| 列王紀上 |
1 Kings |
| 1阿蘭王本哈達得召集了自己所有的軍隊，帶同三十二個王子，乘坐戰馬戰車，前去圍攻撒瑪黎雅。 |
1Ben-hadad, king of Aram, gathered all his forces, and accompanied by thirty-two kings with horses and chariotry, proceeded to invest and attack Samaria. |
| 2他先派使者進城，來見以色列王阿哈布， |
2He sent couriers to Ahab, king of Israel, within the city, |
| 3對他說：「本哈達得這樣說：你的金銀全應歸我，只是你的妻子兒女，仍歸於你。」 |
3and said to him, "This is Ben-hadad's message: 'Your silver and gold are mine, and your wives and your promising sons are mine.'" |
| 4以色列王回答說：「我主大王，就依照你的話，我和我的一切都歸於你。」 |
4The king of Israel answered, "As you say, my lord king, I and all I have are yours." |
| 5不料，使者們又回來說：「本哈達得這樣說：我已派人通知你：將你的金銀和你的妻子兒女全交給我。 |
5But the couriers came again and said, "This is Ben-hadad's message: 'I sent you word to give me your silver and gold, your wives and your sons. |
| 6須知，明天這時，我必派我的僕人到你這裏來，搜索你和你僕人的房屋，凡他們看中的東西，都要隨手拿去。」 |
6Now, however, at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they shall ransack your house and the houses of your servants. They shall seize and take away whatever they consider valuable.'" |
| 7以色列王將國內所有長老召來，說：「你們想想看：這人的要求是多麼無理！他先派人要我的金銀，我沒有拒絕他；現在竟又派人來我這裏，要我的妻子兒女。」 |
7The king of Israel then summoned all the elders of the land and said: "Understand clearly that this man wants to ruin us. When he sent to me for my wives and sons, my silver and my gold, I did not refuse him." |
| 8眾長老和全體人民對他說：「你不要聽從，也不要應允！」 |
8All the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen. Do not give in." |
| 9因此，他對本哈達得的使者說：「你們回去告訴我主大王說：你第一次派人向你僕人所要求的，我必全照辦；至於這另一要求，我卻不能照辦。」使者遂回去，向本哈達得回話。 |
9Accordingly he directed the couriers of Ben-hadad, "Say to my lord the king, 'I will do all that you demanded of your servant the first time. But this I cannot do.'" The couriers left and reported this. |
| 10本哈達得於是派人對阿哈布說：：「如果撒瑪黎雅的塵土，足夠跟隨我的人每人抓一把，願眾神明嚴厲，且加倍嚴厲地懲罰我！」 |
10Ben-hadad then sent him the message, "May the gods do thus and so to me if there is enough dust in Samaria to make handfuls for all my followers." |
| 11以色列王回答說：「有句俗話說：佩帶武器的人，不可像卸去了武器的人那樣自負。」 |
11The king of Israel replied, "Tell him, 'It is not for the man who is buckling his armor to boast as though he were taking it off.'" |
| 12本哈達得和眾王正在帳內飲酒，一聽見這話，就對他的臣僕說：「列隊進攻！」他們即刻列隊攻城。 |
12Ben-hadad was drinking in the pavilions with the kings when he heard this reply. "Prepare the assault," he commanded his servants; and they made ready to storm the city. |
| 13這時，忽然有一個先知，來見以色列王阿哈布說：「上主這樣說：你不是看見這支強大的軍隊嗎？今天，我要將他們交在你手中，叫你知道我是上主。」 |
13Then a prophet came up to Ahab, king of Israel and said: "The LORD says, 'Do you see all this huge army? When I deliver it up to you today, you will know that I am the LORD.'" |
| 14阿哈布問說：「藉着誰？」先知答說：「上主這樣說：藉着眾省長的少年軍人。」阿哈布又問說：「誰指揮作戰？」先知答說：「你自己。」 |
14But Ahab asked, "Through whom will it be delivered up?" He answered, "The LORD says, 'Through the retainers of the governors of the provinces.'" Then Ahab asked, "Who is to attack?" He replied, "You are." |
| 15於是阿哈布檢閱了眾省長的少年人，計有二百三十二人；然後又檢閱了所有軍人；即全體以色列子民，共七千人。 |
15So Ahab called up the retainers of the governors of the provinces, two hundred thirty-two of them. Behind them he mustered all the Israelite soldiery, who numbered seven thousand. |
