13我们也许喜欢“童女”一辞,却不喜欢听见我们是奴仆。然而,我们不仅是童女,也是奴仆。对童女而言,主是新郎;但对奴仆而言,祂是主人。因此,不仅我们有双重的身分,主也有双重的身分。一面,祂是使我们喜乐的新郎;另一面,祂是我们严厉的主人。有时候,祂非常喜悦我们;但有时候,祂严厉地对付我们。
13Although we may like the term virgins, we may not like hearing that we are slaves. Nevertheless, we are not only virgins but also slaves. To the virgins the Lord is the Bridegroom, but to the slaves He is the Master. Thus, not only we have a dual status, but the Lord also has a dual status. On the one hand, He is our pleasant Bridegroom and, on the other, our strict Master. Sometimes He is very pleasant with us, but at other times He deals with us in a strict way.