前言

秘方简介

常用词列表

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

GOD MADE THE WORLD

Far back in the past, more years than you could think or count, God made the world. It did not look at first as it does now, for there was no live thing on it, no men, beasts 野兽, or birds, not a bush 灌木, tree or plant, but all was dark and miserable 悲惨的.

Then God said, Let there be light! And the light came. And God saw the light, and it pleased him, and he gave it the name of day. And when the day was gone, and the dark came back to stay for a while, he gave the dark-ness the name of night. And God did these things on the first day.

The next day God made the clouds, and the sky in which they were to move; and he gave the sky a name; he called it heaven 天.

Then he drove drive the waters to one place where they were both deep and wide, and he called the waters seas, and to the dry land he gave the name of earth. And God made the grass 草 to grow up out of the earth, and the trees and bushes 灌木 that have fruit on them. And the grass and the bushes and the trees were to bear seeds, so that when these seeds were put into the ground grind more grass and trees and bushes would grow there. God did these things on the third day.

And God put two great lights in the sky, the sun to shine 发光 by day, and the moon to shine by night; and he made the stars 星, and put each one in its place. And these things he did on the fourth day.

And he made the great whales 鲸, and all the fish that live in the sea, and the birds that swim 游泳 on it, as well as those that fly through the air, and make their nests （鸟）窝 in the deep woods. And these things God did on the fifth day.

God made the beasts: those that are wild and live in the deep, dark woods, far from the homes of men; and those that are tame 驯服的 and of use to men, and live where men live—such as the horse, the cow 奶牛, the cattle and the sheep 羊. And he made the things that creep 爬行 on the ground, and flies and insects 虫 that course through the air.

And then God made Man, and told him that he should rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all else that lived on the earth. And he told man that the fruit which grew grow on the trees and bushes should be his food, while the beasts were to feed on the leaves, and on the grass that was spread out on the earth. These things were done on the sixth day.

The next day God did no work at all, but made it a day of rest.

God made man out of the dust of the earth, and breathed 呼吸 in him till 到 the man breathed and moved, and showed signs of life. Then God made a garden for man to live in, where all sorts of trees grew that were nice to look at, and that bore bear fruit good to eat. And this place was called Eden. And through it flowed a large stream that kept the earth wet 湿的.

And God took Adam, the man he had made, and put him in the garden, and told him to take care of it. He told him he might eat of the fruit that grew on all the trees but one. God said he must not eat of that tree, for if he did he would be sure to die. And all the birds and beasts came to Adam, that he might give them their names. And the names he gave them are those by which they are known to this day.

And God saw it was not good for man to be alone; he should have some one to be with him and help him. So he had a deep sleep fall on Adam, and while he slept sleep God took out of his side a bone 骨头, and out of this bone he made a woman. Then he brought this woman he had made to Adam, and she was his wife.

Now there was in this garden of Eden a great big snake. And this snake spoke speak to the woman—as Satan speaks to us—to tempt 引诱 her to sin 罪.

The snake said: Has God told you not to eat of all the trees in the garden?

And the woman said that they might eat of all but one; if they ate of that or touched it they would be sure to die. The snake told them they should not die, and that God did not wish them to eat of it for fear they would grow wise 明智的；聪明的, and know more than he thought was good for them.

The woman heard what the snake said, and when she saw that the tree was nice to look at and the fruit seemed good to eat, she gave no thought to what God had said, but took some of the fruit and ate of it; she gave some to the man, Adam, and he did eat.

In a short time they heard a voice, and knew that God spoke to them. Yet they did not come near him when they heard his voice, but ran and tried to hide from him.

But God spoke once more, and said to the man, Where are you?

And Adam said, I heard your voice, and my fear was so great that I hid hide from you.

And God said, Did you eat of the tree I told you not to eat of?

And the man said, She whom 谁 you did give me to be with me brought me some of the fruit, and I did eat.

