< 2 Kings 4 >

1 One day the widow of one of [Yahweh’s] prophets came to Elisha and cried out to him, “My husband, who worked with you, is dead. You know that he revered Yahweh [very much]. But now a man to whom he owed a lot of money has come to me. [And because I cannot pay back the money, he is threatening] to take away my two sons to be his slaves [as payment for what I owe him]!”
有一個先知弟子的妻子,前來哀求厄里叟說:「你的僕人,我的丈夫死了,你知道你的僕人是一個敬畏上主的人;現在債主前來,要帶走我的兩個孩子,作他的奴隸。」
2 Elisha replied, “What can I do to help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” She replied, “We have only a container of [olive] oil; we have nothing else.”
厄里叟對她說:「我能為你做什麼﹖你告訴我:你家裏還有什麼﹖」她答說:「你的婢女家裏除一瓶油外,什麼也沒有。」
3 Elisha said, “Go to your neighbors and borrow from them as many empty jars as you can.
厄里叟說:「你去,到外面向你所有的鄰居借些空器皿,不要少借;
4 Then take the jars into your house with your sons. Shut the door. Then pour olive oil from your container into the other jars. When each jar is full, set it aside [and fill another jar. Keep doing that until all the jars are full].”
然後回家,關上門,你和你的兒子在家裏,將油倒在所有的那些器皿內,把裝滿了的,放在一邊。」
5 [So she did what Elisha told her to do]. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she kept filling them.
她於是辭別厄里叟,回去照辦。她和她的兒子關上門,兒子給她遞器皿,她只顧倒油,
6 Soon all the jars were full. So she said to one of her sons, “Bring me another jar!” But he replied, “There are no more jars!” And then the olive oil stopped flowing.
器皿都裝滿了,她對兒子說:「再遞給我器皿! 」兒子答說:「沒有了。」同時油也止住了。
7 When she told Elijah [what had happened], he said to her, “Now sell the jars of oil. And [with the money you get, ] pay what you owe, and there will be enough extra money to keep buying food for yourself and your sons.” [So she did that].
婦人就去告訴天主的人。厄里叟對她說:「你去把油賣了,還了你的債;剩下的,你和你的兒子可用來過活。」
8 One day Elisha went to Shunem [town]. There was a wealthy woman who lived there [with her husband]. One day she invited Elisha to her house for a meal. [Elisha went there and] from then on, every time Elisha was in Shunem, he went to their house to eat a meal.
有一天,厄里叟路過叔能,那裏有一個富貴的婦人,曾挽留他吃飯;因此,厄里叟每次路過那裏,總到她家裡吃飯。
9 One day the woman said to her husband, “I am sure that this man who often comes here is a prophet [who brings messages] from God.
婦人對丈夫說:「現在我看出:這個時常路過我們這裏的天主的人,是位聖者。
10 I think we should make a small room for him on our [flat] roof, and put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp in it. If we do that, whenever he comes here, he will have a place to stay.” [So they did that].
我們可以在房頂上,給他蓋一間小房,裏面放一張床,一張桌子,一把椅子和一盞燈;這樣,他幾時來到我們這裏,可在那裏休息。」
11 One day Elisha returned to Shunem, and he went up to that room to rest.
一天,厄里叟又到了那裏,就進入那間小房休息。
12 He said to his servant Gehazi, “Tell the woman that I want to speak to her.” [So the servant went and told her]. When she came [to the doorway of Elisha’s room],
厄里叟吩咐自己的僕人革哈齊說:「你叫這位叔能婦人來。」僕人叫了婦人來,婦人站在先知面前,
13 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her that we both appreciate all the kind things that she has done for us. Then ask her what we can do for her. Ask, ‘Do you want [me to go to] the king or the army commander, to request something for you?’” [Gehazi told her, ] and she replied, “No, [he does not need to do that, because] my family/relatives are able to give me what I need.”
厄里叟吩咐僕人說:「現在你對她說:看,你照顧我們既然這樣周到,我們可為你作什麼呢﹖要不要我們在君王或軍長前為你說句話﹖」那婦人答說:「我住在我本國人民中很平安。」
14 [Later, ] Elisha asked Gehazi, “What do you think that we can do for that woman?” He replied, “She does not have a son, and her husband is an old man. [So maybe we should ask Yahweh to enable her to have a son].”
厄里叟就問革哈齊:「我們究竟能為她作什麼﹖」革哈齊說:「可憐她沒有兒子,丈夫又老了。」
15 Elisha told Gehazi, “Call her back again.” [So Gehazi went and called her]. And when the woman returned, as she stood in the doorway,
厄里叟說:「快再叫她來! 」僕人又將婦人叫來,這次她卻站在門口,
16 Elisha said to her, “About this time next year you will be holding your [infant] son in your arms.” But she protested, “O, sir, you are a prophet [who brings messages] from God, so please do not deceive/lie to me by saying things like that!”
