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,

哈迦利亞的兒子尼希米的言語如下： 亞達薛西王二十年基斯流月，我在書珊城的宮中。

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.

那時，有我一個弟兄哈拿尼，同着幾個人從猶大來。我問他們那些被擄歸回、剩下逃脫的猶大人和耶路撒冷的光景。

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.

他們對我說：「那些被擄歸回剩下的人在猶大省遭大難，受凌辱；並且耶路撒冷的城牆拆毀，城門被火焚燒。」

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,

我聽見這話，就坐下哭泣，悲哀幾日，在天上的上帝面前禁食祈禱，說：

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:

「耶和華－天上的上帝，大而可畏的上帝啊，你向愛你、守你誡命的人守約施慈愛。

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.

願你睜眼看，側耳聽，你僕人晝夜在你面前為你眾僕人以色列民的祈禱，承認我們以色列人向你所犯的罪；我與我父家都有罪了。

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.

我們向你所行的甚是邪惡，沒有遵守你藉着僕人摩西所吩咐的誡命、律例、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:

求你記念所吩咐你僕人摩西的話，說：『你們若犯罪，我就把你們分散在萬民中；

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.

但你們若歸向我，謹守遵行我的誡命，你們被趕散的人雖在天涯，我也必從那裏將他們招聚回來，帶到我所選擇立為我名的居所。』

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

這都是你的僕人、你的百姓，就是你用大力和大能的手所救贖的。

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.)

主啊，求你側耳聽你僕人的祈禱，和喜愛敬畏你名眾僕人的祈禱，使你僕人現今亨通，在王面前蒙恩。」 我是作王酒政的。