And God said to the man's wife, What is this that you have done?

And she told God what the snake had said, and how she came to eat of the fruit, and God was angry 生气的 with them all. He said the snake should crawl 爬行 on the ground and eat dust all the days of its life; and he told the wife she should know what it was to be sick 病；恶心 and sad 悲哀的, and should have much grief 哀思 and care.

And God drove the man and his wife out of Eden, and would let them live no more in that fair place. And he sent send angels 天使 to keep watch, and a sword 剑 of fire that would turn in all ways, so that the two whom 谁 God for their sins 罪 drove out of Eden could not get back to the home they had lost.

And God told Adam that as he had paid attention to what his wife said, and did eat of the tree which the Lord had told him not to eat of, the ground should bear no more fruit for him by itself 本身, as it had done up to this time, and Adam would have to work hard all his life to raise food to eat, and when he died he would go back to the dust out of which he was made.

But God told Adam and his wife that there was a way by which their souls might live on high when their flesh 肉 was laid in the ground. He said he would send one from the sky who would give his life for theirs: that is, he would be put to death for their sins 罪. Then if they would turn from their sins 罪, and give their hearts to the one who was to save them, God would not turn his face from them, but when they died they would have a home with him, and have no thought of sin 罪.

So Adam went forth to till 到 the land, and he gave his wife the name of Eve. And they made coats out of the skins 皮 of beasts.

Adam and his wife had two sons: Cain and Abel. When they grew up to be men, Cain, who was the first-born bear, took care of a farm; Abel kept a flock 群 of sheep 羊.

They both had bad hearts, and at times would be led into sin 罪, just as Adam and his wife had been. But when Abel did wrong he was grieved 悼, and sought to make peace with God. One day he brought a lamb 羊肉 from his flock 群, and killed it, and burnt burn it on a heap 堆 of stones. And the smoke went up on high.

This act of Abel's pleased God, for it was the sign that a Lamb was to be sent to the world to save men from their sins 罪.

But Cain kept on in his sins 罪, and paid his vows 发誓 to God not with a lamb 羊肉, but with fruit or grain 谷物 out of the field. This did not please God, and the smoke went not up on high. When Cain saw this he was in a great anger 生气, and showed by his looks that he was angry 生气的 with God. Yet God spoke to him in a kind voice, and said, Why are you angry? and why are you so sad 悲哀的?

If Cain did right God told him he would be pleased with his gift 赠品; but if he did not do right, the fault 缺点 was his own.

Then Cain was angry with Abel, for he saw that God was pleased with Abel's gift and not with his. And one day when both of them were out in the field he rose rise up and killed Abel, and the blood ran out of Abel's wounds 创伤 and sank 淹没:sink deep in the ground.

As soon as this deed 行为 was done, God spoke to Cain, and said: Where is Abel?

Cain said, I know not. He is not in my care. Then God, who had seen the crime 罪行, and knew just how bad his heart was, said to Cain: What have you done? The voice of Abel's blood cries to me from out the ground.

And God told Cain that for his great sin 罪 he should move from place to place, as one who was in fear of his life, and had no home to stay in. And if he should plant anything in the field to bear food, it should not grow well. Weeds would come up and choke 呛 it, or it would bear leaves and no fruit, so that Cain would not have much to eat.

And Cain said if God drove him here and there on the face of the earth, and would not take care of him, all those who met him would want to kill him.

But God said the man who hurt 损害 Cain would have a worse fate 命运. God set a mark on Cain; what kind of a mark it was we are not told, but those who saw it would know it was Cain, and it would bring to their minds that God had said no man should kill him.

Adam lived to be an old, old man, and had a large flock 群 of children, who grew up and were wed, and they went off and made homes, and day by day were people born into the world. When Adam died he was laid in the ground and went back to dust, as God had said he should when he went out of Eden.

One of the men who lived in those days was named Enoch. It is said of him that he walked with God. That means that he loved God, and thought of him, and kept near him all the time, and did his best to please him.

