英语学习系列：源自《钦定版圣经》的英文典故（12）

旧约的《出埃及记》（Exodus）讲述了摩西将被埃及法老奴役的犹太民族带出埃及的故事。

我们在前几篇文章中提到：约瑟由于帮助法老解梦并帮助埃及度过大饥荒而受到法老器重，并让犹太民族在埃及定居。犹太民族在埃及生育众多，人数增长很快。新的法老残酷奴役犹太人，并下令犹太民族新出生的男婴一律被抛进河中，只有女婴可以活下去。一户犹太人家新生了一个男婴，母亲将他放在一个篮子里，趁着法老的女儿到河边的时候把篮子放入水中。法老的女儿很喜欢这个婴儿，就把他收为养子，取名为摩西（Moses），意思是“拉上来”。摩西在长大后成为犹太民族的一个先知（prophet）。他因为杀了一个鞭打犹太人的奴隶主而越过红海逃到米甸去。上帝在那里的何烈山中以燃烧的荆棘向他显现。

（注：上图是Lawrence Alma-Tadema爵士1904年所绘的油画《发现摩西》（The Finding of Moses））

请看以下从旧约中摘取的典故：

Burning bush

A land flowing with milk and honey

Let my people go

 前两条习语都出自《旧约》第二卷《出埃及记》（Exodus 3:1-10）。后一条也出自《出埃及记》。在钦定版圣经中的原文如下：

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and heled the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God,even to Horeb.

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold,the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

在现代英语翻译的版本中如下：

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian,and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.

So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight--why the bush does not burn up."

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."

"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."

Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.

SoI have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey--the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites,Hivites and Jebusites.

And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.

So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

译文：

有一天，摩西在何烈山，也就是上帝的山为他的岳父米甸祭司叶忒罗放羊的时候，

忽然有上帝的使者在燃烧的荆棘丛中向他显现。他用心观看就发觉荆棘虽然在燃烧，却没有被烧成灰烬。他觉得很奇怪，於是便打算上前看个究竟，

他正要上前去的时候，上帝就从荆棘丛中呼唤他说：“摩西！摩西！”“我在这里啊！”上帝说：

别走过来！快脱下你的鞋子！因为你所踏足的地方是神圣的。

我是你祖先亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的上帝。”摩西听见上帝的声音，就吓得用手掩着脸，不敢看他。

主又告诉他说：“我子民在埃及所受的苦楚我都看见了。他们饱受管工的压迫，他们发的哀声，我也早听见了。

我下来就是要解救他们脱离埃及人的奴役，带他们到一个又广大又肥沃，到处都是奶和蜂蜜的地方去，那就是现在迦南人、赫人、亚摩利人、比利洗人、希未人、耶布斯人的地方。

他们哀怨的声音我亲耳听到了，埃及人怎样用苦工压迫他们，我也亲眼看到了。

因此，我要你到法老那里去，要求他让你带领我的子民离开埃及。”

（注：上图是塞巴斯蒂安所谓的油画《燃烧的荆棘》）

根据《出埃及记》，上帝选中摩西要他带着以色列人离开埃及。摩西回到埃及，向法老提出这个要求，也就是Let my people go。法老不愿意，毕竟以色列人是免费的劳动力。为此上帝在埃及连降十次灾祸，法老才最终同意。不过法老又马上反悔，派出军队去追。摩西带领以色列人要渡过红海时，上帝大显神通，将海水一分为二，现出一条通道让以色列人走过。而当法老的军队来追时，又让海水合上，淹死了他们。这显示了耶和华的无边神力。

摩西不仅作为领袖领导以色列人走出埃及，他的另一项重要事迹是把上帝的十戒（the Ten Commandments）传给犹太民族，成为整个民族的法律。当时，他离开众人，到西奈山上，上帝在那里把写有十戒的石碑传给摩西。由于他离开的时间太久，有些人认为他已经死了，就用金子铸了一个金牛开始崇拜。这个举动激怒了从山上下来的摩西，因为他一直教导以色列人只能信仰耶和华一个上帝。摩西在盛怒之下毁了石碑，然后下令把金牛熔化，逼那些崇拜者喝下金水。他后来又把十戒重新写在另一块石碑上。后来，他与以色列的长者在西奈山上立约，宣布以色列人为耶和华的选民，他们遵守耶和华的律法，耶和华是他们的上帝。从这点来看，摩西可以被称为是以色列人的法律之父。同时，它也反映出：古人的宗教一般都是多神论的。无论是古埃及、古印度还是古希腊，人们都崇拜很多数量的神。其中数量最多的是印度教，据说有三亿个神。而犹太教很明显是一神论的宗教，只崇拜耶和华一个人。犹太教对于违反这个教规的人，惩罚也是极其严厉。

犹太教的一神论被基督教和伊斯兰教所继承。由于基督教和伊斯兰教不懈的传教活动，这两大宗教的信教人数在全球已经名列第一、第二位。尽管目前世界上依然还有多神论的宗教存在，但是主流宗教确是一神论。

诺贝尔奖获得者、法国浪漫主义作家罗曼·罗兰在他的巨著《约翰·克里斯朵夫》中，第九卷的名称就是“燃烧的荆棘”。该卷描绘了主人公克里斯朵夫遭遇他一生中最艰巨的困苦：他失去了终生的挚友奥利维，自己在革命失败后逃亡到瑞士。他在那里又与收养他的医生妻子发生婚外恋。他感觉自己失去了生命的动力和创造力，处于人生的最低潮。他通过与上帝的对话最终找到前进的力量。这一卷是整部作品中最精彩的一部分。

（注：文章开始的图片是米开朗基罗的著名雕塑《摩西》）

上一篇该系列文章的链接：英语学习系列：源自《钦定版圣经》的英文典故（11）