厄斯德拉下 Nehemiah Chapter 13
Nehemiah
Chapter 13

1 1 At that time, when there was reading from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people, it was found written there that "no Ammonite or Moabite may ever be admitted into the assembly of God;

那日,当着民众宣读梅瑟书时,人们听到书中写着说:"永远不准阿孟人和摩阿布人,加入天主的会众,

2 for they would not succor the Israelites with food and water, but they hired Balaam to curse them, though our God turned the curse into a blessing."

因为他们没有携带饮食欢迎以色列人民,反贿赂巴郎诅咒他们,我们的天主却将诅咒转为祝福。"

3 When they had heard the law, they separated from Israel every foreign element.

民众一听了这法律,便将各外族由以色列人中隔绝。

4 2 Before this, the priest Eliashib, who had been placed in charge of the chambers of the house of our God and who was an associate of Tobiah,

这事以前,厄肋雅史布司祭,曾被派管理我们天主圣殿的仓库,他是托彼雅的亲信,

5 had set aside for the latter's use a large chamber in which had previously been stored the cereal offerings, incense and utensils, the tithes in grain, wine, and oil allotted to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the offerings due the priests.

遂为托彼雅准备了一所大仓房,以前其中是存放供物、乳香、器具、以及肋未人、歌咏员和守门丁按法律所应得的什一之谷、酒和油,并司祭所应得的供物。

6 3 During all this time I had not been in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, king of Babylon, I had gone back to the king. After due time, however, I asked leave of the king

发生这一切事时,我不在耶路撒冷,因为在巴比伦王阿塔薛西斯三十二年,我已回到君王那里;满了一个时期以后,我又求得君王准许,

7 and returned to Jerusalem, where I discovered the evil thing that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in setting aside for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.

回了耶路撒冷;此时我才发觉出,厄雅史布为托彼雅所行的坏事,为他在天主圣殿的庭院中,准备了一所大仓房。

8 This displeased me very much, and I had all of Tobiah's household goods thrown outside the chamber.

我感觉十分难受,立即将托彼雅的一切器物,拋出仓房之外,

9 Then I gave orders to purify the chambers, and I had them replace there the utensils of the house of God, the cereal offerings, and the incense.

下命清洁那仓房,将天主圣殿的器具、供物和乳香仍放在里面。

10 I learned, too, that the portions due the Levites were no longer being given, so that the Levites and the singers who should have been carrying out the services had deserted, each man to his own field.

我还发觉肋未人应得之分,人们已不缴纳,为此供职的肋未人和歌咏员,各回了本乡。

11 I took the magistrates to task, demanding, "Why is the house of God abandoned?" Then I brought the Levites together and had them resume their stations.

我便责斥首长们说:"为什么又将肋未人召唤起来,又恢复了他们的职务。

12 All Judah once more brought in the tithes of grain, wine, and oil to the storerooms;

那时,全犹大又将什一之谷、酒和油送入仓房。

13 and in charge of the storerooms I appointed the priest Shelemiah, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah, one of the Levites, together with Hanan, son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, as their assistant; for these men were held to be trustworthy. It was their duty to make the distribution to their brethren.

我派定了舍肋米雅司祭、匝多克经师和肋未人培达雅,作管理仓房的人;委任玛塔尼雅的子孙,匝雇尔的儿子哈南,作他们的助手,都是忠实可靠的人;他们的职务是将什一之物,分给他们的兄弟。

14 Remember this to my credit, O my God! Let not the devotion which I showed for the house of my God and its services be forgotten!

我的天主,为了这事,请记忆我!不要抹去我对我天主的圣殿,和其中的礼仪所做的一切善事。

15 In those days I perceived that men in Judah were treading the winepresses on the sabbath; that they were bringing in sheaves of grain, loading them on their asses, together with wine, grapes, figs, and every other kind of burden, and bringing them to Jerusalem on the sabbath day. I warned them to sell none of these victuals.

那时我在犹大,看见有人在安息日踏榨酒池,搬运禾捆,驮在驴上,并把油、葡萄、无花果和其它各种重载,在安息日运到耶路撒冷;为了他们在这天买卖应用品,我曾警戒了他们。

16 In Jerusalem itself the Tyrians who were resident there were importing fish and every other kind of merchandise and selling it to the Judahites on the sabbath.

有住这里的提洛人,运来了鱼和各种货物,安息日还在耶路撒冷卖给犹太人,

17 I took the nobles of Judah to task, demanding of them: "What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the sabbath day?

我遂责斥有权势的犹太人说:"你们怎么行这样的坏事,亵渎安息日呢?

