Jonah 1

1 This message from the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai:

那時，上主的話傳給阿米泰的兒子約納說：

2 ‘Arise, go to that great city, Nineveh, and preach against it; for their wickedness is known to me.’

「你起身往尼尼微大城去，向他們宣佈：他們的邪惡已達到我前」。

3 But Jonah started to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

約納卻起身，想躲開上主的面，逃到塔爾史士去：遂下到約培，找到一隻要開往塔爾史士的船，繳了船費，上了船，同他們往塔爾史士去，好躲開上主的面。

4 But the Lord made a furious wind blow over the sea, and there was such a great storm that the ship was in danger of breaking to pieces.

但是上主卻使海上起了大風，海中風浪大作，那隻船眼看就要被擊破。

5 The sailors were terrified and each cried for help to his own god. They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to make the ship lighter. Meanwhile Jonah had gone down into the bottom of the ship and lay fast asleep.

水手們都驚慌起來，每人呼求自己的神，並將船上的貨物拋在海裏，為減輕載重。約納卻下到船艙，躺下沈睡了。

6 The captain of the ship went and said to him, ‘How can you sleep? Call on your god; perhaps that god will think of us, so that we may not be lost.’

船長走到他跟前，向他說：「怎麼，你還在睡覺﹖起來! 呼求你的神吧! 你的神也許會眷念我們，使我們不致喪亡」。

7 The sailors said to one another, ‘Come, let us cast lots to discover on whose account this evil has come upon us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot indicated Jonah.

他們彼此說：「來，我們抽籤，以便知道，我們遇到這場災禍，是因誰的緣故」。他們便抽籤，約納竟抽中了。

8 So they said to him, ‘Are you to blame for this? Tell us, what is your business, and where do you come from? What is your country and to what people do you belong?’

他們向他說：「請告訴我們：我們遇到這場災禍，是因什麼緣故﹖你是幹什麼的﹖從那裏來﹖你是什麼地方的人﹖屬於那一個民族﹖」

9 He replied, ‘I am a Hebrew, and a worshipper of the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’

他回答他們說：「我是個希伯來人，我敬畏的，是那創造海洋和陸地的上天的上主天主。」

10 Then the men were greatly frightened and said to him, ‘What have you done?’ For they knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

那些人都很害怕，就對他說：「怎麼你做了這事﹖」人們都知道，他是從天主面前逃跑的，因為他已告訴了他們。

11 Then they said to him, ‘What should we do to you, to make the sea calm for us?’ For the sea grew more and more stormy.

他們又向他說：「我們該怎樣處置你，才能使海為我們而平靜﹖」因為海越來越洶湧了。

12 He said to them, ‘Take me up and throw me into the sea, and the sea will be calm for you, for I know that it is because of me this fierce storm has overtaken you.’

他對他們說：「你們舉起我，將我拋在海裏，海就會為你們平靜下來，因為我知道，這場大風暴，臨到你們身上，只是因了我的緣故。」

13 But instead the men rowed hard to get back to the land; they could not, however, for the sea grew more and more stormy ahead.

眾人雖然盡力搖櫓，想回到海岸，卻是不能，因為海上風暴，越來越洶湧。

14 So they cried to the Lord and said, ‘We beg you, Lord, we beg you, don’t let us die for this man’s life, and don’t let us be guilty of shedding innocent blood, for you are the Lord; you have done as it pleases you.’

所以他們便呼求上主說：「上主! 求你不要因這一個人的性命，使我們全部喪亡；不要將無辜者的血，歸在我們身上，因為你是上主，就按你的意願作吧! 」

15 And they took up Jonah, and threw him into the sea; and the sea became calm.

他們於是舉起約納，將他拋在海裏，海遂平靜。

16 Then the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice and made vows to him.

眾人都極其敬畏上主，遂向上主祭獻，許下誓願。

17 But the Lord arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

上主安排了一條大魚，吞了約納；約納在魚腹裏，三天三夜。