厄里叟對她說:「明年這時,你必懷抱著一個兒子。」婦人答說:「我主,天主的人哪! 不會! 你別哄騙你的婢女! 」
17 But a few months later, the woman became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son at that time the following year, just like Elisha had predicted.
這婦人果然懷了孕;過了一年,在厄里叟對她所說的時候,生了一個兒子。
18 When the child was older, one day he went out to the fields to see his father, who was [working] with the men who were harvesting [grain].
孩子漸漸長大,一天,他出去到收割的人那裏找他父親,
19 [Suddenly] the boy exclaimed, “My head [hurts]! My head [hurts a lot]!” His father said to one of the servants, “Carry him home to his mother!”
孩子忽然對他父親喊說:「我的頭! 我的頭啊!」他父親吩咐僕人說:「把孩子送到他母親那裏去! 」
20 So the servant carried him home, and his mother held him on her lap. But at noontime the boy died.
僕人將他抱起,送給他母親,孩子坐在母親膝上,到了中午,就死了。
21 She carried him up [the steps] to the prophet’s room and laid him on the bed. She left him there and went out and shut the door.
他母親遂上了樓,將孩子放在天主的人的床上,關上門,出來,
22 She then called out to her husband, saying, “Send to me one of the servants and a donkey, so that I can ride [on it] quickly to the prophet, and then come back!” [But she did not tell her husband that their son had died].
叫自己的丈夫來說:「請你給我派一個僕人,牽一匹驢來,我要快去見見天主的人,就回來。」
23 Her husband [called out to her and] said, “Why [do you want to go] today? This is not the day when we celebrate the Festival of the New Moon, and it is not a Sabbath day!” But she only replied, “[Just do what I requested and] everything will be all right.”
她丈夫說:「為什麼今天要去見他,既不是朔日,又不是安息日﹖」婦人答說:「你放心好了! 」
24 So she [told the servant to] put saddles on [two] donkeys, and as they left, she said, “Hurry! Do not slow down unless t tell you to do that!”
於是,她把驢備好,對僕人說:「你快趕著走,我若不吩咐,在路上不要停下來。」
25 As they approached Carmel Mountain, where Elisha was, Elisha saw her in the distance. He said to Gehazi, “Look, the woman from Shunem is coming!
婦人於是來到加爾默耳山見天主的人。天主的人自遠處看見她,就對自己的僕人革哈齊說:「看,那是叔能婦人!
26 Run to her, and ask her if everything is all right with her and her husband and with her child!” [So Gehazi ran to her and asked her, but she did not tell Gehazi anything.] She only said, “Yes, everything is fine.”
現在你跑去迎接她,向她問安說:你好嗎﹖你的丈夫好嗎﹖你的孩子好嗎﹖」她回答說:好。」
27 But when she came to where Elisha was, she [prostrated herself on the ground in front of Elisha and] took hold of his feet. Gehazi started to push her away, but Elisha said, “(Do not push her away/Leave her alone)! Something is troubling her very much, but Yahweh has not told me what it is.”
婦人上到山上,來到天主的人跟前,就抱住他的腳;革哈齊前來想推開她,可是天主的人說:「由她罷! 因為她心中很痛苦;上主隱瞞了我,什麼也沒有告訴我。」
28 Then she said to Elisha, “O, sir, I did not ask you to enable me to give birth to a son [RHQ]. And I told you not to lie to me about that!” [RHQ]
那婦人說:「我何嘗向我主求過一個兒子﹖我豈不是說過:你不要哄騙我嗎﹖」
29 Then Elisha [realized that something must have happened to her son. So he] said to Gehazi, “Get ready [to leave immediately]. Take my staff/walking stick and go [to her home]. Do not [stop to] talk to anyone on the way. Go quickly [to where her son is] and lay the staff on the child’s face. [If you do that, perhaps Yahweh will enable him to be well].”
厄里叟對革哈齊說:「你束上腰,手裏拿著我的棍杖前去;不論遇見誰,不要向他請安;不論誰向你請安,你也不要回答。你去把我的棍杖放在孩子的臉上。」
30 But the boy’s mother said, “Just [as certain] as Yahweh lives and you live, I will not go home if you do not go with me.” So Elisha returned with her [to her home].
