Hebrews 1 1 Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, 2 and not the very image of them, it can never make perfect those who come to worship by the same sacrifices that they offer continually each year. 法律既然只有未来美物的影子,没有那些事物的真相,所以总不能因着每年常献的同样牺牲,使那些愿意亲近天主的人得到成全; 2 Otherwise, would not the sacrifices have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, once cleansed, would no longer have had any consciousness of sins? 因为,如果那些行敬礼的人,一次而为永远洁净了,良心不再觉得有罪了,祭献岂不就要停止吗? 3 But in those sacrifices there is only a yearly remembrance of sins, 可是,正因这祭献才使人每年想起罪过来, 4 for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins. 因为公牛和公山羊的血断不能除免罪过。 5 For this reason, when he came into the world, he said: 3 "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 为此基督一进入世界便说:‘牺牲与素祭,已非你所要,却给我预备了一个身体; 6 holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight in. 全燔祭和赎罪祭,已非你所喜, 7 Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll, Behold, I come to do your will, O God.'" 于是我说:看,我已来到!关于我,书卷上已有记载:天主!我来为承行你的旨意。’ 8 First he says, "Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, 4 you neither desired nor delighted in." These are offered according to the law. 前边说:‘祭物和素祭,全燔祭和赎罪祭,已非你所要,已非你所喜;’这一切都是按照法律所奉献的; 9 Then he says, "Behold, I come to do your will." He takes away the first to establish the second. 后边他说:‘看,我已来到,为承行你的旨意;’由此可见,他废除了那先前的,为要成立那以后的。 10 By this "will," we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 我们就是因这旨意,借耶稣基督的身体,一次而为永远的祭献,得到了圣化。 11 5 Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins. 况且,每一位司祭,都是天天待立着执行敬礼,并屡次奉献总不能除去罪恶的同样牺牲; 12 But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God; 但是基督只奉献了一次赎罪的牺牲,以后便永远坐在天主右边, 13 6 now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool. 从今以后,只等待将衪的仇人变作衪脚下的踏板。 14 For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated. 因为衪只借一次奉献,就永远使被圣化的人得以成全。 15 7 The holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying: 圣神也给我们作证,因为衪说过, 16 "This is the covenant I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord: ‘I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them upon their minds,'" ‘这是我在那些时日后,与他们订立的盟约──上主说──我要将我的法律放在他们的心中,写在他们的明悟中’这话以后,又说: 17 he also says: 8 "Their sins and their evildoing I will remember no more." ‘他们的罪过和他们的邪恶,我总不再追念。’ 18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin. 若这些罪已经赦了,也就用不着赎罪的祭献了。 19 9 Therefore, brothers, since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary 所以,弟兄们!我们既然怀着大胆的信心,靠着耶稣的宝血得以进入圣殿, 20 10 by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, 即进入由衪给我们开创的一条又新又活,通过帐幔,即衪肉身的道路; 21 11 and since we have "a great priest over the house of God," 而且我们既然又有一位掌管天主家庭的伟大司祭, 22 let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience 12 and our bodies washed in pure water. 我们就应在洗净心灵,脱离邪僻的良心,和用净水洗涤身体以后,怀着真诚的心,以完备的信德去接近天主; 23 Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy. 也应该坚持所明认的望德,毫不动摇。因为应许的那位是忠信的; 24 We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. 也应该彼此关怀,激发爱德,勉励行善, 25 We should not stay away from our assembly, 13 as is the custom of some, but encourage one another, and this all the more as you see the day drawing near. 决不离弃我们的集会,就象一些人所习惯行的;反而应彼此劝勉;你们见那日子越近,就越该如此。 26 14 If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins 背信的罪难得赦免因为如果我们认识真理之后,还故意犯背信的罪,就再没有另一个赎罪祭了。 27 but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries. 只有一种等待审判的怕情,和势将吞灭叛逆者的烈火。 28 Anyone who rejects the law of Moses 15 is put to death without pity on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 谁若废弃梅瑟法律,只要有两三个证人,他就该死,必不得怜恤; 29 Do you not think that a much worse punishment is due the one who has contempt for the Son of God, considers unclean the covenant-blood by which he was consecrated, and insults the spirit of grace? 那么,你们想一想:那践踏了天主子,那自己借以成圣的盟约的血当作了俗物,而又轻慢了赐恩宠的圣神的人,应当受怎样更厉害的惩罚啊! 30 We know the one who said: "Vengeance is mine; I will repay," and again: "The Lord will judge his people." 因为我们知道谁曾说过:‘复仇在乎我,我必要报复;’又说:‘上主必要审判自己的百姓。’ 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 落在永生的天主手中,真是可怕! 32 Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened, 16 you endured a great contest of suffering. 