| 達尼爾 |
Daniel |
| 1阿斯提雅革歸到他祖先那裏以後，波斯人居魯士便繼承了他的王位。 |
1 After King Astyages was laid with his fathers, Cyrus the Persian succeeded to his kingdom. |
| 2達尼爾與王住在一起，且受王尊敬，遠在他所有的同僚之上。 |
2 Daniel was the king's favorite and was held in higher esteem than any of the friends of the king. |
| 3巴比倫有一個偶像名叫貝耳，每天為這偶像耗費十二袋細麵，四十隻綿羊和六桶酒。 |
3 The Babylonians had an idol called Bel, and every day they provided for it six barrels of fine flour, forty sheep, and six measures of wine. |
| 4君王也恭敬這偶像，每天都去禮拜；但是達尼爾卻崇拜自己的天主。 |
4The king worshiped it and went every day to adore it; but Daniel adored only his God. |
| 5君王曾對他說：「為什麼你不崇拜貝耳？」達尼爾回答說：「我不敬拜人手製造的偶像，我只敬拜創造天地，主宰全人類的生活的天主。」 |
5When the king asked him, "Why do you not adore Bel?" Daniel replied, "Because I worship not idols made with hands, but only the living God who made heaven and earth and has dominion over all mankind." |
| 6君王對他說：「你不以為貝耳是生活的神嗎？你不見貝耳每天吃喝那麼多嗎？」 |
6Then the king continued, "You do not think Bel is a living god? Do you not see how much he eats and drinks every day?" |
| 7達尼爾笑着說：「大王，不要受欺騙！它裏面是泥土，外面是黃銅，決不會吃，也不會喝。」 |
7Daniel began to laugh. "Do not be deceived, O king," he said; "it is only clay inside and bronze outside; it has never taken any food or drink." |
| 8君王大怒，命人將貝耳的司祭召來，對他們說：「你們若不告訴我是誰吃了這些供物，你們就該死；如果你們能證明是貝耳吃了，達尼爾就該死，因為他褻瀆了貝耳。」 |
8Enraged, the king called his priests and said to them, "Unless you tell me who it is that consumes these provisions, you shall die. |
| 9達尼爾對君王說：「就照你的話做罷！」貝耳的司祭共有七十人，此外還有他們的妻子和兒女。 |
9But if you can show that Bel consumes them, Daniel shall die for blaspheming Bel." Daniel said to the king, "Let it be as you say!" |
| 10於是君王同達尼爾進了貝耳的廟宇。 |
10There were seventy priests of Bel, besides their wives and children. When the king went with Daniel into the temple of Bel, |
| 11貝耳的司祭們說：「看, 我們都出去！大王！你擺上食物，供上調好的酒，然後關上廟門，門上蓋上你的御印；明天早上你來時，如果發現不是貝耳吃了這一切食物，我們情願受死；否則，那誣告我們的達尼爾就該死。」 |
11the priests of Bel said, "See, we are going to leave. Do you, O king, set out the food and prepare the wine; then shut the door and seal it with your ring. |
| 12他們自以為得意，因為他們在供桌下面早開了一個暗門，天天從那裏進來，吃光桌上的供物。 |
12If you do not find that Bel has eaten it all when you return in the morning, we are to die; otherwise Daniel shall die for his lies against us." |
| 13司祭們出去以後，君王就在貝耳面前擺上食物。 |
13They were not perturbed, because under the table they had made a secret entrance through which they always came in to consume the food. |
| 14達尼爾命自己的僕役拿灰來，只當着君王面前，將灰撒遍整個廟宇，然後出去，將門關好，蓋上君王的御印，就走了。 |
14After they departed the king set the food before Bel, while Daniel ordered his servants to bring some ashes, which they scattered through the whole temple; the king alone was present. Then they went outside, sealed the closed door with the king's ring, and departed. |
| 15到了夜間，司祭們照常各自帶着妻子和孩子進來，吃盡喝盡了一切。 |
15The priests entered that night as usual, with their wives and children, and they ate and drank everything. |
| 16大清早，君王起來，達尼爾便陪伴着他一同前來； |
16Early the next morning, the king came with Daniel. |
| 17君王問他說：「達尼爾！印封還完好嗎？」達尼爾答說：「大王！印封還完好。」 |
17"Are the seals unbroken, Daniel?" he asked. And Daniel answered, "They are unbroken, O king." |
| 18及至開了門，君王一看見供桌，即刻大聲喊叫說：「貝耳！你是偉大的！你毫無虛假！」 |
18As soon as he had opened the door, the king looked at the table and cried aloud, "Great you are, O Bel; there is no trickery in you." |
| 19達尼爾笑了，並請君王留步，不要進去，說：「請看看砌石的地面上；仔細察看這些腳印是誰的腳印？」 |
19But Daniel laughed and kept the king from entering. "Look at the floor," he said; "whose footprints are these?" |
| 20君王說：「我看是男人、女人和孩子的腳印。」 |
20"I see the footprints of men, women, and children!" said the king. |
| 21於是君王大怒，令人逮捕了司祭和他們的妻子兒女，這時他們纔給君王指出他們是由暗門進來，吃盡供桌上的食物。 |
