1 Samuel 1 1 2 and as she worshiped the LORD, she said: "My heart exults in the LORD,my horn is exalted in my God.I have swallowed up my enemies;I rejoice in my victory. 亚纳祈祷说:"我从心里喜乐于上主,我的头因上主而高仰;我可开口嘲笑我的敌人,因为我喜乐于你的救助。 2 There is no Holy One like the LORD;there in no Rock like our God. 没有圣者,相似上主;除了你以外,没有另一位;没有盘石,相似我们的天主。 3 3 "Speak boastfully no longer,nor let arrogance issue from your mouths.For an all-knowing God is the LORD,a God who judges deeds. 你们别再三说诳言,别口出豪语;上主是全知的天主,人的行为由他衡量。 4 The bows of the mighty are broken, 壮士的弓已被折断,衰弱者反而力量倍增。 5 The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,while the hungry batten on spoil. 曾享饱饫的,今佣工求食;曾受饥饿的,今无须劳役;不妊的生了七子,多产者反而生育停顿。 6 "The LORD puts to death and gives life; 上主使人死,也使人活;使人降入阴府,也将人由阴府提出; 7 The LORD makes poor and makes rich, 上主使人穷,也使人富; 贬抑人,也举扬人; 8 He raises the needy from the dust;from the ash heap he lifts up the poor,To seat them with noblesand make a glorious throne their heritage.He gives to the vower his vow,and blesses the sleep of the just."For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, 上主由尘埃中提拔卑贱者,从粪土中高举贫穷者,使他与王侯同席,承受光荣座位;大地的支柱原属上主,支柱上奠定了世界。 9 He will guard the footsteps of his faithful ones,but the wicked shall perish in the darkness.For not by strength does man prevail; 他保护虔诚者的脚步,使恶人在黑暗中灭亡,因为人决不能凭己力获胜, 10 the LORD'S foes shall be shattered.The Most High in heaven thunders;The LORD judges the ends of the earth,Now may he give strength to his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed!" 那与上主敌对的必被粉碎。至高者在天主鸣雷,上主要裁判地极,赐予自己的君王能力,高举受傅者的冠冕。" 11 When Elkanah returned home to Ramah, the child remained in the service of the LORD under the priest Eli. 以后厄耳卡纳回了辣玛本家。幼童却留在厄里大司祭前,奉事上主。 12 Now the sons of Eli were wicked; they had respect neither for the LORD 厄里的两个儿子原是无恶不做的人,不怀念上主, 13 nor for the priests' duties toward the people. When someone offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fork, while the meat was still boiling, 也不关心司祭对人民的义务;若有人来杀牲献祭,到煮祭肉时,司祭的僮仆便来,手持三齿叉, 14 and would thrust it into the basin, kettle, caldron, or pot. Whatever the fork brought up, the priest would keep. That is how all the Israelites were treated who came to the sanctuary at 插入鼎里,锅里,甑里或镬里,凡叉上来的,司祭就拿去自用;他们常这样对待所有到史罗来的以色列人。 15 In fact, even before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man offering the sacrifice, "Give me some meat to roast for the priest. He will not accept boiled meat from you, only raw meat." 甚或在焚化油脂以前,司祭的僮仆来对献祭的人说:"把肉给司祭去烤罢!他不向你要熟肉,他要生肉。" 16 And if the man protested to him, "Let the fat be burned first as is the custom, then take whatever you wish," he would reply, "No, give it to me now, or else I will take it by force." 如果人答应说:"先得将油脂焚化,然后你可随意拿去。"他必答说:"不,应立刻给我;不然,我就来抢。" 17 Thus the young men sinned grievously in the presence of the LORD; they treated the offerings to the LORD with disdain. 这两个少年人在上主前犯的罪极重,因为轻视了献于上主的祭品。 18 4 Meanwhile the boy Samuel, girt with a linen apron, was serving in the presence of the LORD. 撒慕尔幼童穿著细麻的"厄弗得,"在上主面前供职。 19 His mother used to make a little garment for him, which she would bring him each time she went up with her husband to offer the customary sacrifice. 他的母亲每年给他做一件小外氅,当她同丈夫上来献年祭时,就给他带来。 20 And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, as they were leaving for home. He would say, "May the LORD repay you with children from this woman for the gift she has made to the LORD!" 厄里祝福厄耳卡纳和他的妻子说:"愿上主由这妇人再赏你一个儿子,代替献给上主的这一个!"然后他们就回了本乡。 21 The LORD favored Hannah so that she conceived and gave birth to three more sons and two daughters, while young Samuel grew up in the service of the LORD. 主看顾了亚纳她怀孕生了三男二女。撒慕尔幼童在上主前渐渐长大。 22 5 When Eli was very old, he heard repeatedly how his sons were treating all 厄里已经很老。他听说他的两个儿子对众以色列人所做的一切,和他们与社会幕门旁服役的妇女同睡的事, 23 So he said to them: "Why are you doing such things? 24 No, my sons, you must not do these things! It is not a good report that I hear the people of the LORD spreading about you. 我儿,不要这样!我所听见的风声实在不好,你们竟使百姓远离了上主! 25 If a man sins against another man, one can intercede for him with the LORD; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?" But they disregarded their father's warning, since the LORD had decided on their death. 若得罪人,尚有天主审断;人若得罪上主,有谁为他求情呢?"但是他们仍不听父亲的话,因为上主有意使他们丧亡。 26 Meanwhile, young Samuel was growing in stature and in worth in the estimation of the LORD and of men. 