| 厄斯德拉下 |
Nehemiah |
| 1在阿塔薛西斯王二十年「尼散」月，輪到我掌酒時，我拿起酒來，獻給國王。我不願在王面前現出憂愁， |
1In the month Nisan of the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when the wine was in my charge, I took some and offered it to the king. As I had never before been sad in his presence, |
| 2王卻問我說：「你不像有病，為什麼面帶愁容？沒有別的，你心中一定有愁事！」我很是驚慌， |
2the king asked me, "Why do you look sad? If you are not sick, you must be sad at heart." Though I was seized with great fear, |
| 3便向君王說：「大王萬歲！我祖先墳墓所在的城池，成了廢墟，城門為火焚毀，我怎能不面帶愁容呢？」 |
3I answered the king: "May the king live forever! How could I not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been eaten out by fire?" |
| 4王問我說：「你要求什麼？」我向天上的天主祈禱之後， |
4The king asked me, "What is it, then, that you wish?" I prayed to the God of heaven |
| 5回答君王說：「大王若看着好，你僕人在你面前若獲得寵遇，就打發我回猶大去，到我祖先墳墓所在的城去，重修那城。」 |
5and then answered the king: "If it please the king, and if your servant is deserving of your favor, send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors' graves, to rebuild it." |
| 6那時，皇后也在旁坐着；王便向我說：「你旅行需要多久？你幾時能回來？」我向君王說了一個時期；王以為好，就准許我去。 |
6Then the king, and the queen seated beside him, asked me how long my journey would take and when I would return. I set a date that was acceptable to him, and the king agreed that I might go. |
| 7我又向王說：「大王若看着好，請賜我一詔書，通知河西州長放我通行，直到猶大； |
7I asked the king further: "If it please the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of West-of-Euphrates, that they may afford me safe-conduct till I arrive in Judah; |
| 8另一詔書，通知護守王家園林的阿撒夫，令他給我木料，為做聖殿堡壘的門戶、城牆和我要住的房舍之用。」賴我的天主慈善的手扶助我，君王都賜給了我。 |
8also a letter for Asaph, the keeper of the royal park, that he may give me wood for timbering the gates of the temple-citadel and for the city wall and the house that I shall occupy." The king granted my requests, for the favoring hand of my God was upon me. |
| 9我一來到河西州長那裏，便向他們呈上君王的詔書。同時君王還派了隊長和馬兵協助我。 |
9Thus I proceeded to the governors of West-of-Euphrates and presented the king's letters to them. The king also sent with me army officers and cavalry. |
| 10曷龍人桑巴拉特，和作臣僕的阿孟人托彼雅，聽說此事，很不高興有人來為以色列子民謀圖福利。 |
10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite slave had heard of this, they were very much displeased that someone had come to seek the welfare of the Israelites. |
| 11我到了耶路撒冷，在那裏停留了三天之後， |
11When I had arrived in Jerusalem, I first rested there for three days. |
| 12夜間，我和跟隨我的幾個人起來；當時我並沒有告訴任何人，有關我的天主激發我的心，要為耶路撒冷所作的事；除了我騎的一頭牲口外，也沒有別的牲口。 |
12Then I set out by night with only a few other men (for I had not told anyone what my God had inspired me to do for Jerusalem) and with no other animals but my own mount. |
| 13夜間我出來，經過谷門到了龍泉前，又到了糞門，觀察耶路撒冷城牆那裏有缺口，並見城門已被火焚毀。 |
13 I rode out at night by the Valley Gate, passed by the Dragon Spring, and came to the Dung Gate, observing how the walls of Jerusalem lay in ruins and its gates had been eaten out by fire. |
| 14以後，又到了泉門，到了王池，但那地方不能騎我的牲口過去， |
14Then I passed over to the Spring Gate and to the King's Pool. Since there was no room here for my mount to pass with me astride, |
| 15遂在夜間，由山澗攀登而上，視察了城垣，然後轉身，由谷門進來，回了家。 |
15I continued on foot up the wadi by night, inspecting the wall all the while till I once more reached the Valley Gate, by which I went back in. |
| 16我到過那裏，或作什麼，官員都不知道；直到此時，我也沒有告訴過猶太人、司祭、權貴、官員和其他工作人員。 |
16The magistrates knew nothing of where I had gone or what I was doing, for as yet I had disclosed nothing to the Jews, neither to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the magistrates, nor to the others who would be concerned about the matter. |
| 17於是我向他們說：「你們都清楚我們所處的苦境：耶路撒冷成了廢墟，城門為火焚毀。來，讓我們重修耶路撒冷的城垣，免得再受人恥笑！」 |
17Afterward I said to them: "You see the evil plight in which we stand: how Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been gutted by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer be an object of derision!" |
| 18隨後，我又向他們報告：我的天主慈善的手怎樣扶助了我，以及君王向我說過什麼話。他們遂說道：「起來，大家一同修建！」眾人勇氣倍增，遂着手進行。 |
18Then I explained to them how the favoring hand of my God had rested upon me, and what the king had said to me. They replied, "Let us be up and building!" And they undertook the good work with vigor. |
| 19當曷龍人桑巴拉特、作臣僕的阿孟人托彼雅，和阿剌伯人革笙聽說這事，就譏笑我們侮辱我們說：「你們在那裏幹什麼？要背叛君王嗎？」 |
19On hearing of this, Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite slave, and Geshem the Arab mocked us and ridiculed us. "What is this that you are about?" they asked. "Are you rebelling against the king?" |
| 20我答覆他們說：「天上的天主必要使我們成功；我們是他的僕役，要動工興建；至於你們，在耶路撒冷無分無權，也無可留念的事物。」 |
20 My answer to them was this: "It is the God of heaven who will grant us success. We, his servants, shall set about the rebuilding; but for you there is to be neither share nor claim nor memorial in Jerusalem." |
