以色列人的认罪
这月二十四日，以色列人聚集禁食，他们披麻蒙灰。
Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
2以色列的后裔与所有的外邦人分别出来，站着承认自己的罪和祖先的罪孽。And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
3那日的四分之一，他们站在自己的地方念耶和华－他们神的律法书，又在那日的四分之一认罪，敬拜耶和华－他们的神。And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.
4耶书亚、巴尼、甲篾、示巴尼、布尼、示利比、巴尼、基拿尼站在利未人的台阶上，大声哀求耶和华－他们的神。Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God.
5利未人耶书亚、甲篾、巴尼、哈沙尼、示利比、荷第雅、示巴尼、毗他希雅说：“起来，称颂耶和华－你们的神，永世无尽：‘你荣耀之名是应当称颂的，超乎一切称颂和赞美。Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
6“‘你，惟独你是耶和华！你造了天和天上的天，以及天上的万象，地和地上的万物，海和海中所有的；一切的生命全都是你赏赐的。天军都敬拜你。Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
7你是耶和华神，曾拣选亚伯兰，领他出迦勒底的吾珥，给他改名叫亚伯拉罕。Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;
8你发现他在你面前心里忠诚，就与他立约，要把迦南人、赫人、亚摩利人、比利洗人、耶布斯人、革迦撒人之地赐给他的后裔，并且你也实现了你的话，因为你是公义的。And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:
9“‘你曾看见我们祖先在埃及所受的困苦，垂听他们在红海☛“红海”是根据七十士译本；原文是“芦苇海”。边的哀求，And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;
10施行神迹奇事在法老和他所有臣仆，以及他国中众百姓身上，因为你知道他们向我们祖先行事狂傲。你也得了名声，正如今日一样。And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.
11你在我们祖先面前把海分开，使他们走过海中干地，将追赶他们的人抛在深海，如石头抛在大水中。And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.
12白昼你用云柱引导他们，黑夜你用火柱照亮他们当行的路。Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.
13你降临在西奈山，从天上与他们说话，赐给他们正直的典章、真实的律法、美好的律例与诫命，Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:
14又使他们知道你的圣安息日，并藉你仆人摩西传给他们诫命、律例、律法。And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:
15你从天上赐下粮食给他们充饥，使水从磐石流出给他们解渴。你吩咐他们进去，得你起誓应许要赐给他们的地。And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.
16“‘但我们的祖先行事狂傲，硬着颈项不听从你的诫命。But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,
17他们不肯顺从，也不记念你在他们中间所行的奇事，竟硬着颈项，居心悖逆，自立领袖，要回埃及他们为奴之地☛“要回埃及他们为奴之地”是根据一些古卷和七十士译本；原文是“要在背叛中回他们为奴之地”。。但你是乐意饶恕人，有恩惠，有怜悯，不轻易发怒，有丰盛慈爱的神，并没有丢弃他们。And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.
18他们虽然为自己铸了一头牛犊，说，这就是领你出埃及的神明，因而犯了亵渎的大罪，Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations;
19你还是有丰富的怜悯，不把他们丢弃在旷野。白昼，云柱不离开他们，仍引导他们行路；黑夜，火柱仍照亮他们当行的路。Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
20你赐下你良善的灵教导他们，没有收回吗哪不给他们吃，仍赐水给他们解渴。Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
21在旷野四十年，你养育他们，他们一无所缺，衣服没有穿破，脚也没有肿。Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
22你将列国和诸民族交给他们，把那些角落分给他们，他们就得了西宏之地，就是希实本王之地，和巴珊王噩之地。Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.
23你使他们的子孙多如天上的星，带他们到你对他们祖先说要进去得为业之地。Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
24这样，这些子孙进去得了那地。你在他们面前制伏那地的居民迦南人，把迦南人和他们的君王，以及那地的民族，都交在他们手里，让他们任意处置。So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
25他们得了坚固的城镇、肥沃的土地，取了装满各样美物的房屋、挖成的水井、葡萄园、橄榄园，以及许多果树。他们就吃了，而且饱足，身体肥胖，因你的大恩活得快乐。And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.
26“‘然而，他们不顺从，竟背叛你，将你的律法丢在背后，又杀害那些劝他们回转归向你的众先知，犯了亵渎的大罪。Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
27所以你将他们交在敌人的手中，敌人就折磨他们。他们遭难的时候哀求你，你就从天上垂听，照你丰富的怜悯赐给他们拯救者，救他们脱离敌人的手。Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
28但他们得享太平之后，又在你面前行恶，所以你丢弃他们，交在仇敌的手中，仇敌就辖制他们；然而他们转回哀求你，你就从天上垂听，屡次照你的怜悯拯救他们，But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;
29你警戒他们，要使他们归顺你的律法。他们却行事狂傲，不听从你的诫命，干犯你的典章，人若遵行就必因此存活。他们顽梗地扭转肩头，硬着颈项，不肯听从。And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
30但你多年宽容他们，又以你的灵藉众先知劝戒他们，他们仍不侧耳而听，所以你将他们交在列邦民族的手中。Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.
31然而因你丰富的怜悯，你不全然灭绝他们，也不丢弃他们，因为你是有恩惠、有怜悯的神。Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
32“‘现在，我们的神啊，你是至大、至能、至可畏、守约施慈爱的神；我们的君王、官长、祭司、先知、祖先和你的众百姓，从亚述诸王的时候直到今日所遭遇的一切苦难，求你不要看为小事。Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.
33在一切临到我们的事上，你是公义的，因为你所行的是信实，我们所做的是邪恶。Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:
34我们的君王、官长、祭司、祖先都不遵守你的律法，不听从你的诫命和你警戒他们的话。Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.
35他们在本国领受你大恩的时候，在你所赐给他们这广大肥沃之地不事奉你，也不转离他们的恶行。For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
36看哪，我们今日成了奴仆！你赐给我们祖先享受土产和美物的地，看哪，我们在这地上竟作了奴仆！Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:
37这地许多的出产都归了诸王，就是你因我们的罪派来辖制我们的。他们任意辖制我们的身体和牲畜，我们遭了大难。’”And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.
38因这一切，我们立确实的约，写在册上。我们的领袖、利未人和祭司都用了印。And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.