When I read the Bible Through/当我从头至尾地通读圣经
Journey Up-2283 03/28 30314.0/1
When I Read the Bible Through
I supposed I knew my Bible
Reading piecemeal, hit and miss,
Now a bit of John or Matthew,
Now a snatch of Genesis,
Certain chapters of Isaiah
Certain Psalms (the twenty-third!);
Twelfth of Romans, First of Proverbs—
Yes, I thought I knew the Word!
But I found that thorough reading
Was a different thing to do,
And the way was unfamiliar
When I read the Bible through.
Oh, the massive, mighty volume!
Oh, the treasures manifold!
Oh, the beauty of the wisdom
And the grace it proved to hold!
As the story of the Hebrews
Swept in majesty along,
As it leaped in waves prophetic,
As it burst to sacred song,
As it gleamed with Christly omens,
The Old Testament was new,
Strong with cumulative power,
When I read the Bible through.
Ah! Imperial Jeremiah,
With his keen, coruscant mind;
And the blunt old Nehemiah,
And Ezekiel refined!
Newly came the Minor Prophets
Each with his distinctive robe,
Newly came the Song idyllic,
And the tragedy of Job;
Deuteronomy, the regal,
To a towering mountain grew,
With its comrade peaks around it,
When I read the Bible through.
What a radiant procession
As the pages rise and fall,
James the sturdy, John the tender
O the myriad-minded Paul!
Vast apocalyptic glories
Wheel and thunder, flash and flame,
While the church triumphant raises
One incomparable Name.
Ah, the story of the Saviour
Never glows supremely true
Till you read it whole and swiftly,
Till you read the Bible through.
You who like to play at Bible,
Dip and dabble, here and there,
Just before you kneel, aweary,
And yawn thro’ a hurried prayer;
You who treat the Crown of Writings
As you treat no other book—
Just a paragraph disjointed,
Just a crude, impatient look—
Try a worthier procedure,
Try a broad and steady view;
You will kneel in very rapture
When you read the Bible through!
—Amos R. Wells
当我从头至尾地通读圣经
我以为我了解圣经
一鳞半爪地读过不少，
一点约翰或者马太福音，
一点创世纪，
看几章以赛亚
看几篇诗篇（对，那第二十三篇！），
罗马书第十二章，箴言第一章--
没错，我觉得我知道神的话！
然而我发现，从头至尾地通读圣经
却是另外一回事，
一种完全陌生的经历--
当我从头至尾地通读圣经。
哦，那些气势磅礴的经卷！
哦，那些满含丰富的宝藏！
哦，智慧的美散发着光亮
神的恩典蕴藏其内！
当希伯来人的历史画卷展开，
当它跃入预言的风浪，
当它迸出赞美的圣歌，
当它闪烁着预兆基督的微光，
旧约历久弥新，饱含岁月累积的力量--
当我从头至尾地通读圣经。
啊！高贵的耶利米，
敏锐的的头脑，散发智慧的光芒；
还有率直的尼希米，
细腻的以西结！
然后是那些小先知
个个穿着独特的长袍
还有那田园诗歌
和约伯的悲惨遭遇；
申命记，则带着君王气质
与它的同伴们一起，
耸立成令人仰止的高山--
当我从头至尾地通读圣经。
当书页一一展开
走来何等荣耀的行列，
坚定的雅各，温柔的约翰
哦，无比智慧的保罗！
那些宏大的末日启示荣光，
车轮与震雷声中，闪电与火焰光中，
教会在得胜中高举起
那个无可比拟的名字。
啊，救世主的故事
将无法彻底真实的显现
除非你完整的连贯的
把圣经从头至尾地通读一遍。
你是否以如此的游戏态度读经，
蜻蜓点水，这翻翻，那看看
然后疲惫地跪下
打着哈欠匆匆地祷告完事；
你是否对待这书中之冠
不像对待任何其它书籍--
目光潦草而急切的扫过
只看到零散的断章，
试一下更有意义的方法吧，
试一下更全面更稳固的视角，
你会无比欣喜地匍匐在地--
当你从头至尾地通读圣经！
-阿摩司·威尔士