请你们回想回想先前的时日,那时你们才蒙光照,就忍受了苦难的严厉打击: 33 At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and affliction; at other times you associated yourselves with those so treated. 一方面,你们当众受嗤笑、凌辱和磨难,另一方面,你们与这样受苦的人作了同伴。 34 You even joined in the sufferings of those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you had a better and lasting possession. 的确,你们同情了监禁的人,又欣然忍受了你们的财物被抢掠,因为你们知道:你们已获有更高贵且常存的产业, 35 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense. 所以千万不要丧失那使你们可得大赏报的勇敢信心。 36 You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised. 原来你们所需要的就是坚忍,为使你们承行天主的旨意,而获得那所应许的。 37 "For, after just a brief moment, 17 he who is to come shall come; he shall not delay. ‘因为还有很短的一会儿,要来的那一位,就要来到,决不迟缓。 38 But my just one shall live by faith, and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him." 我的义人靠信德而生活,假使他退缩,他必不会中悦我心。’ 39 We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life. 我们并不是那般退缩以致丧亡的人,而是有信德得以保全灵魂的人。 Footnotes(注解) 1 [1-10] Christian faith now realizes that the Old Testament sacrifices did not effect the spiritual benefits to come but only prefigured them (Hebrews 10:1). For if the sacrifices had actually effected the forgiveness of sin, there would have been no reason for their constant repetition (Hebrews 10:2). They were rather a continual reminder of the people's sins (Hebrews 10:3). It is not reasonable to suppose that human sins could be removed by the blood of animal sacrifices (Hebrews 10:4). Christ, therefore, is here shown to understand his mission in terms of Psalm 40:5-7, cited according to the Septuagint (Hebrews 10:5-7). Jesus acknowledged that the Old Testament sacrifices did not remit the sins of the people and so, perceiving the will of God, offered his own body for this purpose (Hebrews 10:8-10). 2 [1] A shadow of the good things to come: the term shadow was used in Hebrews 8:5 to signify the earthly counterpart of the Platonic heavenly reality. But here it means a prefiguration of what is to come in Christ, as it is used in the Pauline literature; cf Col 2:17. 3 [5-7] A passage from Psalm 40:7-9 is placed in the mouth of the Son at his incarnation. As usual, the author follows the Septuagint text. There is a notable difference in Hebrews 10:5 (Psalm 40:7), where the Masoretic text reads "ears you have dug for me" ("ears open to obedience you gave me," NAB), but most Septuagint manuscripts have "a body you prepared for me," a reading obviously more suited to the interpretation of Hebrews. 4 [8] Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings: these four terms taken from the preceding passage of Psalm 40 (with the first two changed to plural forms) are probably intended as equivalents to the four principal types of Old Testament sacrifices: peace offerings (Lev 3, here called sacrifices); cereal offerings (Lev 2, here called offerings); holocausts (Lev 1); and sin offerings (Lev 4-5). This last category includes the guilt offerings of Lev 5:14-19. 5 [11-18] Whereas the levitical priesthood offered daily sacrifices that were ineffectual in remitting sin (Hebrews 10:11), Jesus offered a single sacrifice that won him a permanent place at God's right hand. There he has only to await the final outcome of his work (Hebrews 10:12-13; cf Psalm 110:1). Thus he has brought into being in his own person the new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:33-34) that has rendered meaningless all other offerings for sin (Hebrews 10:14-18). 6 [13] Until his enemies are made his footstool: Psalm 110:1 is again used; the reference here is to the period of time between the enthronement of Jesus and his second coming. The identity of the enemies is not specified; cf 1 Cor 15:25-27. 7 [15-17] The testimony of the scriptures is now invoked to support what has just preceded. The passage cited is a portion of the new covenant prophecy of Jeremiah 31:31-34, which the author previously used in Hebrews 8:8-12. 