1 Kings 20
1 Ben-hadad, king of Aram, called up his entire army. Together with thirty-two kings and their assembled horses and chariots, he marched to besiege Samaria, to fight against it.
亞蘭王便‧哈達聚集他的全軍，率領三十二個王，帶着車馬上來圍攻撒馬利亞；
2 He sent messengers to Ahab, king of Israel, in the city to tell him, “This is what Ben-hadad says:
又差遣使者進城見以色列王亞哈，對他說：「便‧哈達如此說：
3 Your silver and gold belong to me now, and your best wives and children also belong to me!”
你的金銀都要歸我，你妻子兒女中最美的也要歸我。」
4 “It's as you say, my lord the king,” the king of Israel replied. “I am yours, as well as everything that belongs to me.”
以色列王回答說：「我主我王啊，可以依着你的話，我與我所有的都歸你。」
5 The messengers returned and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: I have sent you a message demanding you give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children.
使者又來說：「便‧哈達如此說：我已差遣人去見你，要你將你的金銀、妻子、兒女都給我。
6 But around this time tomorrow I'm going to send my men to search your palace and the homes of your officials. They will take and carry away everything you see as valuable.”
但明日約在這時候，我還要差遣臣僕到你那裏，搜查你的家和你僕人的家，將你眼中一切所喜愛的都拿了去。」
7 The king of Israel called all the elders of the land and told them, “Look how this man is trying to cause trouble! When he demanded my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I didn't say no.”
以色列王召了國中的長老來，對他們說：「請你們看看，這人是怎樣地謀害我，他先差遣人到我這裏來，要我的妻子、兒女，和金銀，我並沒有推辭他。」
8 All the elders and all the people present responded, “Don't listen to him. Don't agree to his demands.”
長老和百姓對王說：「不要聽從他，也不要應允他。」
9 So the king told Ben-hadad's messengers, “Tell my lord the king: Everything you demanded at first your servant will do, but I cannot agree to this latest demand.” The messengers took the reply back to him.
故此，以色列王對便‧哈達的使者說：「你們告訴我主我王說：王頭一次差遣人向僕人所要的，僕人都依從；但這次所要的，我不能依從。」使者就去回覆便‧哈達。
10 Ben-hadad responded to him, “May the gods do as much to me and more if there remains enough dust in Samaria to give my subjects a handful each!”
便‧哈達又差遣人去見亞哈說：「撒馬利亞的塵土若夠跟從我的人每人捧一捧的，願神明重重地降罰與我！」
11 The king of Israel replied, “Tell him this: A man putting on his armor should not brag like one who is taking it off.”
以色列王說：「你告訴他說，才頂盔貫甲的，休要像摘盔卸甲的誇口。」
12 Ben-hadad received this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents. He immediately gave the order to his officers, “Get ready to attack!” So they prepared to attack the city.
便‧哈達和諸王正在帳幕裏喝酒，聽見這話，就對他臣僕說：「擺隊吧！」他們就擺隊攻城。
13 At the same time a prophet came up to Ahab, king of Israel, and told him, “This is what the Lord says: You see this massive army? Just watch, because I will make you victorious today, and you will be convinced that I am the Lord.”
有一個先知來見以色列王亞哈，說：「耶和華如此說：『這一大群人你看見了嗎？今日我必將他們交在你手裏，你就知道我是耶和華。』」
14 “But who's going to do this?” Ahab asked. The prophet answered, “This is what the Lord says: It will be the young officers under the district commanders.” “And who's going to start the battle?” he asked. The prophet replied, “You are!”
亞哈說：「藉着誰呢？」他回答說：「耶和華說，藉着跟從省長的少年人。」亞哈說：「要誰率領呢？」他說：「要你親自率領。」
15 So Ahab called up the 232 young officers of the district commanders, and assembled the 7,000 soldiers that made up Israel's army.
