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The Thornbush 一棵荆棘树
一棵荆棘树，全身充满了刺。人们避之唯恐不及。是那么不起眼，那么令人生厌。慈爱的耶稣选它作为王冠，戴著它走向各各他山上。亲爱的朋友们，我们正如小树，当万王之王耶稣选我们戴在他头上时，我们才发现，我们身上刺痛他的刺竟是，他向世人流露出爱的记号。
The thornbush stared up at the moonlit sky, waiting for the warmth of dawn. Its
tiny flowers huddled together against the cold. Finally the little bush drifted
off to sleep.
有一棵荆棘树仰视著月光清亮的天空，等待著清晨的温暖。它身上细小的花朵为了怕冷而挤在一起。终於这棵小树轻轻地坠入了梦乡。
The ragged little bush grew between the stones at the edge of a narrow street
that led to a grand palace. Its thorns were sharp, and its flowers were too
small to be admired. Children never picked its blossoms, and travelers avoided
the prickly bush. The thornbush felt ugly and unwanted.
这棵长得有点杂乱的小树生长在通往宫殿的路旁的石头缝中。它的刺很锐利，它的花微小得引不起人的欣赏。小孩子们从来不去摘它的花，路过的旅客也避开这棵刺人的树?。这棵荆棘树觉得自己长得很丑陋，根本没人要。
A rooster crowed. Harsh voices stirred the thornbush from its sleep. A crowd
pushed a man through the quiet streets toward the palace. His hands were tied,
but he showed no anger. The man stopped in front of the little bush. His gentle
gaze made the bush feel warm and cared for. No one had ever shown such kindness
to the thornbush. A moment later the shouting crowd forced the man to move on.
粗糙的鸡啼声扰人清梦，荆棘树从梦中醒来。一批群众推著一个人穿过宁静的街道，往宫殿走去。他的双手被捆绑，但他一点儿也不生气。这个人在小树前停了下来。他温柔的凝视令小树感觉温暖而受关心。从来没有人曾经向荆棘树表现出如此的慈爱。不一会儿，怒喊的群众又强迫这人继续前行。
Out of the shadows came another man. As he passed, a silver coin fell to ground.
It rolled beneath the thornbush. The man knelt to pick it up. His face was sad,
and he began to weep. His tears fell on the thornbush.
“How I wish I could comfort him”, thought the little bush, “but my thorns will
only piece him more.” The man stumbled off and did not return.
从阴影中走出了另一个人，当他经过时，一个银钱掉落在地上，滚啊滚，竟滚到了荆棘树下面。这个人屈膝跪下来拾捡。他的面容看起来好伤心，他开始哭泣。他的眼泪滴在荆棘树上。
「但愿我能够安慰他，」小树心里想：「但是我身上的刺只会更加的剌痛他。」这人踉踉跄跄地走开，再也没有回来。
People began to gather outside the palace. A soldier walked through the crowd
toward the little bush. The morning sunlight reflected off of the soldier’s
raise sword. With a single swing of the sharp weapon, several branches fell from
the little bush. The soldier gathered the cuttings and returned to the palace.
“Why would anyone want my ugly thorns?” the thornbush wondered.
人们开始聚集在宫殿前。一位兵丁穿越了群众，往小树那里走去。早晨的阳光反照出兵丁举起的剑。随著锋利的兵器往下一挥，几根树枝从小树上掉落下来。这兵丁拾起了砍下的树枝，回到宫殿。
「怎么会有人要我这丑陋的刺？」荆棘树心里发出疑惑。
The sun rose high in the morning sky. People began to shout as a man limped
through the palace gates. “behold your king, Jesus," laughed the soldiers, “who
says he is the son of God!” “Crucify him!” yelled the angry mob. The little bush
shuddered. It was the man with the kind face. He was struggling to drag a heavy
wooden cross over the rough stone street.
