Nehemiah:Chapter 5

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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。	¹The common people and their wives presented very serious complaints against their Jewish brothers.
²有人喊說：「我們應以我們的兒女作質，換取食糧，吃飯生活。」	²Some of them said, "We have big families and we need wheat to eat for strength to 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。」	³Others cried out, "We have to mortgage our fields, vineyards and houses to get grain because of this 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。	⁴Others said, "We have borrowed money on account of our fields and vineyards in order to pay the tax to the king.
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。」	⁵Though we are of the same race as our brothers and our children are not different from their children, we have to give our sons as slaves; even many of our daughters are now regarded as concubines. And we do not have any other solution, inasmuch as our fields and vineyards have passed on to others."
⁶我一聽了他們的哀訴和這樣的話，很是悲憤。	⁶Those complaints and accusations filled me with indignation
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 I reproached the nobles and the counselors,
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。	⁸saying to them, "Why do you not have compassion on your brothers?" Because of this, I held a great assembly and said to them, "We have rescued, according to our resources, our Jewish brothers who were slaves. But are you now buying your own brothers?" They remained silent. They could not 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 continued, "What you do is not good. Should you not live in obedience to our God lest we be put to shame by our pagan 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！	¹⁰My brothers, my relatives and I have also lent money and wheat. Now then, let us forget everything they owe 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。」	¹¹returning to them at once their fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and canceling their debts in money, wheat, wine and oil."
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。	¹²They answered me, "We will return these and demand nothing from them. We will do as you have said." So I called the priests, and before them made all of them swear an oath that they would fulfill their promise.
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。	¹³Then I shook out the folds of my mantle, saying, "So may God shake out of his house and his inheritance all who do not fulfill this word, and may he be so shaken that nothing is left of him." The whole assembly answered, "Amen" and praised Yahweh. And the people fulfilled their promise.
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。	¹⁴King Artaxerxes had appointed me governor of the land of Judah in the twentieth year of his reign. Until the thirty-second year, or rather, for twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ever demanded to be given the governor's bread.
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 had collected forty pieces of silver per day from the people. This payment was a burden to the people, and so were their servants.
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。	¹⁶As I dedicated myself to rebuilding the wall, I did not buy fields; and all my men were there helping.
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。	¹⁷At my table a hundred and fifty men, leaders and counselors were seated, besides those who came to us from neighboring nations.
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。	¹⁸A male calf, six choice rams and fowls were slaughtered daily, and every ten days a great quantity of wine was brought. But though all these were charged to my account, I never asked for the governor's bread, because the people were already burdened enough with the task of reconstruction.
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 for my good, my God, all that I have done for this people!

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