於是亞哈數點跟從省長的少年人，共有二百三十二名，後又數點以色列的眾兵，共有七千名。
16 They left at noon while Ben-hadad and the thirty-two kings with him were busy getting drunk in their tents.
午間，他們就出城；便‧哈達和幫助他的三十二個王正在帳幕裏痛飲。
17 The young officers of the district commanders took the lead. The scouts Ben-hadad had sent out came and reported to him, “Enemy soldiers are advancing from Samaria.”
跟從省長的少年人先出城；便‧哈達差遣人去探望，他們回報說：「有人從撒馬利亞出來了。」
18 “If they're coming in peace, take them alive,” he ordered. “If they're coming to attack, take them alive.”
他說：「他們若為講和出來，要活捉他們；若為打仗出來，也要活捉他們。」
19 The young officers of the district commanders advanced from the city, followed by the army.
跟從省長的少年人出城，軍兵跟隨他們；
20 Each man killed his opponent, and the Arameans ran away. The Israelites chased them, but Ben-hadad, king of Aram, escaped on horseback with his cavalry.
各人遇見敵人就殺。亞蘭人逃跑，以色列人追趕他們；亞蘭王便‧哈達騎着馬和馬兵一同逃跑。
21 Then the king of Israel came out and attacked the horses and chariots. He inflicted a great defeat on the Arameans.
以色列王出城攻打車馬，大大擊殺亞蘭人。
22 Later on the prophet came to the king of Israel and told him, “Go and reinforce your defenses, and check what you need to do, because in the spring the king of Aram will come and attack you again.”
那先知來見以色列王，對他說：「你當自強，留心怎樣防備；因為到明年這時候，亞蘭王必上來攻擊你。」
23 In the meantime the king of Aram's officers told him, “Their gods are gods of the mountains. That's why they could defeat us. But if we fight them in the lowlands, we can beat them.
亞蘭王的臣僕對亞蘭王說：「以色列人的神是山神，所以他們勝過我們；但在平原與他們打仗，我們必定得勝。
24 You should do this: remove each of the kings from their positions and replace them with commanders.
王當這樣行：把諸王革去，派軍長代替他們，
25 You also have to raise another army to replace the one you lost—horse for horse, chariot for chariot. Then we can fight them in the lowlands and we will definitely beat them.” Ben-hadad listened to their advice and did as they said.
又照着王喪失軍兵之數，再招募一軍，馬補馬，車補車，我們在平原與他們打仗，必定得勝。」王便聽臣僕的話去行。
26 When spring came Ben-hadad called up the Aramean army and went to attack Israel at Aphek.
次年，便‧哈達果然點齊亞蘭人上亞弗去，要與以色列人打仗。
27 The Israelite army was also called up and provided with supplies. They went to confront the Arameans. But when the Israelites set up their camp opposite the enemy they looked like couple of flocks of goats in comparison with the Aramean army that filled the whole land.
以色列人也點齊軍兵，預備食物，迎着亞蘭人出去，對着他們安營，好像兩小群山羊羔；亞蘭人卻滿了地面。
28 Then the man of God came to the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: Because the Arameans have said, ‘The Lord is only a god of the mountains and not of the valleys,’ I will make you victorious over the whole of this massive army. Then you will be convinced that I am the Lord.”
有神人來見以色列王，說：「耶和華如此說：『亞蘭人既說我－耶和華是山神，不是平原的神，所以我必將這一大群人都交在你手中，你們就知道我是耶和華。』」
29 The armies camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle took place. The Israelites killed 100,000 of the Aramean infantry in one day.
以色列人與亞蘭人相對安營七日，到第七日兩軍交戰；那一日以色列人殺了亞蘭人步兵十萬，
30 The rest ran away to the town of Aphek, where a wall collapsed on 27,000 of those that remained. Ben-hadad also ran to the town and hid in an inside room.