| 16到了中午，他們出發，那時，本哈達得正和協助他的三十二個王子在帳中飲酒。 |
16They marched out at noon, while Ben-hadad was drinking heavily in the pavilions with the thirty-two kings who were his allies. |
| 17眾省長的少年軍人首先出發，本哈達得派出的探子回報他說：「有人從撒瑪黎雅出來了。」 |
17When the retainers of the governors of the provinces marched out first, Ben-hadad received word that some men had marched out of Samaria. |
| 18他遂吩咐說：「如果他們前來，是為求和，將他們活活捉住；如果他們前來，是為交戰，也將他們活活捉住。」 |
18He answered, "Whether they have come out for peace or for war, in any case take them alive." |
| 19眾省長的少年軍人和跟隨他們的軍隊衝出城來， |
19But when these had come out of the city-the soldiers of the governors of the provinces with the army following them-- |
| 20個個見人便殺，阿蘭人逃走，以色列人在後面乘勢追趕；阿蘭王本哈達得急速上馬與騎兵一起逃走。 |
20each of them struck down his man. The Arameans fled with Israel pursuing them, while Ben-hadad, king of Aram, escaped on a chariot steed. |
| 21那時，以色列王出來，擄掠了許多戰馬和戰車，使阿蘭人大敗。 |
21The king of Israel went out, took the horses and chariots, and inflicted a severe defeat on Aram. |
| 22那位先知前來對以色列王說：「你要發奮圖強，留心認清你當作的事，因為明年春季，阿蘭王必要再來攻擊你。」 |
22 Then the prophet went up to the king of Israel and said to him: "Go, regroup your forces. Mark well what you do, for at the beginning of the year the king of Aram will attack you." |
| 23阿蘭王的臣僕對阿蘭王說：「以色列的神是山神，所以他們比我們強；但如果我們在平原上與他們交戰，我們必會得勝。 |
23On the other hand, the servants of the king of Aram said to him: "Their gods are gods of mountains. That is why they defeated us. But if we fight them on level ground, we shall be sure to defeat them. |
| 24這是大王應該作的事：廢除眾王子各人的職位，另立軍長代替， |
24This is what you must do: Take the kings from their posts and put prefects in their places. |
| 25召募新軍，補充所損失的軍隊，照數補充戰馬戰車；然後在平原上與他們會戰，我們定能戰勝他們。」阿蘭王聽從了他們的建議，就這樣進行。 |
25Mobilize an army as large as the army that has deserted you, horse for horse, chariot for chariot. Let us fight them on level ground, and we shall surely defeat them." He took their advice and did this. |
| 26過年以後，本哈達得檢閱了阿蘭人，上到阿費克，進攻以色列。 |
26At the beginning of the year, Ben-hadad mobilized Aram and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. |
| 27以色列子民也動員起來，攜帶軍糧，出來迎戰；以色列子民在他們對面紮營，好像兩群山羊；至於阿蘭人卻遍地皆是。 |
27The Israelites, too, were called to arms and supplied with provisions; then they went out to engage the foe. The Israelites, encamped opposite them, seemed like a couple of small flocks of goats, while Aram covered the countryside. |
| 28天主的人又前來對以色列王說：「上主這樣說：既然阿蘭人說：上主是山神而不是平原神，所以我必將這支龐大的軍隊交在你手中，叫你們知道我是上主。」 |
28A man of God came up and said to the king of Israel: "The LORD says, 'Because Aram has said the LORD is a god of mountains, not a god of plains, I will deliver up to you all this large army, that you may know I am the LORD.'" |
| 29以色列人和阿蘭人相對紮營七天；第七天上，就交了戰；一天之內，以色列子民殺死了十萬阿蘭步兵， |
29They were encamped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day battle was joined, and the Israelites struck down one hundred thousand foot soldiers of Aram in one day. |
| 30其餘的人都逃入阿費克城內，城墻倒塌，壓死了殘存的兩萬七千人。本哈達得也逃入城內，藏在極嚴密的暗室內。 |
30The survivors, twenty-seven thousand of them, fled into the city of Aphek, and there the wall collapsed. Ben-hadad, too, fled, and took refuge within the city, in an inside room. |
