Nehemiah:Chapter 5

Index

Nehemiah:Chapter 5

厄斯德拉(下)	Nehemiah
¹那時，在人民和他們的婦女中，發生了喊冤的大聲音，控告自己的猶太同胞。	¹Now there was a great cry of the people, and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.
²有人喊說：「我們應以我們的兒女作質，換取食糧，吃飯生活。」	²And there were some that said: Our sons and our daughters are very many: Yet us take up corn for the price of them, and let us eat and live.
³另有人喊說：「我們必須典當我們的田地、葡萄園和房屋，為在飢荒之中獲得食糧。」	³And there were some that said: Let us mortgage our lands, and our vineyards, and our houses, and let us take corn because of the famine.
⁴還有人喊說：「我們應抵押我們的田地和葡萄園，去借錢給王納稅。	⁴And others said: Let us borrow money for the king's tribute, and let us give up our fields and vineyards:
⁵然而我們的肉體與我們同胞的肉體一樣，我們的孩子與他們的孩子也相同，但我們必須叫我們的兒女去作奴婢，有些女兒已做了奴婢；我們現下一無所能，因為我們的田地和葡萄園，已屬於別人了。」	⁵And now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren: and our children as their children. Behold we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters, and some of our daughters are bondwomen already, neither have we wherewith to redeem them, and our fields and our vineyards other men possess.
⁶我一聽了他們的哀訴和這樣的話，很是悲憤。	⁶And I was exceedingly angry when I heard their cry according to these words.
⁷我考慮之後，遂譴責那些權貴和長官，向他們說：「你們每人竟向自己的同胞索取重利。」為譴責他們，我召集了大會，	⁷And my heart thought with myself: and I rebuked the nobles and magistrates, and said to them: Do you every one exact usury of your brethren? And I gathered together a great assembly against them,
⁸向他們說：「我們已費盡力量，贖回來了那些被賣給異民作奴隸的猶太同胞，難道你們又要賣你們的同胞，叫我們贖回來嗎？」他們不出聲，也不知如何回答。	⁸And I said to them: We, as you know, have redeemed according to our ability our brethren the Jews, that were sold to the Gentiles: and will you then sell your brethren, for us to redeem them? And they held their peace, and found not what to answer.
⁹我接着說：「你們作的這事實在不對！為避免異民──我們仇敵的辱罵，你們豈不應懷着敬畏我們天主的心行事嗎？	⁹And I said to them: The thing you do is not good: why walk you not in the fear of our God, that we be not exposed to the reproaches of the Gentiles our enemies?
¹⁰我和我的兄弟以及我的僕人，也都借給了他們銀錢和食糧。好罷！我們都免除他們這債務罷！	¹⁰Both I and my brethren, and my servants, have lent money and corn to many: let us all agree not to call for it again; let us forgive the debt that is owing to us.
¹¹今天就應當歸還他們的田地、葡萄園、橄欖園和房屋，並歸還由借給他們的銀錢、食糧、酒、油所獲的重利。」	¹¹Restore ye to them this day their fields, and their vineyards, and their oliveyards, and their houses: and the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, which you mere wont to exact of them, give it rather for them.
¹²他們答說：「我們都歸還給他們，不向他們索求什麼；你怎麼說；我們就怎麼行。」接着我叫了司祭來，令那些人起誓，按這話去行。	¹²And they said: We will restore, and we will require nothing of them: and we will do as thou sayest. And I called the priests and took an oath of them, to do according to what I had said.
¹³我又拂拭衣襟說道：「願天主把一切不守這諾言的人，由他的房舍和他的財產中如此拂拭下去，直到將他拂拭淨盡。」全會眾都答說：「阿們。」同時又稱頌了上主。人民都履行了諾言。	¹³Moreover I shook my lap, and said: So may God shake every man that shall not accomplish this word, out of his house, and out of his labours, thus may he be shaken out, and become empty. And all the multitude said: Amen. And they praised God. And the people did according to what was said.
¹⁴此外，自從我被任命為猶大省長之日起，即自阿塔薛西斯王二十年至三十二年，十二年之久，我和我的兄弟從未食過省長的俸祿。	¹⁴And from the day, in which the king commanded me to be governor in the land of Juda, from the twentieth year even to the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, for twelve years, I and my brethren did not eat the yearly allowance that was due to the governors.
¹⁵但是，在我以先的前任省長，苛待民眾，每天由民眾取四十「協刻耳」銀子，作為俸祿，並且他們的臣僕還壓迫民眾；而我因敬畏天主，並未如此行事。	¹⁵But the former governors that had been before me, were chargeable to the people, and took of them in bread, and wine, and in money every day forty sides: and their officers also oppressed the people. But I did not so for the fear of God.
¹⁶雖然我也從事修建城垣的工程，但並未購置過田產；我的僕人也都聚集在那裏工作。	¹⁶Moreover I built in the work of the wall, and I bought no land, and all my servants were gathered together to the work.
¹⁷有一百五十個猶太人和官員，在我那裏吃飯，還有從我們四周異民中，來到我們這裏的人。	¹⁷The Jews also and the magistrates to the number of one hundred and fifty men, were at my table, besides them that came to us from among the nations that were round about us.
¹⁸每一天應備辦一頭牛，六隻肥羊和各種飛禽，這些都由我負擔；每天又要備置大量的酒；雖然如此，我仍未索求省長的俸祿，因服役的事已為這民眾夠重的了。	¹⁸And there was prepared for me day by day one ox, and six choice rams, besides fowls, and once in ten days I gave store of divers wines, and many other things: yet I did not require my yearly allowance as governor: for the people were very much impoverished.
¹⁹我的天主！請記念我，記念我為這民眾所行的一切，使我蒙福。	¹⁹Remember me, O my God, for good according to all that I have done for this people.

Produced by www.ccreadbible.org