< 1 Samuel 12 >
1 And Samuel says to all Israel, “Behold, I have listened to your voice, to all that you said to me, and I cause a king to reign over you,
撒慕爾對全以色列人說:「看,我全聽從了你們向我所說的話,立了一位君王管理你們。
2 and now, behold, the king is habitually walking before you, and I have become aged and gray-headed, and my sons, behold, they [are] with you, and I have habitually walked before you from my youth until this day.
從此以後,有君王領導你們。至於我,我已老了,頭髮也白了;不過我的兒子還同你們在一起。我從小直到今天,常在你們面往來。
3 Behold, here I [am]; testify against me before YHWH, and before His anointed; whose ox have I taken, and whose donkey have I taken, and whom have I oppressed; whom have I bruised, and of whose hand have I taken a ransom, and hide my eyes with it? And I restore [it] to you.”
看,我在這裏,請你們在上主面前,在他受傅者面前答覆我:我奪過誰的牛,或奪過誰的驢﹖我壓迫過誰,或虐待過誰﹖從誰手裏接受過掩人耳目的賄賂﹖若有,我必歸還你們。」
4 And they say, “You have not oppressed us, nor have you crushed us, nor have you taken anything from the hand of anyone.”
他們答說:「你總沒有壓迫或虐待過我們,也沒有從任何人手裏接受過什麼。」
5 And he says to them, “YHWH [is] a witness against you, and His anointed [is] a witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand”; and they say, “A witness.”
他又對他們說:「上主給你們作證,受傅者今日也作證:你們在我手中沒有找出什麼。」他們答說:「可以作證。」
6 And Samuel says to the people, “YHWH [is] He who made Moses and Aaron, and who brought up your fathers out of the land of Egypt!
撒慕爾又對百姓說:「作見證的,是興起梅瑟和亞郎,並領你們祖先從埃及地上來的上主。
7 And now, station yourselves, and I judge you before YHWH, with all the righteous acts of YHWH, which He did with you, and with your fathers.
現今你們要前來,我要在上主面前使你們認清,上主向你們和你們祖先所施行的一切恩惠:
8 When Jacob has come to Egypt, and your fathers cry to YHWH, then YHWH sends Moses and Aaron, and they bring out your fathers from Egypt, and cause them to dwell in this place,
當雅各伯和他的兒子來到埃及時,埃及人壓迫他們,你們的祖先就向上主哀號,上主遂派遺梅瑟和亞郎領你們的祖先離開了埃及,使他們住在這個地方。
9 and they forget their God YHWH, and He sells them into the hand of Sisera, head of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fight against them,
但他們忘卻了上主他們的天主,他就將他們交在哈祚爾的元帥息色辣手中、培肋舍特人手中和摩阿布王手中,使這些人攻打他們。
10 and they cry to YHWH, and say, We have sinned, because we have forsaken YHWH, and serve the Ba‘alim, and Ashtaroth, and now, deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we serve You.
他們就呼求上主說:我們犯了罪,離棄了上主,事奉了巴耳和阿市托勒特諸神;如今求你救我們脫離我們敵人的手,我們願事奉你。
11 And YHWH sends Jerubba‘al, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivers you out of the hand of your surrounding enemies, and you dwell confidently.
上主就派耶魯巴耳、巴辣克、依弗大和三松,從你們四圍敵人的手中拯救了你們,你們纔得安居。
12 And you see that Nahash king of the sons of Ammon has come against you, and you say to me, No, but a king reigns over us; and your God YHWH [is] your king!
當你們看見阿孟子民的君王納哈王來攻打你們時,曾對我說:不,我們要有一位君王來管理我們,──雖然上主你們的天主原是你們的君王。
13 And now, behold the king whom you have chosen—whom you have asked for! And behold, YHWH has placed a king over you.
現今,看,你們所揀選,所要求的君王;看,上主立了一位君王管理你們。
14 If you fear YHWH, and have served Him, and listened to His voice, then you do not provoke the mouth of YHWH, and you have been—both you and the king who has reigned over you—after your God YHWH.
若是你們敬畏上主,事奉上主,聽從他的話,不背叛上主的命令;若是你們和管理你們的君王,隨從上主你們的天主,便可生存。
15 And if you do not listen to the voice of YHWH—then you have provoked the mouth of YHWH, and the hand of YHWH has been against you, and against your fathers.
倘若你們不聽從上主的話,背叛上主的命令,上主的手必要與你們和你們的君王作對。
16 Also now, station yourselves and see this great thing which YHWH is doing before your eyes;
現今你們前來,看上主在你們眼前要作的這偉大的奇事。
17 is it not wheat-harvest today? I call to YHWH, and He gives voices and rain; and know and see that your evil is great which you have done in the eyes of YHWH, to ask [for] a king for yourselves.”
現今不是收割麥子的季節嗎﹖但是我要呼求上主打雷下雨,使你們明白,也看出:你們要求一位君王,是行了上主眼中多麼可惡的事。」
18 And Samuel calls to YHWH, and YHWH gives voices and rain on that day, and all the people greatly fear YHWH and Samuel;
撒慕爾呼籲了上主,上主就在那天打雷下雨;全民眾對上主和撒慕爾很是害怕,
19 and all the people say to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to your God YHWH, and we do not die, for we have added evil to all our sins to ask [for] a king for ourselves.”
都對撒慕爾說:「你為你的僕人們轉求上主你的天主,別使我們死了,因為在我們一切罪惡之上,又加了一個為我們要求君王的罪過。」
20 And Samuel says to the people, “Do not fear; you have done all this evil; only, do not turn aside from after YHWH—and you have served YHWH with all your heart,
撒慕爾對民眾說:「你們不必害怕;你們固然犯了這一切罪過,但決不要遠離上主,反而要全心事奉上主。
21 and you do not turn aside after the vain things which do not profit nor deliver, for they [are] vain,
你們不要追求不能援助,也不能施救的虛無邪神,因為他們只是「虛無」而已。
22 for YHWH does not leave His people, on account of His great Name; for YHWH has been pleased to make you for a people to Him.
上主為了自己的大名,決不拋棄自己的百姓,因為上主喜歡你們作他的百姓。
23 I, also, far be it from me to sin against YHWH, by ceasing to pray for you, and I have directed you in the good and upright way;
我也決不願得罪上主,停止為你們祈禱,或停止教訓你們行善道,走正路。
24 only, fear YHWH, and you have served Him in truth with all your heart, for see that which He has made great with you;
你們只該敬畏上主,全心忠誠事奉上主,因為你們看見了,他為你們作的,是何等偉大的事。
25 and if you really do evil, both you and your king are consumed.”
假使你們仍固執於惡,你們和你們的君王都必要喪亡。」