| 31本哈達得的臣僕對本哈達得說：「看，我們聽說以色列家的君王，都是仁慈的君王，請你讓我們腰裏束上麻布，頭上繫上繩索，去見以色列王，或者他會保全你的性命。」 |
31His servants said to him: "We have heard that the kings of the land of Israel are merciful kings. Allow us, therefore, to garb ourselves in sackcloth, with cords around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life." |
| 32於是他們腰裏束上麻布，頭上繫上繩索，去見以色列王說：「你的僕人本哈達得說：求你保全我的性命！」阿哈布問說：「他還活着麼？他是我的兄弟。」 |
32So they dressed in sackcloth girded at the waist, and wearing cords around their heads, they went to the king of Israel. "Your servant Ben-hadad pleads for his life," they said. "Is he still alive?" the king asked. "He is my brother." |
| 33這些人認為這話是個吉兆，急忙抓住他的話說：「本哈達得確是陛下的兄弟。」阿哈布說：「你們去領他來！」本哈達得便出來參見君王；阿哈布請他上了自己的車。 |
33Hearing this as a good omen, the men quickly took him at his word and said, "Ben-hadad is your brother." He answered, "Go and get him." When Ben-hadad came out to him, the king had him mount his chariot. |
| 34本哈達得對君王說：「我父親從你父親手中搶去的城市，我都要歸還給你；並且你可在大馬士革設立市場，如同我父親在撒瑪黎雅所設立的一樣。」阿哈布說：「我就根據這條約放你走。」這樣，君王與他訂立了條約，放他走了。 |
34Ben-hadad said to him, "I will restore the cities which my father took from your father, and you may make yourself bazaars in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." "On these terms," Ahab replied, "I will set you free." So he made an agreement with him and then set him free. |
| 35那時，有個先知的弟子奉上主的命，對自己的同伴說：「請你打我！」那人卻拒絕打他。 |
35One of the guild prophets was prompted by the LORD to say to his companion, "Strike me." But he refused to strike him. |
| 36他就對那人說：「既然你不聽上主的命，看，你一離開我，就有一個獅子把你咬死。」那人一離開他，果然路上遇見一隻獅子，把他咬死了。 |
36Then he said to him, "Since you did not obey the voice of the LORD, a lion will kill you when you leave me." When they parted company, a lion came upon him and killed him. |
| 37以後，先知的弟子又遇見一個人，對他說：「請你打我！」那人就動手打他，將他打傷了。 |
37The prophet met another man and said, "Strike me." The man struck him a blow and wounded him. |
| 38先知便站在路旁，用頭巾遮住自己的眼睛，等候君王。 |
38The prophet went on and waited for the king on the road, having disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. |
| 39君王從那裏經過時，他便對君王呼喊說：「你的僕人出來交戰，忽有一個人轉來，給我帶來一個人說：你要看守這個人，倘若失蹤了，定要你替他償命，或賠償一『塔冷通』銀子。 |
39As the king was passing, he called out to the king and said: "Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and suddenly someone turned and brought me a man and said, 'Guard this man. If he is missing, you shall have to pay for his life with your life or pay out a talent of silver.' |
| 40你的僕人正在東忙西亂時，那人不見了。」以色列王對他說：「這就是你的定案，你已經自下判決。」 |
40But while your servant was looking here and there, the man disappeared." The king of Israel said to him, "That is your sentence. You have decided it yourself." |
| 41他於是急忙拉下他遮眼的頭巾，以色列王纔認出他原是一位先知。 |
41He immediately removed the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. |
| 42先知對君王說：「上主這樣說：你既然親手放走了我所要消滅的人，所以你要替他償命，你的人民必要抵償他的人民。」 |
42He said to him: "The LORD says, 'Because you have set free the man I doomed to destruction, your life shall pay for his life, your people for his people.'" |
| 43以色列王悶悶不樂地回了撒瑪黎雅，進了自己的宮殿。 |
43Disturbed and angry, the king of Israel went off homeward and entered Samaria. |
