| 友弟德傳 |
Judith |
| 1在那幾天，默辣黎的女兒友弟德也聽說了這些事。──默辣黎是敖克斯的兒子，敖克斯是若瑟的兒子，若瑟是敖齊耳的兒子，敖齊耳是厄耳基雅的兒子，厄耳基雅是阿納尼雅的兒子，阿納尼雅是基德紅的兒子，基德紅是辣法因的兒子，辣法因是阿希托布的兒子，阿希托布是厄里雅的兒子，厄里雅是希耳基雅的兒子，希耳基雅是厄里雅布的兒子，厄里雅布是納塔納耳的兒子，納塔納耳是撒拉米耳的兒子，撒拉米耳是撒辣撒待的兒子，撒辣撒待是西默盎的兒子，西默盎是以色列的兒子。── |
1 Now in those days Judith, daughter of Merari, son of Joseph, son of Oziel, son of Elkiah, son of Ananias, son of Gideon, son of Raphain, son of Ahitob, son of Elijah, son of Hilkiah, son of Eliab, son of Nathanael, son of Salamiel, son of Sarasadai, son of Simeon, son of Israel, heard of this. |
| 2她的丈夫默納舍與她同支派又同家族，是在收割大麥時死的； |
2Her husband, Manasseh, of her own tribe and clan, had died at the time of the barley harvest. |
| 3他在田間監督工人綑麥穗時，不料頭部中暑，一病不起，死在拜突里雅本城；人將他葬在多堂及巴拉孟之間的祖塋裏。 |
3While he was in the field supervising those who bound the sheaves, he suffered sunstroke; and he died of this illness in Bethulia, his native city. He was buried with his forefathers in the field between Dothan and Balamon. |
| 4這時友弟德居家守寡，已有三年零四個月。 |
4The widowed Judith remained three years and four months at home, |
| 5她在屋頂上，搭了一個帳幕，腰束苦帶，身穿寡婦衣飾。 |
5 where she set up a tent for herself on the roof of her house. She put sackcloth about her loins and wore widow's weeds. |
| 6除了安息前日與安息日，月朔前日與月朔，以及以色列家的節期與慶典外，在她居寡期內，天天禁食。 |
6She fasted all the days of her widowhood, except sabbath eves and sabbaths, new moon eves and new moons, feastdays and holidays of the house of Israel. |
| 7她的容貌姣美，艷麗好看。她的丈夫默納舍，留下了不少金銀、奴婢、牲畜與田產，她堅守遺業， |
7She was beautifully formed and lovely to behold. Her husband, Manasseh, had left her gold and silver, servants and maids, livestock and fields, which she was maintaining. |
| 8很敬畏天主，所以說她一句壞話的人也沒有。 |
8No one had a bad word to say about her, for she was a very God-fearing woman. |
| 9她聽說百姓因為缺水，精神頹唐，向首長提出了嚴重的抗議。友弟德又聽說，敖齊雅向他們所說的話，如何向他們發誓，五天以後，必將城池交給亞述人。 |
9When Judith, therefore, heard of the harsh words which the people, discouraged by their lack of water, had spoken against their ruler, and of all that Uzziah had said to them in reply, swearing that he would hand over the city to the Assyrians at the end of five days, |
| 10她便打發自己管家的使女，去召請城裏的長老加布黎和加爾米來。 |
10she sent the maid who was in charge of all her things to ask Uzziah, Chabris, and Charmis, the elders of the city, to visit her. |
| 11他們一來到，友弟德就對他們說：「拜突里雅居民的首長，請聽我說！你們今天在百姓前說的話，實在不對；同時竟然對天主發誓，說五天以後，上主若不來援救，就將城池交給敵人。 |
11When they came, she said to them: "Listen to me, you rulers of the people of Bethulia. What you said to the people today is not proper. When you promised to hand over the city to our enemies at the end of five days unless within that time the Lord comes to our aid, you interposed between God and yourselves this oath which you took. |
| 12你們是什麼人，今日竟敢試探天主，在人類中竟居天主之上？ |
12Who are you, then, that you should have put God to the test this day, setting yourselves in the place of God in human affairs? |
| 13如今你們儘管試驗全能的上主罷！可是你們始終一無所知！ |
13It is the Lord Almighty for whom you are laying down conditions; will you never understand anything? |
| 14你們既不能探究人的心曲，又不能明悉人明悟中的思念，如何能探究那創造萬有的天主，知道他的心思，認清他的旨意？斷乎不能！兄弟們，不可觸怒上主我們的天主！ |
14You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart or grasp the workings of the human mind; how then can you fathom God, who has made all these things, discern his mind, and understand his plan? "No, my brothers, do not anger the Lord our God. |
| 15如果他在五天內，不肯前來施救，他仍有權力在他願意的時日保護我們，或在我們仇敵前將我們消滅。 |
15For if he does not wish to come to our aid within the five days, he has it equally within his power to protect us at such time as he pleases, or to destroy us in the face of our enemies. |
| 16你們沒有要求保證的權利，而強迫上主，我們的天主，改變旨意，因為天主不同人一樣可以受威脅，或如人子一樣可以受支配。 |
16It is not for you to make the Lord our God give surety for his plans. "God is not man that he should be moved by threats, nor human, that he may be given an ultimatum. |
| 17為此，我們只有等待他的救援，呼求他來援助；如果他願意，必會俯聽我們的呼聲。 |
