2 Maccabees:Chapter 7

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2 Maccabees:Chapter 7

瑪加伯(下)	2 Maccabees
¹事後，又有兄弟七人與他們的母親一同被捕，國王命人用鞭子和牛筋痛打他們，強迫他們吃法律禁止的豬肉。	¹It happened also that seven brothers were arrested with their mother. The king had them scourged and flogged to force them to eat the flesh of a pig which was prohibited by the Law.
²其中一個，代表發言說：「你想問什麼？你願由我們知道什麼？我們已經準備，寧死不願背叛我們祖先的法律。」	²One of them, speaking in behalf of all, said, "What do you want to find out from us? We are prepared to die right now rather than break the law of our ancestors."
³於是國王大怒命人取過鍋釜來，放在火上。	³The king became furious and ordered that pans and caldrons be heated over a fire.
⁴及至鍋釜瞬息間燒紅以後，就命人在其餘的兄弟和母親眼前，將那發言人的舌頭割下來，剝去他的頭皮，割下他的四肢，	⁴When these were red-hot, he commanded that the tongue of their spokesman be cut out, his head scalped, and his hands and feet cut off while his brothers and mother looked on.
⁵肢體被分割後，王命人將他拉到火邊，活生生地放在鍋裏煎熬。當鍋內的蒸氣往上升起時，其餘的兄弟和母親都互相勸勉作壯烈的犧牲說：	⁵When he had been thoroughly mutilated, the king ordered that while still breathing, he be brought to the fire and roasted alive. While the smoke from the pan spread widely, the other brothers and their mother encouraged one another to die bravely. And they said,
⁶「上主天主看見，必要憐恤我們，正如梅瑟在譴責歌中所說的：他必憐恤自己的僕人！」	⁶"The Lord God sees all, and in reality, has compassion on us, as Moses declared in his song, and clearly said: The Lord will have pity on his servants."
⁷第一個這樣死去以後，遂領第二個來赴刑。將他的頭皮與頭髮一起削去，以後問他說：「在你的身體一塊一塊地分解以前，你吃不吃豬肉？」	⁷When the first had left the world in this way, they brought the second for execution. After stripping the skin with the hair from his head, they asked him: "Which do you prefer: to eat the flesh of a pig or to be tortured limb by limb?"
⁸他用祖國的話答說：「不！」因此，他也像第一個一般受了刑罰。	⁸He answered them in the language of his ancestors, "I will not eat." And so he, too, was tortured.
⁹他在快要斷氣的一剎那，高聲說：「你這窮兇極惡的人！你使我失去現世的生命，但是宇宙的君王，必要使我們這些為他的法律而殉難的人復活，獲得永生。」	⁹At the moment of his last breath, he said, "Murderer, you now dismiss us from life, but the King of the world will raise us up. He will give us eternal life since we die for his laws."
¹⁰這一個以後，輪到第三個受刑了！在命他伸舌頭時，他就爽快地伸出，且毅然伸開雙手，	¹⁰After this, they punished the third. He stuck his tongue out when asked to, bravely stretched forth his hands,
¹¹慷慨地說：「這些肢體是從上天得來的，但是，現在為了他的法律，我不吝嗇這一切，希望有一天從他那裏仍再得到。」	¹¹and even had the courage to say: "I have received these limbs from God, but for love of his laws I now consider them as nothing. For I hope to recover them from God."
¹²國王和他的侍從都驚異這少年人不怕受苦的精神。	¹²The king and his court were touched by the courage of this young man, so unconcerned about his own sufferings.
¹³他死了以後，他們用同樣酷刑處罰第四個。	¹³When this one was dead, they subjected the fourth to the same torture.
¹⁴他臨死時這樣說：「深信天主使人復活許諾的人，死在人手中，是求之不得的；可是為你，卻沒有進入生命的復活。」	¹⁴At the point of death, he cried out, "I would rather die at the hands of men, and wait for the promises of God who will raise us up; you, however, shall have no part in the resurrection of life."
¹⁵接着，人就帶第五個來受刑。	¹⁵They took the fifth at once and tortured him. But with his eyes fixed on the king,
¹⁶他向國王瞪着眼說：「你這有死有壞的人，現今你對人有權柄，為所欲為；可是，不要想我們的民族已被天主擯棄。	¹⁶he said to him, "Though you are mortal, you have authority over people and are able to do what you will. But do not think that our race has been abandoned by God.
¹⁷你等着看罷！你必要看見他的大能，看他要怎樣懲罰你和你的子孫！」	¹⁷Wait, and you shall see his great power when he torments you and your descendants."
¹⁸在他以後，帶了第六個來，他快死時說：「你不要糊塗自欺！我們遭受這一切，正是因為我們得罪了我們的天主，因而遭受了這樣嚴重的災難。	¹⁸After this, they took the sixth who, at the point of death, said, "Don't be mistaken. We suffer all this because of ourselves for we have sinned against our own God; so these astonishing things have come upon us.
¹⁹可是，你不要想你對抗天主，能僥倖免罰！」	¹⁹But do not think that you are going to remain unpunished, after having made war with God."
²⁰尤當稱奇，最值得光榮記念的，還是他們的母親。她在一日之內親見七個兒子死去，還能欣然忍受，因為她全心寄望於上主。	²⁰More than all of them, their mother ought to be admired and remembered. She saw her seven sons die in a single day. But she endured it even with joy for she had put her hope in the Lord.
