大卫和他的家人对真主赐予的一切恩惠心怀感激，并将这些恩典用于善途。然而，示巴人则与这样的楷模形成对比。在第27章《蚂蚁》中，我们记述了他们的女王与所罗门之间所发生的事情。这里的故事叙述了他们在所罗门之后的遭遇，这表明此处所包含的事件发生于女王与所罗门交往之后的一段时期。更能说明这一点的是，此处的故事讲到示巴人对真主的恩惠忘恩负义，恩典随之被收回，人民也四散离去。在第27章所提到的那位女王的统治下，他们生活富足，国力十分强盛。所罗门最早收到关于他们的报告，是来自一只戴胜鸟，它对他说："我发现那里有一个女人在统治他们，她被赐予了各种好东西，她还有一座宏伟的宝座。我发现她和她的人民向太阳叩拜，而不向真主叩拜；撒旦把他们的行为装扮得美好，使他们偏离了正道，所以他们找不到正确的道路。"（27：23-24）
David and his family were full of gratitude to God for all His blessings and used such favours for good purpose. The people of Sheba, however, are to be contrasted with such role models. In Sūrah 27, The Ants, we have a report of what took place between their queen and Solomon. Here, the story gives an account of what happened to them after Solomon, which suggests that the events included here date back to a period after the queen’s exchanges with Solomon. What makes this more likely is that the story here speaks of Sheba’s people becoming ungrateful for God’s blessings, which were then withdrawn and the people scattered. Under the queen mentioned in Sūrah 27, they enjoyed a plentiful period and were very powerful. The first report received by Solomon about them was from a hoopoe who told him: “I found there a woman ruling over them; and she has been given of all good things, and hers is a magnificent throne. I found her and her people prostrating themselves to the sun instead of God; and Satan has made their deeds seem goodly to them, thus turning them away from the path [of God!, so that they cannot find the right way.” (27: 23-24)
这之后，女王便归顺了真主，接受了真主的信仰。因此，这段故事无疑发生在之后的时期。它讲述的是，当他们背弃真主、不感念真主的恩赐之后，所遭遇的事情。
This was subsequently followed by the queen’s submission to God, as she embraced the divine faith. The story here, then, is certainly of a subsequent period. It tells of what happened to them after they turned away from God and refused to thank Him for His favours.
故事开篇描述了他们所享有的伟大恩惠与所获赐的供给，同时也提出了他们应当尽力感恩的要求："在赛伯村民的住处，有一个迹象：两座花园，一左一右。（有人对他们说）：'你们应当食用你们的主所赐给你们的给养，并且感谢他。这是一片美好的土地，而你们的主是至赦的主。'"（第15节）
The story opens with a description of the great blessings they enjoyed and the provisions they were granted, as well as the requirement that they should demonstrate their gratitude as they could: “There was a sign for the people of Sheba in their dwelling place: two gardens, one to the right and one to the left: ‘Eat of what your Lord has provided for you, and give thanks to Him: a land most goodly and a Lord Much- Forgiving.’“ (Verse 15)
示巴是也门南部一个民族的名称,他们居住在一片肥沃的土地上,其中一部分至今仍然肥沃。他们文明程度很高,善于利用水资源,因为这里降雨充沛,他们的领土位于南部和东部临海之地。于是他们在两座山之间修建了一道天然的堤坝,沿山谷筑起一道宏伟的墙,并设有可控的闸口。通过这种方式,他们能够储存大量的水,并按需使用。这座巨大的水坝被称为马里卜水坝。
Sheba is the name of a community living in southern Yemen, in a fertile land some of which remains so today. They were highly civilized and were able to make good use of their water resources, as they were blessed with much rainfall, occupying territory close to the sea in the south and east. They were thus able to build a natural dam between two mountains, erecting a great wall down the valley, with controlled openings. In this way they were able to retain water in great quantities which they used as they needed. This great darn was known as the Ma’rib Dam.
