Unit-11-Salvation-课文翻译-综合教程一

Unit 11 Salvation I was saved from sin when I was going on thirteen. But not really saved. It happened like this. There was a big revival at my Auntie Reed's church. Every night for weeks there had been much preaching, singing, praying, and shouting, and some very hardened sinners had been brought to Christ, and the membership of the church had grown by leaps and bounds. Then just before the revival ended, they held a special meeting for children, "to bring the young lambs to the fold." My aunt spoke of it for days ahead. That night I was escorted to the front row and placed on the mourners' bench with all the other young sinners, who had not yet been brought to Jesus. My aunt told me that when you were saved you saw a light, and something happened to you inside! And Jesus came into your life! And God was with you from then on! She said you could see and hear and feel Jesus in your soul. I believed her. I had heard a great many old people say the same thing and it seemed to me they ought to know. So I sat there calmly in the hot, crowded church, waiting for Jesus to come to me. The preacher preached a wonderful rhythmical sermon, all moans and shouts and lonely cries and dire pictures of hell, and then he sang a song about the ninety and nine safe in the fold, but one little lamb was left out in the cold. Then he said: "Won't you come? Won't you come to Jesus? Young lambs, won't you come?" And he held out his arms to all us young sinners there on the mourners' bench. And the little girls cried. And some of them jumped up and went to Jesus right away. But most of us just sat there. A great many old people came and knelt around us and prayed, old women with jet-black faces and braided hair, old men with work-gnarled hands. And the church sang a song about the lower lights are burning, some poor sinners to be saved. And the whole building rocked with prayer and song. Still I kept waiting to see Jesus. Finally all the young people had gone to the altar and were saved, but one boy and me. He was a rounder's son named Westley. Westley and I were surrounded by sisters and deacons praying. It was very hot in the church, and getting late now. Finally Westley said to me in a whisper: "God damn! I'm tired of sitting here. Let's get up and be saved." So he got up and was saved. Then I was left all alone on the mourners' bench. My aunt came and knelt at my knees and cried, while prayers and song swirled all around me in the little church. The whole congregation prayed for me alone, in a mighty wail of moans and voices. And I kept waiting serenely for Jesus, waiting, waiting—but he didn't come. I wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me. Nothing! I wanted something to happen to me, but nothing happened. I heard the songs and the minister saying: "Why don't you come? My dear child, why don't you come to Jesus? Jesus is waiting for you. He wants you. Why don't you come? Sister Reed, what is this child's name?" "Langston," my aunt sobbed. "Langston, why don't you come? Why don't you come and be saved? Oh, Lamb of God! Why don't you come?" Now it was really