列王紀下 6
1 先知門徒對以利沙說：「看哪，我們同你所住的地方過於窄小，
One day a group of prophets said to Elisha, “Look, this place where we meet together with you is very small.
2 求你容我們往約旦河去，各人從那裏取一根木料建造房屋居住。」他說：「你們去吧！」
Allow us to go to the Jordan [River and cut down some trees to make] logs to build a new meeting place.” So Elisha said, “Okay, go.”
3 有一人說：「求你與僕人同去。」回答說：「我可以去。」
One of them said to Elisha, “Please come with us.” So Elisha replied, “Okay, I will go with you.”
4 於是以利沙與他們同去。到了約旦河，就砍伐樹木。
So they went together. When they reached the Jordan [River], they cut down some trees.
5 有一人砍樹的時候，斧頭掉在水裏，他就呼叫說：「哀哉！我主啊，這斧子是借的。」
But while one of them was cutting down a tree, suddenly the axe head [separated from the handle and] fell into the water. He cried out to Elisha, “O, Master, what shall I do? [The axe is not mine]; I borrowed it!”
6 神人問說：「掉在哪裏了？」他將那地方指給以利沙看。以利沙砍了一根木頭，拋在水裏，斧頭就漂上來了。
Elisha replied, “Where did it fall into the water?” After the man showed him the place, Elisha cut off a stick, and threw it into the water, and caused the iron axe head to float [on top of the water].
7 以利沙說：「拿起來吧！」那人就伸手拿起來了。
Elisha said, “Take it out of the water.” So the man reached his hand down and picked up the axe head.
8 亞蘭王與以色列人爭戰，和他的臣僕商議說：「我要在某處某處安營。」
Whenever the king of Syria [prepared to send his army to] fight against Israel, he first consulted his officers, and then told them where they should set up their tents.
9 神人打發人去見以色列王，說：「你要謹慎，不要從某處經過，因為亞蘭人從那裏下來了。」
But each time, Elisha would send a message to warn the king of Israel, [telling him where the army of Syria was planning to attack them, ] saying, “Be sure that your army does not go near that place, because the army of Syria has set up their tents there.”
10 以色列王差人去窺探神人所告訴所警戒他去的地方，就防備未受其害，不止一兩次。
So the king of Israel would send [messengers] to warn [the people who lived in] that place, and the people would remain on guard. That happened several times.
11 亞蘭王因這事心裏驚疑，召了臣僕來，對他們說：「我們這裏有誰幫助以色列王，你們不指給我嗎？」
The king of Syria was very upset/disturbed/angry about that. So he summoned his army officers and said to them, “[Obviously] one of you is (betraying us/revealing our plans) to the king of Israel. Which one of you is doing it?”
12 有一個臣僕說：「我主，我王！無人幫助他，只有以色列中的先知以利沙，將王在臥房所說的話告訴以色列王了。」
One of his officers answered, “Your Majesty, it is not one of us. Elisha the prophet [knows what we plan to do, and he] tells the king of Israel everything. He even knows what you say in your own bedroom!”
13 王說：「你們去探他在哪裏，我好打發人去捉拿他。」有人告訴王說：「他在多坍。」
The king of Syria replied, “Go and find out where he is, and I will send [some men there] to capture him.” Someone told him, “People say that he is in Dothan [town north of Samaria].”
14 王就打發車馬和大軍往那裏去，夜間到了，圍困那城。
So the king sent a large group of soldiers [to Dothan] with horses and chariots. They arrived at night and surrounded the town.
15 神人的僕人清早起來出去，看見車馬軍兵圍困了城。僕人對神人說：「哀哉！我主啊，我們怎樣行才好呢？」
Early the next morning, Elisha’s servant got up and went outside the house. He saw the soldiers of Syria with their horses and chariots surrounding the town. So he went inside [the house and reported it to Elisha] and exclaimed, “O, sir! What are we going to do?”
16 神人說：「不要懼怕！與我們同在的比與他們同在的更多。」
Elisha replied, “Do not be afraid! Those who will be helping us will be more than those who will be helping them!”
17 以利沙禱告說：「耶和華啊，求你開這少年人的眼目，使他能看見。」耶和華開他的眼目，他就看見滿山有火車火馬圍繞以利沙。
Then he prayed, “Yahweh, I request that you open my servant’s eyes in order that he can see [what is out there]!” So Yahweh enabled the servant to look out and see that surrounding the hill on which the town [was built] was a huge number of horses, and chariots made of fire!
18 敵人下到以利沙那裏，以利沙禱告耶和華說：「求你使這些人的眼目昏迷。」耶和華就照以利沙的話，使他們的眼目昏迷。
When the army of Syria prepared to attack Elisha, he prayed again, saying, “Yahweh, cause all these soldiers to become blind!” Yahweh answered his prayer and caused them to be unable to see clearly.
