Deuteronomy 9
1 “You people of Israel, listen to me! You will soon [HYP] cross the Jordan [River]. In the land that you will enter, there are large cities that have very high walls [around them] that [seem to] [HYP] extend up to the sky. There are people-groups in that land that are more numerous and more powerful than you are.
以色列，請聽! 你今天就要過約但河，去征服比你強大的民族，廣大的城邑和高可摩天的要塞。
2 Those people are very tall and strong. [Some of them] are giants who are descendants of Anak. You know about them, and you have heard people say that no one [RHQ] can defeat the descendants of Anak.
那高大的民族，即阿納克的子孫，是你所知道的，論到他們，你曾聽說過：「誰能抵抗阿納克的子孫﹖」
3 But I want you to know that Yahweh our God will go ahead of you. He will be like a raging/roaring fire. While you advance, he will defeat and destroy them. As a result, you will quickly be able to expel some of them and kill the others, which is what Yahweh promised that you would do.
但你今天應該知道，上主你的天主要如吞滅的火，親自走在你前面，是他要消滅他們，是他要他們在你面前屈服；這樣你纔能將他們驅逐，使他們迅速毀滅，一如上主對你所說的。
4 “After Yahweh our God has expelled them for you, do not say to yourselves, ‘It is because we are righteous that Yahweh has enabled us to capture this land.’ The truth is that it is because the people in that land are wicked that Yahweh will expel them as you advance.
當上主你的天主將他們由你面前驅逐以後，你心中不要想：上主領我來佔領這地方，是因了我的義德。其實是因這些民族的罪惡，上主才將他們由你面前趕走。
5 [I say again that] it is not because you are righteous or because you do things that are righteous that you will enter and capture that land. It is because those people-groups are very wicked that Yahweh our God will expel them as you advance, and because he intends to do what he vowed to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would do.
你能去佔領他們的土地，並不是因了你的義德，也不是因了你心地正直，而實是因這些民族的罪惡，上主你的天主纔將他們由你面前趕走；同時也是為實踐上主向你祖先亞巴郎、依撒格和雅各伯起誓所許的諾言。
6 I want you to know that it is not because you are righteous that Yahweh our God is giving you this good/fertile land. I say that because [you are not righteous]; you are a very stubborn [IDM] people.”
由此可知，上主你的天主，把這肥美的土地賜給你作產業，並不是因了你的義德，因為你原是一個執拗的民族。
7 “Never forget what your ancestors did in the desert that caused Yahweh our God to become angry. From the day that we left Egypt until the day that we arrived here, you and your ancestors have continually rebelled against him.
你當記念不忘：你在曠野裏怎樣激怒了上主你的天主。自從你由埃及地出來的那天起，直到你們來到這地方，你們常是反抗上主。
8 Even at Sinai [Mountain] your ancestors caused Yahweh to become angry. Because he was very angry, he was ready to get rid of [all of] them.
你們在曷勒布激怒了上主，致使上主對你們發怒，幾乎將你們消滅。
9 When I climbed the mountain to receive from him the stone tablets on which he had written the Ten Commandments that he was giving to them, I stayed there 40 days and nights, and [during that time] I did not eat or drink anything.
那時我上了山，要接受石版，就是上主與你們結約的石版，我在山上住了四十天四十夜，不吃不喝；
10 Yahweh gave me the two stone tablets on which he had written [the commandments] with his own fingers. They were the words/commandments that he had spoken to your ancestors from the fire on that mountain, when they were gathered together [at the bottom of the mountain].
上主交給了我兩塊天主用手指寫上字的石版。上面所寫的，是上主於集會之日，在山上由火中對你們所說的一切話。
11 “At the end of those 40 days and nights, Yahweh gave me those two stone tablets on which he had written those commandments.
過了四十天四十夜，天主交給了我那兩塊石版、即約版，
12 But then he said to me, ‘Go down the mountain immediately, because [the people whom you are leading], the people whom you led out of Egypt, have committed a terrible sin! They have very quickly done what I commanded them not to do. They have made for themselves a metal statue [of a calf to worship].’
然後對我說：「起來，趕快下去，因為你由埃及領出來的人民已敗壞了，他們很快就離棄了我給他們指定的道路，為自己鑄造了偶像。」
13 Then Yahweh said to me, ‘I have been watching these people, and I see that they are very stubborn.
上主又對我說：「我看這民族，確是一個執拗的民族。
14 So do not try to stop me. I am going to destroy all of them, with the result that no one anywhere will remember (their names [MTY]/that they ever existed). Then I will enable you to become [the ancestor of] a nation that will be more numerous and more powerful than they are.’
