salvation.
亞納祈禱說:「我從心裏喜樂於上主,我的頭因上主而高仰;我可開口嘲笑我的敵人,因為我喜樂於你的救助。
2 For there is none holy as the Lord, and there is none righteous as our God; there is none holy besides you.
沒有聖者,相似上主;除了你以外,沒有另一位;沒有磐石,相似我們的天主。
3 Boast not, and utter not high things; let not high-sounding words come out of your mouth, for the Lord [is] a God of knowledge, and God prepares his own designs.
你們別再三說誑言,別口出豪語;上主是全知的天主,人的行為由他衡量。
4 The bow of the mighty has waxed feeble, and the weak have girded themselves with strength.
壯士的弓已被折斷,衰弱者反而力量倍增。
5 They that were full of bread are brought low; and the hungry have forsaken the land; for the barren has born seven, and she that abounded in children has waxed feeble.
曾享飽飫的,今傭工求食;曾受饑餓的,今無須勞役;不妊的今生了七子,多產者反而生育停頓。
6 The Lord kills and makes alive; he brings down to the grave, and brings up. (Sheol h7585)
上主使人死,也使人活;使人降入陰府,也將人由陰府提出; (Sheol h7585)
7 The Lord makes poor, and makes rich; he brings low, and lifts up.
上主使人窮,也使人富;貶抑人,也舉揚人;
8 He lifts up the poor from the earth, and raises the needy from the dunghill; to seat him with the princes of the people, and causing them to inherit the throne of glory:
上主由塵埃中提拔卑賤者,從糞土中高舉貧窮者,使他與王侯同席,承受光榮座位;大地的支柱原屬上主,支柱上奠定了世界。
9 granting his petition to him that prays; and he blesses the years of the righteous, for by strength can’t man prevail.
他保護虔誠者的腳步,使惡人在黑暗中滅亡,因為人決不能憑己力獲勝,
10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.
那與上主敵對的必被粉碎。至高者在天主鳴雷,上主要裁判地極,賜予自己的君王能力,高舉受傅者的冠冕。」
11 and departed to Armathaim: and the child ministered in the presence of the Lord before Heli the priest.
以後厄耳卡納回了辣瑪本家。幼童卻留在厄里大司祭前,奉事上主。
12 And the sons of Heli the priest [were] evil sons, not knowing the Lord.
厄里的兩個兒子原是無惡不做的人,不懷念上主,
13 And the priest's claim from every one of the people that sacrificed [was this: ] the servant of the priest came when the flesh was in seething, and a flesh-hook of three teeth [was] in his hand.
也不關心司祭對人民的義務;若有人來殺牲獻祭,到煮祭肉時,司祭的僮僕便來,手持三齒叉,
14 And he struck it into the great caldron, or into the brazen vessel, or into the pot, and whatever came up with the flesh-hook, the priest took for himself: so they did to all Israel that came to sacrifice to the Lord in Selom.
插入鼎裏,鍋裏,甑裏或鑊裏,凡叉上來的,司祭就拿去自用;他們常這樣對待所有到史羅來的以色列人。
15 And before the fat was burnt for a sweet savor, the servant of the priest would come, and say to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest, and I will by no means take of you sodden flesh out of the caldron.
甚或在焚化油脂以前,司祭的僮僕來對獻祭的人說:「把肉給司祭去烤罷! 他不向你要熟肉,他要生肉。」
16 And [if] the man that sacrificed said, First let the fat be burned, as it is fit, and take for yourself of all things which your soul desires: then he would say, Nay, for you shall give it me now; and if not I will take it by force.
如果人答應說:「先得將油脂焚化,然後你可隨意拿去。」他必答說:「不,應立刻給我;不然,我就來搶。」
17 So the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for they set at nothing the offering of the Lord.
這兩個少年人在上主前犯的罪極重,因為輕視了獻於上主的祭品。
18 And Samuel ministered before the Lord, a child girded with a linen ephod.
撒慕爾幼童穿著細麻的「厄弗得,」在上主面前供職。
19 And his mother made him a little doublet, and brought it to him from year to year, in her going up in company with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
他的母親每年給他做一件小外氅,當她同丈夫上來獻年祭時,就給他帶來。
20 And Heli blessed Helcana and his wife, saying The Lord recompense to you seed of this woman, in return for the loan which you have lent to the Lord: and the man returned to his place.