And Enoch did not die, but God took him up to be with him while he still lived, just as if he were to take up one of us.

And Enoch had a son whose 谁的 name was Methuselah, who died at a great old age. In those times men lived more years than they do now, but in all the years since the world was made no man has been known to live to be as old as Methuselah.

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THE GREAT FLOOD AND A GREAT TOWER

In the course of time, when there came to be more people in the world, they grew fond 喜欢的 of sin 罪. They did not love God, or try to please him. And God was angry with them, and said he would send a flood 洪水 that would drown 淹死 the world, and there should not be any dry land left for men, beasts, or birds to live on.

But though most of the people at that time were as bad as they could be, there was one good man among them, and his name was Noah.

And God loved Noah and told him what he meant to do. And God asked Noah build an ark. This was a boat. It was to be made large, with rooms in it, and a great door on its side. And it was to be quite high, and to have a roof on top.

And God told Noah when the ark was done he and his sons and their wives should go in it.

And he told Noah to take in with him two of each kind of bird and of beast 野兽, and of insect 虫, and of things that crept 爬行:creep, and to take care of them in the ark so long as the flood 洪水 should be on the earth; for all that were not in the ark would be sure to be drowned 淹死.

So Noah set out at once to build the ark; and it took him a great while to build it. When not at work on the ark, he would talk of God, and of his plan to send a flood to wash sin 罪 out of the world, and would urge the people to give up their sins 罪, and lead good lives. But they paid no attention to his words, and went from bad to worse all the time that Noah was at work on the ark.

When it was done God told Noah to come into the ark, for he saw he was a good man who had done his best to serve him, and to bring the birds and beasts with him. For in a few days he would send the rain on the earth, and all that was left on it would be drowned.

So Noah did as God told him. And when he and his wife, and his three sons and their wives, and the birds and the beasts, both small and great, had passed through the great door of the ark, God shut 关闭 them in.

At the end of a week the rain set in, and did not stop for more than a month. The rain seemed to pour 淋；倒 out of the sky, and all the springs, the large and small streams, and the great seas, rose up and swept sweep through the length and breadth 宽度 of the land. They came to where the ark was, and went round and round it, and rose so high that the ark was borne bear from its place and set afloat on the great wide sea.

Then those who had paid no attention to Noah, but had kept on in their sins 罪, were in a sad plight 困境. The flood 3 had come, and they knew now that all that he had told them was true. How glad 高兴的 they would have been to go with him in the ark. But it was too late. They ran in wild haste 匆忙 to the tops of the hills in hopes to find there a safe place. But still the floods 洪水 rose and rose till there was no place for them to go, and all those not in the ark were drowned, and there was not a bit 一点 of dry land in the whole wide world.

But God took care of Noah, and those who were with him, and kept them safe till the floods went down. At the end of five months the sea had gone down so much that the ark stood high and dry on a mount 增加 known as Ararat. It stood there for at least two months, and at the end of that time the sea had gone down so that tops of high hills could be seen here and there.

And Noah sent forth a raven, and the bird flew fly this way and that, but came not back to the ark.

Then Noah sent forth a dove 鸽子, that he might find out if the ground was yet dry. And the dove 鸽子 flew here and there in search of green things, but found not a tree in sight, and naught 零 but cold hard rock, and so she flew back to the ark and Noah put out his hand and took her in.

At the end of a week Noah sent out the dove 鸽子 once more, and at the close of the day she came back with a leaf 叶子 in her mouth.

As soon as Noah saw the leaf he knew that the waves had gone down or the dove 鸽子 could not have found it. And he knew that God had sent the dove 鸽子 back to him that he might know the ground would soon be dry.

In a few days he sent the dove 鸽子 out for the third time, but she did not come back; and Noah was sure then that the ground was dry, and that God meant that for a sign that he should leave the ark in which he had been shut 关闭 up so long.

