| 瑪加伯上 |
1 Maccabees |
| 1一百七十二年，德默特琉王調集軍隊，開往瑪待，以求獲得兵源，好與特黎豐決戰。 |
1 In the year one hundred and seventy-two, King Demetrius assembled his army and marched into Media to obtain help so that he could fight Trypho. |
| 2波斯和瑪待王阿爾撒革聽說德默特琉已侵入他的邊境，就派遣自己一員大將去活捉他。 |
2 When Arsaces, king of Persia and Media, heard that Demetrius had invaded his territory, he sent one of his generals to take him alive. |
| 3這位大將前往，擊敗了德默特琉的軍隊，將他捉住，解到阿爾撒革王前，阿爾撒革將他囚在監裏。 |
3The general went forth and defeated the army of Demetrius; he captured him and brought him to Arsaces, who put him in prison. |
| 4息孟執政期間，猶太國泰民安，他只謀求自己民族的福利，因此對他的統治，人民心悅誠服，他榮耀一生常存。 |
4The land was at rest all the days of Simon, who sought the good of his nation. His people were delighted with his power and his magnificence throughout his reign. |
| 5除此榮耀外，又佔據了約培，建為海港，闢作通往海島的口岸； |
5As his crowning glory he captured the port of Joppa and made it a gateway to the isles of the sea. |
| 6他開拓了本國的疆域，全國都在他權下。 |
6He enlarged the borders of his nation and gained control of the country. |
| 7他安置了大批戰俘，征服了革則爾、貝特族爾和耶路撒冷的堡壘；除去城中的不潔，沒有人能敵抗他。 |
7He took many enemies prisoners of war and made himself master of Gazara, Beth-zur, and the citadel. He cleansed the citadel of its impurities; there was no one to withstand him. |
| 8人都平安耕種田地，土地按時出產，平原上的樹木依時結果。 |
8The people cultivated their land in peace; the land yielded its produce and the trees of the field their fruit. |
| 9老者閒坐街頭，眾人談論公益，少年身盛服和軍裝。 |
9Old men sat in the squares, all talking about the good times, while the young men wore the glorious apparel of war. |
| 10他為各城儲存食糧，用防禦工事鞏固城池；因此，他的名聲傳遍了天涯地角。 |
10He supplied the cities with food and equipped them with means of defense, till his glorious name reached the ends of the earth. |
| 11他使本國得享平安，以色列人皆大喜歡。 |
11He brought peace to the land, and Israel was filled with happiness. |
| 12每人安坐在自己的葡萄樹及無花果樹下，無人前來驚嚇。 |
12Every man sat under his vine and his fig tree, with no one to disturb him. |
| 13那時，國內敵人已經絕跡，列王已被擊退。 |
13No one was left to attack them in their land; the kings in those days were crushed. |
| 14凡國內低下小民，他都予以扶持；他尋求法律，而剷除一切惡徒敗類； |
14He strengthened all the lowly among his people and was zealous for the law; he suppressed all the lawless and the wicked. |
| 15他盡量使聖殿壯觀，增添聖所裏的器皿。 |
15He made the temple splendid and enriched its equipment. |
| 16羅馬人及斯巴達人聽說約納堂死了，都很哀傷。 |
16 When people heard in Rome and even in Sparta that Jonathan had died, they were deeply grieved. |
| 17他們一聽說他哥哥息孟繼任作大司祭，掌管國家及各城邑， |
17But when the Romans heard that his brother Simon had been made high priest in his place and was master of the country and the cities, |
| 18便用銅版給他寫信，重新與他締結友好盟約，就如從前與他弟弟猶大和約納堂所締結的盟約一樣。 |
18they sent him inscribed tablets of bronze to renew with him the friendship and alliance that they had established with his brothers Judas and Jonathan. |
| 19這信就在耶路撒冷會眾面前宣讀了。 |
19These were read before the assembly in Jerusalem. |
| 20斯巴達人送來的信，抄錄如下：「斯巴達人的首領及城邑，祝大司祭息孟，各位長老，司祭及其餘猶太人民兄弟們安好！ |
20This is a copy of the letter that the Spartans sent: "The rulers and the citizens of Sparta send greetings to Simon the high priest, the elders, the priests, and the rest of the Jewish people, our brothers. |
| 21你們派到我國來的使者，將你們的光榮與尊威，一一告訴了我們；我們對他們的光臨，都很喜歡。 |