左右两边的花园象征着他们土地极其丰饶的肥力，这使他们拥有美丽与富足。因此，这些花园是提醒他们的迹象，让他们想起赐予一切美好之物的真主。他们被命令充分利用所赐予他们的一切，并感谢赐予者："你们可以吃你们的主所供给的食物，而且感谢他。"（第15节）他们还被提醒这些恩赐的本质：肥沃的土地和罪过的宽恕："一个美好的乡邦，一个至宥的主。"（第15节）当如此无价的恩赐如此丰盛地赐予时，他们为何不肯感恩呢？"但他们置之不理，于是我使洪水泛滥于他们之中，并以生苦果的花园、木麻黄和几棵的树取代了他们的两座花园。"（第16节）
The gardens to the right and left symbolize the splendid fertility of their land which gave them beauty and affluence. Therefore, they were signs reminding them of God who gives every good thing. They were commanded to make full use of what was granted to them and to thank the Giver: “Eat of what your Lord has provided for you, and give thanks to Him.” (Verse 15) They were also reminded of the nature of their blessings: the productive land and the forgiveness of their sins: “a land most goodly and a Lord Much-Forgiving.” (Verse 15) When such priceless blessings are given in plenty, why were they unwilling to give thanks? “But they paid no heed, and so We let loose upon them a raging torrent and replaced their two gardens with others yielding bitter fruit, tamarisks, and a few lore trees.” (Verse 16)
当他们没有感念真主的恩典，也没有将真主所赐予他们的东西用于善良而有益的事情时，真主便夺去了他们的富足之源，降下汹涌咆哮、裹挟着巨石的洪流，摧毁了他们的水坝，洪水淹没了整个地区。水坝不再发挥作用，土地便干涸了。
When they failed to show their gratitude to God and use what God favoured them with in a goodly and beneficial way, He took away their source of affluence and let loose raging, stone-carrying torrents which destroyed their dam and its water flooded the whole area. With the dam no longer functioning, the land dried up.
原本美丽的园林，如今变成了一片沙漠，只有几棵野生的树木生长其中，且不结好果实。经文说，他们的园林被“换成了另外两座结苦果的园子，有木麻黄和少量的洋槐树”（第16节）。这已是他们的土地此后所能出产的最好之物，而且即便如此，数量也很少。
Instead of beautiful gardens they now had only a desert in which only a few wild trees were to grow, bearing no good fruit. The verse says that their gardens were “replaced ...with others yielding bitter fruit, tamarisks, and a few lote trees.” (Verse 16) This was the best that their land could subsequently produce and even then it was only in small quantities.
“这样，我因他们的忘恩负义而报应他们，我只报应那些极其忘恩负义的人。”（第17节）在此之前，他们一直居住在自己的村庄和家园中。真主减少了他们的给养，以简朴取代了他们的财富，但他还没有将他们分散到更广阔的地区。他们与真主所赐福的城市——麦加和耶路撒冷——保持着便利的往来。在示巴以北，也门人口稠密，通往其他地区的陆路安全舒适：“我在他们和我所降福的城镇之间，设置了彼此可以望见的城镇，并在其间规定了行程：‘你们在其中昼夜安全地行走吧。’”（第18节）据传，旅人清晨离开一个城镇，天黑前便能抵达下一个城镇。这意味着行程时间很短，旅行既便利、安全又舒适。
“Thus We requited them for their ingratitude: would We thus requite any but the totally ungrateful.” (Verse 17) Until then they had remained in their villages and homes. God stinted their provisions and replaced their riches with austerity, but He had not yet scattered them over a wider area. They had easy contacts with the cities blessed by God: Makkah and Jerusalem. To the north of Sheba, Yemen was well inhabited and its land routes to other areas were safe and comfortable: “We had placed between them and the cities which We had blessed towns within sight of one another so that they could travel in measured stages: ‘Travel through them by night and day in safety.” (Verse 18) It is reported that a traveller would leave one township in the morning and arrive at the next before dark. This meant that journey times were short, making travel easy, safe and comfortable.
