SARAH
书念妇人接待以利沙
The Shunammite Woman Welcomes Elisha
——《列王纪下》第4章
— 2 Kings Chapter 4
有一天，以利沙来到书念这个地方。有一个很有钱的妇人，看见以利沙经过，就热情地留他吃饭。
One day, Elisha came to the town of Shunem. There was a wealthy woman there who saw Elisha passing by and warmly invited him to stay for a meal.
后来，以利沙每次经过这里，都会到她家吃饭。
After that, whenever Elisha passed by, he would stop at her house for a meal.
这个妇人对丈夫说：
The woman said to her husband:
“我看出来了，这个人经常从咱们家门口经过，他是上帝的先知，是一个敬畏上帝的人。咱们不如在房顶上给他盖一个小房间，里面放上床、桌子、椅子和灯。以后他来了，方便住在这里。”
“I can see that this man who often passes by our house is a prophet of God, a man who fears God. Why don’t we build a small room for him upstairs and put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp in it? Then whenever he comes, he will have a place to stay.”
于是，他们真的给以利沙准备了一个小房间。
So they actually prepared a small room for Elisha.
有一天，以利沙来到他们家，就在那个房间里休息。
One day, Elisha came to their house and rested in that room.
他心里想：“这个妇人这么照顾我，我能为她做点什么呢？”
He thought to himself, “This woman has taken such good care of me. What can I do for her?”
于是他让仆人基哈西把妇人叫过来。
So he told his servant Gehazi to call the woman.
以利沙问她：
Elisha asked her:
“你为了我们这么费心，我能为你做点什么？你是不是有什么事情需要我帮你向国王或者军队的将军求情？”
“You have gone to so much trouble for us. What can I do for you? Is there something you want me to ask the king or the commander of the army to do for you?”
妇人回答：
The woman answered:
“没有，我现在在自己的家乡住得挺好的，没什么特别想求的。”
“No. I am living peacefully among my own people, and I don’t have anything special to ask for.”
说完妇人走了，以利沙还是觉得过意不去想为她做点什么。
After the woman left, Elisha still felt that he should do something for her.
基哈西告诉他说：
Gehazi told him:
“我发现她好像没有孩子，而且她丈夫现在也已经老了。”
“I have noticed that she seems to have no child, and her husband is now old.”
以利沙就让人再次把妇人叫来。
So Elisha had the woman called again.
妇人站在门口，以利沙对她说：
The woman stood at the doorway, and Elisha said to her:
“明年这个时候，你会抱着一个儿子。”
“By this time next year, you will be holding a son in your arms.”
妇人一听，既惊讶又不敢相信，说：
When the woman heard this, she was both surprised and unable to believe it. She said:
“神人啊，我的主人，请你别这样骗我，到时候让我空欢喜一场！”
“O man of God, my lord, please don’t deceive me and give me false hope!”
没过多久，妇人怀孕了。到了第二年，以利沙说的那个时候，她真的生了一个儿子。
Not long afterward, the woman became pregnant. And by the same time the following year, just as Elisha had said, she gave birth to a son.
这个孩子慢慢长大。
The child grew up little by little.
有一天，他跟着父亲到田里去。
One day, he went out to the field with his father.
突然，他开始喊：
Suddenly, he began to cry out:
“我的头啊！我的头好疼啊！”
“My head! My head hurts so badly!”
父亲赶紧叫仆人：
His father quickly called a servant:
“快把孩子抱回他妈妈那里去！”
“Quickly carry the boy back to his mother!”
仆人把孩子抱回家，交给了母亲。
The servant carried the boy home and gave him to his mother.
孩子坐在妈妈的腿上，一直到中午，最后死了。
The child sat on his mother’s lap until noon, and then he died.
母亲没有大哭大闹，而是抱起孩子，向楼上的小房间里走去，他进到小房间后把儿子放在以利沙睡过的床上，然后把门关上。
The mother did not make a great commotion. Instead, she picked up the child and went to the small room upstairs. She placed her son on the bed where Elisha had slept, and then she closed the door.
接着，她去找丈夫，说：
Then she went to her husband and said:
“你赶紧给我准备一头驴，我要马上去找神人以利沙，等我回来。”
“Please quickly prepare a donkey for me. I am going to see the man of God Elisha right away, and I will come back.”
丈夫觉得很奇怪：
Her husband was puzzled:
“今天又不是月朔，也不是安息日，你为什么突然要去找他？”
“Today isn’t the New Moon or the Sabbath. Why do you want to go see him all of a sudden?”
