2 Kings 6
1 One day a group of prophets said to Elisha, “Look, this place where we meet together with you is very small.
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 Allow us to go to the Jordan [River and cut down some trees to make] logs to build a new meeting place.” So Elisha said, “Okay, go.”
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 One of them said to Elisha, “Please come with us.” So Elisha replied, “Okay, I will go with you.”
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 they went together. When they reached the Jordan [River], they cut down some trees.
先知便同他們一起去了。他們到了約旦河，就砍伐樹木。
5 But while one of them was cutting down a tree, suddenly the axe head [separated from the handle and] fell into the water. He cried out to Elisha, “O, Master, what shall I do? [The axe is not mine]; I borrowed it!”
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 Elisha replied, “Where did it fall into the water?” After the man showed him the place, Elisha cut off a stick, and threw it into the water, and caused the iron axe head to float [on top of the water].
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 Elisha said, “Take it out of the water.” So the man reached his hand down and picked up the axe head.
先知對他說：「你拿上來罷! 」他就伸手拿了上來。
8 Whenever the king of Syria [prepared to send his army to] fight against Israel, he first consulted his officers, and then told them where they should set up their tents.
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 But each time, Elisha would send a message to warn the king of Israel, [telling him where the army of Syria was planning to attack them, ] saying, “Be sure that your army does not go near that place, because the army of Syria has set up their tents there.”
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 would send [messengers] to warn [the people who lived in] that place, and the people would remain on guard. That happened several times.
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 The king of Syria was very upset/disturbed/angry about that. So he summoned his army officers and said to them, “[Obviously] one of you is (betraying us/revealing our plans) to the king of Israel. Which one of you is doing it?”
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 One of his officers answered, “Your Majesty, it is not one of us. Elisha the prophet [knows what we plan to do, and he] tells the king of Israel everything. He even knows what you say in your own bedroom!”
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 The king of Syria replied, “Go and find out where he is, and I will send [some men there] to capture him.” Someone told him, “People say that he is in Dothan [town north of Samaria].”
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 So the king sent a large group of soldiers [to Dothan] with horses and chariots. They arrived at night and surrounded the town.
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 Early the next morning, Elisha’s servant got up and went outside the house. He saw the soldiers of Syria with their horses and chariots surrounding the town. So he went inside [the house and reported it to Elisha] and exclaimed, “O, sir! What are we going to 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 Elisha replied, “Do not be afraid! Those who will be helping us will be more than those who will be helping them!”
先知答說：「不必害怕，因為偕同我們的，比他們的還多。」
17 Then he prayed, “Yahweh, I request that you open my servant’s eyes in order that he can see [what is out there]!” So Yahweh enabled the servant to look out and see that surrounding the hill on which the town [was built] was a huge number of horses, and chariots made of fire!
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 When the army of Syria prepared to attack Elisha, he prayed again, saying, “Yahweh, cause all these soldiers to become blind!” Yahweh answered his prayer and caused them to be unable to see clearly.
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 went to them and said, “You are not on the right road; this is not the city that you are searching for. I will take you to the man whom you are searching for.” But he led them to Samaria, [the capital of Israel]!
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 As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha prayed again, saying, “Yahweh, now enable these soldiers to see correctly again!” So Yahweh enabled them to see correctly, and they were surprised to see that they were inside Samaria [city].
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 When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Sir, shall I [tell my soldiers to] kill them? Shall we kill all of them?”
以色列王看見他們，就對厄里叟說：「我父，要殺死他們嗎﹖」
22 Elisha replied, “No, you must not kill them. If your army captured many of your enemies in a battle, you would certainly not [RHQ] kill them. Give these men something to eat and drink, and then allow them to return to their king.”
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 So the king of Israel did that. He told his servants to provide a big feast for them. And when they had eaten and drunk plenty, he sent them away. They returned to the king of Syria [and told him what had happened]. So for a while after that, soldiers from Syria stopped raiding/attacking towns in 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 some time later, Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, assembled his entire army, and they went to Samaria and surrounded the city [for a long time].
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 Because of that, after a while there was hardly any food left inside the city, with the result that eventually a donkey’s head, [which was usually worthless, ] cost eighty pieces of silver, and (one cup/0.3 liter) of dove’s dung cost 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 One day when the king of Israel was walking on top of the city wall, a woman cried out to him, “Your Majesty, help me!”
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 He replied, “If Yahweh will not help you, I certainly cannot [RHQ] help you. I certainly [RHQ] do not have any wheat or wine!
君王答說：「如果上主不救你，我怎能救你﹖靠禾場﹖靠酒池﹖」
28 What is your problem?” She replied, “Several days ago, that woman [over there] said to me, ‘[Because we have nothing left to eat, ] let’s kill your son today, in order that we can eat his flesh. Then tomorrow we can [kill] my son [and] eat his flesh.’
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 [killed my son and cut his body up and] boiled his flesh and ate it. The next day, I said to her, ‘Now give your son to me, in order that we can [kill him and cook his flesh and] eat it.’ But she has hidden 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 When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his robe [to show that he was very distressed]. The people who were standing close to the wall were able to see that the king was wearing rough cloth underneath his robe [because he was very distressed].
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 The king exclaimed, “I wish/hope that God will strike me dead if I do not cut off the head of Elisha today, [because he is the one who has caused these terrible things to happen to us]!”
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 So the king sent an officer to get Elisha. Before the officer arrived, Elisha was sitting in his house with some Israeli elders who were talking with him. Elisha said to them, “That murderer, [the king of Israel, ] is sending someone here to kill me. Listen: When he arrives, shut the door and do not allow him to come in. And the king will be coming right behind that officer!”
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 And while he was still speaking, the king and the officer arrived. The king said, “It is Yahweh who has caused us to have all this trouble/suffering. (Why should I wait any longer [RHQ] for him to do something [to help us]?/It is useless for me to wait any longer for him [to help us]!)”
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﹖」