然而，示巴人对第一次警告置之不理。他们境况的改变也没有使他们转向真主、祈求祂恢复他们安逸的生活。相反，他们的祈祷暴露了愚昧与无知：
Note: the rules require "God" to be rendered as the Chinese word for God, not "Allah". Correcting that now:
然而，示巴人对第一次警告置之不理。他们境况的改变也没有使他们转向神、祈求祂恢复他们安逸的生活。相反，他们的祈祷暴露了愚昧与无知：
Yet Sheba’s people paid no heed to the first warning. Nor did the change in their circumstances make them turn to God and appeal to Him to give back their comfortable lives. On the contrary, their prayer betrayed stupidity and ignorance:
“但他们说：‘我们的主啊！求你使我们的旅程更远。’”他们想要的是长途旅行，而这样的旅行是很少有人才会进行的。他们这样做，所表现出的无非是傲慢：他们对自己的灵魂犯下了罪过。”他们的祈求得到了应允，但只是按照这样的祈求应当得到的方式被应允：“于是我使他们成为传说，并把他们散布到各地。”（第19节）他们像难民一样散居在阿拉伯各地，也成了别人聚会时谈论的话题。换言之，他们不再是一个被认可的群体，而成了人们口中的故事。“在这些事情中，对每一个能在患难中忍耐、深深感恩的人而言，确有许多迹象。”（第19节）
“But they said: ‘Our Lord! Make our journeys longer.” They wanted long distance travel, which is undertaken only infrequently. In so doing, they demonstrated nothing but arrogance: They sinned against their souls.” Their prayer was answered, but only as such a prayer should be answered: “So We caused them to become a tale, and scattered them throughout the land.” (Verse 19) They became like refugees scattered throughout Arabia. They also became the subject of discussions in others’ gatherings. In other words, they were no longer a recognized community, but a tale people told. “Surely, there are signs in all this for anyone who is patient in adversity, deeply grateful.” (Verse 19)
我们注意到，在顺境中，耐心与坚忍往往与感恩并提。示巴的历史在这两方面都给出了迹象。
We note that patience and steadfastness are mentioned alongside thanksgiving in times of plenty. The history of Sheba gives signs on both counts.
这是对最后两节经文的一种理解。然而，它们也可以有另一种理解，这样前一句就会译为："我在他们与我所祝福的城镇之间，安置了有权势的城镇。"由于这些地方拥有权势与主导地位，示巴人便变得贫穷，过着如同沙漠居民的生活，并且不得不一次又一次地迁徙，以寻找牧场和水源。
This is one way of understanding the last two verses. However, they may also be understood in a different way, which would then render the first statement as: “We had placed between them and the cities which We had blessed towns that have dominance.” As these places had power and dominance, the people of Sheba became poor, living like desert dwellers, and having to travel time after time to find pasture and water.
他们无法经受住这一考验。于是，他们向真主祈祷，其祷词大意是："我们的主啊！请拉长我们旅途的间隔，或者减少旅行的次数，因为旅行对我们来说已经太过辛苦。"他们没有在祈祷的同时悔罪归主、求主饶恕，以使真主应允他们所祈求的。由于他们在拥有真主的恩赐时傲慢自大，在遭遇逆境时又不能坚忍，真主便惩罚他们，将他们驱散四方，于是他们消失了，只留在人们的传说之中。这样看来，经文末尾的评论——"凡坚忍而感恩的人，在这其中确有许多迹象"（第19节）——正适用于他们对真主恩惠的不知感恩和在逆境中的缺乏忍耐。我认为这种对经文的理解也是可以接受的。然而，真主最知晓祂自己的旨意。
They could not withstand the test that this entailed. Therefore, they prayed to God, and in this case their supplication would be rendered as: ‘Our Lord! Lengthen the time between our journeys,’ or make them less frequent, as travel has become too tiring for us. They did not couple this prayer with turning to God with repentance and seeking His forgiveness, so that He would grant them what they prayed for. Since they behaved arrogantly when they had God’s blessings, and did not persevere when they faced adversity, God punished them by scattering them and so they disappeared, featuring only in people’s tales. This makes the comment at the end of these verses fitting for their lack of gratitude for God’s favour and lack of patience in adversity: “Surely, there are signs in all this for anyone who is patient in adversity, deeply grateful.” (Verse 19) I feel this understanding of the verses to be also acceptable. God, however, knows His own purpose best.
