¹撒母耳临别赠言

¹And Samuel saith unto all Israel, `Lo, I have hearkened to your voice, to all that ye said to me, and I cause to reign over you a king,

²现在，有这王领导你们。至于我，我已经年老发白，我的儿子也都在你们那里；我自幼年直到今日都领导你们。

²and now, lo, the king is walking habitually before you, and I have become aged and gray-headed, and my sons, lo, they [are] with you, and I have walked habitually before you from my youth till this day.

³看哪，我在这里！你们只管在耶和华面前，以及在他的受膏者面前，作证指控我：我夺过谁的牛？抢过谁的驴？欺负过谁？虐待过谁？从谁手里受过贿赂，以致我的眼睛因此被蒙住呢？如果有，我必偿还给你们。”

³`Lo, here [am] I; testify against me, over-against Jehovah, and over-against His anointed; whose ox have I taken, and whose ass have I taken, and whom have I oppressed; whom have I bruised, and of whose hand have I taken a ransom, and hide mine eyes with it? — and I restore to you.`

⁴他们回答：“你没有欺负过我们，没有虐待过我们，也没有从谁手里取过什么东西。”

⁴And they say, `Thou hast not oppressed us, nor hast thou crushed us, nor hast thou taken from the hand of any one anything.`

⁵撒母耳对他们说：“今天耶和华在你们中间作见证，他的膏立者也作见证；你们在我手里没有找到什么。”他们说：“愿他作证。”

⁵And he saith unto them, `A witness [is] Jehovah against you: and a witness [is] His anointed this day, that ye have not found anything in my hand;` and they say, `A witness.`

⁶撒母耳对人民说：“从前选立摩西和亚伦，又把你们的列祖从埃及地领上来的，是耶和华。

⁶And Samuel saith unto the people, `Jehovah — He who made Moses and Aaron, and who brought up your fathers out of the land of Egypt!

⁷现在你们要站住，我要在耶和华面前与你们讲论耶和华向你们的列祖所行一切公义的事。

⁷and, now, station yourselves, and I judge you before Jehovah, with all the righteous acts of Jehovah, which He did with you, and with your fathers.

⁸从前雅各到了埃及，后来你们的列祖哀求耶和华，耶和华就差遣摩西和亚伦去把你们的列祖从埃及领出来，又使他们在这地方居住。

⁸`When Jacob hath come in to Egypt, and your fathers cry unto Jehovah, then Jehovah sendeth Moses and Aaron, and they bring out your fathers from Egypt, and cause them to dwell in this place,

⁹他们却忘记了耶和华他们的　神，　神就把他们交在夏琐的将军西西拉的手中，以及非利士人和摩押王的手中，于是这些人常常攻打他们。

⁹and they forget Jehovah their God, and He selleth them into the hand of Sisera, head of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fight against them,

¹⁰他们就哀求耶和华，说：‘我们犯了罪，因为我们背弃了耶和华，又去服事巴力和亚斯他录。现在求你救我们脱离仇敌的手，我们就必事奉你。’

¹⁰and they cry unto Jehovah, and say, We have sinned, because we have forsaken Jehovah, and serve the Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and now, deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we serve Thee.

¹¹于是耶和华差遣耶路．巴力、比但、耶弗他、撒母耳，救你们脱离四围仇敌的手，你们才可以安然居住。

¹¹`And Jehovah sendeth Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivereth you out of the hand of your enemies round about, and ye dwell confidently.

¹²可是，你们看到亚扪王拿辖来攻击你们，就对我说：‘不行，我们要有一个王来统治我们。’其实，耶和华你们的　神是你们的王。

¹²`And ye see that Nahash king of the Bene-Ammon hath come against you, and ye say to me, Nay, but a king doth reign over us; and Jehovah your God [is] your king!

¹³现在，你们所拣选、所要求的王在这里。看哪！耶和华已经立了一个王统治你们。

¹³And, now, lo, the king whom ye have chosen — whom ye have asked! and lo, Jehovah hath placed over you a king.

¹⁴如果你们敬畏耶和华，事奉他，听从他的话，不违背他的命令，你们和统治你们的王就必跟从耶和华你们的　神。

¹⁴`If ye fear Jehovah, and have served Him, and hearkened to His voice, then ye do not provoke the mouth of Jehovah, and ye have been — both ye and the king who hath reigned over you — after Jehovah your God.

¹⁵但是，如果你们不听从耶和华的话，违背他的命令，耶和华的手就必攻击你们，好像攻击你们的列祖一样。

¹⁵`And if ye do not hearken to the voice of Jehovah — then ye have provoked the mouth of Jehovah, and the hand of Jehovah hath been against you, and against your fathers.

¹⁶现在你们要站着，看耶和华在你们眼前将要施行的这件大事。

¹⁶`Also now, station yourselves and see this great thing which Jehovah is doing before your eyes;

¹⁷现今不是收割麦子的时候吗？我要向耶和华呼求，他就会打雷降雨，你们就可以知道，又可以看见，你们为自己要求立王的事，在耶和华看来，是行了极大的恶事。”

¹⁷is it not wheat-harvest to-day? I call unto Jehovah, and He doth give voices and rain; and know ye and see that your evil is great which ye have done in the eyes of Jehovah, to ask for you a king.`

¹⁸于是撒母耳向耶和华呼求，耶和华就在那天打雷降雨，众民就非常惧怕耶和华和撒母耳。

¹⁸And Samuel calleth unto Jehovah, and Jehovah giveth voices and rain, on that day, and all the people greatly fear Jehovah and Samuel;

¹⁹众民对撒母耳说：“求你为仆人向耶和华你的　神祷告，免得我们死亡，因为我们为自己要求立王的事，是在我们的一切罪上又增加了这一件恶事。”

¹⁹and all the people say unto Samuel, `Pray for thy servants unto Jehovah thy God, and we do not die, for we have added to all our sins evil to ask for us a king.`

²⁰撒母耳对人民说：“不要惧怕！虽然你们行了这一切恶事，只是不可偏离不跟随耶和华，总要一心事奉他。

²⁰And Samuel saith unto the people, `Fear not; ye have done all this evil; only, turn not aside from after Jehovah — and ye have served Jehovah with all your heart,

²¹不可偏离耶和华，去追随那些空虚的偶像，因为它们本是空虚的，对人没有什么益处，也不能救人。

²¹and ye do not turn aside after the vain things which do not profit nor deliver, for they [are] vain,

²²耶和华为了自己的大名的缘故，必不丢弃他的子民，因为他喜欢使你们作他的子民。

²²for Jehovah doth not leave His people, on account of His great name; for Jehovah hath been pleased to make you to Him for a people.

²³至于我，我决不停止为你们祷告，以致得罪耶和华；我要把善道正路教导你们。

²³`I, also, far be it from me to sin against Jehovah, by ceasing to pray for you, and I have directed you in the good and upright way;

²⁴你们只要敬畏耶和华，诚实全心事奉他，因为你们已经看过他为你们所作的是何等大的事。

²⁴only, fear ye Jehovah, and ye have served Him in truth with all your heart, for see that which He hath made great with you;

²⁵如果你们继续行恶，你们和你们的王就必一同灭亡。”

²⁵and if ye really do evil, both ye and your king are consumed.`