Numbers 1 At this, the whole community broke out with loud cries, and even in the night the people wailed. 全会众都大声喧嚷,人民哭了一夜。 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, the whole community saying to them, "Would that we had died in the 以色列子民都抱怨梅瑟和亚郎;全会众对他们说:"巴不得我们都死在埃及地,都死在旷野里! 3 Why is the LORD bringing us into this land only to have us fall by the sword? Our wives and little ones will be taken as booty. Would it not be better for us to return to 为什么上主引我们到那地方死在刀下,叫我们的妻子儿女当作战利品?再回埃及去,为我们岂不更好?" 4 So they said to one another, "Let us appoint a leader and go back to Egypt." 于是彼此说:"我们另立头目,回埃及去。" 5 But Moses and Aaron fell prostrate before the whole assembled community of the Israelites; 梅瑟和亚郎遂俯伏在以色列子民全会众前。 6 while Joshua, son of Nun, and Caleb, son of Jephunneh, who had been in the party that scouted the land, tore their garments 侦探那地方的人中,有农的儿子若苏厄和耶孚乃的儿子加肋布,他们撕裂了自己的衣服, 7 and said to the whole community of the Israelites, "The country which we went through and explored is a fine, rich land. 告诉以色列子民全会众说:"我们侦探所经过的地方,确是一片极好的地方。 8 If the LORD is pleased with us, he will bring us in and give us that land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 若上主恩待我们,必引我们到那里去,将那地方赐给我们。那实在是一块流奶流蜜的地方。 9 1 But do not rebel against the LORD! You need not be afraid of the people of that land; they are but food for us! Their defense has left them, but the LORD is with us. Therefore, do not be afraid of them." 只要你们不反抗上主,就不必怕那地方的人民,因为他们要作我们的掠物;护佑他们的,离开了他们,上主却与我们同在;所以不要怕他们。" 10 In answer, the whole community threatened to stone them. But then the glory of the LORD appeared at the meeting tent to all the Israelites. 全会众正说要用石头砸死他们时,上主的荣耀在会幕上显示给全以色列子民。 11 And the LORD said to Moses, "How long will this people spurn me? How long will they refuse to believe in me, despite all the signs I have performed among them? 上主对梅瑟说:"这人民轻慢我要到几时呢?我虽在他们中行了那些神迹,他们仍不相信我,要到几时呢? 12 I will strike them with pestilence and wipe them out. Then I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they." 我要用瘟疫打击他们,铲除他们,使你成为一个比他们更强大,更昌盛的民族。" 13 But Moses said to the LORD: "Are the Egyptians to hear of this? For by your power you brought out this people from among them. 但是梅瑟对上主说:"埃及人如果听说这事,因为你曾用威力由他们中领出这民族来, 14 And are they to tell of it to the inhabitants of this land? It has been heard that you, O LORD, are in the midst of this people; you, LORD, who plainly reveal yourself! Your cloud stands over them, and you go before them by day in a column of cloud and by night in a column of fire. 他们将说什么?这地方的居民也曾听说:你上主是在这民族中;你上主曾面对面地发显出来,你的云彩常停在他们上面;白日你乘云柱,黑夜你乘火柱,走在他们前面。 15 If now you slay this whole people, the nations who have heard such reports of you will say, 现在,如果你消灭这民族如消灭一个人一样,这些曾听到你声名的外邦民族必要议论说: 16 ‘The LORD was not able to bring this people into the land he swore to give them; that is why he slaughtered them in the desert.' ‘由于上主不能引这民族进入他对他们所誓许的地方,就在旷野将他们杀了。’ 17 Now then, let the power of my Lord be displayed in its greatness, even as you have said, 吾主,如今求你,大发宽容,如你曾声明说: 18 ‘The LORD is slow to anger and rich in kindness, forgiving wickedness and crime; yet not declaring the guilty guiltless, but punishing children to the third and fourth generation for their fathers' wickedness.' 上主缓于发怒,富于仁慈,宽赦过犯和罪过,但决不豁免惩罚,父亲的过犯,要向子孙追讨,直到三代四代。 19 Pardon, then, the wickedness of this people in keeping with your great kindness, even as you have forgiven them from Egypt until now." 求你大发仁慈,宽恕这人民的罪过,就如从埃及一直到现在,你宽赦了他们一样。" 20 The LORD answered: "I pardon them as you have asked. 上主回答说:"我就照你祈求的宽赦他们; 21 Yet, by my life and the LORD'S glory that fills the whole earth, 但是我以我的生命,以充满全地的上主的荣耀起誓: 22 of all the men who have seen my glory and the signs I worked in Egypt and in the desert, and who nevertheless have put me to the test ten times already and have failed to heed my voice, 这些见了我的荣耀,见了我在埃及和旷野里所行的神迹的人,已十次试探了我,不听我的话, 23 not one shall see the land which I promised on oath to their fathers. None of these who have spurned me shall see it. 他们决不能见我对他们祖先誓许的地方;凡轻慢我的人,决不会见到那地方。 