< Deuteronomy 12 >

1 “(I will now tell you again/These, [again], are) the rules and regulations that you must faithfully obey in the land that Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors [worshiped], is giving to you to occupy. You must obey these laws all the time that you are alive.
這是你們在上主你祖先的天主賜給你作產業的地上,當遵守奉行的法令和規則;你們幾時生活在那地,就應日日遵守。
2 You must destroy all the places where the people-groups that you will expel worship their gods, on the tops of mountains and hills and under big green trees.
凡你們去征服的民族供奉神祇的地方,無論在高山上,或在丘陵上,或在任何綠樹下,都應加以破壞:
3 You must tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Completely burn the statues of their goddess Asherah in fires, and chop down their wooden idols, in order that no one will ever worship them [MTY] in those places again.
拆毀他們的祭壇,打碎他們的石碣,燒毀他們的神柱,砍倒他們神祇的雕像,將他們的名字由那地方完全消除。
4 “Do not worship Yahweh like [the people in Canaan worship their gods].
你們不可像他們那樣崇拜上主你們的天主。
5 Instead, you must go to the place that Yahweh will choose. It will be in the area where one of your tribes will live. That is where you must go to worship Yahweh.
上主你們的天主,將由你們各支派中選擇一個地方,為立自己的名號,為做自己的住所,你們只可到那裏去尋求他,
6 That is the place where you must bring your sacrifices that will be completely burned on the altar, and your other sacrifices, (your tithes/ten percent of all of your crops), other offerings that you decide to give, and the firstborn animals from your cattle and sheep.
在那裏奉獻你們的全燔祭、祭獻、什一之物、獻儀、還願祭、自願祭,以及首生的牛羊;
7 There, in the presence of Yahweh our God, who has [greatly] blessed you, you and your families will eat the good things that you have worked to produce, and you will be happy.
在那裏你們和你們的家屬,應在上主你們的天主面前宴會歡樂,因為上主你們的天主祝福了你們的一切事業。
8 “[When you are in that land], you must not do some of the things that we have been doing. Until now, you have all been worshiping [Yahweh] the way you wanted to,
你們不要照我們今日在這裏所行的,各行其是,
9 because you have not yet arrived in the land which Yahweh is giving to you, where you will be able to live peacefully.
因為你們至今還沒有到安居之地,還沒有到上主你的天主賜給你為業的地方。
10 But when you cross the Jordan [River], you will start to live in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you. He will protect you from all your enemies that will surround you, and you will live peacefully/safely.
但是,當你們過了約但河,住在上主你們的天主賜給你們為業的地方,脫免了四周的仇敵,安居樂業時,
11 “Yahweh will choose one place where he wants you to worship him. That is the place to which you must bring all the offerings that I command you to bring: The sacrifices that must be completely burned [on the altar], your other sacrifices, other offerings that you yourselves decide to give, (your tithes/ten percent of all your crops), and all the special offerings that you will solemnly promise to give to Yahweh.
你們應在上主你們的天主所選定為立自己名號的地方,奉獻我所吩咐的一切:即你們的全燔祭、獻祭、什一之物、獻儀,以及一切向上主許願應獻的禮品;
12 Rejoice there in the presence of Yahweh, along with your children, your male and female servants, and the descendants of Levi who live in your towns. Do not forget that the descendants of Levi will not have their own land, like you will have.
你們和你們的兒女、僕婢,以及在你們城鎮裏的肋未人,都應在上主你們的天主面前一同歡樂,因為肋未人沒有在你們中分得產業。
13 Be sure that you do not offer sacrifices anywhere you want to.
你應小心,不可在你所見的任何地方奉獻你的全燔祭;
14 You must offer them only in the place that Yahweh will choose for you, in an area that belongs to one of your tribes. That is the only place where he wants you to offer sacrifices that will be completely burned [on the altar], and to do the other things that I am commanding you to do [when you worship him].
只可在上主由你一支派中所選定的地方,奉獻你的全燔祭,行我所規定的一切。
15 “However, you will be permitted to kill and eat the meat of your animals in the places where you live. As often as you want to, you may eat the meat of the animals that Yahweh our God will bless you by giving them to you. Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God and those who have not done things like that may all eat that meat, just like you would eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.
但是你可在各城鎮內,依照上主你的天主所賜與你的祝福,隨意殺牲食肉;不潔和潔淨的,人都可以吃,如吃羚羊和鹿肉一樣;
16 But you must not eat the blood [of any animals]; you must let the blood drain onto the ground [before you cook the meat].