21The envoys you sent to our people have informed us of your glory and fame, and we were happy that they came. |
| 22他們所說的話，我們也都這樣記在國會大事錄上：『猶太人的使者，安提約古的兒子奴默尼，與雅松的兒子安提帕特，來到我們這裏，為與我們重訂友好盟約， |
22In accordance with what they said we have recorded the following in the public decrees: Since Numenius, son of Antiochus, and Antipater, son of Jason, envoys of the Jews, have come to us to renew their friendship with us, |
| 23百姓對他們曾予以隆重熱烈的歡迎，且將他們的話，記載在國會檔案內，為給斯巴達人留作紀念。』我們也將這文件的副本，給大司祭息孟呈寫一份。」 |
23the people have voted to receive the men with honor, and to deposit a copy of their words in the public archives, so that the people of Sparta may have a record of them. A copy of this decree has been made for Simon the high priest." |
| 24此後，息孟又派遣奴默尼赴羅馬，他帶有大金盾一座，價值約一千「米乃」，以便與他們訂立同盟。 |
24After this, Simon sent Numenius to Rome with a great gold shield weighing a thousand minas, to confirm the alliance with the Romans. |
| 25民眾一聽到這些事，就說：「我們要怎樣感謝息孟和他的兒子們呢？ |
25When the people heard of these things, they said, "How can we thank Simon and his sons? |
| 26因為他與他的兄弟們以及他父親的全家，都表現了英勇的行為，打敗了以色列的仇敵，給以色列奠定了自由。」於是他們將這些史蹟刻於銅版，嵌在熙雍山的石柱上。 |
26He and his brothers and his father's house have stood firm and repulsed Israel's enemies. They have thus preserved its liberty." So they made an inscription on bronze tablets, which they affixed to pillars on Mount Zion. |
| 27其原文如下：「一百七十二年，『厄路耳』月十八日，大司祭息孟三年，在阿撒辣默耳， |
27 The following is a copy of the inscription: "On the eighteenth day of Elul, in the year one hundred and seventy-two, that is, the third year under Simon the high priest in Asaramel, |
| 28有人在司祭、百姓、民眾的首領及全國長老盛大集會時，通告我們說： |
28in a great assembly of priests, people, rulers of the nation, and elders of the country, the following proclamation was made: |
| 29當國內在不斷戰爭中，約阿黎布的後裔，瑪塔提雅的兒子息孟，和他的兄弟們，為了支持並維護聖所和法律，冒着性命的危險，抵抗了民族的仇敵，使自己的民族獲得了莫大的光榮。 |
29"'Since there have often been wars in our country, Simon, son of the priest Mattathias, descendant of Joarib, and his brothers have put themselves in danger and resisted the enemies of their nation, so that their sanctuary and law might be maintained, and they have thus brought great glory to their nation. |
| 30在約納堂統一自己的國家，作了他們的大司祭，歸到他親族那裏之後， |
30After Jonathan had rallied his nation and become their high priest, he was gathered to his kinsmen. |
| 31猶太人的敵人，便企圖進佔他們的國境，伸手侵犯聖所； |
31When the enemies of the Jews sought to invade and devastate their country and to lay hands on their temple, |
| 32那時息孟起來，為自己的民族而戰，花盡了自己的許多錢財，裝備了自己人民中的勇士，發給他們糧餉。 |
32Simon rose up and fought for his nation, spending large sums of his own money to equip the men of his nation's armed forces and giving them their pay. |
| 33他曾在猶太各城邑，並在猶太邊境上貝特族爾設防；敵人從前曾在那裏貯藏過武器，所以他便在那裏派了猶太人把守。 |
33He fortified the cities of Judea, especially the frontier city of Beth-zur, where he stationed a garrison of Jewish soldiers, and where previously the enemy's arms had been stored. |
| 34他又鞏固了靠海的約培，和位於阿左托邊界的革則爾；敵人從前曾盤踞在那裏，所以他就派猶太人居住在那裏，凡他們所需要的一切，他都給他們準備了。 |
34He also fortified Joppa by the sea and Gazara on the border of Azotus, a place previously occupied by the enemy; these cities he resettled with Jews, and furnished them with all that was necessary for their restoration. |
