< 2 Kings 6 >

1 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, —See, we pray thee, the place wherein we sit before thee, is too strait for us.
眾先知的弟子對厄里叟說:「看,我們同你住的地方太窄小了,
2 Let us go, we pray thee, as far as the Jordan, and fetch from thence every man a single beam, and let us make us a place wherein we may sit. And he said—Go ye.
請你讓我們到約旦河去,每人取一根樑木,在那裏建造我們的住所。」他答說:「你們去罷! 」
3 Then said one—Be content, we pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he said—I myself, will go.
其中一個人說:「請你也同你的僕人一起去! 」厄里叟答說:「我去。」
4 So he went with them, —and, when they came to the Jordan, they cut down wood.
先知便同他們一起去了。他們到了約旦河,就砍伐樹木。
5 And it came to pass, as one was felling a branch, that, the axe-head, fell into the water, so he made outcry and said—Alas! my lord, for, it, was borrowed!
其中一個,砍木樑時,斧頭掉在水裏了,就大聲叫喊說:哎唷! 我主,這把斧子是借來的啊! 」
6 And the man of God said—Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a piece of wood and cast it in thither, and the iron did swim.
天主的人問他說:「斧頭掉在那裏﹖」那人將那地方指給先知看。先知即砍下一塊木頭,丟在那裏,使斧頭浮了上來。
7 And he said—Take it up to thee. So he put forth his hand, and took it.
先知對他說:「你拿上來罷! 」他就伸手拿了上來。
8 Now, the king of Syria, was making war against Israel, —so he took counsel with his servants, saying—In such and such a place, shall be my encampment.
阿蘭王同以色列交戰時,與自己的臣商議說:要在某某地方埋伏。
9 The man of God, therefore, sent unto the king of Israel, saying—Beware of passing by this place, —for, thither, are the Syrians coming down.
但天主的人打發人去見以色列王說:「你要小心提防,不要經過某某地方,因為阿蘭人已在那裏設下埋伏。」
10 So the king of Israel sent unto the place whereof the man of God had spoken to him and warned him, and was on his guard there, —not once nor twice
以色列王就派人去偵察天主的人警告他的地方;他就小心防備,不只一兩次。
11 Then was the heart of the king of Syria disquieted concerning this thing, —and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not tell me, who of our men are for the king of Israel?
阿蘭王為此事心中頗為煩惱,遂將臣僕召來,對他說:「難道你們不能告訴我:我們中誰支持以色列王嗎﹖」
12 Then said one of his servants, None, my lord O king, —but, Elisha, the prophet, who is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words which thou speakest in thy bed-chamber.
一個臣僕答說:「我主,大王! 沒有誰支持,只有以色列的先知厄里叟,將君王在密室裏所談的事,都告訴了以色列王。」
13 And he said—Go, and see where he is, that I may send and take him. And it was told him, saying—Lo! in Dothan.
阿蘭王說:「你們去看看他在那裏,我好派人去捉拿。」有人告訴君王說:「他在多堂。」
14 Therefore sent he thither—horses and chariots, and a strong force, —and they came in by night, and encompassed the city.
阿蘭王就打發馬隊戰車和強大的部隊前去,夜間到了那裏,將城圍住。
15 And, when the attendant of the man of God arose early and went forth, lo! a force surrounding the city, with horses and chariots. Then said his young man unto him—Alas! my lord, what shall we do?
天主的人的僕人清早起來出門時,看見軍隊車馬將城包圍了,就對先知說:「哎! 我主,我們怎麼辦﹖」
16 And he said—Do not fear, —for, more, are, they who are with us, than, they who are with them.
先知答說:「不必害怕,因為偕同我們的,比他們的還多。」
17 Then prayed Elisha, and said, O Yahweh! open, I beseech thee, his eyes, that he may see. And Yahweh opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and lo! the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire, round about Elisha.
厄里叟就祈禱說:「上主,求你開啟他的眼,叫他看見。」上主就開了僕人的眼,他看見遍山都是火馬車,圍繞著厄里叟。
18 And, when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto Yahweh, and said—Smite, I beseech thee, this people, with sudden blindness. And he smote them with sudden blindness, according to the word of Elisha.
敵人下到先知那裏的時候,厄里叟懇求上主說:「求你打擊這個民族,使他們眼目失明。」上主果然照厄里叟的話打擊了他們,使他們眼目失明。
19 Then Elisha said unto them—This, is not the way, neither is, this, the city, follow me, that I may lead you unto the man, whom ye would secure! So he led them to Samaria.