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me unreservedly, I will bring him into the land where he has just been, and his descendants shall possess it. 惟有我的仆人加肋布,因怀有另一种精神,全心服从我,我必引他进入他去过的地方,他的后裔必占有那地方为产业。 25 2 But now, since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn away tomorrow and set out in the desert on the Red Sea road." 现今阿玛肋克人和客纳罕人盘据在山谷中,明天你们应转身向红海出发,往旷野去。" 26 The LORD also said to Moses and Aaron: 上主吩咐梅瑟和亚郎说:" 27 "How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the Israelites against me. 这个邪恶的会众抱怨我要到几时?以色列子民抱怨我的话我都听见了。 28 3 Tell them: By my life, says the LORD, I will do to you just what I have heard you say. 你对他们说:我以我的生命起誓:──上主的断语──我必照你们在我耳中所说的话,对待你们: 29 Here in the desert shall your dead bodies fall. Of all your men of twenty years or more, registered in the census, who grumbled against me, 你, 们中凡二十岁以上登过记的,凡抱怨过我的,都要倒毙在这旷野中。 30 not one shall enter the land where I solemnly swore to settle you, except Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, son of Nun. 你们决不得进入我誓许给你们居住的地方,只有耶孚乃的儿子加肋布和农的儿子若苏厄除外。 31 Your little ones, however, who you said would be taken as booty, I will bring in, and they shall appreciate the land you spurned. 至于你们的幼童,你们曾说他们要当战利品的,我要领他们进去,使他们享受你们所轻视的地方。 32 But as for you, your bodies shall fall here in the desert, 至于你们,你们必倒毙在这旷野中; 33 here where your children must wander for forty years, suffering for your faithlessness, till the last of you lies dead in the desert. 你们的子女要在旷野漂流四十年受你们背信之罚,直到你们的尸首在旷野中烂尽 34 Forty days you spent in scouting the land; forty years shall you suffer for your crimes: one year for each day. Thus you will realize what it means to oppose me. 你们侦探那地方的日子,共计四十天,一天算一年,你们应受四十年的罪罚,叫你们知道我放弃你们是什么一回事。 35 I, the LORD, have sworn to do this to all this wicked community that conspired against me: here in the desert they shall die to the last man." 我上主既说了,也必对这聚集反抗我的邪恶会众这样做:在这旷野他们都要灭绝,在这里都要死荆" 36 And so it happened to the men whom Moses had sent to reconnoiter the land and who on returning had set the whole community grumbling against him by spreading discouraging reports about the land; 梅瑟派遣去侦探那地方的人,回来以后,对那地方散布谣言,致使全会众抱怨梅瑟。 37 these men who had given out the bad report about the land were struck down by the LORD and died. 这些对那地方讲说坏话的人,都遭了灾罚,死在上主面前; 38 Of all the men who had gone to reconnoiter the land, only Joshua, son of Nun, and Caleb, son of Jephunneh, survived. 前去侦探那地方的人,只有农的儿子若苏厄和耶孚乃的儿子加肋布,保全了性命。 39 When Moses repeated these words to all the Israelites, the people felt great remorse. 梅瑟将这些话告诉了全以色列子民;人民都非常忧闷。 40 Early the next morning they started up into the foothills, saying, "Here we are, ready to go up to the place that the LORD spoke of: for we were indeed doing wrong." 次日清晨他们起来,要上山顶去,说:"我们犯了罪,现在我们已准备好,要往上主所说的地方去。" 41 But Moses said, "Why are you again disobeying the LORD'S orders? This cannot succeed. 但是梅瑟说:"你们为什么要违背上主的命令?这事必不会成功。 42 Do not go up, because the LORD is not in your midst; if you go, you will be beaten down before your enemies. 不要上去,因为上主不在你们中间,难免不被敌人击败。 43 For there the Amalekites and Canaanites face you, and you will fall by the sword. You have turned back from following the LORD; therefore the LORD will not be with you." 因为阿玛肋克人和客纳罕人在那里要抵挡你们,你们必丧身刀下;你们既背离了上主,上主自然不再与你们同在。 44 Yet they dared to go up into the foothills, even though neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses left the camp. 他们仍擅自上了山顶;但上主的约柜和梅瑟没有由营幕中移动。 45 4 And the Amalekites and Canaanites who dwelt in that hill country came down and defeated them, beating them back as far as Hormah. 住在山中的阿玛肋克人和客纳罕人就下来,击杀了他们,将他们追击到曷尔玛。 Footnotes〔注解〕 1 [9] They are but food for us: that is, "we can easily consume and destroy them." This is the answer to the pessimistic report that this land "consumes its inhabitants" (Numbers 13:32). 2 [25] The valleys: the low-lying plains in the Negeb and along the seacoast and in the 3 [28-29] God punished the malcontents by giving them their wish; cf Numbers 14:2. Their lack of faith and of confidence in God is cited in 1 Cor 10:10, and Hebrews 3:12-18, as a warning for Christians. 4 [45] Hormah: one of the Canaanite royal cities in southern |