< 1 Samuel 3 >
1 And the lad Samuel was ministering unto the Lord before 'Eli. And the word of the Lord was scarce in those days: prophecy was not extended.
小撒慕爾在厄里面前服事上主;那時,上主的話少有,異象也罕見。
2 And it came to pass one day, when 'Eli was lying down in his place, and his eyes had begun to grow dim, he could not see;
有一天,厄里睡在自己的房裏,他的眼睛漸漸昏花,已看不清了,
3 And the lamp of God had not yet gone out, while Samuel was lying down in [the hall of] the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was;
天主的燈尚熄滅,撒慕爾睡在安放天主約櫃的上主的殿內。
4 That the Lord called Samuel: and he said, Here am I.
那時,上主召叫說:「撒慕爾! 撒慕爾! 」他回答說:「我在這裏! 」
5 And he ran unto 'Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he said, I did not call: lie down again. And he went and lay down.
他就跑到厄里前說道:「你叫了我,我在這裏。」厄里說:「我沒有叫你,回去睡罷! 」他就回去睡了。
6 And the Lord continued to call again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to 'Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I did not call, my son: lie down again.
上主又叫撒慕爾;撒慕爾起來,走到厄里那裏說道:「你叫了我,我在這裏。」厄里對他說:「我兒,我沒有叫你,回去睡罷! 」
7 And Samuel knew not yet the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord been as yet revealed unto him.
撒慕爾不知道是上主,因為上主的話尚未啟示給他。
8 And the Lord continued to call, Samuel, the third time; and he arose and went to 'Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And 'Eli then perceived that the Lord was calling the lad.
上主第三次又叫了撒慕爾;他起來,又走到厄里那裏說道:「你叫了我,我在這裏。」厄里於是明白,是上主叫了幼童,
9 And 'Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down; and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. And Samuel went and lay down in his place.
便對撒慕爾說:「去睡罷! 假使有人再叫你,你就回答說:請上主發言,你的僕人在此靜聽。」撒慕爾就回去,仍睡在原處。
10 And the Lord came, and placed himself, and called as at previous times, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel said, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
上主走近,像前幾次一樣召叫說:「撒慕爾,撒慕爾! 」撒慕爾便回答說:「請上主發言! 你的僕人在此靜聽。」
11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.
上主遂對撒慕爾說:「看! 我要在以色列行一件事,凡聽見的人,他的兩耳必要嗡嗡作響。
12 On that day will I fulfill on 'Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house: I will begin and finish.
到那一天,我必對厄里從頭到尾實踐我論他的家族所說的一切。
13 And I tell him that I will judge his house for ever; for the iniquity that he knew that his sons were drawing a curse on themselves, and he restrained them not.
你傳報給他:我要處罰他的家族直到永遠,因為他原知道他的兩個兒子凌辱了天主,卻未責斥他們。
14 And therefore have I sworn unto the house of 'Eli, that the iniquity of 'Eli's house shall not be atoned for with sacrifice or meat-offering for ever.
因此,我對厄里的家族起誓:無論犧牲或供物,永不能抹去厄里一家的罪過。
15 And Samuel lay until the morning, when he opened the doors of the house of the Lord; and Samuel feared to tell the vision unto 'Eli.
撒慕爾睡到早晨起來,開了上主聖殿的門;但害怕告訴厄里他所見的異象。
16 But 'Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he said, Here am I.
厄里卻對撒慕爾說:「撒慕爾,我兒! 」他回答說:「我在這裏。」
17 And he said, What is the word which he hath spoken unto thee? do not, I pray thee, conceal it from me: may God do to thee thus, and continue to do so, if thou conceal any thing from me of all the word that he hath spoken unto thee.
厄里問說:「上主給你說了什麼話,請不要隱瞞我! 你若把上主給你說的話,給我隱瞞了一句,願天主加倍懲罰你。」
18 And Samuel told him all the words, and concealed nothing from him. And he said, He is the Lord: let him do what seemeth good in his eyes.
撒慕爾便把那些話全告訴了他,一句也沒有隱瞞。厄里說:「他是上主,他看著怎麼好,就怎樣行罷! 」
19 And Samuel grew up, and the Lord was with him, and he did not let fall any one of all his words to the ground.
撒慕爾漸漸長大;上主與他同在,使他說的一切話,沒有一句落空。
20 And thus knew all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba' that Samuel was accredited as a prophet of the Lord.
於是全以色列從丹直到貝爾舍巴,都知道撒慕爾被立為上主的先知。
21 And the Lord continued to appear in Shiloh; for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.
自從上主在史羅對撒慕爾顯現後,繼續在史羅顯現於他。