8 [17] He also says: these words are not in the Greek text, which has only kai, "also," but the expression "after saying" in Hebrews 10:15 seems to require such a phrase to divide the Jeremiah text into two sayings. Others understand "the Lord says" of Hebrews 10:16 (here rendered says the Lord) as outside the quotation and consider Hebrews 10:16b as part of the second saying. Two ancient versions and a number of minuscules introduce the words "then he said" or a similar expression at the beginning of Hebrews 10:17. 9 [19-39] Practical consequences from these reflections on the priesthood and the sacrifice of Christ should make it clear that Christians may now have direct and confident access to God through the person of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19-20), who rules God's house as high priest (Hebrews 10:21). They should approach God with sincerity and faith, in the knowledge that through baptism their sins have been remitted (Hebrews 10:22), reminding themselves of the hope they expressed in Christ at that event (Hebrews 10:23). They are to encourage one another to Christian love and activity (Hebrews 10:24), not refusing, no matter what the reason, to participate in the community's assembly, especially in view of the parousia (Hebrews 10:25; cf 1 Thes 4:13-18). If refusal to participate in the assembly indicates rejection of Christ, no sacrifice exists to obtain forgiveness for so great a sin (Hebrews 10:26); only the dreadful judgment of God remains (Hebrews 10:27). For if violation of the Mosaic law could be punished by death, how much worse will be the punishment of those who have turned their backs on Christ by despising his sacrifice and disregarding the gifts of the holy Spirit (Hebrews 10:28-29). Judgment belongs to the Lord, and he enacts it by his living presence (Hebrews 10:30-31). There was a time when the spirit of their community caused them to welcome and share their sufferings (Hebrews 10:32-34). To revitalize that spirit is to share in the courage of the Old Testament prophets (cf Isaiah 26:20; Habakkuk 2:3-4), the kind of courage that must distinguish the faith of the Christian (Hebrews 10:35-39). 10 [20] Through the veil, that is, his flesh: the term flesh is used pejoratively. As the temple veil kept people from entering the Holy of Holies (it was rent at Christ's death, Mark 15:38), so the flesh of Jesus constituted an obstacle to approaching God. 11 [21] The house of God: this refers back to Hebrews 3:6, "we are his house." 12 [22] With our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience: as in Hebrews 9:13 (see the note there), the sprinkling motif refers to the Mosaic rite of cleansing from ritual impurity. This could produce only an external purification, whereas sprinkling with the blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:14) cleanses the conscience. Washed in pure water: baptism is elsewhere referred to as a washing; cf 1 Cor 6:11; Eph 5:26. 13 [25] Our assembly: the liturgical assembly of the Christian community, probably for the celebration of the Eucharist. The day: this designation for the parousia also occurs in the Pauline letters, e.g., Romans 2:16; 1 Cor 3:13; 1 Thes 5:2. 14 [26] If we sin deliberately: verse 29 indicates that the author is here thinking of apostasy; cf Hebrews 3:12; 6:4-8. 15 [28] Rejects the law of Moses: evidently not any sin against the law, but idolatry. Deut 17:2-7 prescribed capital punishment for idolaters who were convicted on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 16 [32] After you had been enlightened: "enlightenment" is an ancient metaphor for baptism (cf Eph 5:14; John 9:11), but see Hebrews 6:4 and the note there. 17 [37-38] In support of his argument, the author uses Habakkuk 2:3-4 in a wording almost identical with the text of the Codex Alexandrinus of the Septuagint but with the first and second lines of Hebrews 10:4 inverted. He introduces it with a few words from Isaiah 26:20: after just a brief moment. Note the Pauline usage of Hebrews 2:4 in Romans 1:17; Gal 3:11. |