For of the God, whose first appearance in the history of the world was to the people of the Jews–God, the Almighty, the One and Only God –no image could or might be made.

对上帝，他在世界历史上第一次显现就对犹太民族显现——上帝，这个伟大的唯一的神——人们是不能够也不可以画像的。

All that was there were the tablets of the Laws with their Ten Commandments.

所有的都在那里，在他们的十诫法版里。

In these God had represented himself.

上帝已经在它们之中显现了自己的形象。

After Solomon's reign things went less well for the Jews.

在所罗门的统治之后，犹太人的日子就不再好过。

Their kingdom split in two: the kingdom of Israel and thekingdom of Judah.

他们的国家分裂为一个以色列国和一个犹太国。

many battles followed, at the end of which one half, the kingdom of Israel, was invaded by the Assyrians in 722 BC, and was conquered and destroyed.

这之后发生过许多战斗，国家的一半，即以色列国，在公元前722年终于被亚述人占领和消灭。

Yet what is so remarkable is that the effect of so many disasters on the few Jews who survived them was to make them even more devout.

但奇怪的是，这些众多的不幸事件反倒使残留下来的小小犹太民族更加敬神了。

Men arose among them–not priests, but simple people–who felt compelled to speak to their people, because God spoke through them.

民众中出现一些人物——不是祭司，而是普通人——他们感觉到，他们必须对民众讲话，因为上帝通过他们讲话。