| 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。 |
1Then there rose a great outcry of the common people and their wives against certain of their fellow Jews. |
| 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 said: "We are forced to pawn our sons and daughters in order to get grain to eat that we may 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 said: "We are forced to pawn our fields, our vineyards, and our houses, that we may have grain during the 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。 |
4Still others said: "To pay the king's tax we have borrowed money on our fields and our vineyards. |
| 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。」 |
5And though these are our own kinsmen and our children are as good as theirs, we have had to reduce our sons and daughters to slavery, and violence has been done to some of our daughters! Yet we can do nothing about it, for our fields and our vineyards belong to others." |
| 6我一聽了他們的哀訴和這樣的話，很是悲憤。 |
6I was extremely angry when I heard the reasons they had for complaint. |
| 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， |
7 After some deliberation, I called the nobles and magistrates to account, saying to them, "You are exacting interest from your own kinsmen!" I then rebuked them severely, |
| 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: "As far as we were able, we bought back our fellow Jews who had been sold to Gentiles; you, however, are selling your own brothers, to have them bought back by us." They remained silent, for they could find no 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？ |
9I continued: "What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God, and put an end to the derision of our Gentile 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！ |
10I myself, my kinsmen, and my attendants have lent the people money and grain without charge. Let us put an end to this usury! |
| 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。」 |
11I ask that you return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, together with the interest on the money, the grain, the wine, and the oil that you have lent them." |
| 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: "We will return everything and exact nothing further from them. We will do just what you ask." Then I called for the priests and had them administer an oath to these men that they would do as they had promised. |
| 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。 |
13I also shook out the folds of my garment, saying, "Thus may God shake from his home and his fortune every man who fails to keep this promise, and may he thus be shaken out and emptied!" And the whole assembly answered, "Amen," and praised the LORD. Then the people did as they had promised. |
| 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。 |
14Moreover, from the time that King Artaxerxes appointed me governor in the land of Judah, from his twentieth to his thirty-second year--during these twelve years neither I nor my brethren lived from the governor's allowance. |
| 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。 |
15The earlier governors, my predecessors, had laid a heavy burden on the people, taking from them each day forty silver shekels for their food; then too, their men oppressed the people. But I, because I feared God, did not act thus. |
| 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裡工作。 |
16Moreover, though I had acquired no land of my own, I did my part in this work on the wall, and all my men were gathered there for the work. |
| 17有一百五十個猶太人和官員，在我那裡吃飯，還有從我們四周異民中，來到我們這裡的人。 |
17Though I set my table for a hundred and fifty persons, Jews and magistrates, as well as those who came to us from the nations round about, |
| 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。 |
18and though the daily preparations were made at my expense--one beef, six choice muttons, poultry--besides all kinds of wine in abundance every ten days, despite this I did not claim the governor's allowance, for the labor lay heavy upon this people. |
| 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。 |
19Keep in mind, O my God, in my favor all that I did for this people. |
