Judith
Chapter 8
1 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.
在那几天，默辣黎的女儿友弟德也听说了这些事。——默辣黎是敖克斯的儿子，敖克斯是若瑟的儿子，若瑟是敖齐耳的儿子，敖齐耳是厄耳基雅的儿子，厄耳基雅是阿纳尼雅的儿子，阿纳尼雅是基德红的儿子，基德红是辣法因的儿子，辣法因是阿希托布的儿子，阿希托布是厄里雅的儿子，厄里雅是希耳基雅的儿子，希耳基雅是厄里雅布的儿子，厄里雅布是纳塔纳耳的儿子，纳塔纳耳是撒拉米耳的儿子，撒拉米耳是撒辣撒待的儿子，撒辣撒待是西默盎的儿子，西默盎是以色列德儿子。——
2 Her husband, Manasseh, of her own tribe and clan, had died at the time of the barley harvest.
她的丈夫默纳舍与她同支派又同家族，是在收割大麦时死的；
3 While 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.
他在田间监督工人捆麦穗时，不料头部中暑，一病不起，死在回拜突里雅本城；人将他葬在多堂及巴拉孟之间的祖茔里。
4 The widowed Judith remained three years and four months at home,
这时友弟德居家守寡，已有三年零四个月。
5 2 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.
她在屋顶上搭了一个帐幕，腰束苦带，身穿寡归衣饰。
6 She 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.
除了安息前日与安息日，月朔前日与月朔，以及以色列家的节期与庆典外，在她居寡期内，天天禁食。
7 She 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.
她的容貌姣美，艳丽悦目。她的丈夫默纳舍留下来不少金银、奴婢、牲畜与田产，她坚守遗业，
8 No one had a bad word to say about her, for she was a very God-fearing woman.
很敬畏天主，所以说她一句坏话的人也没有。
9 When 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,
她听说百姓因为缺水，精神颓唐，向首长提出了严重的抗议。友弟德又听说，敖齐雅向他们所说的话，如何向他们发誓，五天以后，必将城池交给亚述人。
10 she 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.
她便打发自己管家的使女，去邀请城里的长老加布黎河加尔米来。
11 When 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.
他们一来到。友弟德就对他们说：＂拜突里雅居民的首长，请听我说！你们今天在百姓前说的话，实在不对；同时竟然对天主发誓，说五天以后，上主若不来援救，就将城池交给敌人。
12 Who are you, then, that you should have put God to the test this day, setting yourselves in the place of God in human affairs?
你们是什么人，今日竟敢试探天主，在人类中竟居天主之上？
13 It is the Lord Almighty for whom you are laying down conditions; will you never understand anything?
如今你们尽管试验全能的上主罢！可是你们始终一无所知！
14 You 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.
你们既不能探究人的心曲，又不能明悉人明悟中的思念，如何能探究那创造万有的天主，知道他的心思，认清他的旨意？断乎不能！兄弟们，不可触怒上主我们的天主！
15 For 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.
如果他在五天内，不肯前来施救，他仍有权力在他愿意的时日保护我们，或在我们仇敌前将我们消灭。
16 It 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.
你们没有要求保证的权利，而强迫上主，我们的天主，改变旨意，因为天主不同人一样可以受威胁，或如人子一样可以受支配。
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.
为此，我们只有等待他的救援，呼求他来援助；如果他愿意，必会俯听我们的呼声。
18 For 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.
何况，我们这一代从来没有，且今日我们也没有一支派，一家族，一村庄，一城市，象昔日一样敬拜人造的神像。
19 It was for such conduct that our forefathers were handed over to the sword and to pillage, and fell with great destruction before our enemies.
昔日为了这事，我们的祖先曾被刀斩、劫掠，在敌人前，惨遭灭亡。
20 But since we acknowledge no other god but the Lord, we hope that he will not disdain us or any of our people.
如今我们除了恭敬天主外，不认识别的神，所以也盼望他不会忽略我们，及我们同族的任何人。
21 If 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.
如果我们投降，全犹太也必投降，我们的圣所必遭抢掠。对他们受的污辱，上主必向我们追讨血债；
22 For 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.
同胞被屠杀，国土被掠夺，祖业遭废弃，都要归咎于将散居在异民中为奴的我们，我们就成为那主宰我们者的讥笑凌辱的对象了。
23 Our enslavement will not be turned to our benefit, but the Lord our God, will maintain it to our disgrace.
因为我们投降，并不会转祸为福，上主我们的天主，必因此使我们蒙羞受辱。
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.
兄弟们！如今我们应为同胞做好榜样，因为他们的性命系于我们，圣所、圣殿和祭坛，也赖我们来维护；
25 Besides all this, we should be grateful to the Lord our God, for putting us to the test, as he did our forefathers.
为了这一切，我们要感谢上主，我们的天主，因为他考验我们象考验我们的祖先一样。
26 Recall 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.
请你们回忆他对亚巴郎所作的，又怎样考验了依撒格；看看雅各伯在叙利亚的美索不达米亚替他舅父放羊时，有了什么遭遇。
27 Not 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.＂
原来他锻炼他们，乃是为考验他们的心；上主也这样鞭责我们，并不是为惩罚，乃是为警戒与他亲近的人。＂
28 Then Uzziah said to her: ＂All that you have said was spoken with good sense, and no one can gainsay your words.
敖齐雅对她说：＂你说的这一切都是出于好心，谁也不会反对你的话。
29 Not 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.
你的智慧，并不是今天初次才显露出来，而是自你幼年，众百姓就已赏识你的见解，知道你的心怎样良善。
30 The 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.
无奈百姓渴得要命，逼迫我们，要按我们对他们所说的去行，而且还胁迫我们，发了我们不可违犯的誓。
31 But 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.＂
如今请你为我们祈祷，因为你是虔诚的妇女，上主必降甘霖，注满我们的池沼，使我们不再渴得发晕。＂
32 Then 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.
友弟德对他们说：＂请听我说，我要作一件在我们民族的子孙中万世流芳的事。
33 Stand 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.
今夜，你们应站在城门口，我要同我的使女出城，在你们所定要把城池交给敌人的日期内，上主会借着我的手，眷顾以色列。
34 You must not inquire into what I am doing, for I will not tell you until my plan has been accomplished.＂
你们不要侦查我的行动，因为在我要作的事情未完成以前，我不告诉你们。＂
35 Uzziah and the rulers said to her, ＂Go in peace, and may the Lord God go before you to take vengeance upon our enemies!＂
敖齐雅与首长对她说：＂你平安去罢！愿上主天主引导你报复我们的敌人！＂
36 Then they withdrew from the tent and returned to their posts.
然后他们离开帐幕，回到自己的地方去了。
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Footnotes（注解）
1 [1] Salamiel, son of Sarasadai: head of the tribe of Simeon during the wanderings of the Israelites in the desert (Numbers 1:6).
2 [5] A tent: erected by Judith on the roof of her house (Judith 8:5); it was here that the elders came to confer with her (Judith 8:11).