太阳高高地在早晨的天空?起，当一个人一跛一跛地走出宫殿大门时，人们开始朝他叫骂。。「看哪！这是你们的王，耶稣。」兵丁戏谑地嘲笑。「谁还说他是上帝的儿子！」
「钉死他！」气愤的暴民大喊著。小树颤抖著。他就是有慈祥面容的那个人。他正挣扎著拖著沉重的木头十字架，走过岐岖不平的石头路。
As the man reached the thornbush, he stumbled and fell to his knees. He turned a
tired face toward the little bush. “Even though he will soon die on the cross,
his eyes are filled with kindness”, the little bush thought.
当这个人走到荆棘树前的时候，他被绊跌而倒、双膝跪下。他将困倦的面容转向这棵小树。「虽然很快他就要死在十字架上，他的双眼仍然充满了慈爱。」小树心里想。
The thornbush recognized its own spiked branches weaved into a thorny crown upon
this man’s head.
A drop of blood fell from the man’s forehead onto one of the bush’s small yellow
blooms. The stained flower fell to the ground.
荆棘树认出来，从它身上被砍下的带刺的树枝，被编成了一个荆棘的冠冕，戴在这个人头上。
一滴血从这人额头上流下来，滴在荆棘树的一朵小花上面，沾血的小花掉落在地上。
It was a long sad day. When all the people finally went home and the street was
deserted, the thornbush bowed in sorrow. It was ashamed of the pain its thorns
had caused the man with the cross.
这真是又长又令人伤心的一天。当所有的人都回到了家中，街道又回到原来的荒凉。荆棘树难过的低下了头。多么羞愧啊，小树的刺竟然造成了背十字架的人更多的疼痛。
For two days the thornbush refused to bloom. Morning dew fell like tears from
its trembling branches. The little bush bent low to examine the fallen flowers
beneath it. Only one remained fresh ? the flower stained by the blood of the man
with the crown of thorns.
在这两天之中，荆棘树拒绝开花。早晨的露水像泪珠一样的落在它发颤的枝条上。小树弯下了身子，检视著它落在地上的花朵。只有一朵仍然活著，就是沾著戴荆棘冠冕的人所流出的血的那朵。
On the third day after the man came, the bush was awakened by a beautiful dove.
The graceful birds flew down to rest among the thornbush’s branches.
“He’s alive!” cried a woman as she hurried through the street. “ Jesus is
risen!”
当这人走后的第三天，荆棘树被一阵美丽鸽子的所叫醒。这些优雅的鸟飞下来，在荆棘树的枝桠上休息。
The thornbush was amazed. “Could the kind man really have risen from the dead?”
「耶稣复活了！」一位妇人大声喊著，一边急急忙忙地顺著街道跑过去。荆棘树感到惊讶：「这位仁慈的人真的从死里复活了吗？」
Warm sunshine poured over the little bush. Its broken branches began to bud.
Once more, the thornbush thought of the loving kindness shown by the man with
the gentile eyes ? the man they called Jesus.
温暖的阳光?在小树身上。它被砍断的枝条又开始发出了新芽。荆棘树再一次想到了那位有温柔眼神的人（就是被人称作耶稣的那位）身上所流露出的慈爱。
The thornbush selected its most delicate bloom and held it high in the morning
sun. Slowly, the golden bloom opened, revealing a touch of red, deep within the
small blossom, as though it had been stained by a droplet of Jesus’ blood.
荆棘树挑选出它最细坷的花朵，在晨光中高高的举起来。慢慢的金黄色的花逐渐开展，在深深的花心之中，露出了一点血红，就像是被耶稣所滴下的那滴血沾染的一样。
The thornbush rejoiced! “The man, Jesus had died but lived again! He truly is
God’s Son.” Jesus’ only crown had been woven from the branches of the little
thornbush. But that crown was greater than silver and gold.
荆棘树心里充满喜乐：「这个人耶稣死了却又复活了！他真的是神的儿子。」耶稣唯一的冠冕竟是荆棘树的枝条所编成的。但是这冠冕却比金冠或银冠更高贵。
It was the crown of the King of kings Jesus.
它是万王之王耶稣所戴的冠冕。