< 1 Samuel 6 >

1 And the Ark of YHWH is in the field of the Philistines [for] seven months,
上主的約櫃在培肋舍特地方七個月之久。
2 and the Philistines call for priests and for diviners, saying, “What do we do to the Ark of YHWH? Let us know with what we send it to its place.”
培肋舍特人召集司祭和占卜者說:「我們對上主的約櫃該作什麼﹖請告訴我們,用什麼方法可將它送回原處﹖」
3 And they say, “If you are sending the Ark of the God of Israel away, you do not send it away empty; for you certainly send back a guilt-offering to Him; then you are healed, and it has been known to you why His hand does not turn aside from you.”
他們回答說:「你們若將以色列天主的約櫃送回,不可空空的將它送回,必須奉上贖罪的禮品:這樣你們纔能痊癒,也會明瞭他的手為什麼沒有離開你們。」
4 And they say, “What [is] the guilt-offering which we send back to Him?” And they say, “The number of the princes of the Philistines—five golden lumps, and five golden muroids—for one plague [is] to you all, and to your princes,
他們問說:「我們應奉上什麼贖罪的禮品﹖」他們回答說:「按照培肋舍特酋長的數目,奉上五個金毒瘡像和五個金鼠像,因為你們所有的人和你們的酋長,都遭遇同樣的災禍。
5 and you have made images of your lumps, and images of your muroids that are corrupting the land, and have given glory to the God of Israel; it may be [that] He lightens His hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land;
所以你們應製造你們患的毒瘡像,和損壞你們地方的老鼠的像,應歸光榮於以色列的天主:這樣或許他會對你們,對你們的神和你們的地方放鬆他的手。
6 and why do you harden your heart as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their heart? Do they not—when He has rolled Himself on them—send them away, and they go?
你們為什麼像埃及人和法郎一樣心硬呢﹖不是上主玩弄了他們以後,埃及人纔放走了他們嗎﹖
7 And now, take and make one new cart, and two suckling cows, on which a yoke has not gone up, and you have bound the cows in the cart, and caused their young ones to turn back from after them to the house,
現今,趕快製造一輛新車,牽出兩頭正在哺乳,還沒有負過軛的母牛來,套上這輛新車,把小牛牽回棚裏去;
8 and you have taken the Ark of YHWH, and put it on the cart, and the vessels of gold which you have returned to Him—a guilt-offering—you put in a coffer on its side, and have sent it away, and it has gone;
然後把上主的約櫃裝在車上,把那奉上作為贖罪禮品的金器,都盛在一匣子內,放在約櫃旁邊,然後讓它去。
9 and you have seen if it goes up the way of its own border, to Beth-Shemesh—He has done this great evil to us; and if not, then we have known that His hand has not come against us; it has been an accident to us.”
但你們應留神:若是約櫃取道往自己的地方去,即往貝特舍默士去,那麼,這大災難,即是上主加給我們的;若不然,我們就知道,不是他的手打擊了我們,而我們所遭遇的是出於偶然。」
10 And the men do so, and take two suckling cows, and bind them in the cart, and they shut up their young ones in the house;
人們就這樣作了;牽出兩頭正在哺乳的母牛來,套上那輛新車,將牛犢關在棚裏,
11 and they place the Ark of YHWH on the cart, and the coffer, and the golden muroids, and the images of their lumps.
把上主的約櫃,以及裝有金老鼠和毒瘡像的匣子,都放在車上。
12 And the cows go straight in the way, on the way to Beth-Shemesh, they have gone in one highway, going and lowing, and have not turned aside right or left; and the princes of the Philistines are going after them to the border of Beth-Shemesh.
那對母牛直直奔向貝特舍默士的路上走去,一邊走,一邊叫,不偏左也不偏右;培肋舍特的酋長跟在後面,一直到了貝特舍默士的邊境。
13 And the Beth-Shemeshites are reaping their wheat-harvest in the valley, and they lift up their eyes, and see the Ark, and rejoice to see [it].
那時,貝特舍默士人正在谷中收割麥子,舉目一看,見是上主的約櫃,就前去歡迎。
14 And the cart has come into the field of Joshua the Beth-Shemeshite, and stands there, and there [is] a great stone, and they cleave the wood of the cart, and they have caused the cows to ascend [as] a burnt-offering to YHWH.
車來到貝特舍默士人約叔亞的莊田,就在那裏停住了。那裏有一塊大石頭,人就將車輛的木頭劈開,把母牛祭獻給上主作全燔祭。
15 And the Levites have taken down the Ark of YHWH, and the coffer which [is] with it, in which [are] the vessels of gold, and place [them] on the great stone; and the men of Beth-Shemesh have caused burnt-offerings to ascend and sacrifice sacrifices in that day to YHWH;
肋未人先把上主的約櫃和旁邊盛有金器的匣子搬下來,放在那塊大石上。貝特舍默士人當天給上主獻了全燔祭,宰殺了許多犧牲。
16 and the five princes of the Philistines have seen [it], and return [to] Ekron, on that day.
培肋舍特的五位酋長見事已成,當天就回了厄刻龍。
17 And these [are] the golden lumps which the Philistines have sent back—a guilt-offering to YHWH: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron;
以下是培肋舍特人奉獻給上主作為贖罪禮品的金毒瘡像:阿市多得一個,迦薩一個,阿市刻隆一個,加特一個,厄刻龍一個。
18 and the golden muroids—the number of all the cities of the Philistines, for the five princes, from the fortified city even to a village of the open place, and to the great stone [[or great meadow]] on which they placed the Ark of YHWH—[are] in the field of Joshua the Beth-Shemeshite to this day.
金老鼠也是依照培肋舍特五酋長的城市數目,包括有垣墻的城市和所有的村落。那曾安放過上主約櫃的大石,直到今日還在貝特舍默士人約叔亞的田內,作為見證。
19 And He strikes among the men of Beth-Shemesh, for they looked into the Ark of YHWH, indeed, He strikes seventy men [out] of fifty thousand men [[or fifty thousand and seventy men]] among the people; and the people mourn, because YHWH struck among the people [with] a great striking.
當貝特舍默士人看見上主的約櫃時,耶苛尼雅的子孫沒有與他們一起表示歡樂,所以上主擊殺了他們中七十人。百姓就難受,因為上主這樣嚴厲打擊了百姓。
20 And the men of Beth-Shemesh say, “Who is able to stand before YHWH, this holy God? And to whom does He go up from us?”
於是貝特舍默士人說:「在這神聖的天主上主面前,誰還能站得住﹖從我們這裏把它送到誰那裏去呢﹖」
21 And they send messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have sent back the Ark of YHWH; come down, take it up with you.”
他們遂派使者到克黎雅特耶阿陵的居民那裏,對他們說:「培肋舍特人送回了上主的約櫃,你們下來,將它抬上去,放在你們那裏。」

< 1 Samuel 6 >