撒慕尔幼童渐渐长大,为上主和人所喜爱。 27 6 A man of God came to Eli and said to him: "This is what the LORD says: 'I went so far as to reveal myself to your father's family when they were in Egypt as slaves to the house of Pharaoh. 有一位天主的人来到厄里面前对他说:"上主这样说:当你祖先的家人还在埃及法郎家中当奴隶时,我不是再三显现给他们吗? 28 7 I chose them out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priests, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the ephod before me; and I assigned all the oblations of the Israelites to your father's family. 我不是从以色列众支派中,特选了他们作我的司祭,上我的祭坛焚香献祭,穿"厄弗得"到我面前来,并将以色列子民的火祭祭品全赐给了你的父家吗? 29 Why do you keep a greedy eye on my sacrifices and on the offerings which I have prescribed? And why do you honor your sons in preference to me, fattening yourselves with the choicest part of every offering of my people 那么,你为什么还要嫉视我所规定的牺牲和素祭呢?竟重视你的儿子在我以上,用我的人民以色列所献的最好的一份,养肥了他们? 30 This, therefore, is the oracle of the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘I said in the past that your family and your father's family should minister in my presence forever. But now,' the LORD declares, 'away with this! for I will honor those who honor me, but those who spurn me shall be accursed. 因此,请听上主以色列天主的断语:我曾许下,你的家和你的父家要在我面前永远往来,但是现在,──上主的断语──决不能如此!只有那光荣我的,我才光荣他;那轻视我的,必受轻视。 31 Yes, the time is coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father's family, so that no man in your family shall reach old age. 时日快到了,那时我要砍下你的臂膊和你父家的臂膊,使你家里再没有权威的长者。 32 You shall witness as a disappointed rival all the benefits enjoyed by 以后,你要嫉视我赐与以色列人的一切幸福,可是在你家里永不会再有权威的长者; 33 I will permit some of your family to remain at my altar, to wear out their eyes in consuming greed; but the rest of the men of your family shall die by the sword. 我也不愿将你的人由我的祭坛上尽行消灭,致使你的眼目昏花,心神忧伤;但你家中大多数的人要死在人家的刀下。 34 You shall have a sign in what will happen to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: both shall die on the same day. 你的两个儿子曷弗尼和丕乃哈斯所要遭遇的,为你就是个先兆:他们两人要在同一天死掉。 35 I will choose a faithful priest who shall do what I have in heart and mind. I will establish a lasting house for him which shall function in the presence of my anointed forever. 我要为我兴起一位忠信的司祭,他要照我的心意行事,我要给他建立一个坚固的家庭,他一生要在我的受傅者前往来。 36 Then whoever is left of your family will come to grovel before him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread, and will say: Appoint me, I beg you, to a priestly function, that I may have a morsel of bread to eat.'" 那时,凡你家中所存留的人,必要叩拜他,为得到一点钱或一片饼说:求你容我参与任何一种司祭职务,使我可以糊口。" Footnotes(注解) 1 [1-10] A hymn attributed to Hannah, the mother of Samuel, as her thanksgiving to God because she has borne a son despite her previous sterility. She praises God as the helper of the weak (1 Sam 2:1-2), who casts down the mighty and raises up the lowly (1 Sam 2:3-5), and who alone is the source of true strength (1 Sam 2:8-10); the hymn ends with a prayer for the king (1 Sam 2:10). This canticle has several points of resemblance with our Lady's Magnificat. 2 [1] Horn: the symbol of strength; cf Psalm 18:3; 75:5; 89:18; 112:9. 3 [3] Speak . . . mouths: addressed to the enemies mentioned in 1 Sam 2:1. 4 [18] Linen apron: called in Hebrew "ephod," but not the same as the high priest's ephod (Exodus 28:6-14) or the ephod used in divination (1 Sam 2:28). Samuel wore a simple apron such as was worn by the priests (1 Sam 22:18), and on one occasion also by David (2 Sam 6:14). 5 [22] The bracketed words, which recall Exodus 38:8, are a gloss in the received text; they are lacking in the oldest Greek translation, and in a Hebrew manuscript from 6 [27-36] These verses propose the punishment of Eli from a point of view contemporary with the reform of Josiah (2 Kings 23:9; cf 1 Sam 2:36); they hint at the events recorded in 1 Sam 22:18-23 and 1 Kings 2:27. The older story of this divine warning is that in 1 Sam 3:11-14 7 [28] Ephod: a portable container, presumably of cloth, for the lots used in ritual consultation of God during the days of the Judges (Judges 17:5; 18:14-15) and down into the time of David (1 Sam 14:3-5; 23:6-8; 30:7-8). The ephod of the high priest described in Exodus 28:6-8 becomes a garment upon which a breastpiece of decision symbolizes, but no longer serves for, such consultation. The Exodus text codifies a later form of the tradition. |