2 Samuel 18
1 And David inspects the people who [are] with him, and sets over them heads of thousands and heads of hundreds,
大衛數點跟隨他的人，立千夫長、百夫長率領他們。
2 and David sends the third of the people by the hand of Joab, and the third by the hand of Abishai, son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, and the third by the hand of Ittai the Gittite, and the king says to the people, “I certainly go out—I also—with you.”
大衛打發軍兵出戰，分為三隊：一隊在約押手下，一隊在洗魯雅的兒子、約押兄弟亞比篩手下，一隊在迦特人以太手下。大衛對軍兵說：「我必與你們一同出戰。」
3 And the people say, “You do not go out, for if we utterly flee, they do not set [their] heart on us; and if half of us die, they do not set [their] heart to us—for [you are] now like ten thousand of us; and now, [it is] better that you are for a helper to us from the city.”
軍兵卻說：「你不可出戰。若是我們逃跑，敵人必不介意；我們陣亡一半，敵人也不介意。因為你一人強似我們萬人，你不如在城裏預備幫助我們。」
4 And the king says to them, “That which is good in your eyes I do”; and the king stands at the side of the gate, and all the people have gone out by hundreds and by thousands,
王向他們說：「你們以為怎樣好，我就怎樣行。」於是王站在城門旁，軍兵或百或千地挨次出去了。
5 and the king charges Joab, and Abishai, and Ittai, saying, “[Deal] gently—for me, for the youth, for Absalom”; and all the people heard in the king’s charging all the heads concerning Absalom.
王囑咐約押、亞比篩、以太說：「你們要為我的緣故寬待那少年人押沙龍。」王為押沙龍囑咐眾將的話，兵都聽見了。
6 And the people go out into the field to meet Israel, and the battle is in a forest of Ephraim;
兵就出到田野迎着以色列人，在以法蓮樹林裏交戰。
7 and the people of Israel are struck there before the servants of David, and the striking there is great on that day—twenty thousand;
以色列人敗在大衛的僕人面前；那日陣亡的甚多，共有二萬人。
8 and the battle there is scattered over the face of all the land, and the forest multiplies to devour among the people more than those whom the sword has devoured in that day.
因為在那裏四面打仗，死於樹林的比死於刀劍的更多。
9 And Absalom meets before the servants of David, and Absalom is riding on the mule, and the mule comes in under an entangled bough of the great oak, and his head takes hold on the oak, and he is placed between the heavens and the earth, and the mule that [is] under him has passed on.
押沙龍偶然遇見大衛的僕人。押沙龍騎着騾子，從大橡樹密枝底下經過，他的頭髮被樹枝繞住，就懸掛起來，所騎的騾子便離他去了。
10 And one man sees, and declares [it] to Joab, and says, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.”
有個人看見，就告訴約押說：「我看見押沙龍掛在橡樹上了。」
11 And Joab says to the man who is declaring [it] to him, “And behold, you have seen—and why did you not strike him there to the earth—and [it would be] on me to give to you ten pieces of silver and one girdle?”
約押對報信的人說：「你既看見他，為甚麼不將他打死落在地上呢？你若打死他，我就賞你十舍客勒銀子，一條帶子。」
12 And the man says to Joab, “Indeed, though I am weighing on my hand one thousand pieces of silver, I do not put forth my hand to the son of the king; for in our ears the king has charged you, and Abishai, and Ittai, saying, Observe who [is] against the youth—against Absalom;
那人對約押說：「我就是得你一千舍客勒銀子，我也不敢伸手害王的兒子；因為我們聽見王囑咐你和亞比篩並以太說：『你們要謹慎，不可害那少年人押沙龍。』
13 or I had done a vain thing against my soul, and no matter is hid from the king, and you would station yourself opposite from [me].”
我若妄為害了他的性命，就是你自己也必與我為敵（原來，無論何事都瞞不過王。）」
14 And Joab says, “[It is] not right [that] I linger before you”; and he takes three darts in his hand, and strikes them into the heart of Absalom, while he [is] alive, in the midst of the oak.
約押說：「我不能與你留連。」約押手拿三杆短槍，趁押沙龍在橡樹上還活着，就刺透他的心。
15 And they go around—ten youths carrying weapons of Joab—and strike Absalom, and put him to death.
給約押拿兵器的十個少年人圍繞押沙龍，將他殺死。
16 And Joab blows with a horn, and the people turn back from pursuing after Israel, for Joab has kept back the people;
約押吹角，攔阻眾人，他們就回來，不再追趕以色列人。
17 and they take Absalom and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and set up a very great heap of stones over him, and all Israel has fled—each to his tent.
他們將押沙龍丟在林中一個大坑裏，上頭堆起一大堆石頭。以色列眾人都逃跑，各回各家去了。
18 And Absalom has taken, and sets up for himself in his life, the standing-pillar that [is] in the king’s valley, for he said, “I have no son to cause my name to be remembered”; and he calls the standing-pillar by his own name, and it is called “The Monument of Absalom” to this day.