其餘的逃入亞弗城；城牆塌倒，壓死剩下的二萬七千人。 便‧哈達也逃入城，藏在嚴密的屋子裏。
31 Ben-hadad's officers said to him, “Look, we've heard that the Israelite kings are merciful. Let's surrender to the king of Israel, wearing sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads. Maybe he will let you live.”
他的臣僕對他說：「我們聽說以色列王都是仁慈的王，現在我們不如腰束麻布，頭套繩索，出去投降以色列王，或者他存留王的性命。」
32 So wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads, they went and surrendered to the king of Israel, and told him, “Your servant Ben-hadad asks, ‘Please let me live.’” The king replied “Is he still alive? I think of him as my brother.”
於是他們腰束麻布，頭套繩索，去見以色列王，說：「王的僕人便‧哈達說，求王存留我的性命。」亞哈說：「他還活着嗎？他是我的兄弟。」
33 The men thought this was a good sign and they immediately took the king at his word, saying, “Yes, Ben-hahad is your brother.” “Go and fetch him!” said the king. So Ben-hadad came out of hiding and surrendered to Ahab, who pulled him up into his chariot.
這些人留心探出他的口氣來，便急忙就着他的話說：「便‧哈達是王的兄弟！」王說：「你們去請他來。」便‧哈達出來見王，王就請他上車。
34 Ben-hadad said to him, “I will return the towns my father took from your father, and you can organize your own places for trade in Damascus, like my father did in Samaria.” “By making this agreement I set you free,” Ahab replied. He made a treaty with Ben-hadad and let him go.
便‧哈達對王說：「我父從你父那裏所奪的城邑，我必歸還。你可以在大馬士革立街市，像我父在撒馬利亞所立的一樣。」亞哈說：「我照此立約，放你回去」，就與他立約，放他去了。
35 Following a message he received from the Lord, one of the sons of the prophets said to his colleague, “Please hit me.” But the man refused to hit him.
有先知的一個門徒奉耶和華的命對他的同伴說：「你打我吧！」那人不肯打他。
36 So the prophet told him, “Since you have not done what the Lord said, once you leave me a lion is going to kill you.” When the man left, a lion came and killed him.
他就對那人說：「你既不聽從耶和華的話，你一離開我，必有獅子咬死你。」那人一離開他，果然遇見獅子，把他咬死了。
37 The prophet found another man and said, “Please hit me!” So the man hit him, wounding him.
先知的門徒又遇見一個人，對他說：「你打我吧！」那人就打他，將他打傷。
38 Then the prophet went and stood beside the road, waiting for the king. He had disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.
他就去了，用頭巾蒙眼，改換面目，在路旁等候王。
39 As the king was passing by, he shouted out to the king: “Your servant had gone out fighting right in the middle of the battle, when all of a sudden a man came over with a prisoner and told me, ‘Guard this man! If for any reason he escapes, you will pay for his life with your life, or you will be fined a talent of silver.’
王從那裏經過，他向王呼叫說：「僕人在陣上的時候，有人帶了一個人來，對我說：『你看守這人，若把他失了，你的性命必代替他的性命；不然，你必交出一他連得銀子來。』
40 But while your servant was busy with other things, the man got away.” “So that will be your punishment then,” the king of Israel told him. “You have sentenced yourself.”
僕人正在忙亂之間，那人就不見了。」以色列王對他說：「你自己定妥了，必照樣判斷你。」
41 Then the prophet quickly took off the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized he was one of the prophets.
他急忙除掉蒙眼的頭巾，以色列王就認出他是一個先知。
42 He told the king, “This is what the Lord says: You have let go a man I had decided should die. Therefore you will pay for his life with your life, your people for his people.”
他對王說：「耶和華如此說：『因你將我定要滅絕的人放去，你的命就必代替他的命，你的民也必代替他的民。』」
43 The king of Israel went home to Samaria, sulking and infuriated.
於是以色列王悶悶不樂地回到撒馬利亞，進了他的宮。
