Judith:Chapter 4

Index

Judith:Chapter 4

友弟德傳	Judith
¹住在猶太的以色列子民，聽說亞述王拿步高的統帥敖羅斐乃對異民所行的一切，如何搶劫破壞了他們的一切廟宇，	¹The children of Israel in Judea learned what had happened to the other nations at the hands of Holofernes, the chief general of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the Assyrians, and how he had plundered the neighboring villages and destroyed their sanctuaries.
²就萬分害怕，為耶路撒冷與上主他們的天主的聖殿十分擔心，	²And they trembled with great fear because of him. They were anxious about Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord their God,
³因為他們纔從充軍之地歸來，全猶太人民重新聚合不久，剛把器皿、祭壇、聖殿在經過褻瀆之後，從新祝聖。	³since they had only recently returned from exile. The people of Judea had just come together and the new furnishings of the Altar and the Sanctuary had just been consecrated after being profaned.
⁴因此，他們便打發使者到撒瑪黎雅全境，到科納、貝特曷龍、貝耳瑪因、耶里哥、苛巴、愛索辣與撒冷山谷一帶，	⁴They sent messengers to warn all the inhabitants of the territory of Samaria, Kona, Beth-horon, Belmain, Jericho, Choba and Aesora, and the valley of Salem.
⁵囑咐他們先要佔據各高山的山頂，在山上的村莊，修築防禦工事，儲蓄糧食，準備應戰，好在他們的田園纔收穫不久。	⁵They occupied all the summits of the mountains, fortified the ramparts of the towns and prepared stores of foodstuff and provisions for the war, since their field had just been harvested.
⁶當時正在耶路撒冷當大司祭的約雅金，給在拜突里雅及位於厄斯得隆前，多堂附近平原對面的拜托默斯坦城的人民，寫了一封信，	⁶Joakim, the high priest, who was in Jerusalem in those days, wrote to the inhabitants of Bethulia and Betomesthaim opposite Esdraelon, at the entrance to the plain of Dothan.
⁷吩咐他們應把守上山進入猶太的道路，因為這道路狹隘，只能通過兩人，很容易阻止敵人進攻。	⁷He told them to seize and fortify the mountain passes because it was by them that Holofernes would enter Judea. There it would be easy to stop those who were advancing since the narrow passes allowed no more than two men to go forward at a time.
⁸以色列子民就遵照大司祭約雅金，以及位於耶路撒冷全以色列人民的長老院的吩咐辦了。	⁸The children of Israel obeyed the orders of Joakim and of the Council of the Elders which assembled in Jerusalem.
⁹全以色列人，都熱切呼號天主，極力自卑自謙。	⁹All the people of Israel called upon God with great fervor and humbled themselves before him.
¹⁰他們和妻子兒女，牲畜旅客，傭工奴婢，都腰束苦衣。	¹⁰Men, women and children, including the animals, all the foreigners who resided among them, their laborers and slaves, all clothed themselves in sackcloth.
¹¹凡住在耶路撒冷的以色列男女及幼童，都俯伏在聖殿前，頭上撒灰，在上主面前，展開苦衣；	¹¹All the men of Israel in Jerusalem, with their wives and children, bowed before the Temple, sprinkled ashes on their heads and held out their hands in supplication before the Lord.
¹²即是祭壇，也圍上苦衣，誠心熱切一同呼求以色列的天主，不讓敵人來劫掠自己的幼童，擄掠自己的婦女，毀滅自己產業中的城邑，輕蔑污辱自己的聖所，而使異民得意歡騰。	¹²They covered the Altar in sackcloth, and with one voice earnestly begged the God of Israel not to let their children be massacred, their wives raped, their towns destroyed and their Sanctuary profaned, that they might not become the laughingstock of other nations.
¹³上主俯聽了他們的哀聲，憐視了他們的苦難。全猶太和耶路撒冷境內的百姓，在全能上主的聖所前，禁食多日。	¹³The Lord heard their prayer and looked upon their anguish. The people throughout the whole of Judea fasted for many days, and those in Jerusalem fasted before the Sanctuary of the Lord Almighty.
¹⁴大司祭約雅金，以及一切侍立在上主面前的人，司祭與上主的僕役，都腰束苦衣，奉獻恒常的全燔祭，奉獻人民許願和自願獻上的供物，	¹⁴The high priest Joakim, with all the priests and ministers, stood before the Lord dressed in sackcloth, and offered continual sacrifice, prayers and the voluntary gifts of the people.
¹⁵在頭巾上撒灰，高聲呼求上主，眷顧以色列全家。	¹⁵They put ashes on their turbans and cried out with all their strength to the Lord, asking him to watch over the whole house of Israel.

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