厄斯德拉下 Nehemiah Chapter 9
Nehemiah
Chapter 9

1 1 On the twenty-fourth day of this month, the Israelites gathered together fasting and in sackcloth, their heads covered with dust.

同月二十四日,以色列子民都聚集起来,守斋禁食,穿粗毛衣,头上顶着灰土。

2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all who were of foreign extraction, then stood forward and confessed their sins and the guilty deeds of their fathers.

以色列的苗裔,同一切外方人的子孙分开之后,便站起来,坦白承认自己的罪过。和祖先的罪恶。

3 When they had taken their places, they read from the book of the law of the LORD their God, for a fourth part of the day, and during another fourth part they made their confession and prostrated themselves before the LORD their God.

他们各站在自己的地方,三小时之久,诵读他们天主的法律书;又三小时之久,承认了自己的罪过,跪拜了上主,他们的天主。

4 Standing on the platform of the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, who cried out to the LORD their God, with a loud voice.

肋未人耶叔亚、彼奴依、卡德米耳、舍巴尼雅、步尼、舍勒彼雅、巴尼、和革纳尼,站在高处,大声呼号上主,他们的天主。

5 The Levites Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, "Arise, bless the LORD, your God, from eternity to eternity!" The Israelites answered with the blessing, "Blessed is your glorious name, and exalted above all blessing and praise."

随后肋未人耶叔亚、卡德米耳、巴尼、哈沙彼雅、曷狄雅、舍巴尼雅、培塔希雅说道:"起来!你们应赞颂上主我们的天主,从永远直到永远!"众人便赞颂他光荣的圣名,因此名远超一切称颂和赞美。

6 2 Then Ezra said: "It is you, O LORD, you are the only one; you made the heavens, the highest heavens and all their host, the earth and all that is upon it, the seas and all that is in them. To all of them you give life, and the heavenly hosts bow down before you.

厄斯德拉祈祷说:"唯独你是上主,是你创造了天,天上的天,和天上的一切军旅,地和地上的一切,海和海中的一切,是你使一切生存;天上的军旅常在你前跪拜。

7 "You, O LORD, are the God who chose Abram, who brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees, and named him Abraham.

上主,你就是那拣选亚巴郎,领他离开加色丁乌尔,给他起名叫阿贝辣罕的天主。

8 When you had found his heart faithful in your sight, you made the covenant with him to give to him and his posterity the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. These promises of yours you fulfilled, for you are just.

你见他的心对你忠实,就与他立约,把客纳罕人、赫特人、阿摩黎人、培黎齐人、耶步斯人和基尔加士人的土地,赐给了他的后裔;你履行了你的诺言,因为你是正义的。

9 "You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, you heard their cry by the Red Sea;

你垂顾了我们祖先在埃及的困苦,俯听了他们在红海旁的呼声,

10 You worked signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants and the people of his land, Because you knew of their insolence toward them; thus you made for yourself a name even to this day.

遂对法郎和他所有的臣仆,以及他国内所有的民众,行了奇迹异能,因为你知道,他们怎样任性傲慢地,对待了我们的祖先,因而你获得了大名,直至今日。

11 The sea you divided before them, on dry ground they passed through the midst of the sea; Their pursuers you hurled into the depths, like a stone into the mighty waters.

你在我们祖先面前,分开了海,使他们在海中干地路过,却把追赶他们的人,拋入深渊,有如把一块石头拋入怒潮。

12 With a column of cloud you led them by day, and by night with a column of fire, To light the way of their journey, the way in which they must travel.

日间你用云柱领导,夜间你用火柱光照他们所走的路。

13 On Mount Sinai you came down, you spoke with them from heaven; You gave them just ordinances, firm laws, good statutes, and commandments;

你降临西乃山上,从天上向他们施救,赐给了他们公正的条例、真理的法律、美好的规矩及诫命;

14 Your holy sabbath you made known to them, commandments, statutes, and law you prescribed for them, by the hand of Moses your servant.

你令他们知道,你神圣的安息日,借着你的仆人梅瑟,向他们颁布了规矩、诫命和法律。

15 Food from heaven you gave them in their hunger, water from a rock you sent them in their thirst. You bade them enter and occupy the land which you had sworn with upraised hand to give them.

你从天上赐下食物,给他们充饥;使岩石中流出清泉,给他们解渴;命令他们去占领,你曾举手誓许赐与他们的土地。

16 "But they, our fathers, proved to be insolent; they held their necks stiff and would not obey your commandments.

但是他们,我们的祖先,任性妄为,硬着脖子,不肯听从你的命令。

17 They refused to obey and no longer remembered the miracles you had worked for them. They stiffened their necks and turned their heads to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God of pardons, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in mercy; you did not forsake them.

他们拒绝听命,忘却了你在他们中间所行的奇迹,硬着脖子,立了首领,要回到埃及去当奴隶。但你是宽大为怀,仁爱慈悲,缓于忿怒,富于慈爱的天主,并未拋弃他们;

18 Though they made for themselves a molten calf, and proclaimed, ‘Here is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,' and were guilty of great effronteries,

甚至连他们铸了一个牛犊说:"这是领你出埃及的天主!"犯了亵渎的大罪时,

19 yet in your great mercy you did not forsake them in the desert. The column of cloud did not cease to lead them by day on their journey, nor did the column of fire by night cease to light for them the way by which they were to travel.

你因你无限的仁慈,也没有将他们拋弃在旷野中;日间在路上领导他们的云柱,夜间为他们光照道路的火柱,仍没有离开他们。

20 "Your good spirit you bestowed on them, to give them understanding; your manna you did not withhold from their mouths, and you gave them water in their thirst.