你且由著我罷! 我要消滅他們，由天下抹去他們的名字；我要使你成為一個比他們更大更多的民族。」
15 So I turned and went down the mountain, carrying in my hands the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were [written]. Fire was burning all over the mountain.
我於是轉身從冒火的山上下來，手中拿著兩塊約版。
16 I looked, and I was shocked to see that your ancestors had committed a [great] sin against Yahweh. They very quickly had begun to do what Yahweh our God had commanded them not to do. They had [requested Aaron to] make for them [a metal image of] a calf [to worship].
我一看見你們鑄造了牛犢，犯罪背叛了上主你們的天主，迅速離棄了上主給你們指定的道路，
17 So while they were watching, I lifted up those two stone tablets and threw them [on the ground], and they broke into pieces.
我就把那兩塊石版，由我手中扔下去，在你們眼前摔得粉碎。
18 Then I (prostrated myself/lay) on the ground in Yahweh’s presence as I had done before, and I did not eat or drink anything for 40 days and nights. I did that because your ancestors had sinned against Yahweh and caused him to become very angry.
為了你們所犯的一切罪過，作了上主眼中視為惡的事，使他惱怒，我就像上次一樣俯伏在上主面前，四十天四十夜不吃不喝。
19 I was afraid/worried that because Yahweh was very angry with them, he would get rid of all of them. [But again I prayed that he would not do that], and again he listened to me [and answered my prayer].
因為上主對你們大發忿怒，要消滅你們，我實在恐懼不安；但上主這次又俯聽了我。
20 Yahweh was also very angry with Aaron [for making that golden calf] and was ready to kill Aaron. But at the same time I prayed for Aaron also, [and Yahweh answered my prayer].
同樣，上主對亞郎也大發忿怒，要消滅他；那時我也為亞郎祈求過。
21 Your ancestors had sinned by [requesting Aaron to] make [a metal statue of] a calf. So I took that statue and [I melted it] in a fire and crushed it and ground it into very tiny pieces [HYP]. Then I threw those tiny pieces into the stream that flowed down the mountain.
我把你們犯罪所鑄造的牛犢，放在火裏燒了；然後搗碎，磨成細末，將細末拋在由山上流下來的溪水內。
22 Your ancestors also caused Yahweh to become very angry [by what they did] at [places which they named] Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth-Hattaavah.
以後，你們在塔貝辣、瑪撒、克貝洛特阿塔瓦又激怒了上主。
23 And when we were at Kadesh-Barnea, Yahweh said to your ancestors, ‘Go up and capture the land that I am about to give to you!’ But they rebelled against him. They did not trust him, and they did not obey what he told [MTY] them to do.
當上主命你們由卡德士巴爾乃亞起程，說：「你們上去佔領我賜給你們的地方。」你們又違背了上主你們天主的命令，沒有信賴他，也沒有聽他的命。
24 Your ancestors rebelled against Yahweh from the first day that I knew them, [in Egypt].
自從我認識你們那天起，你們常是背叛上主。
25 So, [as I said], I lay on the ground in Yahweh’s presence for 40 days and nights, because Yahweh had said that he would get rid of your ancestors.
因為上主決意要消滅你們，我就四十天四十夜俯伏在上主面前，
26 And I prayed to Yahweh, saying, ‘Lord God, these people belong to you; do not destroy them. They are people whom you rescued and brought out of Egypt by your very great power. [DOU, MTY]
哀求上主說：吾主上主! 不要消滅你的百姓，你的產業，因為是你以大能救出來的，是你以強力的手由埃及領出來的，
27 Do not forget [what you promised to] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Please ignore these stubborn and wicked people and the sin that they have committed.
求你記念你的僕人亞巴郎、依撒格和雅各伯，別看這民族的頑固、邪惡和罪過，
28 If you do not do that, [and if you get rid of them], the people of Egypt will [hear about it and] say that you were not able to bring them into the land that you promised to give to them. They will say that you took them into the desert only to kill them there because you hated them.
免得你領我們出來的那地方的人說：這是由於上主不能領他們進入所許給他們的地方，又由於恨他們纔領他們出來，叫他們死在曠野。
29 [Do not forget that] they are your people. [You chose them to] belong to you. You brought them out [from Egypt] by your very great power [DOU, MTY].’”
他們畢竟是你的百姓，是你的產業，是你以大能和伸開的手臂領出來的。