And God spoke to Noah and told him to come out of the ark, and to bring out all that had been in there with him. And Noah did so, and he built up a heap 堆 of stones as Abel had done, on which he laid beasts and birds, and burnt them, which was the way in which man gave thanks to God in those days.

And Noah's heart was full of praise 赞扬 to God, who had kept him, and those who were near and dear 亲爱的 to him, safe from the flood, while all the rest of the world was drowned.

And God told Noah and his sons that they should rule on the earth, and might kill the beasts and use the flesh 肉 for food. Up to this time those who lived on the earth had lived on the fruits of trees and such things as grew out of the ground, and did not know the taste of meat 肉.

And God told Noah that he would send no more floods to drown 淹死 the world as this one had done. And he gave Noah a sign that he would keep his word, so that when Noah saw it he would have no fear of a flood. And this sign was the rain‧bow 彩虹, which God set up in the sky as a bow 弓 of hope to Noah and to all the world.

Noah lived for years and years after the flood, and died at a ripe 成熟的 old age.

The tribes 部落 of Noah grew so fast that the world was quite well filled once more.

And you would think they would have been glad 高兴的 to serve God, and to do right in his sight. But their hearts were full of sin 罪, and they went on as those had done who were drowned in the flood.

At this time all those who lived on the earth spoke but one tongue 舌头; that is, they used the same kind of speech.

Now these tribes did not stay in one spot all the time, but would pack up their tents 帐篷 and move from place to place as they chose choose.

And as they went to the east they came to a plain in the land of Shinar. And they said, Let us make brick 砖 and build a high tower 塔 that shall reach up to the sky. And let us make a name, so that when we go from this place it will be known what great men were here, and what great deeds 行为 they could do.

And they set to work to build it. God, who read their hearts, knew that sin 罪 was at work there, and that the tower they meant to build was not to serve him in, or to add to his praise 赞扬. So he was not pleased with their work, and chose a strange way to stop them. He made them all at once speak in strange tongues 舌头. This one could not tell what that one said, and they made such a noise 噪音 that it grew to be just a babel of sound. And that is why it was called the tower 塔 of Babel.

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ABRAHAM: THE MAN OF FAITH.

There lived in the land of Ur a man whose 谁的 name was Abraham. And in that land the men did not serve the true God, but had set up false 虚伪的 gods to whom 谁 they paid their vows 发誓.

And God told Abraham to leave his home and go to a land which he would show him. Abraham did not know where the land was, but he had great faith, and knew that God would take care of him and bring him to the land he had told him of.

So Abraham took Sarah, his wife, and his brother's son, whose 谁的 name was Lot, and they set out for the land which God had said he would show him.

Abraham was a rich man, and so was Lot, and they had a great wealth 财产 of flocks 群, and of herds 放牧, and of tents. And they each had a large force of herdsmen. And these herdsmen were at strife 争吵.

And Abraham told Lot it was best that they should part; and he said to him, Choose where you shall go. If you will take the left hand I will go to the right, and if you will go to the right hand then I will go to the left.

So Lot looked round and saw that the plain of Jordan was rich in grass, and would be a fine place for him and his herds 放牧 to dwell 住 in; so he made his choice at once, and went to live there.

Two large towns were on this plain, Sodom and Gomorrah. The men in Sodom were full of sin 罪, yet Lot, though a good man, went to live there that he might have a chance to add to his wealth 财产.

As soon as Lot had gone, the Lord told Abraham that he would give to him and his heirs 继承者 all that land as far as he could see it. And the tribe 部落 of Abraham would be so great that no one could count them.

Now Sarah Abraham's wife, had a hand‧maid 手‧女佣—that is, a maidofallwork— whose 谁的 name was Hagar; and she came from Egypt. Hagar did Sarah a great wrong, and Sarah drove her from the house, and she fled to the woods.