押沙龍活着的時候，在王谷立了一根石柱，因他說：「我沒有兒子為我留名。」他就以自己的名稱那石柱叫押沙龍柱，直到今日。
19 And Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Please let me run, and I bear the king tidings, for YHWH has delivered him out of the hand of his enemies”;
撒督的兒子亞希瑪斯說：「容我跑去，將耶和華向仇敵給王報仇的信息報與王知。」
20 and Joab says to him, “You are not a man of tidings this day, but you have borne tidings on another day, and this day you do not bear tidings, because the king’s son [is] dead.”
約押對他說：「你今日不可去報信，改日可以報信；因為今日王的兒子死了，所以你不可去報信。」
21 And Joab says to Cushi, “Go, declare to the king that which you have seen”; and Cushi bows himself to Joab, and runs.
約押對古示人說：「你去將你所看見的告訴王。」古示人在約押面前下拜，就跑去了。
22 And Ahimaaz son of Zadok adds again and says to Joab, “And whatever it is, please let me run, I also, after the Cushite.” And Joab says, “Why [is] this—you are running, my son, and [there are] no tidings found from you?”
撒督的兒子亞希瑪斯又對約押說：「無論怎樣，求你容我隨着古示人跑去。」約押說：「我兒，你報這信息，既不得賞賜，何必要跑去呢？」
23 “And whatever happens,” he said, “let me run.” And he says to him, “Run”; and Ahimaaz runs the way of the circuit, and passes by the Cushite.
他又說：「無論怎樣，我要跑去。」約押說：「你跑去吧！」亞希瑪斯就從平原往前跑，跑過古示人去了。
24 And David is sitting between the two gates, and the watchman goes to the roof of the gate, to the wall, and lifts up his eyes, and looks, and behold, a man running by himself.
大衛正坐在城甕裏。守望的人上城門樓的頂上，舉目觀看，見有一個人獨自跑來。
25 And the watchman calls, and declares [it] to the king, and the king says, “If [he is] by himself, tidings [are] in his mouth”; and he comes, coming on and drawing near.
守望的人就大聲告訴王。王說：「他若獨自來，必是報口信的。」那人跑得漸漸近了。
26 And the watchman sees another man running, and the watchman calls to the gatekeeper, and says, “Behold, a man running by himself”; and the king says, “This one is also bearing tidings.”
守望的人又見一人跑來，就對守城門的人說：「又有一人獨自跑來。」王說：「這也必是報信的。」
27 And the watchman says, “I see the running of the first as the running of Ahimaaz son of Zadok.” And the king says, “This [is] a good man, and he comes with good tidings.”
守望的人說：「我看前頭人的跑法，好像撒督的兒子亞希瑪斯的跑法一樣。」王說：「他是個好人，必是報好信息。」
28 And Ahimaaz calls and says to the king, “Peace”; and he bows himself to the king, on his face, to the earth, and says, “Blessed [is] your God YHWH who has shut up the men who lifted up their hand against my lord the king.”
亞希瑪斯向王呼叫說：「平安了！」就在王面前臉伏於地叩拜，說：「耶和華－你的上帝是應當稱頌的，因他已將那舉手攻擊我主我王的人交給王了。」
29 And the king says, “Peace to the youth—for Absalom?” And Ahimaaz says, “I saw the great multitude, at the sending away of the servant of the king, even your servant [by] Joab, and I have not known what [it is].”
王問說：「少年人押沙龍平安不平安？」亞希瑪斯回答說：「約押打發王的僕人，那時僕人聽見眾民大聲喧嘩，卻不知道是甚麼事。」
30 And the king says, “Turn around, station yourself here”; and he turns around and stands still.
王說：「你退去，站在旁邊。」他就退去，站在旁邊。
31 And behold, the Cushite has come, and the Cushite says, “Let tidings be proclaimed, my lord, O king; for today YHWH has delivered you out of the hand of all those rising up against you.”
古示人也來到，說：「有信息報給我主我王！耶和華今日向一切興起攻擊你的人給你報仇了。」
32 And the king says to the Cushite, “Peace to the youth—for Absalom?” And the Cushite says, “Let them be—as the youth—the enemies of my lord the king, and all who have risen up against you for evil.”
王問古示人說：「少年人押沙龍平安不平安？」古示人回答說：「願我主我王的仇敵，和一切興起要殺害你的人，都與那少年人一樣。」
33 And the king trembles, and goes up on the upper chamber of the gate, and weeps, and thus he has said in his going, “My son Absalom! My son! My son Absalom! Oh that I had died for you, Absalom, my son, my son!”
王就心裏傷慟，上城門樓去哀哭，一面走一面說：「我兒押沙龍啊！我兒，我兒押沙龍啊！我恨不得替你死，押沙龍啊，我兒！我兒！」