getting late. I began to be ashamed of myself, holding everything up so long. I began to wonder what God thought about Westley, who certainly hadn't seen Jesus either, but who was now sitting proudly on the platform, swinging his knickerbockered legs and grinning down at me, surrounded by deacons and old women on their knees praying. God had not struck Westley dead for taking his name in vain or for lying in the temple. So I decided that maybe to save further trouble, I'd better lie, too, and say that Jesus had come, and get up and be saved. So I got up. Suddenly the whole room broke into a sea of shouting, as they saw me rise. Waves of rejoicing swept the place. Women leaped in the air. My aunt threw her arms around me. The minister took me by the hand and led me to the platform. When things quieted down, in a hushed silence, punctuated by a few ecstatic "Amens," all the new young lambs were blessed in the name of God. Then joyous singing filled the room. That night, for the first time in my life but one for I was a big boy twelve years old—I cried. I cried, in bed alone, and couldn't stop. I buried my head under the quilts, but my aunt heard me. She woke up and told my uncle I was crying because the Holy Ghost had come into my life, and because I had seen Jesus. But I was really crying because I couldn't bear to tell her that I had lied, that I had deceived everybody in the church, that I hadn't seen Jesus, and that now I didn't believe there was a Jesus anymore, since he didn't come to help me. 救赎 在我快十三岁时被上帝从罪恶中超度了，但并非真正地超度。事情是这样发生的：在我瑞德姑妈所在的教堂里有一场很大的复兴布道会，那几个星期每天晚上都有很多人在那里传道、唱诗、祈祷或者大声喊叫，一些顽固的罪人也被带到这里，于是这个教堂的教徒增加得很快。就在这一切快要结束的时候，教堂里的人特别为孩子们举办了一场仪式，“把孩子们带入基督徒队伍里”，姑妈几天前曾提到过。于是那天晚上我和其他还没有入教的孩子们一样，在大人的陪同下来到了第一排并坐在了忏悔者的座位上。 姑妈告诉我如果被超度就会看到一束灯光，灵魂会随之发生变化的。你的生命里就会有了耶稣！上帝从此将与你同在！她还告诉我会看到、听到并感受到在我灵魂中的上帝。我相信了她的话。我以前听到过很多老人说同样的话，并且我觉得他们是应该知道的。于是我安静地坐在又热又拥挤的教堂里等待着耶稣的降临。 牧师做了一场抑扬顿挫的精彩布道，都是些呻吟、呐喊、哭泣和可怕的地狱的描绘，然后他唱了一首歌，歌里唱道，九十九只羊都安全地回到羊圈，只有一只迷失在寒冷的世界里。接着他说：“你不来吗？你不来到耶稣的身边吗？亲爱的孩子们，你不来吗？”然后他向所有坐在忏悔席上的孩子伸出了双手。小女孩儿们被吓哭了，我们中的一些人立即跳离了座位，跑去找耶稣了，但大多数人还坐在原住上。 一大群老人来到我们身旁开始跪地祈祷，我看到了老奶奶漆黑的面容，梳成辫子的头发，还有老爷爷饱经风霜的双手，还有他们唱着圣歌，歌里唱道：“下面的灯点着，可怜的罪人们需要得到拯救。”整个教堂都因为他们的祈祷和歌唱而晃动。 H:\fanwen caiji two\党员先进性教育活动演唱会串词礼仪主持.doc 我仍在等着看看耶稣。 最后除了我和另一个小男孩儿，其他所有的孩子都去圣坛被超度了。这个小男孩儿名叫威斯特雷，是个浪荡鬼的)L-子-。修女和执事们的祈祷声包围了我们俩。教堂里实在是太热了，而且天色已经越来越晚。最后威斯特雷小声跟我说：“该死的上帝！我实在不想再坐在这儿了，我们过去被超度吧。”于是他站起来，去接受了超度。 我成了忏悔席上唯一的一个人。姑妈哭着跑过来跪在我身旁，小小的教堂里所有的祈祷声都围绕着我。整个圣会只为我一个人祈祷，发出了一种近乎强迫和乞求的哀鸣。我仍安静地等着耶稣，等着，等着——但是耶稣却没有出现。我真的想看到他，但是什么也没有发生。什么也没有！我想让我有点事发生，但什么也没发生。 我听到歌声和牧师的声音：“你为什么不过来？我亲爱的孩子，为什么不到耶稣身边来？他在等着你。他需要你。你为什么不过来？瑞德女士，这孩子叫什么名字？” “兰斯顿，”姑妈呜咽着回答。 “兰斯顿，你为什么不过来？为什么不愿意被超度？喔，上帝的孩子！你为什么不过来呢？” 现在真的已经很晚了。我开始为自己感到羞愧，都是因为我把整件事耽误了这么久。我开始猜想上帝会怎样看威斯特雷，他肯定也没有真正地看到上帝，但他现在却自豪地坐在祭坛边，摇摆着穿着灯笼裤的腿．张着嘴对我笑，周围跪满了祈祷的老妇人。上帝并没有因为威斯特雷对他的不敬或在教堂里撒谎而惩罚他。于是我决定，为了不带来更多的麻烦．最好我也撒谎说已经见到上帝了，然后接受超度。 于是我站起来。 当人们看到我站起来时，整个教堂突然爆发成了欢乐的海洋，欢呼的热浪，跳跃的女人们。姑妈立刻拥抱了我，牧师拉着我的手把我带到祭坛。 当一切静下来时，只有偶尔传出的几声狂喜的“阿门”打破了这份宁静，所有刚刚加入的小基督徒们祈求上帝的保佑，接着欢乐的歌声充满了整个教堂。 那天晚上，我，一个十二岁的男孩儿，第一次哭了。我在床上孤独地哭着，无法抑制住自己。我将头藏进棉被里，但姑妈还是听见了。她起来告诉姑父我哭了，说我一定是因为圣灵已经进入到我的生命，我已经看到上帝了。但我哭泣的真正原因却是我无法让她知道我撒谎了，我欺骗了教堂里的每一个人，我并没有见到上帝，并且我再也不相信有上帝的存在，因为他并没有来帮助我。