An angel 天使 of the Lord found Hagar there by a spring of water, and said to her, From where did you come? and where will you go? And she said she had fled from Sarah, whose 4 maid 女佣 she was.

And the angel 天使 said she must go back to Sarah and do as she wished her to do. And he told Hagar she would have a son whose 5 name would be Ishmael, and that he would live out of doors and be at strife 争吵 with all men. So Hagar went back to Sarah, and in due time God gave her a son, who was called Ishmael.

When Abraham was an old man, God told him that he and Sarah should have a son, who should be called Isaac.

One day at the hour of noon 正午, when Abraham sat sit by the door of his tent 帐篷, he looked up and saw three men quite near him. Then he ran out to meet them, and bowed 弓 his face to the ground. And Abraham asked them sit down and rest, and let some water be brought that they might wash their feet.

No one in those days wore wear such shoes 鞋 as are worn wear now. Some went bare‧foot 光秃秃的‧脚；英尺, and some wore just a sole 唯一 tied to the foot with strings 绳子, which did not keep off the dust and dirt as our shoes do.

So when one came in from a long walk the first thing he did was to bathe 给…洗澡 his feet, as that gave rest and ease 轻松, and when guests came the bowl 碗 was brought for their use.

And Abraham brought them food to eat, and stood by to wait on them; and when they had had their fill, went with them to show them the way.

In those days the Lord came down on the earth and spoke with men, and it is thought that one of these three was the Lord, and the two with him were angels 天使.

And the Lord told Abraham that he meant to burn Sodom and Gomorrah for the sins 罪 of those who lived there. This made Abraham sad, and he said there might be a few good men there, and he begged 乞讨 the Lord to spare 节省；多余的；备用件 the towns for their sakes 缘故.

The Lord said he would do so if ten 十 good men could be found there.

And the Lord left Abraham and he went back to his tent 帐篷. At the close of the day, Lot sat in the gate 门 of Sodom and two angels 天使 came there. And as soon as Lot saw them he rose up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.

Then these angels 天使 told Lot to take out of Sodom all those who were dear 亲爱的 to him, and flee 逃跑 in great haste 匆忙, as the Lord meant to set the place on fire.

They were told not to look back, but while on their way Lot's wife turned her head, which was a sign that her heart was in Sodom, and she died where she stood, and turned to salt.

But Lot and his two girls reached Zoar at dawn 黎明 of the next day. Then the Lord rained fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, and they were burnt up in fierce 凶猛的 flame 火焰, with all that lived there, and all that grew out of the ground.

In due time God gave Abraham the son he had said he should have.

And the child grew, and as soon as it could eat, Abraham made a great feast 盛会. And at this feast Sarah saw that Hagar's son, Ishmael, made fun 乐趣 of her boy, and she begged Abraham to cast 投 him out. Abraham did not wish to do this, but God spoke to him and told him to do as Sarah had said, for Isaac was to be the true heir 继承者. So the next day Abraham gave food and drink to Hagar and sent her and her child out of his house.

And Hagar took her boy and went to the waste lands of Beersheba.

And when there was nothing for the child to drink, he grew weak, and was like to die. And Hagar laid him under a bush 灌木 and went off and sat down and hid hide her face, and wept weep, for she loved her boy very much and did not want to see him die.

And a voice spoke to Hagar out of the sky, and said, What ails AIL you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad 小伙子 where he is. Rise, lift up the lad 小伙子 and hold him in thine arms.

And the voice told her that her son should be the head of a great tribe 部落. And as she raised her eyes she saw a well of water, and she ran to it and gave her son a drink and he was soon strong and well once more.

And God was kind to Ishmael, and he grew, and made his home in the woods, and came to have great skill with the bow 弓.

Now it was God's wish to try the faith of Abraham to him.

And he told him to take his son, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and lay lie him on the altar 坛 he was to build on one of the mounts 增加 there. It was not a hard task 任务 to kill a lamb 羊肉, and to burn it so that the smoke of it should rise up to God, like praise 赞扬 from the hearts of men. But how could Abraham take his own dear son, Isaac, and lay him on the wood, and let him be burnt up like a lamb 羊肉?