妇人只说了一句：
The woman simply said:
“没事，平安无事。”
“It’s all right. Everything is fine.”
她已经决定一定去找以利沙。
She had already decided that she was going to find Elisha.
于是她骑上驴，对仆人说：
So she mounted the donkey and said to the servant:
“你尽管往前赶，除非我告诉你停，否则不要停下来。”
“Keep going as fast as you can. Don’t stop unless I tell you to.”
她一路赶到迦密山，去找以利沙。
She traveled all the way to Mount Carmel to find Elisha.
以利沙远远看见她，就对基哈西说：
Elisha saw her from a distance and said to Gehazi:
“你看，那不是书念的妇人吗？你赶紧过去问问她，她自己平安吗？她丈夫平安吗？孩子平安吗？”
“Look, isn’t that the Shunammite woman? Hurry and go meet her. Ask her, ‘Are you well? Is your husband well? Is the child well?’”
基哈西跑过去问她。
Gehazi ran to meet her and asked her.
妇人回答：
The woman answered:
“都平安。”
“Everything is well.”
可是当她终于见到以利沙的时候，她一下子抱住了以利沙的脚。
But when she finally reached Elisha, she suddenly grabbed hold of his feet.
基哈西想把她拉开。
Gehazi tried to pull her away.
以利沙却说：
But Elisha said:
“不要拦她。她心里非常难过。只是上帝没有告诉我发生了什么。”
“Leave her alone. She is deeply troubled in her heart. The Lord has not told me what has happened.”
妇人终于说出了心里的痛：
The woman finally expressed the pain in her heart:
“我以前根本没有向你求过儿子？我不是早就告诉你不要欺骗我、不要让我空欢喜吗？”
“Did I ever ask you for a son? Didn’t I tell you not to deceive me and not to give me false hope?”
以利沙这才知道，原来那个曾经得到的儿子，现在已经死了。
Only then did Elisha realize that the son she had received was now dead.
于是以利沙吩咐基哈西：
So Elisha instructed Gehazi:
“你赶紧准备好，拿着我的杖去。路上不要停下来和别人聊天，也不要向别人问安。到了以后，把我的杖放在孩子脸上。”
“Get yourself ready quickly and take my staff with you. Do not stop to talk with anyone on the way, and do not greet anyone. When you arrive, place my staff on the child’s face.”
可是孩子的母亲对以利沙说：
But the child’s mother said to Elisha:
“我指着永生的上帝发誓，也指着你的生命发誓，我绝不会离开你！”
“As surely as the living God lives, and as surely as you live, I will not leave you!”
她意已决就是：
She had made up her mind:
“你不跟我一起回去，我就不走！”
“If you don’t go back with me, I won’t leave!”
于是以利沙亲自跟她回去了。
So Elisha went back with her himself.
基哈西先赶到妇人的家，把以利沙的杖放在孩子脸上。
Gehazi arrived at the woman’s house first and placed Elisha’s staff on the child’s face.
可是孩子一点反应都没有，还是没有声音，也没有动静。
But the child showed no response. There was no sound and no movement.
基哈西只好回来告诉以利沙：
Gehazi had to return and tell Elisha:
“孩子还是没有醒。”
“The child has not awakened.”
以利沙到了以后，走进房间，看见孩子已经死了，躺在自己的床上。
When Elisha arrived, he went into the room and saw that the child was dead and lying on his bed.
以利沙把门关上，只留下自己和孩子在房间里。
Elisha closed the door, leaving only himself and the child in the room.
然后，他伏在孩子身上，口对口、眼对眼、手对手。
Then he lay upon the child, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, and hands to hands.
过了一会儿，孩子的身体开始慢慢变暖。
After a while, the child’s body began to grow warm.
以利沙下来，在屋里走了一圈，然后又回到孩子身边，再次伏在孩子身上。
Elisha got down and walked around the room once. Then he returned to the child and lay upon him again.
这时候，孩子突然打了七个喷嚏，然后睁开了眼睛！
At that moment, the child suddenly sneezed seven times and opened his eyes!
以利沙马上叫基哈西：
Elisha immediately called Gehazi:
“把孩子的妈妈叫过来！”
“Call the child’s mother!”
妇人进来以后，以利沙对她说：
When the woman came in, Elisha said to her:
“把你的儿子抱起来吧。”
“Pick up your son.”
妇人走到孩子身边，在以利沙脚前跪下来，把自己的儿子抱在怀里，然后带着孩子出去了。
The woman came to the child, fell at Elisha’s feet, picked up her son in her arms, and then went out with the child.