21The angry king arrested the priests, their wives, and their children. They showed him the secret door by which they used to enter to consume what was on the table. |
| 22君王遂將他們殺掉，將貝耳交由達尼爾處理；達尼爾便推翻了貝耳和他的廟宇。 |
22He put them to death, and handed Bel over to Daniel, who destroyed it and its temple. |
| 23在那地方有一條巴比倫人所敬拜的大龍。 |
23There was a great dragon which the Babylonians worshiped. |
| 24君王對達尼爾說：「現在你卻不能說這不是生活的神了罷，那麼你就應該崇拜牠。」 |
24"Look!" said the king to Daniel, "you cannot deny that this is a living god, so adore it." |
| 25達尼爾回答說：「我崇拜的是上主，我的天主，因為只有他是永生的天主；這條龍不是永生的神。大王！請給我全權！我不用刀，也不用棍，就可殺死這條龍。」 |
25But Daniel answered, "I adore the Lord, my God, for he is the living God. |
| 26君王說：「我給你全權！」 |
26Give me permission, O king, and I will kill this dragon without sword or club." "I give you permission," the king said. |
| 27達尼爾取了瀝青、脂油和頭髮，攙和在一起煎熬，作成丸子送到龍口裏；龍吃下以後，就爆裂了。於是達尼爾說：「請看，你們所敬拜的神！」 |
27Then Daniel took some pitch, fat, and hair; these he boiled together and made into cakes. He put them into the mouth of the dragon, and when the dragon ate them, he burst asunder. "This," he said, "is what you worshiped." |
| 28巴比倫人聽了這事以後，非常憤怒，遂團結起來攻擊君王說：「君王竟變成了一個猶太人，他推倒了貝耳，擊殺了大龍，屠殺了司祭。」 |
28When the Babylonians heard this, they were angry and turned against the king. "The king has become a Jew," they said; "he has destroyed Bel, killed the dragon, and put the priests to death." |
| 29他們來見君王說：「請把達尼爾交給我們；否則，我們要殺死你和你全家的人。」 |
29They went to the king and demanded: "Hand Daniel over to us, or we will kill you and your family." |
| 30君王見眾人迫他太甚，不得已只好將達尼爾交給他們。 |
30When he saw himself threatened with violence, the king was forced to hand Daniel over to them. |
| 31他們便將達尼爾拋入獅子圈內，達尼爾在那裏有六天之久。 |
31They threw Daniel into a lions' den, where he remained six days. |
| 32圈裏有七隻獅子，每天給牠們兩個屍體，兩隻綿羊，但那時卻沒有給牠們，好叫牠們吞食達尼爾。 |
32In the den were seven lions, and two carcasses and two sheep had been given to them daily. But now they were given nothing, so that they would devour Daniel. |
| 33當時在猶大有個先知哈巴谷，他做好了肉湯，把餅切好放在罐裏，正要往田間去，送給收割莊稼的人。 |
33In Judea there was a prophet, Habakkuk; he mixed some bread in a bowl with the stew he had boiled, and was going to bring it to the reapers in the field, |
| 34那時上主的天使便對哈巴谷說：「把你預備下的午飯，帶到巴比倫去，送給在獅子圈裏的達尼爾罷！」 |
34when an angel of the Lord told him, "Take the lunch you have to Daniel in the lions' den at Babylon." |
| 35哈巴谷說：「我主！我從未見過巴比倫，也不知道獅子圈在什麼地方。」 |
35But Habakkuk answered, "Babylon, sir, I have never seen, and I do not know the den!" |
| 36上主的天使便抓緊他的頭頂，握住他的頭髮，將他提起，瞬息之間，把他放在巴比倫的獅子圈口。 |
36The angel of the Lord seized him by the crown of his head and carried him by the hair; with the speed of the wind, he set him down in Babylon above the den. |
| 37哈巴谷呼喊說：「達尼爾，達尼爾！請吃天主給你送來的午飯罷！」 |
37"Daniel, Daniel," cried Habakkuk, "take the lunch God has sent you." |
| 38達尼爾說：「天主！你想起了我，你沒有拋棄愛慕你的人。」 |
38"You have remembered me, O God," said Daniel; "you have not forsaken those who love you." |
| 39於是達尼爾起來吃了；天主的天使立刻又把哈巴谷送回到原來的地方。 |
39While Daniel began to eat, the angel of the Lord at once brought Habakkuk back to his own place. |
| 40到了第七天，君王前來哀悼達尼爾。當他走近獅子圈往裏面觀看時，望見達尼爾坐在那裏。 |
40On the seventh day the king came to mourn for Daniel. As he came to the den and looked in, there was Daniel, sitting there! |
| 41君王遂大聲呼喊說：「上主，達尼爾的天主！你是偉大的，除你以外沒有別的神。」 |
41The king cried aloud, "You are great, O Lord, the God of Daniel, and there is no other besides you!" |
| 42於是君王將達尼爾拉上來，將那些想陷害他的人拋進獅子圈裏，頃刻之間，他們在君王面前，便被獅子吞噬了。 |
42Daniel he took out, but those who had tried to destroy him he threw into the den, and they were devoured in a moment before his eyes. |
| 43君王遂宣佈說：「全地的居民都應敬畏達尼爾的天主，因為他施救，在地上行了神蹟奇事，從獅子圈裏拯救了達尼爾。」 |
43 |
