TED Talk >> Malcolm Gladwell: The unheard story of David and Goliath
So I wanted to tell a story that really obsessed me when I was writing my new book, and it's a story of something that happened 3,000 years ago, when the Kingdom of Israel was in its infancy. And it takes place in an area called the Shephelah in what is now Israel. And the reason the story obsessed me is that I thought I understood it, and then I went back over it and I realized that I didn't understand it at all.
我給大家講個故事，在我寫新書的時候，這個故事一直讓我很疑惑。它發(fā)生在3000年前，那時以色列才在建國初期。這個故事發(fā)生在一個叫示非拉的地方，就是現(xiàn)在的以色列。這個故事讓我疑惑的原因是，以前我以為我讀懂了它，但當(dāng)我再回顧時，我發(fā)現(xiàn)我一點(diǎn)也沒了解。
Ancient Palestine had a -- along its eastern border, there's a mountain range. Still same is true of Israel today. And in the mountain range are all of the ancient cities of that region, so Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron. And then there's a coastal plain along the Mediterranean, where Tel Aviv is now. And connecting the mountain range with the coastal plain is an area called the Shephelah, which is a series of valleys and ridges that run east to west, and you can follow the Shephelah, go through the Shephelah to get from the coastal plain to the mountains. And the Shephelah, if you've been to Israel, you'll know it's just about the most beautiful part of Israel. It's gorgeous, with forests of oak and wheat fields and vineyards.
在古代巴勒斯坦有——沿著它的東部邊界，有一條山脈。今天的以色列也還有這條山脈。在這片區(qū)域有許多古城市，比如耶路撒冷，伯利恒，希伯倫。那里還有一個海岸平原，沿著地中海，就是現(xiàn)在的特拉維夫市。連接這條山脈和海岸平原的地方，就叫做示非拉，它由自東向西的山谷與山脊組成。你可以穿過示非拉，從海岸平原到山里去。如果你去過以色列，你就會知道，示非拉算是以色列最美的地方了。它十分漂亮，有橡樹林，有麥田，還有葡萄園。
But more importantly, though, in the history of that region, it's served, it's had a real strategic function, and that is, it is the means by which hostile armies on the coastal plain find their way, get up into the mountains and threaten those living in the mountains.
更重要的是，這片區(qū)域在歷史上起著戰(zhàn)略性的作用。也就是說，示非拉是位于海岸平原上的敵對的敵人，通往山區(qū)，進(jìn)而威脅山里的居民的必經(jīng)之路。
And 3,000 years ago, that's exactly what happens. The Philistines, who are the biggest of enemies of the Kingdom of Israel, are living in the coastal plain. They're originally from Crete. They're a seafaring people. And they may start to make their way through one of the valleys of the Shephelah up into the mountains, because what they want to do is occupy the highland area right by Bethlehem and split the Kingdom of Israel in two. And the Kingdom of Israel, which is headed by King Saul, obviously catches wind of this, and Saul brings his army down from the mountains and he confronts the Philistines in the Valley of Elah, one of the most beautiful of the valleys of the Shephelah. And the Israelites dig in along the northern ridge, and the Philistines dig in along the southern ridge, and the two armies just sit there for weeks and stare at each other, because they're deadlocked. Neither can attack the other, because to attack the other side you've got to come down the mountain into the valley and then up the other side, and you're completely exposed.
而在3000年前，確實(shí)發(fā)生了這種事。腓力斯人，是以色列王國的頭號敵人，他們就住在海岸平原上。他們最初是來自克里特島，是航海的民族。他們通過示非拉的一條山谷，進(jìn)入到山里，因?yàn)樗麄兿胝碱I(lǐng)伯利恒旁邊那片高原地區(qū)，將以色列王國一分為二。當(dāng)時以色列王國的國王是索爾，他已經(jīng)提前收到風(fēng)聲。所以索爾帶著他的軍隊下山，在示非拉最美的山谷之一——以拉谷，遭遇腓力斯人。以色列人沿著北邊的山挖掘戰(zhàn)壕，而腓力斯人則守在南邊的山脊山挖掘戰(zhàn)壕。雙方就這樣僵持了數(shù)周，大眼瞪小眼，因?yàn)樗麄兌枷萑虢┚至恕Ｋ麄冋l都無法攻擊到對方，因?yàn)槿绻魧Ψ剑偷孟葟纳郊瓜碌缴焦壤飦?，然后再上到對方那里去，這樣就完全暴露了自己。
Question
- What best describes the landscape of the Shephelah?
> It's covered by forests and farmland. - Why did the Philistines want to move up to the mountains?
> They want to attach the Kingdom of Israel. - If something is in its infancy, it is
> very new and still developing.
