Nehemiah 1

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

哈加里亞的兒子乃赫米雅的言行錄：在第二十年「基斯婁」月，我在穌撒禁城時，

2 that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

有我的一個兄弟哈納尼，和幾個人由猶大上來，我問及他們，關於那些由充軍回國的猶太遺民，和耶路撒冷的情形；

3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

他們回答我說：「充軍回國的那些遺民，在省裏遭大難，受污辱；耶路撒冷城垣坍塌，城門為火焚毀。」

4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,

我一聽說這些事，就坐下涕哭，悲痛了幾天，同時也在上主天主前，禁食祈禱，

5 and said, I beseech thee, O LORD, the God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments:

說：「唉! 上主，天上的天主! 偉大可畏的天主! 那對愛你和守你誡命的人，履行信約，施行慈愛的，

6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: yea, I and my father’s house have sinned.

求你側耳，求你睜眼，俯聽你僕人的祈禱即我，現今在你面前，日夜為你的僕人以色列子民所行的祈禱。我承認以色列子民對你所犯的罪過，因為我和我父家都犯了罪。

7 we have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

我們的確作惡得罪了你，沒有遵守你吩咐你的僕人梅瑟，所立定的誡命、律令和典章。

8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye trespass, I will scatter you abroad among the peoples:

求你記憶你向你的僕人梅瑟所吩咐的話說：如果你們不忠實，我要將你們分散在萬民之中；

9 but if ye return unto me, and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to cause my name to dwell there.

但如果你們又回心歸向我，遵守履行我的誡命，即便你們分散到天涯地角，我也要從那裏，將你們聚集起來，領你們到我所選，為作我名居所的地方去。──

10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.

他們都是你的僕人，你的人民，是你用強力和大能的手，所拯救出來的。

11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who delight to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. (Now I was cupbearer to the king.)

我主，求你側耳俯聽你僕人的祈禱，傾聽這些喜愛敬畏你名的僕人的祈禱! 求你今天使你的僕人順利，使他在那人前獲得寵遇。」我當時是君王的酒政。