厄斯德拉下:Chapter 8

厄斯德拉下:Chapter 8

厄斯德拉下	Nehemiah
¹所有的人民，都一致聚集到水門前的廣場上，要求厄斯德拉經師，拿出上主命以色列當遵守的《梅瑟法律書》來。	¹Now when the seventh month came, the whole people gathered as one man in the open space before the Water Gate, and they called upon Ezra the scribe to bring forth the book of the law of Moses which the LORD prescribed for Israel.
²厄斯德拉司祭便在七月一日，將《法律書》拿到會眾前，即男女和所有能聽懂的人前，	²On the first day of the seventh month, therefore, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, which consisted of men, women, and those children old enough to understand.
³在水門前的廣場上，從早晨到中午，在男女和能聽懂的人面前，宣讀了法律，所有的人民都側耳靜聽《法律書》。	³Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate, he read out of the book from daybreak till midday, in the presence of the men, the women, and those children old enough to understand; and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
⁴厄斯德拉經師站在為此特備的木台上，他右邊站着瑪提提雅、舍瑪、阿納雅、烏黎雅、希耳克雅和瑪阿色雅；他左邊有培達雅、米沙耳、瑪耳基雅、哈雄、哈協巴達納、則加黎雅和默叔藍。	⁴Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the occasion; at his right side stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and on his left Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, Meshullam.
⁵厄斯德拉在眾目注視之下展開了書，── 因他高立在眾人以上，── 他展開書時，眾人都立起來。	⁵Ezra opened the scroll so that all the people might see it (for he was standing higher up than any of the people); and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
⁶厄斯德拉先讚頌了上主，偉大的天主，全民眾舉手回答說：「阿們，阿們！」以後跪下，伏首至地，欽崇上主。	⁶Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people, their hands raised high, answered, "Amen, amen!" Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD, their faces to the ground.
⁷肋未人耶叔亞、巴尼、舍勒彼雅、雅明、阿谷布、沙貝泰、曷狄雅、瑪阿色雅、刻里達、阿匝黎雅、約匝巴得、哈南和培拉雅，為民眾講解法律，民眾立在原處不動。	⁷(The Levites Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah explained the law to the people, who remained in their places.)
⁸厄斯德拉讀一段天主的《法律書》，即作翻譯和解釋，如此民眾可以懂清所誦讀的。	⁸Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God, interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.
⁹乃赫米雅省長和厄斯德拉司祭兼經師，並教導民眾的肋未人，向民眾說：「今天是上主你們天主的聖日，你們不可憂愁哭泣！」因為全民眾聽了法律的話，都在哭泣。	⁹Then (Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and) Ezra the priest-scribe (and the Levites who were instructing the people) said to all the people: "Today is holy to the LORD your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep"-for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.
¹⁰為此，乃赫米雅又向他們說：「你們應去吃肥美的肉，喝甘甜的酒，且贈送一部分，給那些沒有預備的人，因為今天是吾主的聖日；你們不可憂愁，因為喜樂於上主，就是你們的力量。」	¹⁰He said further: "Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our LORD. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!"
¹¹肋未人也安慰民眾說：「你們要安靜，因為今天是聖日，不應憂愁！」	¹¹(And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, "Hush, for today is holy, and you must not be saddened.")
¹²民眾遂去吃喝，且贈送一部分給他人，大家異常歡樂，因為都明白了向他們所講的話。	¹²Then all the people went to eat and drink, to distribute portions, and to celebrate with great joy, for they understood the words that had been expounded to them.
¹³第二天，全民眾的族長和司祭並肋未人，都聚集在厄斯德拉經師身旁，研究法律上的話，	¹³On the second day, the family heads of the whole people and also the priests and the Levites gathered around Ezra the scribe and examined the words of the law more closely.
¹⁴發現法律上記載：上主曾藉梅瑟，命令以色列子民，在七月的慶節日，應住在帳棚內。	¹⁴They found it written in the law prescribed by the LORD through Moses that the Israelites must dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month;
¹⁵他們一聽說如此，遂在各城和耶路撒冷，宣佈這命令說：「你們上山去，取橄欖樹的枝葉、野橄欖樹的枝葉、長春樹的枝葉、棕樹的枝葉，和其他茂盛樹的枝葉，照經上所寫的，搭造帳棚。」	¹⁵and that they should have this proclamation made throughout their cities and in Jerusalem: "Go out into the hill country and bring in branches of olive trees, oleasters, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees, to make booths, as the law prescribes."
¹⁶民眾就去採了樹枝來，在屋頂上，院子裏，天主殿宇的庭院內，水門的廣場上，和厄弗辣因廣場上，搭了帳棚。	¹⁶The people went out and brought in branches with which they made booths for themselves, on the roof of their houses, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God, and in the open spaces of the Water Gate and the Gate of Ephraim.
¹⁷由充軍回來的全會眾，都搭造了帳棚，住在帳棚內；從農的兒子若蘇厄之日起，直到今日，以色列沒有舉行過如此的盛事，大家都非常歡樂。	¹⁷Thus the entire assembly of the returned exiles made booths and dwelt in them. Now the Israelites had done nothing of this sort from the days of Jeshua, son of Nun, until this occasion; therefore there was very great joy.
¹⁸第一日直到最後一日，天天宣讀天主的《法律書》；七天之久過了慶節，第八天按規定舉行了盛會。	¹⁸Ezra read from the book of the law of God day after day, from the first day to the last. They kept the feast for seven days, and the solemn assembly on the eighth day, as was required.