1 Kings 12
1 All [HYP] the people of [northern] Israel went to Shechem [city] in order to appoint Rehoboam to be their king. So Rehoboam also went there.
[分裂近因]勒哈貝罕去了舍根，因為全以色列集合在舍根，要立他為王。
2 When Jeroboam, who was still in Egypt, heard about that, he returned from Egypt [to Israel].
乃巴特的兒子雅洛貝罕，為躲避撒羅滿王，曾逃往埃及，現在聽說撒羅滿已死，便從挨家埃及回來了。
3 The [leaders of the northern tribes] summoned him, and they went together [to talk] to Rehoboam. They said to him,
有人派人請了他回來，他便和以色列全會眾前來，對勒哈貝罕說：「
4 “Your father [Solomon] forced us to work very hard [MET] for him. If you (lighten these loads/do not force us to work that hard), and if you charge us less taxes than we were paying to him, we will serve you [faithfully].”
你的父親使我們的負擔繁重，現在，你得減輕你父親加給我們的苦役和重軛，我們纔肯服事你。」
5 He replied, “Go away, and come back three days from now [and I will give you my answer].” So those leaders and Jeroboam left.
他回答他們說：「你們暫時回去，三天以後再來見我。」人民就都走了。
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the older men who had advised his father Solomon while he was still living. He asked them, “What shall I say to answer those men?”
勒哈貝罕便同那些在他父親撒羅滿生時，作臣僕的老年人商議說：「依你們的意見，我該怎樣答覆這些民眾﹖」
7 They replied, “If you want to serve your people well, speak kindly to those men when you reply to them. If you do that, your people will always serve you faithfully.”
他們回答說：「如果你今天願意作這民眾的僕人，服事他們，答應他們，對他們說好話，他們必會常常服事你。」
8 But he ignored what the older men advised him to do. Instead, he consulted the younger men who had grown up with him, who were now (his advisors/the ones who told him what would be good to do).
但是，君王竟拒絕了老年人給他出的主意，反去同那些與他一起長大，侍立在他面前的少年商議，
9 He said to them, “What should I say to the men who are asking me to reduce the [work and taxes] that my father required from them?”
問他們說：「這些人民對我說：請你將你父親加於我們的重軛減輕些。依你們的意見我該怎樣答覆他們﹖」
10 They replied, “This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.
這些與他一起長大的少年人答說：「這些人民對你說：你父親使我們負擔繁重，請你給我們減輕些! 你要回答他們，對他們這樣說：我的小指比我父親的腰還粗!
11 What I mean is that my father required you [to work hard and pay high taxes]. But I will make those loads heavier. [It was as though] my father whipped you, but [it will be as though] I will whip you with whips that have pieces of metal in them.’”
我父親曾加重了你們的重擔，我更要加重你們的重擔；我父親用皮鞭責打你們，我卻要用鐵刺鞭責打你們! 」
12 So three days later, Jeroboam and all the leaders came to Rehoboam again, as he had told them to do.
雅洛貝罕和全體人民照君王所說：「你們第三天再來見我」的話，第三天就來見勒哈貝罕。
13 The king ignored the advice of the older men and spoke harshly to the Israeli leaders.
君王嚴厲答覆了人民，拋棄了老年人給他出的主意，
14 [He told them what the younger men had advised.] He said, “My father put heavy burdens [of work and taxes] on you, but I will put heavier burdens on you. [It was as though] he beat you with whips, but I will beat you with whips that have pieces of metal in them!”
卻依照少年人的主張，對民眾說：「我的父親加重了你們的重擔，我更要加重，我父親用皮鞭責打你們，我反要用鐵刺鞭責打你們。」
15 So the king did not pay any attention to the Israeli leaders. But this happened in order that what Yahweh wanted would occur, what he had told the prophet Ahijah about Jeroboam [becoming king of the ten tribes].
君王始終不肯聽從民眾。這一轉變原是出於上主，為實現他自己的話，就是上主藉史羅人阿希雅對乃巴特的兒子雅洛貝罕所說的話。政治分裂
16 When the Israeli leaders realized that the king did not pay any attention to what they said, they shouted, “We do not [RHQ] want anything to do with this descendant of King David! We will not pay attention to what this grandson of Jesse says! You people of Israel, let’s go home! As for this descendant of David [MTY], he can rule his own kingdom [MTY]!” So the Israeli leaders returned to their homes.
全以色列人見君王不肯依他們，便回覆君王說﹕「我們與達味有什麼分子﹖我們與葉瑟的兒子毫無關係! 以色列! 回到你的帳幕去啊! 達味啊! 現在你只顧你的本家罷! 」以色列人於是都回了自己的帳幕，
17 And [after that, ] the [only Israeli] people whom Rehoboam ruled over were those who lived in the territory of [the tribe of] Judah.
只有那些住在猶大城市的以色列子民，仍屬勒哈貝罕統治。
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram [to talk to the Israeli people]. Adoniram was the man who supervised [all the men who were] forced to work [for Rehoboam]. But the Israeli people killed him by throwing stones at him. When that happened, King Rehoboam quickly got in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem.