故事接近尾声时,第九点谈到神总体的安排,以及神在人生中普遍运行的规律。它告诉我们应当从中吸取什么教训,以及其背后的缘由:"伊卜劣斯确实证实了他对他们的判断:除了一小部分信士之外,他们都追随了他。然而他对他们毫无权力;我之所以这样做,只是为了在末日来临时,明确区分那些真心相信后世的人与那些对此心存怀疑的人。你的主监察着万物。"(第20-21节)
As the story concludes, the ninth mentions the overall divine planning and the rules God operates in life generally. It tells us what lessons we should draw from this and what lies behind it: “Indeed Iblīs proved that his opinion of them was right: they all followed him, except for a group of believers. Yet he had no power at all over them; it is only for the end that We might make a clear distinction between those who truly believe in the life to come and those who are in doubt about it. Your Lord watches over all things.” (Verses 20- 21)
saba人民走上了通向悲惨结局的道路:易卜劣思觉得自己能够引诱他们迷途,而他们任由他这样做。于是,除了一小群信士之外,他们都跟随了他。这在所有社群中都是常见的情形。一个社群完全没有不屈服于撒旦及其诡计的信士,是很少见的。因此他们证明,即便在最恶劣的环境中,真理依然对每一个寻求它、并愿意坚守它的人敞开。易卜劣思从未对他们拥有可以让他们无法摆脱的压倒性权威。他只能接近他们,以便他们受到考验;每一个希望坚守真理的人都能做到,而其他人则会迷失。于是,在人生中,出现了一类"真正相信后世"的人,他的信仰使他保持在正道上。这一类人与另一类"对后世心存怀疑"的人不同。正是后者屈从于易卜劣思的诱惑,忽视了审判日。真主确实知道在它实际发生之前所发生的一切。
The people of Sheba went the way that leads to a miserable end: Iblīs felt that he could lead them astray, and they let him do so. Thus, except for a group of believers, they all followed him. This is what normally happens in all communities. It is rare that a community is totally bereft of believers who will not give in to Satan and his machinations. They thus prove that the truth remains, even in the worst of conditions, available to everyone who seeks it and wants to hold to it. Iblīs never had an overpowering authority over them from which they could not be free. He can only approach them in order that they be tested, and everyone who wishes to stick to the truth could do so, while everyone else will go astray. Thus, in life, a type of person emerges who ‘truly believe in the life to come’, and thus his beliefs keep him on the right path. This type are distinct from the other ‘who are in doubt’ about the life to come. It is the latter who succumb to Iblīs’s temptations, heedless of the Day of Judgement. God certainly knows what happens before it actually takes place.
然而，祂将祂的回报与事情的实际发生联系在一起。
However, He makes His reward dependent upon the thing actually taking place.
当我们从更宏观的角度审视示巴人的故事时,会发现其中的道理适用于所有时代的所有群体。因此,这个故事可以被视为一种展示:一个群体遵循神圣指引或偏离指引时将会发生什么。它也揭示了促使人们走上各自道路的种种原因。
When we look at the story of Sheba’s people from a broader angle, we see that its moral can apply to all communities at all times. The story can then be seen as demonstrating what happens when communities follow divine guidance or stray away from it. It also shows the reasons that make people take the direction they do.
“你的主监察万物。”（第21节）没有任何东西会遗失或被忽略。
“Your Lord watches over all things.” (Verse 21) Nothing is lost or overlooked.
因此，本章的第二段经文以谈论后世生活作结，与第一段经文相呼应。它还强调了真主知识的无限以及祂对万物的全知。这两个主题在本章中都受到了极大的重视。
Thus the second passage of the sūrah concludes, speaking of the life to come, just as did the first passage. It also emphasizes the limitless nature of God’s knowledge and His awareness of all things. Both subjects are given much emphasis in this sūrah.