評論
打印
"Can you tell me what the Bible is?" inquired the judge.
“能告訴我什么是《圣經》嗎？”法官問道。
"It is the word of the great God," she answered.
“這是偉大的神的話，”她回答。
"Well," said the judge, place your hand upon this Bible, and listen to what I say;and he repeated slowly and solemnly the following oath:
“那么，”法官說，把手放到《圣經》上，聽我說。”然后他緩慢而嚴肅地重復著以下的誓詞，
Do you swear that in the evidence which you shall give in this case, you will tellthe truth, and nothing but the truth; and that you will ask God to help you?
你發誓你在為本案提供證據時，只講真話，而且請求上帝幫助你嗎？
"I do," she replied.
“我發誓，”她回答說。
"Now," said the judge, "you have been sworn as a witness; will you tell me what will befall you if you do not tell the truth?"
“現在，”法官說，“你已經宣誓做證人了；你能告訴我如果你講的不是真話會發生什么嗎？”
"I shall be shut up in the state prison," answered the child.
“我將被關入州監獄，”孩子回答。
"Anything else?" asked the judge.
“別的呢？”法官問。
"I shall never go to heaven," she replied.
“我將永遠不能去天堂了，”她回答。
"How do you know this?" asked the judge again.
“你怎么知道的？”法官又問。
The child took the Bible, turned rapidly to the chapter containing the commandments, and, pointing to the one which reads,
孩子拿起《圣經》，迅速翻到有關“十誡”那一章，指著其中一節，
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor," said, "I learned that before I could read."
上面寫著：“你們不應該做偽證，陷害你們的鄰居。”孩子說：“我識字前就知道了。”
"Has anyone talked with you about being a witness in court here against this man?" inquired the judge.
“有人和你談過在法庭上作證揭發這個人嗎？”法官詢問道。
"Yes, sir," she replied, "my mother heard they wanted me to be a witness;
“是的，先生，”她回答，“我媽媽聽說要讓我做證人；
and last night she called me to her room, and asked me to tell her the Ten Commandments; and then we kneeled down together,
昨晚把我叫到她的房間，讓我告訴她“十誡”的內容；然后我們一起向神禱告，
and she prayed that I might understand how wicked it was to bear false witness against my neighbor,
她讓我知道做偽證陷害鄰居是邪惡的，
and that God would help me, a little child, to tell the truth as it was before him.
她禱告上帝保佑我，要我講實話，就好像在上帝面前一樣。