你赐下你温和的风,使他们苏醒,并没有将"玛纳"扣住,不给他们充饥,仍赐下了水为他们解渴。

21 Forty years in the desert you sustained them: they did not want; their garments did not become worn, and their feet did not become swollen.

四十年之久,你在旷野照顾他们,使他们一无所缺;他们的衣服没有穿破,他们的脚也没有肿胀。

22 You gave them kingdoms and peoples, which you divided up among them as border lands. They possessed the land of Sihon, king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, king of Bashan.

你将各国和众民交给了他们,将各个角落分给了他们,他们遂占领了赫市朋王息红,和巴商王敖格的土地。

23 "You made their children as numerous as the stars of the heavens, and you brought them into the land which you had commanded their fathers to enter and possess.

你使他们的子孙繁衍,有如天上的繁星,领他们到你誓许与他们的祖先,要去占领的土地,

24 The sons went in to take possession of the land, and you humbled before them the Canaanite inhabitants of the land and delivered them over into their power, their kings as well as the peoples of the land, to do with them as they would.

他们的子孙便去占领了那地方;你使那地方的居民客纳罕人,屈服在他们面前,将他们的君王和地方上的人民,交在他们的手中,任他们随意处置。

25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all good things, cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. They could eat and have their fill, fatten and feast themselves on your immense good gifts.

他们攻取了坚固的城池,和肥沃的土地,夺得了满藏宝物的房舍、掘好的井、葡萄园、橄榄园和丰富的果林;他们都吃得饱满,身体肥胖,安逸享乐,这都是因你无量的慈善。

26 "But they were contemptuous and rebellious: they cast your law behind their backs, they slew your prophets who bore witness against them in order to bring them back to you, and they were guilty of great effronteries.

但是,他们竟抗命背叛了你,将你的法律置诸背后,杀了那些警戒他们,劝他们归顺于你的先知;他们竟犯了这亵渎的大罪,

27 Therefore you delivered them into the power of their enemies, who oppressed them. But in the time of their oppression they would cry out to you, and you would hear them from heaven, and according to your great mercy give them saviors to deliver them from the power of their enemies.

因此你把他们交在仇人的手中,受人迫害。他们遭遇迫害时,一呼求你,你就由天上俯听了他们,照你无限的仁慈,打发救援者,由仇人手中救出他们;

28 "As soon as they had relief, they would go back to doing evil in your sight. Then again you abandoned them to the power of their enemies, who crushed them. Then they cried out to you, and you heard them from heaven and delivered them according to your mercy, many times over.

然而他们一享平安,便又去做恶背叛你,因此你又把他们拋在他们敌人手中,受他们的管辖;几时他们再回心转意呼号你,你就再由天上俯听他们,照你无限的仁慈拯救他们。

29 You bore witness against them, in order to bring them back to your law. But they were insolent and would not obey your commandments; they sinned against your ordinances, from which men draw life when they practice them. They turned stubborn backs, stiffened their necks, and would not obey.

你曾警告他们转向你的法律,但是他们仍恣意妄行,不听从你的命令,违反你的典章,——人若遵行,必因此而生活,——扭转倔强的肩膀,硬着脖子,不愿服从。

30 You were patient with them for many years, bearing witness against them through your spirit, by means of your prophets; still they would not listen. Thus you delivered them over into the power of the peoples of the lands.

你多年来容忍他们借先知并以你的精神,警戒他们,但他们仍不听从,所以你将他们交在异方人民手中。

31 Yet in your great mercy you did not completely destroy them and you did not forsake them, for you are a kind and merciful God.

但因你无限的仁慈,你没有消灭他们,也没有拋弃他们,因为你是博爱仁慈的天主。

32 "Now, therefore, O our God, great, mighty, and awesome God, you who in your mercy preserve the covenant, take into account all the disasters that have befallen us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and your entire people, from the time of the kings of Assyria until this day!

现在,我们的天主!遵守信约,保持仁爱,伟大、全能和可畏的天主!请不要把我们、我们的君王、我们的首长、我们的司祭、我们的先知、我们的祖先和你的全民众,从亚述王时代直到今日所遭遇的一切迫害,看作小事。

33 In all that has come upon us you have been just, for you kept faith while we have done evil.

你使这一切降在我们身上,是公义的,因为你所行的是忠义,而我们所行的是邪恶。

34 Yes, our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law; they paid no attention to your commandments and the obligations of which you reminded them.

我们的君王、我们的首领、我们的司祭和我们的祖先,实在都没有遵行你的法律,也没有听从你的命令和你警戒他们的劝告。

35 While they were yet in their kingdom, in the midst of the many good things that you had given them and in the wide and fertile land that you had spread out before them, they did not serve you nor did they turn away from their evil deeds.

他们在你赐给他们的国土上和许多幸福中,在你摆在他们面前的广大而肥沃的土地上,并没有侍奉你,也没有放弃他们的恶行。

36 But, see, we today are slaves; and as for the land which you gave our fathers that they might eat its fruits and good things--see, we have become slaves upon it!

我们今天竟成了奴隶!看,我们在你赏给我们祖先吃那里的果实和出产的土地上,作了奴隶!

37 Its rich produce goes to the kings whom you set over us because of our sins, who rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress!"

为了我们的罪过,那丰富的出产归于你派定来管辖我们的君王,他们随意处置了我们的肉体和我们的牲畜;我们实在是处在极大的困苦中!"

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Footnotes(注解)

1 [1-5] This is a continuation of the account concerning the problem of mixed marriages at the time of Ezra; it should be read immediately after Ezra 10:44.

2 [6-37] The prayer of Ezra which began in Ezra 9:6-7 is here continued; see note on Ezra 9:7.