< Numbers 24 >
1 And Balaam seeth that [it is] good in the eyes of Jehovah to bless Israel, and he hath not gone as time by time to meet enchantments, and he setteth towards the wilderness his face;
巴郎見祝福以色列,為上主所喜悅,就不再像前幾次一樣先去探求預示,只轉面向曠野。
2 and Balaam lifteth up his eyes, and seeth Israel tabernacling, by its tribes, and the Spirit of God is upon him,
巴郎一舉目,看見了按支派紮營的以色列人;那時天主的神降在他身上,
3 and he taketh up his simile, and saith: 'An affirmation of Balaam son of Beor — And an affirmation of the man whose eyes are shut —
他遂吟詩說:「貝敖爾的兒子巴郎的神諭,明眼男子的神諭,
4 An affirmation of him who is hearing sayings of God — Who a vision of the Almighty seeth, Falling — and eyes uncovered:
那聽到天主木話,得見全能者的神視,在沉睡中開了神眼的神視:
5 How good have been thy tents, O Jacob, Thy tabernacles, O Israel;
雅各伯,你的帳幕,何其壯觀! 以色列,你的居住,何其美好!
6 As valleys they have been stretched out, As gardens by a river; As aloes Jehovah hath planted, As cedars by waters;
如擴展的棕林,似河畔的花園,像牆上上主栽種的沉香,似臨水的香柏。
7 He maketh water flow from his buckets, And his seed [is] in many waters; And higher than Agag [is] his king, And exalted is his kingdom.
英雄由他的 後裔而出,他將治理許多民族;他的君王超越阿加格,他的王國必受舉揚。
8 God is bringing him out of Egypt; As the swiftness of a Reem is to him, He eateth up nations his adversaries, And their bones he breaketh, And [with] his arrows he smiteth,
領他出埃及的天主,為他有如野牛的角。他要吞滅那敵對他的人民,粉碎他們的骨骸,折斷他們的箭矢。
9 He hath bent, he hath lain down as a lion, And as a lioness: who doth raise him up? He who is blessing thee [is] blessed, And he who is cursing thee [is] cursed.'
他蹲伏臥下有如雄獅,又似母獅;誰敢令他起立﹖祝福你的,必受祝福;咒罵你的,必受咒罵」。
10 And the anger of Balak burneth against Balaam, and he striketh his hands; and Balak saith unto Balaam, 'To pierce mine enemies I called thee, and lo, thou hast certainly blessed — these three times;
巴拉克對巴郎大發憤怒,拍手向他說:「我請你來是為咒罵我的仇敵;看,你反而祝福他們,且已三次。
11 and now, flee for thyself unto thy place; I have said, I do greatly honour thee, and lo, Jehovah hath kept thee back from honour.'
現在你快回你故鄉去! 我原想豐富地酬謝你,但是,上主奪去了你的酬報」。
12 And Balaam saith unto Balak, 'Did I not also unto thy messengers whom thou hast sent unto me, speak, saying,
巴郎回答巴拉克說:「我不是已對你遺來的使者聲明過:
13 If Balak doth give to me the fulness of his house of silver and gold, I am not able to pass over the command of Jehovah, to do good or evil of mine own heart — that which Jehovah speaketh — it I speak?
既使巴拉克給我滿屋金銀,我也不能違犯上主的命令,任意去行善或作惡,而只能說上主所吩咐的嗎﹖
14 and, now, lo, I am going to my people; come, I counsel thee [concerning] that which this people doth to thy people, in the latter end of the days.'
現在我就要回到我民族那裏去;來,讓我告訴你這民族日後對你的民族所要做事」。
15 And he taketh up his simile, and saith: 'An affirmation of Balaam son of Beor — And an affirmation of the man whose eyes [are] shut —
於是他吟詩 u金敖爾的兒子巴郎的神諭,明眼男子的神諭,
16 An affirmation of him who is hearing sayings of God — And knowing knowledge of the Most High; A vision of the Almighty he seeth, Falling — and eyes uncovered:
那聽到天主的話,深知至高者的思慮,得見全能者的神視,在沉睡中開了神眼的神諭:
17 I see it, but not now; I behold it, but not near; A star hath proceeded from Jacob, And a sceptre hath risen from Israel, And hath smitten corners of Moab, And hath destroyed all sons of Sheth.
我看見衪,卻不是在現在;卻不是在近處:由雅各伯將出現一顆星,由以色列將興起一權杖,擊碎摩阿布木頍角,粉碎特一切子民的腦蓋。
18 And Edom hath been a possession, And Seir hath been a possession, [for] its enemies, And Israel is doing valiantly;
厄東將成為他的屬地,色依爾將成為他的轄境;以色列必行使威權。
19 And [one] doth rule out of Jacob, And hath destroyed a remnant from Ar.'
由雅各伯將山生一位統治仇敵者,衪要除滅依爾的遺民」。
20 And he seeth Amalek, and taketh up his simile, and saith: 'A beginning of the Goyim [is] Amalek; And his latter end — for ever he perisheth.'
以後他望見阿肋瑪克,遂吟詩說:「阿肋瑪克原是眾民之首,但他的結局是永遠的滅亡」。
21 And he seeth the Kenite, and taketh up his simile, and saith: 'Enduring [is] thy dwelling, And setting in a rock thy nest,
後又望見刻尼人,遂吟詩說:「你的居住固然鞏固,你的巢穴縱然建在磐石間;
22 But the Kenite is for a burning; Till when doth Asshur keep thee captive?'
但刻尼人仍要被毀滅,到何時亞述才將你擄去﹖」
23 And he taketh up his simile, and saith: 'Alas! who doth live when God doth this?
他又吟詩說:「嗚呼! 若天主履行此事,誰還能生存!
24 And — ships [are] from the side of Chittim, And they have humbled Asshur, And they have humbled Eber, And it also for ever is perishing.'
從基廷有船來,征服亞述,征服厄貝爾;他們也要永遠滅亡」。
25 And Balaam riseth, and goeth, and turneth back to his place, and Balak also hath gone on his way.
然後巴郎起身回了本鄉;巴拉克也回去了。