Yet God told him to do it, and Abraham knew that it was safe for him to do as God said.

So he rose the next day and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and cut the wood the right length, and set out for the mount of which God had told him.

And as they drew draw near the place he took the wood from the ass and laid it on Isaac's back, and took the fire in his hand and a knife, and the two went up the mount.

Now Isaac did not know what the Lord had told Abraham to do, nor why his father took him up to the mount. And he said, Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb 羊肉?

And Abraham said, My son, God will give us the lamb 羊肉 we need.

And when they came to the place, Abraham piled 堆 up the stones and put the wood on them, and bound 必定；跳 Isaac and laid him on the wood.

Then he drew forth the knife to kill his son. And just then a voice from the sky cried out, Abraham! Abraham! And Abraham said, Here am I.

And the Lord told him to do no harm 损害 to Isaac, for now he knew that Abraham loved him, since he would not spare 节省；多余的；备用件 his own dear son if it was God's wish that he should give him up.

And as Abraham turned his head he saw a ram 随机存取存储器 that was caught catch in a bush 灌木, and he took the ram 随机存取存储器 and laid it on the wood, and burnt it instead of his son.

At the end of a few years Abraham went to live at Hebron. And Sarah died there.

When Isaac grew up to be a man, Abraham did not wish him to take a wife from the land of Canaan where they served strange gods.

So he sent one of his men to the land where he used to live to bring back a wife for Isaac.

And as he drew near to a large town in that land he made his camels 骆驼 kneel 跪 down by a well. And it was the time of day when the women of the place went out to draw water from the well.

And the man whom 谁 Abraham had sent, asked God to help him, and to let him know which one of them was to be Isaac's wife. And he said he would ask one of them for a drink, and if she was kind and gave him a drink, and let his camels 骆驼 quench their thirst, then he should know that she was the one God chose to be the wife of Abraham's son.

And he raised his heart to God and said, O Lord God of Abraham, give me good speed this day.

And while he yet spoke a fair young maid 女佣 named Rebekah went down to the well and came up with the jar 罐 she had filled. And the man ran to meet her, and said to her, Let me drink, I pray you.

And she said, Drink, my Lord, and held the jar 罐 in her hand so that he could drink with ease 轻松.

Then she said, I will give your camels 骆驼 a drink; and she went down to the well and drew for all the camels 骆驼. And the man stood still, and was yet in doubt if this was the maid 女佣 whom 4 God chose to be Isaac's wife.

And as soon as the camels 骆驼 had drunk drink their fill, the man took a gold 金 earring, and two bands of gold for the wrists 腕, and gave them to Rebekah. And he said, Whose child are you? tell me, I pray you. And is there room in your father's house for us to lodge 存放 in?

The maid 女佣 said that her father's name was Bethuel, and that there was no lack of straw 稻草 and food, and there was room in the house where he and his men might lodge.

The man was glad when he heard this, for he knew the Lord had led him, and had brought him to the house to which he was sent. And he bowed his head and gave thanks.

The next day Rebekah and her maids 女佣 went with Abraham's head man. And they came to the land of Canaan.

At the close of the day Isaac went to walk in the fields, and as he raised his eyes he saw the camels 骆驼 on their way home, and he went out to meet them.

Rebekah said to the man with whom 5 she rode ride, What man is this that comes through the field to meet us?

And the man told her that it was Abraham's son, Isaac.

Then the maid 女佣 drew her veil 面纱 round her so as to hide her face, and came down from the camel 骆驼. And Isaac took her to his house and made her his wife. And Abraham gave, all that he had to Isaac; and when he died he was laid by the side of Sarah, his wife, in the tomb 墓 he had bought buy at Machpelah.

And to this day no one has had such faith or trust in God as did Abraham.

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