1 Kings 12

Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king.

羅波安前往示劍，因為以色列人都去了那裡，要立他為王。

When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from^[a] Egypt.

尼八的兒子耶羅波安曾為了躲避所羅門王而逃往埃及，並一直住在那裡。他聽到消息後，便返回以色列。

So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him:

以色列人派人去請他，他就和以色列會眾去見羅波安，說：

“Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

「你父親使我們負擔沉重，求你減輕我們的負擔吧，我們一定效忠你。」

Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then come back to me.” So the people went away.

羅波安對他們說：「你們先回去，三天之後再來見我。」眾人就離開了。

Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How would you advise me to answer these people?” he asked.

羅波安王去徵詢曾服侍他父親所羅門的老臣的意見，說：「你們認為我該怎樣回覆眾民？」

They replied, “If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.”

他們建議說：「現今王若像僕人一樣服侍民眾，對他們好言相待，他們會永遠做王的僕人。」

But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.

羅波安卻沒有採納老臣的意見。他又去徵詢那些和他一起長大的青年臣僚的意見，

He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”

說：「民眾求我減輕我父親加給他們的重擔。你們認為我該怎樣回覆他們？」

The young men who had grown up with him replied, “These people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.

他們說：「民眾說你父親使他們負擔沉重，請求你減輕他們的負擔。你可以這樣回覆他們，『我的小指頭比我父親的腰還粗。

My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’”

我父親使你們負重擔，我要使你們負更重的擔子；我父親用鞭子打你們，我要用刺鞭打你們。』」

Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.”

過了三天，耶羅波安和民眾遵照羅波安王的話來見他。

The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders,

王沒有採納老臣的建議，而是照青年臣僚的建議，疾言厲色地對他們說：「我父親使你們負重擔，我要使你們負更重的擔子！我父親用鞭子打你們，我要用刺鞭打你們！」

he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.”

So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the Lord, to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.

王不聽民眾的請求。這事是出於耶和華的旨意，為要應驗祂藉示羅人亞希雅先知對尼八的兒子耶羅波安說的話。

When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king:

So the Israelites went home.

以色列人見王不聽他們的請求，就說：

於是，以色列人各自回家了。

But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them.

但住在猶大城邑的以色列人仍受羅波安統治。

King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram,^[b] who was in charge of forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem.

羅波安王派勞役總管亞多蘭去以色列人那裡，以色列人卻用石頭打死了他，羅波安王連忙上車逃回耶路撒冷。

So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

從此，以色列人反叛大衛家，一直到今天。

When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David.

以色列人聽說耶羅波安回來了，就請他到會眾面前，擁立他做以色列人的王。只有猶大支派仍然效忠大衛家。

When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered all Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—a hundred and eighty thousand able young men—to go to war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon.

羅波安回到耶路撒冷，從猶大和便雅憫支派召集了十八萬精兵，要攻打以色列人，收復全國。

But this word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God:

然而，上帝對祂的僕人示瑪雅說：

“Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to all Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people,

「你去告訴所羅門的兒子猶大王羅波安和猶大、便雅憫支派的人以及其他民眾，

‘This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’” So they obeyed the word of the Lord and went home again, as the Lord had ordered.

Golden Calves at Bethel and Dan

耶和華這樣說，『你們不要上去與以色列同胞交戰，都回家吧！今日的景況是出於我的旨意。』」眾人聽從了耶和華的話，各自回家去了。

耶羅波安背棄上帝

Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel.^[c]

耶羅波安在以法蓮山區修建示劍城，住在那裡。他後來又去修建毗努伊勒。

Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David.

他心想：「國權恐怕會重歸大衛家。

If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.”

若百姓去耶路撒冷，在耶和華的殿獻祭，他們的心必重新歸向他們的主——猶大王羅波安。他們會殺了我，然後投奔猶大王羅波安。」

After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

他徵詢臣僚的意見後，就鑄造了兩個金牛犢，對民眾說：「以色列人啊，你們上耶路撒冷敬拜太麻煩了。這兩個金牛犢就是領你們出埃及的神明。」

One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan.

他把一個金牛犢安置在伯特利，另一個安置在但。

And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other.^[d]

這使民眾陷入罪中，因為他們開始到但去拜金牛犢。

Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites.

耶羅波安又在高崗上修建神廟，任命各樣的人做祭司，他們並非利未人。

He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made.

耶羅波安規定每年八月十五日為節期，好像猶大的節期一樣。他自己在伯特利的祭壇上向金牛犢獻祭燒香，又派神廟的祭司在獻祭中司職。

On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings.

在八月十五日，就是他私自為以色列人定為節期的日子，他在伯特利的祭壇上燒香。