神啊！求你為我造一顆清潔的心，
求你使我裡面重新有堅定的靈。
不要把我從你面前丟棄，
不要從我身上收回你的聖靈。
求你使我重得你救恩的喜樂，
重新有樂意的靈支持我。〈詩 篇〉51:10-12
Change my heart, O God, make it ever true;
change my heart, O God, may I be like you.
You are the potter, I am the clay;
mould me and make me, this is what I pray.
Change my heart, O God, make it ever true;
change my heart, O God, may I be like you."Change My Heart, O God"
Eddie Espinosa, 1982
願你細傾聽，全是我所望，
願你細傾聽：更新我心意。
陶匠是你，恩主，燒出我生命，
熬煉塑造，得使我像你。
願你細傾聽，全是我所望，
願你細傾聽：更新我心意。
〈更新我心意〉
這是生命工程奉獻禮中，我們小組獻的詩歌。
詩歌早有幾個中譯版本，國語粵語都有。但那天我一時手癢，自把自為，自己譯寫了一趟。有意無意之間，就變成了獻唱的版本。
今回譯寫得算快，尤其是中間兩句。
聖經說：
We are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
我們不過是泥土，你才是陶匠；我們眾人都是你手所作的。〈以賽亞書〉64:8 下
Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay.
求你記念你造我如摶泥。〈約伯記〉10:9 上
我想到的，還有這節經文：
他必坐著，像熬煉和潔淨銀子的人。
〈瑪拉基書〉3:3 上
繼而想起這篇文章：
一班姊妹正在查考〈瑪拉基書〉。讀到第三章第三節時，她們不禁疑惑起來。經文這樣說：「他必坐著，像熬煉和潔淨銀子的人。」她們想：「這節經文說明了神哪種屬性呢？」一位姊妹自動請纓，要找出煉銀的工序，待下次開組時報告一下。
不幾日，這位姊妹就聯絡了一位銀匠，約好了時間去參觀他工作的情況。姊妹只是說自己對煉銀的過程很好奇，並沒有提及她的目的。姊妹看著銀匠把一塊銀子放到爐火上燒。銀匠解釋說：「提煉銀子時，我們要把銀子放到火的中央，也就是燒得最旺的地方，這樣才可以把所有雜質燒掉。」
姊妹聯想到神把我們放在這樣的熱點。她又再次思想那節經文：「他必坐著，像熬煉和潔淨銀子的人。」她問銀匠：「那你是否全程都要坐在爐火前呢？」銀匠回答說：「是的，不單要提住銀子，還要全時間注視。只要多燒一分，銀子就燬了。」
姊妹沉默了一陣子，又問：「那你怎麼知道銀子煉好了？」銀匠微笑說：「呵，這還不容易——當我可以在銀子上看到自己的樣子就是了。」
倘若你今天身處烈火，記住，神會定睛在你身上，祂會一路拖帶、看顧，直到在你身上看到祂自己的形像。
再找。另一段經文：
耶和華有話臨到耶利米，說：「起來，下到陶匠的家裡去，在那裡我要使你聽到我的話。」我就下到陶匠的家裡去，見他正在轉盤旁工作。陶匠用他手中的泥所做的器皿壞了，他就用這泥再做別的器皿，照著自己的意思去作。於是耶和華的話臨到我，說：「以色列家啊！難道我不能待你們像這陶匠所作的一樣嗎？」這是耶和華的宣告。「看哪！泥在陶匠的手中怎樣，以色列家啊！你們在我的手中也必怎樣。」
〈耶利米書〉18:1-6
以前讀著，會以為我們不過是神的工具，只能任祂搓圓捏扁、憑己意去「做」我們。現在邊讀經文邊聽詩歌，感受不再一樣。看到的，是神不介意多花功夫：泥一下子做不成好器皿就再做，做到好為止。我們在神手裡也一樣，我們做得不好，神依然會繼續使用，哪怕要從頭做起。
同一天，詩班獻唱 "Create In Me A Clear Heart / I Surrender All"，這是我近來最喜歡的獻詩。"Create In Me A Clear Heart" 的歌詞直接引用〈詩篇〉第 51 篇：
Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me.
Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me.Cast me not away from thy presence, O Lord;
and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;
and renew a right spirit within me."Create In Me A Clean Heart"
Keith Green
正如〈箴言〉4:23 說：「你要謹守你的心，勝過謹守一切，因為生命的泉源由此而出。」
延伸閱讀：
- 文章內的經文引用自 King James Version（英文）和新譯本（中文）
- Eddie Espinosa 創作 "Change My Heart, O God" 的故事可參閱 "Change my heart Oh God"，《David 的有感而發》，http://chhsin321.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/change-my-heart-oh-god/
- 這是〈瑪拉基書〉3:3 上故事的原文：
There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three they came across verse three which says, "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.
That week the woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that, in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot - then she thought again about the verse, that He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. For if the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's the easy part -- when I see my image reflected in it."
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep His hand on you and watch over you until He sees His image in you.
Author unknown
奉獻禮於三月廿八日早上
譯詞完於三月二十日凌晨
故事譯文草於復活節前後
全文完於四月廿一日黃昏
《銅聲同氣》2010 年 9 月刊
以馬內利 (2)
