1.犹大处于警戒状态 这时，住在犹大的以色列人听说了，亚述王尼布甲尼撒的将军何乐弗尼做过一切事，听说他对各国所做的一切事，以及他如何抢夺和毁坏他们所有的神庙；Judea on the Alert By this time the people of Israel living in Judea heard of everything that Holofer′nes, the general of Nebuchadnez′zar the king of the Assyrians, had done to the nations, and how he had plundered and destroyed all their temples;
2.他们因此非常害怕他的到来，并且为耶路撒冷和他们的上帝耶和华的圣殿感到震惊。they were therefore very greatly terrified at his approach, and were alarmed both for Jerusalem and for the temple of the Lord their God.
3.因为他们刚刚从被掳中回来，犹大所有的人刚刚聚集在一起，圣器、祭坛和圣殿在被亵渎之后已经被重新奉献。For they had only recently returned from the captivity, and all the people of Judea were newly gathered together, and the sacred vessels and the altar and the temple had been consecrated after their profanation.
4.于是，他们派人到撒马利亚 各地，以及到哥拿、伯和仑、伯玛因、耶利哥、哈巴、阿瑟、撒冷谷，So they sent to every district of Samar′ia, and to Kona and Beth-hor′on and Belma′in and Jericho and to Choba and Aesor′a and the valley of Salem,
5.他们立即占领所有的高山顶和加固了山上的村庄，并储存食物为战争做准备——因为他们的田地刚刚被收获。and immediately seized all the high hilltops and fortified the villages on them and stored up food in preparation for war—since their fields had recently been harvested.
6.当时在耶路撒冷的祭司长约亚敬写信给住在伯图利亚和伯多玛斯坦的百姓，伯多玛斯坦面对以斯德拉仑，位于靠近多坦的平原对面，And Jo′akim, the high priest, who was in Jerusalem at the time, wrote to the people of Bethu′lia and Betomestha′im, which faces Esdrae′lon opposite the plain near Dothan,
7.命令他们占领通往山区的关口，因为通过这些关口可以入侵犹太，而阻止任何试图进入的人很容易，因为通道狭窄，顶多只能让两个人通过。ordering them to seize the passes up into the hills, since by them Judea could be invaded, and it was easy to stop any who tried to enter, for the approach was narrow, only wide enough for two men at the most.
8.祈祷和忏悔 以色列人就这样做了，因为大祭司约亚金和以色列全体人民的议会在耶路撒冷开会时曾经下令。Prayer and Penance So the Israelites did as Jo′akim the high priest and the senate of the whole people of Israel, in session at Jerusalem, had given order.
9.以色列众人都向神大声哀求，并且他们通过多次禁食使自己谦卑。And every man of Israel cried out to God with great fervor, and they humbled themselves with much fasting.
10.他们、他们的妻子、他们的孩子、他们的牛、以及所有的寄居客和雇工、所有的买来的奴仆，全都腰束麻布。They and their wives and their children and their cattle and every resident alien and hired laborer and purchased slave—they all girded themselves with sackcloth.
11.以色列所有的男男女女和他们的孩子，住在耶路撒冷的人，都俯伏在殿前，头上撒灰，身穿麻衣，在耶和华面前铺开他们的麻布。And all the men and women of Israel, and their children, living at Jerusalem, prostrated themselves before the temple and put ashes on their heads and spread out their sackcloth before the Lord.
12.他们甚至用麻布围绕祭坛，一同哭喊，虔诚地祷告以色列的神，不要把他们的婴儿当作猎物交给敌人，不要把他们的妻子当作掠物，不要让他们所继承的城市被毁灭，也不要让圣所被亵渎和玷污，以满足外邦人的恶意快乐。They even surrounded the altar with sackcloth and cried out in unison, praying earnestly to the God of Israel not to give up their infants as prey and their wives as booty, and the cities they had inherited to be destroyed, and the sanctuary to be profaned and desecrated to the malicious joy of the Gentiles.
13.于是，耶和华听了他们的祷告，顾念他们的困苦，因为犹大和耶路撒冷的人在万军之耶和华的圣所前，多日禁食祈求。So the Lord heard their prayers and looked upon their affliction; for the people fasted many days throughout Judea and in Jerusalem before the sanctuary of the Lord Almighty.
14.大祭司约雅敬和所有站在耶和华面前侍奉耶和华的祭司，腰束麻布，献上不断的燔祭和百姓的愿祭及自愿祭。And Jo′akim the high priest and all the priests who stood before the Lord and ministered to the Lord, with their loins girded with sackcloth, offered the continual burnt offerings and the vows and freewill offerings of the people.
15.他们在头巾上撒灰尘，尽全力向耶和华呼求，求祂垂顾以色列全家。With ashes upon their turbans, they cried out to the Lord with all their might to look with favor upon the whole house of Israel.