19 以利沙對他們說：「這不是那道，也不是那城；你們跟我去，我必領你們到所尋找的人那裏。」於是領他們到了撒馬利亞。
Then Elisha went to them and said, “You are not on the right road; this is not the city that you are searching for. I will take you to the man whom you are searching for.” But he led them to Samaria, [the capital of Israel]!
20 他們進了撒馬利亞，以利沙禱告說：「耶和華啊，求你開這些人的眼目，使他們能看見。」耶和華開他們的眼目，他們就看見了，不料，是在撒馬利亞的城中。
As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha prayed again, saying, “Yahweh, now enable these soldiers to see correctly again!” So Yahweh enabled them to see correctly, and they were surprised to see that they were inside Samaria [city].
21 以色列王見了他們，就問以利沙說：「我父啊，我可以擊殺他們嗎？」
When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Sir, shall I [tell my soldiers to] kill them? Shall we kill all of them?”
22 回答說：「不可擊殺他們！就是你用刀用弓擄來的，豈可擊殺他們嗎？當在他們面前設擺飲食，使他們吃喝回到他們的主人那裏。」
Elisha replied, “No, you must not kill them. If your army captured many of your enemies in a battle, you would certainly not [RHQ] kill them. Give these men something to eat and drink, and then allow them to return to their king.”
23 王就為他們預備了許多食物；他們吃喝完了，打發他們回到他們主人那裏。從此，亞蘭軍不再犯以色列境了。
So the king of Israel did that. He told his servants to provide a big feast for them. And when they had eaten and drunk plenty, he sent them away. They returned to the king of Syria [and told him what had happened]. So for a while after that, soldiers from Syria stopped raiding/attacking towns in Israel.
24 此後，亞蘭王便‧哈達聚集他的全軍，上來圍困撒馬利亞。
But some time later, Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, assembled his entire army, and they went to Samaria and surrounded the city [for a long time].
25 於是撒馬利亞被圍困，有饑荒，甚至一個驢頭值銀八十舍客勒，二升鴿子糞值銀五舍客勒。
Because of that, after a while there was hardly any food left inside the city, with the result that eventually a donkey’s head, [which was usually worthless, ] cost eighty pieces of silver, and (one cup/0.3 liter) of dove’s dung cost five pieces of silver.
26 一日，以色列王在城上經過，有一個婦人向他呼叫說：「我主，我王啊！求你幫助。」
One day when the king of Israel was walking on top of the city wall, a woman cried out to him, “Your Majesty, help me!”
27 王說：「耶和華不幫助你，我從何處幫助你？是從禾場，是從酒醡呢？」
He replied, “If Yahweh will not help you, I certainly cannot [RHQ] help you. I certainly [RHQ] do not have any wheat or wine!
28 王問婦人說：「你有甚麼苦處？」她回答說：「這婦人對我說：『將你的兒子取來，我們今日可以吃，明日可以吃我的兒子。』
What is your problem?” She replied, “Several days ago, that woman [over there] said to me, ‘[Because we have nothing left to eat, ] let’s kill your son today, in order that we can eat his flesh. Then tomorrow we can [kill] my son [and] eat his flesh.’
29 我們就煮了我的兒子吃了。次日我對她說：『要將你的兒子取來，我們可以吃。』她卻將她的兒子藏起來了。」
So we [killed my son and cut his body up and] boiled his flesh and ate it. The next day, I said to her, ‘Now give your son to me, in order that we can [kill him and cook his flesh and] eat it.’ But she has hidden her son!”
30 王聽見婦人的話，就撕裂衣服；（王在城上經過）百姓看見王貼身穿着麻衣。
When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his robe [to show that he was very distressed]. The people who were standing close to the wall were able to see that the king was wearing rough cloth underneath his robe [because he was very distressed].
31 王說：「我今日若容沙法的兒子以利沙的頭仍在他項上，願上帝重重地降罰與我！」
The king exclaimed, “I wish/hope that God will strike me dead if I do not cut off the head of Elisha today, [because he is the one who has caused these terrible things to happen to us]!”
32 那時，以利沙正坐在家中，長老也與他同坐。王打發一個伺候他的人去；他還沒有到，以利沙對長老說：「你們看這兇手之子，打發人來斬我的頭；你們看着使者來到，就關上門，用門將他推出去。在他後頭不是有他主人腳步的響聲嗎？」
So the king sent an officer to get Elisha. Before the officer arrived, Elisha was sitting in his house with some Israeli elders who were talking with him. Elisha said to them, “That murderer, [the king of Israel, ] is sending someone here to kill me. Listen: When he arrives, shut the door and do not allow him to come in. And the king will be coming right behind that officer!”
33 正說話的時候，使者來到，王也到了，說：「這災禍是從耶和華那裏來的，我何必再仰望耶和華呢？」
And while he was still speaking, the king and the officer arrived. The king said, “It is Yahweh who has caused us to have all this trouble/suffering. (Why should I wait any longer [RHQ] for him to do something [to help us]?/It is useless for me to wait any longer for him [to help us]!)”