勒哈貝罕王派遣監管勞役的阿多蘭，去見以色列，以色列人卻用石頭將它砸死，勒哈貝罕急忙上車，逃回了耶路撒冷。
19 Ever since that time, the people of [the northern tribes of] Israel have been rebelling against the descendants [MTY] of [King] David.
這樣，以色列便與達味家分離了，直到現在。
20 When the Israeli people heard that Jeroboam had returned [from Egypt], they invited him to come to a meeting, and there they appointed him to be the king of Israel. Only the people of the tribes of Judah [and Benjamin] continued to be loyal to [the kings descended from King] [MTY] David.
那時，全以色列人聽說雅洛貝罕已經回來，便派人邀請它前來赴會，立他為王，統治全以色列；從此跟隨達味家的，只有猷大支派。
21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered 180,000 of the best soldiers from the tribes [MTY] of Judah and Benjamin. He wanted them to fight against the northern tribes of [MTY] Israel [and defeat them], in order that he could [rule all the tribes of] his kingdom again.
勒哈貝罕一回到耶路撒冷，即刻召集猶大全家和本雅明支派所有十八萬善戰的精兵，要去攻打以色列家，想把王國奪回，再歸屬撒羅滿的兒子勒哈貝罕；
22 But God spoke to the prophet Shemaiah and said this to him:
但是，天主有話傳於天主的人舍瑪雅說﹕「
23 “Go and tell this to [Solomon’s son] Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and the people from the northern tribe who live in Judah:
你去告訴撒羅滿的兒子，猶大王勒哈貝罕，猶大全家和本雅明以及其餘的人民說﹕
24 ‘Yahweh says that you must not go to fight against your own relatives, the people of Israel. All of you must go home. What has happened is what Yahweh wanted to happen.’” [So Shemaiah went and told that to them, ] and they all paid attention to what Yahweh had commanded them to do, and they went home.
上主這樣說﹕你們不要前去，攻打你們的兄弟以色列人，你們各自回家去罷! 因為這事原出於我。」他們便聽從了上主的話，依照上主的話回去了。宗教分裂
25 Then Jeroboam’s workers built [walls around] Shechem [city] in the hilly area [where the descendants] of Ephraim [lived], and he ruled from there for a while. He and his workers then left there and went to Peniel [town], and they built walls around that town.
雅洛貝罕在厄弗辣因山地修築了舍根，住在那裏；又從那裏出來，修築了培奴耳。
26 Then Jeroboam said to himself, “If my people [continue to] go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices to Yahweh at the temple there, soon they will again become loyal to Rehoboam, the king of Judah [DOU], and they will kill me.”
雅洛貝罕心中思量﹕「這王國遲早要歸於達味王室；
如果這人民上耶路撒冷，在上主殿內獻祭，他們的心難免不歸向他們的主上猶大勒哈貝罕，把我打死，再歸屬於猶大王勒哈貝罕。」
28 So he consulted [his advisors, and then he did what they suggested]. He [told his workers to] make gold [statues of] two calves. Then he said to the people, “You have been going to Jerusalem [to worship] for a long time. It is a big trouble for you to continue going there. You people of Israel, look! These statues are the gods that brought our [ancestors] up from Egypt! [So you can worship these, here!]”
因此，雅洛貝罕王拿定了主意，製造了兩隻金牛犢，對人民說﹕，「你們不需要再上耶路撒冷去了；以色列! 看，這就是領你們由埃及地上來的天主! 」
29 He [told his workers to] place one of the statues in Bethel [city in the south] and one in Dan [city in the north].
他將一隻供在貝特耳，一隻供在丹。
30 So [what Jeroboam did caused] the people [to] sin. Some of them went and worshiped the calf at Bethel, and others went and worshiped the other calf at Dan.
這使以色列陷於罪惡，因為民眾竟遠至丹去敬拜另一隻。
31 [Moses had declared that only men from the tribe of Levi would be priests, but] Jeroboam also told his workers to build shrines on hilltops, and then he appointed men who were not from the tribe of Levi to be priests.
雅貝洛罕又在高丘建立了神殿，將不屬於肋末子孫的平民立為司祭；
32 He also appointed Adonijah and two priests, Elishama and Jehoram. They had a celebration at the end of October, like the celebration [of Living in Temporary Shelters] that occurred in Judah [each year]. On the altar [that they built] in Bethel, he offered sacrifices to the gold statues of calves that they had made, and he stationed the priests there at the shrines that his workers had built.
規定八月十五日舉行慶節，像在猶大所舉行的慶節一樣，親自上壇獻祭。他也如此在貝特耳向他所製造的牛犢獻了祭，並在貝特耳為他建造的高丘神壇，委派了司祭。
33 Jeroboam went up to that altar on that day in October which he himself had chosen. There on that altar he burned incense [to be a sacrifice]. And he declared that the people should celebrate that festival [on that same day every year].
在他隨意選定的八月十五日，他親自上了他在貝特耳所築的祭壇，為以色列子民舉行慶節，上壇焚香獻祭。
