Judith:Chapter 7

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Judith:Chapter 7

友弟德傳	Judith
¹次日，敖羅斐乃下令全軍和前來與他聯盟的隊伍，拔營向拜突里雅進發，先佔領通往山地的隘口，向以色列子民挑戰。	¹The next day Holofernes gave an order to the whole of his army and to those people who had come to his help to move camp in the direction of Bethulia, to occupy the mountain slopes and to wage war against the Israelites.
²那天，軍隊全體出發；作戰的隊伍，有步兵十七萬，騎兵一萬二千；此外還有輜重隊，和隨軍步行的人，多得不可勝數；	²All his valiant warriors moved that day; the forces of fighting men numbered one hundred and seventy thousand foot soldiers and twelve thousand cavalry, without counting the baggage and the men who looked after it as well as the crowd of people who accompanied them - a considerable crowd.
³在靠近拜突里雅的山谷中，在水泉旁安營。營幕綿延，長度由多堂到貝耳瑪因，寬度由拜突里雅到厄斯得隆對面的夸孟。	³They camped in the valley near Bethulia, near the spring; they spread out the whole width from Dothan to Belbain, and the length from Bethulia to Cyamon which faces Esdraelon.
⁴以色列子民一見如此眾多的軍隊，驚慌非常，都彼此說：「如今他們必將全地面一掃而光，連高山、幽谷、丘陵都擔負不了他們的壓力。」	⁴When the Israelites saw how numerous they were, they were extremely afraid and said to one another, "Without doubt this crowd is going to devour all the country, neither the high mountains nor the ravines nor the hills will be able to put a stop to their progress."
⁵但以色列人還是各自拿着武器，在碉樓上點起烽火，那一整夜留守戒備。	⁵Nonetheless each one seized his fighting equipment; they lit fires on the tops of the towers and kept watch all that night.
⁶第二天，敖羅斐乃把全部馬隊，開到住在拜突里雅的以色列子民面前，	⁶The second day, Holofernes lined up all his cavalry in front of the Israelites in Bethulia.
⁷也探明了通往該城的山路，尋得了水泉，派兵佔據把守，然後回到自己部隊那裏去了。	⁷He observed the approaches to their town, discovered the sources supplying water, seized them and stationed guards over them, then he returned to his army.
⁸厄撒烏子民的眾長官，摩阿布民族的眾首領，和沿海一帶的司令，都來向敖羅斐乃說：	⁸The leaders of the Edomites, the commanders of the Moabites and the generals of the Seacoast approached Holofernes and said,
⁹「願我們的主帥聽取一個建議，免得你的軍隊受害。	⁹"Let our Master listen to us, and your army will not suffer loss.
¹⁰以色列這個民族，原不依仗槍矛，惟獨依靠所住的高山，因為攀登他們的山頂，並不是一件易事。	¹⁰This people of Israel really do not put their trust in javelins but in the height of the mountains which they inhabit, for it is not easy to reach the summit of their mountains.
¹¹主帥！如今不要同他們列陣交戰，如此你的軍人一個也不會傷亡。	¹¹Master, if you wish to save the lives of your men, do not fight against them in battle formation.
¹²你可留在營中，督守你軍中所有的人馬，只讓你的僕役去佔領山麓下湧出來的水泉，	¹²Remain in your camp and keep all the men in your army safe but let us take possession of the spring which flows at the foot of the mountain,
¹³因為凡住在拜突里雅的人，都從那裏汲水。他們沒有水喝，勢必將城交出，同時我們率領我們的軍人，上到附近的山頂上安營，監視他們，不許一人走出城來。	¹³because it is from there that the people of Bethulia draw all their water. They will be dying of thirst and so they will hand over their town. We and our people will scale the summits of the neighboring mountains and set up outposts to prevent anyone from leaving the town.
¹⁴他們和妻子兒女必飢渴得衰弱無力，刀劍還未臨到身上，他們已躺臥在靠近家門的街道上了。	¹⁴The famine will destroy them; men, women and children will be lying dead in the streets of their town before ever the sword is raised against them.
¹⁵這樣你可以惡毒地報復他們，因為他們頑抗，沒有歡迎你。」	¹⁵So you will have punished them severely for having rebelled and for not having come out to meet you with offers of peace."
¹⁶他們的建議，大得敖羅斐乃和他眾官員的歡心。於是下令，依照這建議辦理。	¹⁶This advice pleased Holofernes and all his officers, and he agreed to do what they said.