只有血,你們不可以吃,你應將血和水一樣潑在地上。
17 In the places where you live, you must not eat the things that you are offering [to Yahweh]: You must not eat the (tithes/ten percent) of your grain or of your wine, or of your [olive] oil, or the firstborn of your cattle and sheep, or the offerings that you yourselves decide to give to Yahweh, or any other offerings.
你所收的五穀、酒、油的十分之一,你的頭胎牛羊,你許願獻的供物,或自願獻的供物以及你手中的獻儀,都不可在你的城鎮內吃,
18 Instead, you and your children and your male and female servants and the descendants of Levi who live in your towns must go to the place that he has chosen and eat those things there in the presence of Yahweh. And you should rejoice in the presence of Yahweh about everything that you do.
只可在上主你的天主面前,在上主你的天主選定的地方,你和你的兒女、僕婢,以及在你城鎮內的肋未人一起吃;在上主你的天主面前,為了你的一切事業而歡樂。
19 Be sure that you take care of the descendants of Levi all during the time that you live in your land.
你要留意,在你的地域內,永不可忘記肋未人。
20 “When Yahweh our God gives you much more land [than you will have when you first occupy it], which is what he has promised to do, and you say ‘I would like some meat to eat’ because you are craving/wanting some meat, you will be permitted to eat meat whenever you want to.
當上主你的天主,照他對你所許的,擴展了你的疆域時,你若說:「我想吃肉,」你既然想肉吃,你可以任意吃肉。
21 If the place that Yahweh our God chooses to be the place for you to worship him is far [from where you live], you are permitted to kill some of your cattle or sheep that Yahweh has given to you, and you may eat that meat at the places where you live, just like I have told you to do.
若上主你的天主選定建立自己名號的地方離你太遠,你可照我吩咐你的,宰殺上主賜給你的牛羊,在你的城鎮內任意吃,
22 Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God, and those who have not done things like that, are all permitted to all eat that meat, just like you would eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.
全如吃羚羊和鹿肉一樣;不潔和潔淨的,人都可以一起吃。
23 But be sure that you do not eat the blood [of any animal], because it is the blood that sustains life in living beings, and so you must not eat the life along with the meat.
但應記住:不可吃血,因為血是生命,你不可將生命與肉一起吃。
24 Do not eat the blood; instead, let it drain onto the ground.
你不可吃血,應將血和水一樣潑在地上。
25 If you obey this command and do what Yahweh says is right [for you to do], things will go well for you and for your descendants.
你不要吃血,好使你和你的後代子孫能享幸福,因為你行了上主眼中視為正直的事。
26 “But the sacred offerings that Yahweh has told you to give and the other offerings that you yourselves decide to give, you must take to the place that Yahweh will choose.
至於你所獻的聖物和許願的祭品,應帶到上主所揀選的地方去;
27 You must offer there the sacrifices that will be completely burned [on Yahweh’s altar]. You must also offer there the sacrifices from which you may eat some of meat after you [kill the animals and] drain out the blood and some of it is thrown on the [sides of the] altar.
將你的全燔祭、肉和血全獻在上主你的天主的祭壇上;至於其他的祭獻,應將血倒在上主你的天主的祭壇上,肉可以吃。
28 Faithfully obey all these things that I have commanded you. If you do that, things will go well forever for you and your descendants, because you will be doing what Yahweh our God says is right [for you to do] and what pleases him.
你應謹慎聽從我吩咐你的這一切事,好使你和你的後代子孫永遠享福,因為你行了上主你的天主眼中視為善良和正直的事。
29 “When you enter the land that you will occupy, as you advance, Yahweh our God will get rid of the people-groups that live there.
當上主你的天主,將你所要進佔之地的民族,由你面前剷除,而你佔領了他們的地方,住在那裏的時候,
30 After he does that, be sure that you do not [worship the gods] that they have been worshiping, because if you do that, you will be caught in the same trap [that they were caught in] [MET]. Do not ask anyone about those gods, saying, ‘Tell me how they worshiped their gods, in order that I can [worship them] also.’
你應小心,不要在他們由你面前消滅以後,你自己反受迷惑,去仿傚他們;也不要探究他們的神說:「這些民族怎樣事奉了他們的神,我也要怎樣去做。」
31 Do not try to worship Yahweh our God like they have worshiped their gods, because when they worship them, they do disgusting things, things that Yahweh hates. [The worst thing that they do is] that they sacrifice their own children and burn them [on their altars].
對上主你的天主,你不可這樣做,因為凡上主所憎恨的可惡之事,他們對自己的神都做了;甚至為自己的神,用火焚燒了自己的子女。
32 “Be sure to do everything that I have commanded you to do. Do not add anything to these commands, and do not take anything away from them.”
凡我吩咐你們的事,你們應謹慎遵行;不可加添,也不可刪除。

< Deuteronomy 12 >