厄里祝福厄耳卡納和他的妻子說:「願上主由這婦人再賞你一個兒子,代替獻給上主的這一個! 」然後他們就回了本鄉。
21 And the Lord visited Anna, and she bore yet three sons, and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.
上主看顧了亞納她懷孕生了三男二女。撒慕爾幼童在上主前漸漸長大。
22 And Heli [was] very old, and he heard what his sons did to the children of Israel.
厄里已經很老。他聽說他的兩個兒子對眾以色列人所做的一切,和他們與社會幕門旁服役的婦女同睡的事,
23 And he said to them, Why do you according to this thing, which I hear from the mouth of all the people of the Lord?
就對他們說:「你們為什麼作出像我由眾百姓那裏聽來的這些壞事﹖
24 Nay [my] sons, for the report which I hear [is] not good; do not so, for the reports which I hear [are] not good, so that the people do not serve God.
我兒,不要這樣! 我所聽見的風聲實在不好,你們竟使百姓遠離了上主!
25 If a man should at all sin against another, then shall they pray for him to the Lord; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him? But they listened not to the voice of their father, because the Lord would by all means destroy them.
若得罪人,尚有天主審斷;人若得罪上主,有誰為他求情呢﹖」但是他們仍不聽父親的話,因為上主有意使他們喪亡。
26 And the child Samuel advanced, and was in favor with God and with men.
撒慕爾幼童漸漸長大,為上主和人所喜愛。
27 And a man of God came to Heli, and said, Thus says the Lord, I plainly revealed myself to the house of your father, when they were servants in Egypt to the house of Pharao.
有一位天主的人來到厄里面前對他說:「上主這樣:當你祖先的家人還在埃及法郎家中當奴隸時,我不是再三顯現給他們嗎﹖
28 And I chose the house of your father out of all the tribes of Israel to minister to me in the priest's office, to go up to my altar, and to burn incense, and to wear an ephod. And I gave to the house of your father all the offerings by fire of the children of Israel for food.
我不是從以色列眾支派中,特選了他們作我的司祭,上我的祭壇焚香獻祭,穿「厄弗得」到我面前來,並將以色列子民的火祭祭品全賜給了你的父家嗎﹖
29 And therefore have you looked upon my incense-offering and my meat-offering with a shameless eye, and have honored your sons above me, so that they should bless themselves with the first fruits of every sacrifice of Israel before me?
那麼,你為什麼還要嫉視我所規定的犧牲和素祭呢﹖竟重視你的兒子在我以上,用我的人民以色列所獻的最好的一份,養肥了他們﹖
30 Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel, I said, Your house and the house of your father shall pass before me for ever: but now the Lord says, That be far from me; for I will only honor them that honor me, and he that sets me at nothing shall be despised.
因此,請聽上主以色列天主的斷語:我曾許下,你的家和你的父家要在我面前永遠往來,但是現在,──上主的斷語──決不能如此! 只有那光榮我的,我纔光榮他;那輕視我的,必受輕視。
31 Behold, the days come when I will destroy your seed and the seed of your father's house.
時日快到了,那時我要砍下你的臂膊和你父家的臂膊,使你家裏再沒有權威的長者。
32 And you shall not have an old man in my house for ever.
以後,你要嫉視我賜與以色列人的一切幸福,可是在你家裏永不會再有權威的長者;
33 And [if] I do not destroy a man of your from my altar, [it shall be] that his eyes may fail and his soul may perish; and every one that remains in your house shall fall by the sword of men.
我也不願將你的人由我的祭壇上盡行消滅,致使你的眼目昏花,心神憂傷;但你家中大多數的人要死在人家的刀下。
34 And this which shall come upon your two sons Ophni and Phinees shall be a sign to you; in one day they shall both die.
你的兩個兒子曷弗尼和丕乃哈斯所要遭遇的,為你就是個先兆:他們兩人要在同一天死掉。
35 And I will raise up to myself a faithful priest, who shall do all that is in my heart and in my soul; and I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before my Christ for ever.
我要為我興起一位忠信的司祭,他要照我的心意行事,我要給他建立一個堅固的家庭,他一生要在我的受傅者前往來。
36 And it shall come to pass that he that survives in your house, shall come to do obeisance before him for a little piece of silver, saying, Put me into one of your priest's offices to eat bread.
那時,凡你家中所存留的人,必要叩拜他,為得到一點錢或一片餅說:求你容我參與任何一種司祭職務,使我可以糊口。」

< Kings I 2 >