¹⁷摩阿布子民就移營出發，與他們同去的，還有五千亞述人，駐紮在山谷中，佔據了以色列子民的水渠和水泉。	¹⁷The Moabites, with five thousand Assyrians, moved camp; they encamped in the valley and cut off the springs and the water supply from the Israelites.
¹⁸厄撒烏的子孫及阿孟子民，也與一萬二千亞述人上去，駐紮在多堂對面的山地。又從他們中派遣人，往厄格勒貝耳對面的東南方去，──厄格勒貝耳是在摩客慕爾河旁的雇士附近，──其餘的亞述軍隊，駐紮在平原上，遮遍了地面；帳幕和輜重，堆集如山，多不勝數。	¹⁸The Edomites and the Ammonites climbed up and camped on the mountain near Dothan; they sent some of their men to the south and to the east facing Egrebel, near Chusi, which is on the torrent of Mochmur. The rest of the Assyrian army encamped in the plain, covering the whole countryside. The camp site covered by their tents and their bag-gage spread out wide for they were an enormous crowd.
¹⁹以色列子民見自己四面受敵，不能逃出，都提心吊膽，遂向上主他們的天主哀號。	¹⁹Disheartened, the people of Israel called upon the Lord their God because their enemies had encircled them and had cut off all means of escape.
²⁰這時，亞述大軍，即所有步兵、戰車、馬隊，包圍他們，已經三十四天了。拜突里雅居民所有的蓄水器，都已空了，	²⁰All the Assyrian army, its foot soldiers, its chariots and horsemen surrounded them for thirty-four days.
²¹蓄水池都乾了。人沒有一天可得暢飲，因為水是分配給人喝的。	²¹The inhabitants of Bethulia saw the water jars becoming empty and the wells running dry so that drinking water had to be rationed every day.
²²他們的幼兒渴的沒有氣力，婦女和青年，渴得發暈，倒在城內大街上和門口，再也沒有一點力氣。	²²The small children became weak with thirst; the women and the young collapsed in the streets and gateways of the town.
²³於是全體民眾、青年、婦女和幼童，都聚集在敖齊雅及城中首長那裏，大聲疾呼，當着眾長老說：	²³Then everyone - men, women, young people and children - gathered and accused Uzziah and the leaders of the town. They called out with loud cries and said before all the elders,
²⁴「願天主在你們與我們之間，施行審判；因為你們不同亞述人說和，使我們遭此大禍。	²⁴"May God judge between you and us, for you are the cause of this misfortune by not engaging in peaceful negotiations with the Assyrians.
²⁵如今我們不但沒有救援，連天主也將我們交在他們手中，叫我們飢渴而死，都倒斃在他們面前。	²⁵And now there is no one who can bring us any help; God has delivered us into the hands of these pagans in such a way that we lie dying before them from great thirst and misery.
²⁶現今你們就叫他們進來，把全城交給敖羅斐乃的人民和大軍，任憑他們搶掠。	²⁶You must call on the Assyrians and let the whole army of Holofernes pillage us.
²⁷我們更好當他們的戰利品，因為我們雖然身為奴隸，但可保全性命，不至於眼看着我們的幼童夭亡，我們的妻子兒女，斷送性命。	²⁷It is better for us to become their booty, for then we shall become slaves, but at least we shall live and not have to see our women, our older children and the little ones die before our eyes.
²⁸我們當着上天下地，因着我們的天主，即因懲罰我們的罪過，及我們祖先過犯的我們祖先的上主，懇求你們設法，別叫天主今日按照這些話來處置我們！」	²⁸We urge you by heaven and earth and by our God, the Lord of our fathers, who punishes us according to our sins and the sins of our fathers: make this decision this very day."
²⁹集會的民眾遂不約而同，都放聲痛哭，向上主天主大聲哀號。	²⁹Altogether they raised a great lamentation in the midst of the assembly, and they cried out with a loud voice to the Lord God.
³⁰敖齊雅遂對他們說：「弟兄們！振作精神，再忍耐五天，也許上主我們的天主，在這個時期內，向我們再施行他的仁慈，因為他決不會永遠拋棄我們！	³⁰Then Uzziah said to them, "Have confidence, my brothers; hold out for five days more, during which time the Lord our God will show us his mercy, for he will not abandon us forever.
³¹如果過了這日期，仍得不到救援，我就依照你們的話辦理。」	³¹If these days pass without his coming to our help, then we shall do what you say."
³²遂遣散眾人各歸本營、城墻和城樓上；婦女幼童，一一遣送回家；當時全城陷於沮喪與絕望。	³²Then he dismissed the men, each to his post, and they went towards the ramparts and the towers of the town, and he sent the women and children back to their homes. Now there was a great depression throughout the town.

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