87年前，我們的先輩在這個大陸上創建了一個新國家。她孕育于自由之中，奉行一切人生來平等的原則．
目前我們正在進行一場偉大的內戰，以考驗這個國家，或者任何一個孕育于自由和奉行上述原則的國家是否長久存在下去。
我們在這場戰爭的一個偉大戰場上聚會。我們來到這裏把這戰場上的一部分奉獻給那些爲國家生存而捐軀的人們，作爲他們
的最後安息之地。我們這樣做是完全適合的、恰當的。
但是從更廣泛的意義上來說，我們不能奉獻，不能聖化，不能神化這片土地。那些曾在這裏戰鬥過的人，活著的和死去
的，已經聖化了這片土地，遠非我們的微薄之力所能揚抑。世人極少會注意或長久記得我們今天在這裏所說的話，但是勇士
們在這裏做過的事將永遠不會被忘記。倒是我們，活著的人，應該把自己奉獻給留在我們面前的偉大任務：從這些光榮的死
者身上我們汲取更多的獻身精神來完成他們精誠所至的事業。我們在這裏下定決心不讓死者白白死去；這個國家，在上帝的
保佑下，將獲得自由的新生。這個民有、民治、民享的政府將與世長存
Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But in a large sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add to detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here; but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us: that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly revolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
注釋：林肯爲美國第16屆總統，以解放黑奴著稱。林肯是一位虔誠的基督徒，沒有受過多少正規教育，主要靠自學成才
。他說他童年時只有一本書讀，那就是“聖經”。經過內戰，他平息了南方的叛亂。當南方的叛軍宣佈投降後，他立即釋放
了所有的叛軍，讓他們安然棄甲歸田，過上了幸福的平民生活。有一位身經百戰的老兵對林肯的做法很憤怒，他對林肯說，
“你怎麽可以就這樣放走了我們的敵人？”林肯問∶“那我們該如何對待這些敵人呢？”“消滅他們。”老兵說。林肯回答
∶“是的，我們應該消滅敵人。當這些俘虜都成爲了我們的朋友，我們的敵人不就是已經被消滅了嗎？”這是耶穌“愛敵人
”的最好詮釋。葛底斯堡戰役是南北爭戰中最爲殘酷的一戰，交戰雙方共死了51000人。（當時美國只有幾百萬人）
