Wisdom:Chapter 14

Index

Wisdom:Chapter 14

智慧篇	Wisdom
¹再如：有個準備航海的人，行將在怒濤中航行之際，竟向一塊比自己乘的船還易壞的木頭呼求。	¹Imagine someone who is about to set sail and cross the raging sea. He calls upon a piece of wood far more fragile than the boat that carries him.
²船固然是因求財的貪心發明的，亦是匠人以智慧造成的；	²In fact, this boat has been built with gain in mind and proceeds from the wisdom of the shipwright.
³但最後，父啊！還是你的照顧在駕駛，因為原是你在海洋中劃出了一條路線，在波浪中開闢了一條安全的路徑，	³But it is your providence, Father, that guides it, for you are the one who prepares a path through the sea and a safe way over the waves.
⁴表示你能救人脫離各種危險，連沒有技術的人，也能航海。	⁴By this we understand that you are able to save us from any danger, and even the unskilled are able to sail.
⁵你決不願使你智慧的工作棄之不用，因此，人將生命託給一片小木，藉一葉扁舟，經過巨濤而平安到達海岸。	⁵People are the work of your wisdom and you do not want them to remain idle. So they trust their lives to a small plank of wood and cross the sea safe and sound on a raft.
⁶其實，在當初，當那些傲慢的巨人被滅絕的時候，世界的希望逃入了一葉扁舟，經你手的駕駛，纔得給後世留下了新生的苗裔。	⁶At the beginning of time when proud giants perished, the hope of the world took refuge on a raft and, led by your hand, left to the world the seed of a new race.
⁷木頭如使用得當，是可祝福的；	⁷Blessed be the wood by which salvation was carried out!
⁸但是，人手造的木偶和木偶的製造者，卻是可詛咒的：製造者，因為他造了木偶；木偶，因為雖是腐敗的東西，竟被稱為神。	⁸But cursed be the idol and its maker, the idol made by human hands, this corruptible thing that is called a god, and the craftsman for having fashioned it.
⁹不虔敬的人，與他行的不虔敬的事，同樣為天主所憎惡；	⁹They are hateful to God, both the godless and the fruit of his godlessness;
¹⁰所以，木偶與造木偶的，都必遭受懲罰。	¹⁰the maker will be punished together with his work.
¹¹為此，天主必要懲罰列邦的偶像，因為偶像在天主的造物中，成了可憎之物，成了人們靈魂的障礙，作了愚人腳前的陷阱。	¹¹Therefore the idols of the nations will also be judged. They have come to be the most abominable among the creatures of God. They are a stumbling block to the spirit of man, and the feet of the foolish are caught in the snare.
¹²發明偶像，是淫亂的開端；創造偶像，是人生的腐敗。	¹²The invention of idols was the origin of licentiousness; when they were invented, life became corrupt.
¹³起初原無偶像，也不能永久長存；	¹³For in the beginning they did not exist and they will not exist forever.
¹⁴由於人的虛榮心，偶像纔進入了世界；為此，已注定很快就要結束。	¹⁴Human vanity introduced them into the world, and God has set a term for them.
¹⁵一個父親因他兒子的夭折，甚為悲傷，遂為自己早死的兒子立像，他雖是已死的人，如今卻敬之如神，並傳令家屬禮拜獻祭。	¹⁵Suppose a father, overwhelmed by grief for a child so swiftly taken from him, has an image made of him. From that time on a dead creature will be honored as a god, because the father handed on to his dependents secret rites and celebrations.
¹⁶這種不虔敬的事，相沿日久，便成了習俗，以致守如法律；再加上君王的命令，彫像遂受崇拜。	¹⁶Time will consolidate this unholy practice and eventually it will be observed by law. It has also happened that sculptured images were venerated by order of sovereigns.
¹⁷住在遠方的人，不能當面尊敬國王，便由遠方設想君王的相貌，為所要尊敬的君王，製造一座可見的肖像，向那不在跟前的，殷勤獻媚，如同就在跟前一樣。	¹⁷Those who lived far away and were unable to honor them personally had copies made, that they might honor them as if present by means of their image.
¹⁸藝術家的野心，把那些不認識君王的人，也都誘來，為擴大這項敬禮；	¹⁸The ambition of the artist helped the veneration grow among those who did not even know the sovereign.
¹⁹藝術家原為討有權威者的歡心，就竭力運用自己的技術，使君王的肖像格外美麗；	¹⁹As he wished to please his master, he made the portrait more attractive than reality,
²⁰民眾受了這精美手工的吸引，不久以前那當人尊敬的，現在卻奉之為神了。	²⁰and the people, seduced by the perfection of art work, began to worship someone previously honored as a man.
²¹這便成了人生的隱禍，因為遭受不幸，或受暴君壓迫的人們，將「那不可道出的名字」，加給了木石。	²¹In this way the image became a pitfall for the living, for people bent down, either by misfortune or tyranny, gave to stones and wood the incommunicable Name.
²²他們對天主的認識錯到如此地步，還以為不足；甚至愚昧使他們生活在強烈的戰鬥中，還將這樣的大禍，稱為和平。	²²But it was not enough for them to err in their knowledge of God; in the great trouble to which ignorance condemned them, they have called such an evil situation peace.
²³因他們祭殺孩童，或舉行秘密祭禮，或儀式怪誕的狂歡宴會。	²³With the sacrificial murder of children in their initiations, with secret mysteries and wild ceremonial orgies,
²⁴誰也不顧及生活與婚姻的純潔，遂彼此陷害殘殺，以姦淫加害於人。	²⁴they no longer keep their lives and marriages pure; they treacherously murder one another or wound others through adultery.
²⁵於是，混亂到處叢生：流血、殺人、盜竊、欺騙、缺德、失信、暴亂、違約、	²⁵Everywhere it is a welter of blood, murder, fraud and theft, corruption, treachery, riots, perjury;
²⁶陷害忠良、忘恩負義、玷辱靈魂、同性淫亂、婚姻混雜、通姦淫亂。	²⁶on all sides harassment of good people, forgetfulness of favors, the pollution of souls and sins against nature, widespread disorder in marriage, adultery, debauchery.
²⁷崇拜虛無的偶像，實是萬惡的起源、由來和結局。	²⁷Indeed the worship of gods which do not even deserve a name, is the beginning, cause and effect of every evil.
²⁸這些人行樂發狂，預言虛妄，生活邪辟，妄發虛誓，	²⁸Others delight in raving or uttering false prophecies; they live wickedly and casually perjure themselves.
²⁹因為他們信賴無生命的偶像，自以為妄發虛誓，不會受罰。	²⁹As they deal with lifeless images, they do not fear any punishment for their false oaths,
³⁰但是，正為了這兩件事，他們必受公義的處罰：因對天主沒有正確的認識，因而崇拜偶像；又因詭計多端，妄發虛誓，因而輕視聖潔。	³⁰but a double punishment awaits them: as idolators for their base concept of God, as frauds for taking false oaths in defiance of all that is holy.
³¹因為，那常追擊不義者違法行為的，並不是「賴以發誓者」的力量，而是天主對犯罪者的懲罰。	³¹Though the idols by which they swore are powerless, justice that pursues sinners always overtakes the sin of the wicked.

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