Deuteronomy 9

1 Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fortified up to heaven,

以色列，請聽! 你今天就要過約但河，去征服比你強大的民族，廣大的城邑和高可摩天的要塞。

2 A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard it said, Who can stand before the children of Anak!

那高大的民族，即阿納克的子孫，是你所知道的，論到他們，你曾聽說過：「誰能抵抗阿納克的子孫﹖」

3 Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he who goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said to thee.

但你今天應該知道，上主你的天主要如吞滅的火，親自走在你前面，是他要消滅他們，是他要他們在你面前屈服；這樣你纔能將他們驅逐，使他們迅速毀滅，一如上主對你所說的。

4 Speak not thou in thy heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.

當上主你的天主將他們由你面前驅逐以後，你心中不要想：上主領我來佔領這地方，是因了我的義德。其實是因這些民族的罪惡，上主才將他們由你面前趕走。

5 Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD swore to thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

你能去佔領他們的土地，並不是因了你的義德，也不是因了你心地正直，而實是因這些民族的罪惡，上主你的天主纔將他們由你面前趕走；同時也是為實踐上主向你祖先亞巴郎、依撒格和雅各伯起誓所許的諾言。

6 Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.

由此可知，上主你的天主，把這肥美的土地賜給你作產業，並不是因了你的義德，因為你原是一個執拗的民族。

7 Remember, and forget not, how thou didst provoke the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart from the land of Egypt, until ye came to this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD.

你當記念不忘：你在曠野裏怎樣激怒了上主你的天主。自從你由埃及地出來的那天起，直到你們來到這地方，你們常是反抗上主。

8 Also in Horeb ye provoked the LORD to wrath, so that the LORD was angry with you to have destroyed you.

你們在曷勒布激怒了上主，致使上主對你們發怒，幾乎將你們消滅。

9 When I went up to the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither ate bread nor drank water:

那時我上了山，要接受石版，就是上主與你們結約的石版，我在山上住了四十天四十夜，不吃不喝；

10 And the LORD delivered to me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spoke with you in the mount from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.

上主交給了我兩塊天主用手指寫上字的石版。上面所寫的，是上主於集會之日，在山上由火中對你們所說的一切話。

11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.

過了四十天四十夜，天主交給了我那兩塊石版、即約版，

12 And the LORD said to me, Arise, go down quickly from here; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.

然後對我說：「起來，趕快下去，因為你由埃及領出來的人民已敗壞了，他們很快就離棄了我給他們指定的道路，為自己鑄造了偶像。」

13 Furthermore the LORD spoke to me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

上主又對我說：「我看這民族，確是一個執拗的民族。

14 Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.

你且由著我罷! 我要消滅他們，由天下抹去他們的名字；我要使你成為一個比他們更大更多的民族。」

15 So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.

我於是轉身從冒火的山上下來，手中拿著兩塊約版。

16 And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly from the way which the LORD had commanded you.

我一看見你們鑄造了牛犢，犯罪背叛了上主你們的天主，迅速離棄了上主給你們指定的道路，

17 And I took the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and broke them before your eyes.

我就把那兩塊石版，由我手中扔下去，在你們眼前摔得粉碎。

18 And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I neither ate bread, nor drank water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

為了你們所犯的一切罪過，作了上主眼中視為惡的事，使他惱怒，我就像上次一樣俯伏在上主面前，四十天四十夜不吃不喝。

19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, with which the LORD was angry with you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened to me at that time also.

因為上主對你們大發忿怒，要消滅你們，我實在恐懼不安；但上主這次又俯聽了我。

20 And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.

同樣，上主對亞郎也大發忿怒，要消滅他；那時我也為亞郎祈求過。

21 And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust: and I cast the dust of it into the brook that descended from the mount.

我把你們犯罪所鑄造的牛犢，放在火裏燒了；然後搗碎，磨成細末，將細末拋在由山上流下來的溪水內。

22 And at Taberah, and at Massah, and Kibrothhattaavah, ye provoked the LORD to wrath.

以後，你們在塔貝辣、瑪撒、克貝洛特阿塔瓦又激怒了上主。

23 Likewise when the LORD sent you from Kadeshbarnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given you; then ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and ye believed him not, nor hearkened to his voice.

當上主命你們由卡德士巴爾乃亞起程，說：「你們上去佔領我賜給你們的地方。」你們又違背了上主你們天主的命令，沒有信賴他，也沒有聽他的命。

24 Ye have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you.

自從我認識你們那天起，你們常是背叛上主。

25 Thus I fell down before the LORD forty days and forty nights, as I fell down at the first; because the LORD had said he would destroy you.

因為上主決意要消滅你們，我就四十天四十夜俯伏在上主面前，

26 I prayed therefore to the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, destroy not thy people and thy inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

哀求上主說：吾主上主! 不要消滅你的百姓，你的產業，因為是你以大能救出來的，是你以強力的手由埃及領出來的，

27 Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not to the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin:

求你記念你的僕人亞巴郎、依撒格和雅各伯，別看這民族的頑固、邪惡和罪過，

28 Lest the land from which thou hast brought us should say, Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness.

免得你領我們出來的那地方的人說：這是由於上主不能領他們進入所許給他們的地方，又由於恨他們纔領他們出來，叫他們死在曠野。

29 Yet they are thy people and thy inheritance, which thou hast brought out by thy mighty power and by thy outstretched arm.

他們畢竟是你的百姓，是你的產業，是你以大能和伸開的手臂領出來的。