18 Did not your fathers act in this same way, with the result that our God has brought all this evil upon us and upon this city? Would you add to the wrath against Israel by once more profaning the sabbath?"

你们的祖先不是曾这样行事,而使我们的天主,加给了我们和这城这一切灾祸吗?现今你们亵渎安息日,还要义怒再多加在以色列人身上吗?"

19 When the shadows were falling on the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I ordered the doors to be closed and forbade them to be reopened till after the sabbath. I posted some of my own men at the gates so that no burden might enter on the sabbath day.

所以在安息日前一天,阴影一来到耶路撒冷城门,我就下令关闭城门,不准开门,直到安息日过去;并派我的仆役守门,安息日不准任何重载运进。

20 The merchants and sellers of various kinds of merchandise spent the night once or twice outside Jerusalem,

有一两次,贩夫和卖各种货物的商人,在耶路撒冷外过夜;

21 but then I warned them, saying to them: "Why do you spend the night alongside the wall? If you keep this up, I will lay hands on you!" From that time on, they did not return on the sabbath.

我警告他们说:"你们为什么在城垣前过夜?若是你们再这样做,我就要向你们下手,"从此以后,安息日他们不敢再来。

22 Then I ordered the Levites to purify themselves and to go and watch the gates, so that the sabbath day might be kept holy. This, too, remember in my favor, O my God, and have mercy on me in accordance with your great mercy!

我也命令肋未人先圣洁自己,然后去看守城门,为圣化圣日。我的天主,为了这事也请你记忆我!照你的大仁慈怜恤我!

23 Also in those days I saw Jews who had married Ashdodite, Ammonite, or Moabite wives.

那时,我还发见好些犹太人,娶了阿市多得、阿孟和摩阿布人的女子为妻。

24 4 Of their children, half spoke Ashdodite, and none of them knew how to speak Jewish; and so it was in regard to the languages of the various other peoples.

他们的儿子,有一半只会说阿市多得话,或这些民族的一种语言,而不会讲犹太话。

25 I took them to task and cursed them; I had some of them beaten and their hair pulled out; and I adjured them by God: "You shall not marry your daughters to their sons nor take any of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves!

我遂责斥咒骂这样的男人,其中一些我还打了他们,扯了他们的头发,叫他们指着天主起誓,向他们说:"你们不可再把你们的女儿,嫁给他们的儿子,也不可为你们的儿子并为你们自己,娶他们的女儿。

26 Did not Solomon, the king of Israel, sin because of them? Though among the many nations there was no king like him, and though he was beloved of his God and God had made him king over all Israel, yet even he was made to sin by foreign women.

以色列的君王撒罗满,岂不是在这事上犯了罪吗?在这样多民族中,没有一个相似他的君王,他又是天主所爱的,天主使他成为全以色列的君王,但是外方女子竟引他犯了罪。

27 Must it also be heard of you that you have done this same very great evil, betraying our God by marrying foreign women?"

我们岂能任凭你们行这大坏事,娶外方妇女,背弃我们的天主吗?"

28 One of the sons of Joiada, son of Eliashib the high priest, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite! I drove him from my presence.

大司祭厄肋雅史布的儿子约雅达,有个儿子是曷龙人桑巴拉特的女婿,我便驱逐他离开我。

29 Remember against them, O my God, how they defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites!

我的天主,请记住他们!因为他们亵渎了司祭和肋未人的誓约。

30 Thus I cleansed them of all foreign contamination. I established the various functions for the priests and Levites, so that each had his appointed task.

如此我清除了一切异类,整顿了司祭和肋未人的职守,规定了各人应尽的任务,

31 I also provided for the procurement of wood at stated times and for the first fruits. Remember this in my favor, O my God!

划定了奉献木柴和初熟之物的时期。我的天主!求你记忆我,使我蒙福!



Previous Chapter The Book of Tobit

Footnotes(注解)

1 [1-3] These verses were composed by the Chronicler to serve as an introduction to the reforms that Nehemiah instituted during his second mission in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 13:4-31). The part of the book of Moses read to the people is freely quoted here from Deut 23:3-6.

2 [4-31] This is part of the "Memoirs of Nehemiah"; it is continued in 10:1-40.

3 [6] After due time: It is not known when Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem or how long his second period of activity there lasted, but it probably ended before Ezra came to Palestine; see note on Ezra 7:1-8.

4 [24] Ashdodite: the language spoken at Ashdod, more likely an Aramaic rather than a Philistine dialect. Jewish: Hebrew as spoken in postexilic Judah.