17"So while we wait for the salvation that comes from him, let us call upon him to help us, and he will hear our cry if it is his good pleasure. |
| 18何況，我們這一代從來沒有，且今日我們也沒有一支派，一家族，一村莊，一城市，像昔日一樣敬拜人造的神像。 |
18For there has not risen among us in recent generations, nor does there exist today, any tribe, or clan, or town, or city of ours that worships gods made by hands, as happened in former days. |
| 19昔日為了這事，我們的祖先曾被刀斬、劫掠，在敵人前，慘遭滅亡。 |
19It was for such conduct that our forefathers were handed over to the sword and to pillage, and fell with great destruction before our enemies. |
| 20如今我們除了恭敬天主外，不認識別的神，所以也盼望他不會忽略我們，及我們同族的任何人。 |
20But since we acknowledge no other god but the Lord, we hope that he will not disdain us or any of our people. |
| 21如果我們投降，全猶太也必投降，我們的聖所必遭搶掠。對他們受的污辱，上主必向我們追討血債； |
21If we are taken, all Judea will fall, our sanctuary will be plundered, and God will make us pay for its profanation with our life's blood. |
| 22同胞被屠殺，國土被掠奪，祖業遭廢棄，都要歸咎於將散居在異民中為奴的我們，我們就成為那主宰我們者的譏笑凌辱的對象了。 |
22For the slaughter of our kinsmen, for the taking of exiles from the land, and for the devastation of our inheritance, he will lay the guilt on our heads. Wherever we shall be enslaved among the nations, we shall be a mockery and a reproach in the eyes of our masters. |
| 23因為我們投降，並不會轉禍為福，上主我們的天主，必因此使我們蒙受羞辱。 |
23Our enslavement will not be turned to our benefit, but the Lord our God, will maintain it to our disgrace. |
| 24兄弟們！如今我們應為同胞做好榜樣，因為他們的性命繫於我們，聖所、聖殿和祭壇，也賴我們來維護； |
24"Therefore, my brothers, let us set an example for our kinsmen. Their lives depend on us, and the defense of the sanctuary, the temple, and the altar rests with us. |
| 25為了這一切，我們要感謝上主，我們的天主，因為他考驗我們，像考驗我們的祖先一樣。 |
25Besides all this, we should be grateful to the Lord our God, for putting us to the test, as he did our forefathers. |
| 26請你們回憶他對亞巴郎所作的，又怎樣考驗了依撒格；看看雅各伯在敘利亞的美索不達米亞替他舅父放羊時，有了什麼遭遇。 |
26Recall how he dealt with Abraham, and how he tried Isaac, and all that happened to Jacob in Syrian Mesopotamia while he was tending the flocks of Laban, his mother's brother. |
| 27原來他鍛鍊他們，乃是為考驗他們的心；上主也這樣鞭責我們，並不是為懲罰，乃是為警戒與他親近的人。」 |
27Not for vengeance did the Lord put them in the crucible to try their hearts, nor has he done so with us. It is by way of admonition that he chastises those who are close to him." |
| 28敖齊雅對她說：「你說的這一切，都是出於好心，誰也不會反對你的話。 |
28Then Uzziah said to her: "All that you have said was spoken with good sense, and no one can gainsay your words. |
| 29你的智慧，並不是今天初次纔顯露出來，而是自你幼年，眾百姓就已賞識你的見解，知道你的心怎樣良善。 |
29Not today only is your wisdom made evident, but from your earliest years all the people have recognized your prudence, which corresponds to the worthy dispositions of your heart. |
| 30無奈，百姓渴得要命，逼迫我們，要按我們對他們所說的去行，而且還脅迫我們，發了我們不可違犯的誓。 |
30The people, however, were so tortured with thirst that they forced us to speak to them as we did, and to bind ourselves by an oath that we cannot break. |
| 31如今請你為我們祈禱，因為你是虔誠的婦女，上主必降甘霖，注滿我們的池沼，使我們不再渴得發暈。 |
31But now, God-fearing woman that you are, pray for us that the Lord may send rain to fill up our cisterns, lest we be weakened still further." |
| 32友弟德對他們說：「請聽我說，我要作一件在我們民族的子孫中萬世流芳的事。 |
32Then Judith said to them: "Listen to me! I will do something that will go down from generation to generation among the descendants of our race. |
| 33今夜，你們應站在城門口，我要同我的使女出城，在你們所定要把城池交給敵人的日期內，上主會藉着我的手，眷顧以色列。 |
33Stand at the gate tonight to let me pass through with my maid; and within the days you have specified before you will surrender the city to our enemies, the Lord will rescue Israel by my hand. |
| 34你們不要偵查我的行動，因為在我要作的事情未完成以前，我不告訴你們。」 |
34You must not inquire into what I am doing, for I will not tell you until my plan has been accomplished." |
| 35敖齊雅與首長對她說：「你平安去罷！願上主天主引導你報復我們的敵人！」 |
35Uzziah and the rulers said to her, "Go in peace, and may the Lord God go before you to take vengeance upon our enemies!" |
| 36然後他們離開帳幕，回到自己的地方去了， |
36Then they withdrew from the tent and returned to their posts. |