²¹她心中充滿高尚的情緒，以大丈夫的氣概奮發起女性孱弱的心靈，用本國的話，一一鼓勵他們說：	²¹Full of a noble sense of honor, she encouraged each one of them in the language of their fathers. Her woman's heart was moved by manly courage, so she told them:
²²「我不知你們怎樣出現在我的腹中：不是我給了你們靈魂與生命，也不是我構成了你們每一個人的身體。	²²"I wonder how you were born of me; it was not I who gave you breath and life, nor I who ordered the matter of your body.
²³世界的創造者，既然形成了人的初生，賜予萬物以起源，也必仁慈償還你們的靈魂和生命，因為你們現在為愛護他的法律捨生致命。	²³The Creator of the world who formed man in the beginning and ordered the unfolding of all creation shall in his mercy, give you back breath and life, since you now despise them for love of his laws."
²⁴安提約古自覺受了輕慢，猜想這番話必是諷刺自己，就趁最幼的一個尚在，不斷用話勸誘，且向他起誓，只要他棄捨自己祖傳的一切，保證他必享富貴幸福，作自己的朋友，且得高官厚祿。	²⁴Antiochus thought that she was making fun of him and suspected that she had insulted him. As the youngest was still alive, the king tried to win him over not only with his words, but even promised to make him rich and happy, if he would abandon the traditions of his fathers. He would make him his Friend and appoint him to a high position in the kingdom.
²⁵可是，少年人對這話毫不介意，因此王就召他的母親來，勸她給少年人出個得救的主意。	²⁵But as the young man did not pay him any attention, the king ordered the mother to be brought in. He urged her to advise her son in order to save his life.
²⁶國王再三勸了她，她纔同意去勸說自己的兒子。	²⁶After being asked twice by the king, she agreed to persuade her son.
²⁷於是她向他彎着身，嘲弄着暴君，用祖國的話這樣對他說：「我兒，你憐恤我罷！我在腹中懷育你九個月，三年哺養你，又栽培提攜養育你，直到現在的年紀。	²⁷She bent over him and fooled the cruel tyrant by saying in her ancestral language: "My son, have pity on me. For nine months, I carried you in my womb and suckled you for three years; I raised you up and educated you until this day.
²⁸我兒，我懇求你仰視天，俯視地，觀察天地間形形色色的萬物！你該知道，這一切都是天主從無中造成的，人類也是如此造成的。	²⁸I ask you now, my son, that when you see the heavens, the earth and all that is in it, you know that God made all this from nothing, and the human race as well.
²⁹你不要怕這劊子手，反該對得起你的哥哥們，視死如歸，好叫我在天主顯示仁慈的時候，可迎接你的哥哥和你！」	²⁹Do not fear these executioners, but make yourself worthy of your brothers - accept death that you may again meet your brothers in the time of mercy."
³⁰她剛說完了話，青年人就說：「你們還等什麼？我決不聽從國王的命令，我只聽從梅瑟給我們祖宗立定的法律命令。	³⁰When she finished speaking, the young man said, "What are you waiting for? I do not obey the king's order but the precepts of the Law given by Moses to our fathers.
³¹你這設法迫害希伯來人的罪魁，你決不能逃脫天主的手！	³¹And you who have devised such tortures against the Hebrews, shall not escape the hands of God.
³²我們受難是為了我們的罪惡。	³²Know that we perish because of our sins.
³³我們永生的上主，為責罰和懲戒我們，一時向我們發怒，但終究要與自己的僕人重新和好。	³³Our living Lord punishes and corrects us for a short time because he is angry with us, but he shall again be reconciled with his servants.
³⁴至於你這惡人！你這人類中的妖孽！你雖然伸手毒害上天的子女，可是，別糊裏糊塗，洋洋得意，妙想天開，	³⁴And you, the most wretched and impious man, do not be proud or be carried away by your vain hopes. Do not raise your hand against the sons of Heaven,
³⁵因為你逃脫不了全能全知天主的審判。	³⁵for you have not yet escaped the judgment of the almighty God, who sees everything.
³⁶我哥哥們既忍受了暫時的苦痛，如今他們按照天主的盟約，得到了永生，你卻因着天主的審判，將受你驕傲應得的刑罰，	³⁶Our brothers suffered a short time for the sake of eternal life and have already entered into the friendship of God. But you, for your part, shall suffer the punishment you deserve for your arrogance.
³⁷我要如同我哥哥們一樣，甘心為祖宗的法律，捨棄我的肉身和生命，求上主早日憐恤我們的百姓，並用苦難與災禍，迫使你承認他是惟一的天主。	³⁷With my brothers, I give up my body and my soul for the laws of my fathers, calling on God that he may at once have pity on our race, and that by trials and afflictions, you may come to confess that he is the only God.
³⁸願全能者向我們全族所發的義怒，在我和我哥哥們身上，就此止息。」	³⁸Through me and my brothers, may the wrath of the Almighty which has justly fallen on the whole of our race come to an end."
³⁹國王難以忍受他的凌辱，於是勃然大怒，加給他的刑罰比對別的更兇殘。	³⁹The king was even more infuriated at him than at the others because of his mockery and he dealt more cruelly with him.
⁴⁰這樣，這個純潔的少年一心依靠上主，走入了另一世界。	⁴⁰So the youngest also died undefiled, putting his whole trust in God.
⁴¹兒子們相繼致命，最後母親也致了命。	⁴¹After all her sons, the mother also died.
⁴²以上所述，足以叫人明瞭當時關於吃祭品和因此而掀起的慘酷的刑罰。	⁴²This is enough to make known what happened regarding the pagan sacrifices and the tortures beyond all imagination.

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