< Isaiah 38 >
1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
在那些日期內,希則克雅害病要死,阿摩茲的兒子依撒意亞先知前來看他,並對他說:「上主這樣說:快料理你的家務,因為你快死,不能久活了!」
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
希則克雅就轉面朝牆懇求上主說:「
3 and said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
上主!求你記憶我如何懷著忠誠齊全的心,在你面前行走;如何作了你視為正義的事。」然後希則克雅放聲大哭。
4 Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,
上主的話傳給依撒意亞說:「
5 Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.
你去對希則克雅說:上主,你祖先達味的天主這樣說:我聽見了你的祈禱,看見了你的眼淚;看,我要在你的壽數上加多十五年,
6 And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.
且由亞述王手中拯救你和這座城,我必要保護這座城。
7 And this shall he the sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken:
上主必實踐他所說的話,這將是給你的記號:
8 behold, I will cause the shadow on the steps, which is gone down on the dial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps. So the sun returned ten steps on the dial whereon it was gone down.
看,我要使那射在阿哈次的日晷上的日影倒退十度。」果然,射在日晷上的日影倒退了十度。
9 The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness.
猶大王希則克雅在病中與病愈後所詠的「金詩:」
10 I said, In the noontide of my days I shall go into the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years. (Sheol )
我曾想過:「正當我的中年,我就要離去;我的餘年將被交於陰府之門。」 (Sheol )
11 I said, I shall not see the LORD, [even] the LORD in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.
我曾想過:「我再不能在活人的地上看見上主,我再不能在世上的居民中看見世人。
12 Mine age is removed, and is carried away from me as a shepherd’s tent: I have rolled up like a weaver my life; he will cut me off from the loom: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
我的居所被拆除,由我身上撤去,彷彿牧童的帳幕;你好像織工,捲起了我的生命,由織機上將我割斷。白日黑夜你總想將我結束!」
13 I quieted [myself] until morning; as a lion, so he breaketh all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
我哀號直到清晨,上主卻如獅子咬碎了我所有的骨骸。
14 Like a swallow [or] a crane, so did I chatter; I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail [with looking] upward; O LORD, I am oppressed, be thou my surety.
我呢喃好似燕子,我哀鳴有如斑鳩;我痛哭的眼睛向上仰視:「上主!我實在痛苦,求你扶持我!」
15 What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.
我還有什麼話可說﹖因為是上主給我說的,因為是他行的;帶著我內心的痛苦,我要善度我的餘年。
16 O Lord, by these things men live, and wholly therein is the life of my spirit: wherefore recover thou me, and make me to live.
吾主!我的心唯有仰望你!求你使我的精神甦醒,使我復原,使我生存。
17 Behold, [it was] for [my] peace [that] I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
看,我的苦楚已變為安寧,是你保存了我的生命脫免滅亡的深淵,因為你將我所有的罪惡盡拋於你背後。
18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. (Sheol )
誠然,陰府不會讚頌你,死亡也不會稱揚你;下到深淵的,也不會再仰望你的忠誠。 (Sheol )
19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.
生者,唯有生者能讚頌你,如我今日一樣;為父的當使自己的兒女認識你的忠信。
20 The LORD is [ready] to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.
上主救了我,為此我們願以終生的歲月,在上主的殿內彈奏絃琴!
21 Now Isaiah had said, Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.
依撒意亞曾吩咐說:「拿一塊無花果餅來,貼在他的瘡口上,他就會好了。」
22 Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?
希則克雅曾問說:「有什麼憑據,我將登上上主的殿﹖」