厄里叟對他們說:「不是這條路,也不是這座城;你們跟我來,我要領你們到你們尋找的人那裏去。」於是先知領他們到了撒瑪黎雅。
20 And it came to pass, when they had entered Samaria, that Elisha said, O Yahweh! open the eyes of these men, that they may see! And Yahweh opened their eyes, and they saw, and lo! they were in the midst of Samaria!
他們一進了撒瑪黎雅,厄里叟就祈禱說:「上主,開啟這些人的眼睛,叫他們看見。」上主果然開了他們的眼睛;他們一看,自己竟在撒瑪黎雅城內。
21 Then said the king of Israel unto Elisha, when he saw them, —Shall I smite—shall I smite, my father?
以色列王看見他們,就對厄里叟說:「我父,要殺死他們嗎﹖」
22 And he said—Thou shalt not smite. Them whom thou hadst taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow, wouldst, thou, have been smiting? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go their way unto their lord.
厄里叟答說:「不要殺他們;你自己用弓劍擄來的人,你豈可殺死﹖你要為這些人預備飯和水,叫他們吃喝,然後讓他們回到自己的主上那裏去。」
23 And he made for them a great feast, and, when they had eaten and drunk, he let them go, and they went their way unto their lord. So then, troops of Syrians came again, no more, into the land of Israel.
君王就給他們預備了盛宴,叫他們吃了喝了,打發他們回到自己的主上那裏去。從此,阿蘭隊伍再沒有侵犯以色列地方。
24 But it came to pass, after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered together all his host, —and came up and laid siege against Samaria.
這事以後,阿蘭王本哈達得集合了他所有的軍隊,上來圍困撒瑪黎雅。
25 And there came to be, a great famine, in Samaria, and lo! they continued the siege against it, —until an ass’s head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and one pint of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.
撒瑪黎雅被圍困後,陷於嚴重的飢荒,甚至一個驢頭,值八十「協刻耳」銀子,四分之一「卡步」豆莢,值五「協刻耳」銀子。
26 And so it was that, as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman, made outcry unto him, saying—Save, my lord, O king!
當以色列王從城牆上經過時,有一個婦人呼求他說:「我主大王,救救我罷! 」
27 And he said—If Yahweh do not save thee, whence should I save thee? out of the threshing-floor or out of the wine-press?
君王答說:「如果上主不救你,我怎能救你﹖靠禾場﹖靠酒池﹖」
28 And the king said to her—What aileth thee? And she said—This woman, said unto me—Give thy son, that we may eat him, to-day, and, my son, will we eat to-morrow.
君王問那婦人說:「你有什麼事﹖」婦人答說:「這個女人曾對我說:把你的兒子交出來,我們今天吃;留下我的兒子,我們明天吃。
29 So we cooked my son, and did eat him, —and I said unto her, on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him; But she had hid her son.
於是我們就把我的兒子煮著吃了。第二天我對那女人說:把你的兒子交出來給我們吃,她卻把自己的兒子藏了起來。」
30 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes, while yet he was passing by upon the wall, —so the people looked, and lo! sackcloth upon his flesh, within.
君王聽了這婦人的話,就撕裂了自己的衣服,─當他正在城牆上經過,民眾都看見了他貼身穿著苦衣,─
31 And he said—So, let God do to me, and, so, let him add, —if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remain on him, to-day!
說「如果沙法特的兒子厄里叟的頭,今天還留在他身上,願天主嚴厲,且加倍嚴厲地懲罰我! 」
32 Now, Elisha, being seated in his house, and, the elders, seated with him, —when he had sent a man from before him, ere yet the messenger could come in unto him, he himself, said unto the elders—Do ye see how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away my head? See! when the messenger is coming in, close ye the door, and press him back with the door, is not the sound of his lord’s feet behind him?
那時厄里叟正坐在屋裏,長老們同他坐在一起,君王派一個人在他以前去,但是這人還未來到,厄里叟就對長老們說:「你們看,這個兇手之子,竟派人來要斬我的頭。你們注意,使者來到時,你們要把門關上,把他關在門外;在他後面不就是他主上的腳步聲嗎﹖」
33 While yet he was speaking with them, lo! the messenger, coming down unto him, —and he said, —Lo! this, is a calamity from Yahweh, why should I wait for Yahweh, any longer?
先知還同他們說話的時候,君王就下到他那裏說:「這災難是由上主來的,我對上主還有什麼指望﹖」

< 2 Kings 6 >