< 1 Samuel 6 >

1 And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
耶和華的約櫃在非利士人之地七個月。
2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us with what we shall send it to its place.
非利士人將祭司和占卜的聚了來,問他們說:「我們向耶和華的約櫃應當怎樣行?請指示我們用何法將約櫃送回原處。」
3 And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass-offering: then ye will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.
他們說:「若要將以色列上帝的約櫃送回去,不可空空地送去,必要給他獻賠罪的禮物,然後你們可得痊癒,並知道他的手為何不離開你們。」
4 Then said they, What [shall be] the trespass-offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, [according to] the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague [was] on you all, and on your lords.
非利士人說:「應當用甚麼獻為賠罪的禮物呢?」他們回答說:「當照非利士首領的數目,用五個金痔瘡,五個金老鼠,因為在你們眾人和你們首領的身上都是一樣的災。
5 Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory to the God of Israel: it may be he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
所以當製造你們痔瘡的像和毀壞你們田地老鼠的像,並要歸榮耀給以色列的上帝,或者他向你們和你們的神,並你們的田地,把手放輕些。
6 Why then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?
你們為何硬着心像埃及人和法老一樣呢?上帝在埃及人中間行奇事,埃及人豈不釋放以色列人,他們就去了嗎?
7 Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch-cows on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the cows to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:
現在你們應當造一輛新車,將兩隻未曾負軛有乳的母牛套在車上,使牛犢回家去,離開母牛。
8 And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold which ye return to him [for] a trespass-offering, in a coffer by its side; and send it away, that it may go.
把耶和華的約櫃放在車上,將所獻賠罪的金物裝在匣子裏,放在櫃旁,將櫃送去。
9 And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh, [then] he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know, that [it is] not his hand [that] smote us; it [was] a chance [that] happened to us.
你們要看看:車若直行以色列的境界到伯‧示麥去,這大災就是耶和華降在我們身上的;若不然,便可以知道不是他的手擊打我們,是我們偶然遇見的。」
10 And the men did so; and took two milch cows, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:
非利士人就這樣行:將兩隻有乳的母牛套在車上,將牛犢關在家裏,
11 And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods.
把耶和華的約櫃和裝金老鼠並金痔瘡像的匣子都放在車上。
12 And the cows took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, [and] went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside [to] the right hand or [to] the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
牛直行大道,往伯‧示麥去,一面走一面叫,不偏左右。非利士的首領跟在後面,直到伯‧示麥的境界。
13 And [they of] Beth-shemesh [were] reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see [it].
伯‧示麥人正在平原收割麥子,舉目看見約櫃,就歡喜了。
14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, and stood there, where [there was] a great stone: and they cleaved the wood of the cart, and offered the cows a burnt-offering to the LORD.
車到了伯‧示麥人約書亞的田間,就站住了。在那裏有一塊大磐石,他們把車劈了,將兩隻母牛獻給耶和華為燔祭。
15 And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that [was] with it, in which [were] the jewels of gold, and put [them] on the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt-offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to the LORD.
利未人將耶和華的約櫃和裝金物的匣子拿下來,放在大磐石上。當日伯‧示麥人將燔祭和平安祭獻給耶和華。
16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen [it], they returned to Ekron the same day.
非利士人的五個首領看見,當日就回以革倫去了。
17 And these [are] the golden emerods which the Philistines returned [for] a trespass-offering to the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;
非利士人獻給耶和華作賠罪的金痔瘡像,就是這些:一個是為亞實突,一個是為迦薩,一個是為亞實基倫,一個是為迦特,一個是為以革倫。
18 And the golden mice, [according to] the number of all the cities of the Philistines [belonging] to the five lords, [both] of fortified cities, and of country villages, even to the great [stone of] Abel, on which they set down the ark of the LORD: [which stone remaineth] to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.
金老鼠的數目是照非利士五個首領的城邑,就是堅固的城邑和鄉村,以及大磐石。這磐石是放耶和華約櫃的,到今日還在伯‧示麥人約書亞的田間。
19 And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and seventy men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten [many] of the people with a great slaughter.
耶和華因伯‧示麥人擅觀他的約櫃,就擊殺了他們七十人;那時有五萬人在那裏。百姓因耶和華大大擊殺他們,就哀哭了。
20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?
伯‧示麥人說:「誰能在耶和華這聖潔的上帝面前侍立呢?這約櫃可以從我們這裏送到誰那裏去呢?」
21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, [and] bring it up to you.
於是打發人去見基列‧耶琳的居民,說:「非利士人將耶和華的約櫃送回來了,你們下來將約櫃接到你們那裏去吧!」

< 1 Samuel 6 >