| 35民眾見到息孟的忠誠，及為自己民族所獲得的光榮，便擁護他作自己的領袖和大司祭，因為他行了這一切事，因為他對自己的民族，持守正義與忠誠；因為他想盡一切方法，高舉自己的百姓。 |
35When the Jewish people saw Simon's loyalty and the glory he planned to bring to his nation, they made him their leader and high priest because of all he had accomplished and the loyalty and justice he had shown his nation. In every way he sought to exalt his people. |
| 36他在世時，凡他所行的無不順利；他將異民從國內趕走，又趕走在耶路撒冷達味城內為自己建造堡壘的人，因為他們時常從堡壘裏出來，污辱聖所的四周，侵犯聖所的聖潔。 |
36"'In his time and under his guidance they succeeded in driving the Gentiles out of their country, especially those in the City of David in Jerusalem, who had built for themselves a citadel from which they used to sally forth to defile the environs of the temple and inflict grave injury on its purity. |
| 37他派猶太士兵在堡壘裏駐守，為了國家與城邑的安全，還鞏固了這座堡壘，更加高耶路撒冷的城垣。 |
37In this citadel he stationed Jewish soldiers, and he strengthened its fortifications for the defense of the land and the city, while he also raised the wall of Jerusalem to a greater height. |
| 38為此，德默特琉王也委任他為大司祭， |
38Consequently, King Demetrius confirmed him in the high priesthood, |
| 39將他列為自己朋友之一，加給他很大的光榮； |
39made him one of his Friends, and conferred the highest honors on him. |
| 40因為君王曾聽說：羅馬人稱猶太人為朋友，為同盟，為兄弟；又聽說他們曾熱烈地歡迎息孟的使者。 |
40He had indeed heard that the Romans had addressed the Jews as friends, allies, and brothers and that they had received Simon's envoys with honor. |
| 41猶太人和司祭們，都喜歡息孟常作他們的領袖和大司祭，直到一位忠誠的先知興起為止。 |
41"'The Jewish people and their priest have, therefore, made the following decisions. Simon shall be their permanent leader and high priest until a true prophet arises. |
| 42也喜歡息孟作他們的統帥，要他管理聖所，要他委派人員執行政務，管理疆域、軍械與堡壘； |
42He shall act as governor general over them, and shall have charge of the temple, to make regulations concerning its functions and concerning the country, its weapons and strongholds, |
| 43喜歡他管理聖所，所有的人都聽從他，都以他的名義，書寫國內一切公文，並且使他穿上紫袍，戴上金飾。 |
43he shall be obeyed by all. All contracts made in the country shall be dated by his name. He shall have the right to wear royal purple and gold ornaments. |
| 44無論是平民或司祭，不得廢除上述任何一項。他出的命令不得反對。沒有他的許可，不得擅自在國內召集會議；不得身穿紫袍，頭戴金冠。 |
44It shall not be lawful for any of the people or priests to nullify any of these decisions, or to contradict the orders given by him, or to convene an assembly in the country without his consent, to be clothed in royal purple or wear an official gold brooch. |
| 45若有人反對此事，或違犯其中任何一項，便是罪犯。 |
45Whoever acts otherwise or violates any of these prescriptions shall be liable to punishment. |
| 46全民眾都贊成給予息孟按這些話實行的權柄。 |
46"'All the people approved of granting Simon the right to act in accord with these decisions, |
| 47息孟接受了，也樂意作大司祭，作猶太人及眾司祭的統帥和元首，主理一切事務。」 |
47 and Simon accepted and agreed to act as high priest, governor general, and ethnarch of the Jewish people and priests and to exercise supreme authority over all.'" |
| 48遂命人將這篇文字，刻於銅版，嵌在聖所牆壁的顯明處， |
48It was decreed that this inscription should be engraved on bronze tablets, to be set up in a conspicuous place in the precincts of the temple, |
| 49並將副本放在銀庫裏，由息孟及其子孫保管。 |
49and that copies of it should be deposited in the treasury, where they would be available to Simon and his sons. |