孩子的母親說:「我指著永生的上主及你的性命起誓:你不去,我決不離開。」厄里叟就起身跟她去了。
31 Gehazi hurried quickly, and [when he got to the woman’s home, ] he laid the staff/walking stick on the child’s face, but the child did not move or say anything. So Gehazi returned to meet Elisha [along the road], and told him, “The child is still dead.”
革哈齊在他們以前去了。將棍杖放在孩子的臉上,但是沒有聲音,沒有反應;他便回來見厄里叟,告訴他說:「孩子沒有醒來。」
32 When Elisha reached the house, he saw that the boy was lying dead on his bed.
厄里叟一來到她家,看見孩子死了,躺在自己的床上,
33 Elisha went into the room by himself and shut the door and prayed to Yahweh.
就進去,關上門,房內只有他和孩子;先知哀求了上主,
34 Then he lay down on the boy’s body, and put his mouth on the boy’s mouth, and put his eyes on the boy’s eyes, and put his hands on the boy’s hands. Then the boy’s body started to become warm!
然後上床,伏在孩子身上,自己的口對住孩子的口,自己的眼對住孩子的眼,自己的手按住孩子的手,屈身伏在孩子身上,孩子的肉身便漸漸溫暖了。
35 Elisha got up and walked back and forth in the room [several times]. Then he stretched his body on the boy’s body again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes!
然後他下來,在屋內來回走了一趟;又上去,屈身伏在孩子身上,對著孩子呵了七口氣,孩子就睜開了眼睛。
36 Then Elisha summoned Gehazi. He said, “Call the boy’s mother!” [So Gehazi went and called her, ] and when she came in, Elisha said, “Here, take your son!”
厄里叟叫革哈齊來,對他說:「你叫叔能婦人來。」他便去叫那婦人,婦人就來了。厄里叟說:「抱起你的孩子來! 」
37 She [gratefully] prostrated herself at Elisha’s feet. Then she picked up her son and carried him downstairs.
婦人一進來,就俯伏在他腳前,叩首至地;然後起來,抱起自己的孩子出去了。
38 Then Elisha returned to Gilgal. But at that time there was (a famine/very little food) in that area. One day as the group of prophets was sitting in front of Elisha [listening to what he was teaching], he said to his servant, “Put a large pot on [the stove] and make some stew for these men.”
厄里叟又來到基貝加耳,那地方正遭受肌荒;眾先知的弟子坐在他面前,他吩咐自己的僕人說:「你在火上放一個火鍋,給眾先知的弟子煮些菜湯。」
39 One of the prophets went out to the fields to gather some vegetables. But he gathered [only] some wild gourds and put them in his cloak and brought them back. He shredded them and put them in the pot, but he did not know that the gourds were poisonous.
有一個弟子出去到田間採菜,看見一棵葡萄樹,從上面採了一滿兜野果子回來,切碎放在菜鍋裏,並不知道是什麼東西。
40 He served the stew to the prophets, but after the men had eaten only a couple bites, they cried out, “Elisha, there is something in the pot that will kill us!” So they would not eat it.
以後,他們把菜湯倒出來給眾人吃。眾人一嘗菜湯,都喊叫說:「天主的人,鍋裏有致死的毒物啊! 」眾人都不能吃。
41 Elisha said, “Bring me some flour.” [They brought him some, and] he threw it in the pot and he said, “It is all right now. You can eat it.” And they ate it, and it did not harm them.
那時厄里叟說:「拿點麵來! 」他把麵撒在鍋裏說:「倒出來給眾人吃罷! 」鍋裏就再沒有什麼毒了。
42 One day a man from Baal-Shalishah [town] brought to Elisha a sack of freshly cut grain and 20 loaves of barley bread, made from the first grain that they harvested [that year]. Elisha said [to his servant], “Give it to the group of prophets, so that they can eat it.”
有一個人從巴耳沙里來,在自己的行囊裏,給天主的人帶來了初熟大麥作的二十個餅和一些新麥穗。厄里叟說:「分給眾人吃罷! 」
43 But his servant exclaimed, “Do you think that we can feed 100 of us prophets with only that much?” [RHQ] But Elisha replied, “Give it to the prophets so that they can eat it, because Yahweh says that there will be plenty for all of them, and there will be some left over!”
僕人說:「我怎能將這一點東西擺在一百人面前呢﹖」厄里叟說:「你儘管分給中人吃,因此上主這樣說:眾人吃了,還有剩餘。」
44 After his servant gave it to the prophets, they ate [all that they wanted], and there was food left over, just as Yahweh had promised.
於是僕人將食物擺在眾人面前,他們都吃了,並且還有剩餘,全應驗了上主的話。

< 2 Kings 4 >