1:1 猶大王約雅敬在位第三年，巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒來到耶路撒冷，將城圍困。
1:2 主將猶大王約雅敬，並上帝殿中器皿的幾分交付他手。他就把這器皿帶到示拿地，收入他神的廟裡，放在他神的庫中。
1:3 王吩咐太監長亞施毘拿，從以色列人的宗室和貴冑中帶進幾個人來，
1:4 就是年少沒有殘疾、相貌俊美、通達各樣學問、知識聰明俱備、足能侍立在王宮裡的，要教他們迦勒底的文字言語。
1:5 王派定將自己所用的膳和所飲的酒，每日賜他們一分，養他們三年。滿了三年，好叫他們在王面前侍立。
1:6 他們中間有猶大族的人：但以理、哈拿尼雅、米沙利、亞撒利雅。
1:7 太監長給他們起名：稱但以理為伯提沙撒，稱哈拿尼雅為沙得拉，稱米沙利為米煞，稱亞撒利雅為亞伯尼歌。
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim
king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged
it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of
Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he
brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the
vessels in the treasury of his god. Then
the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of
Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance
and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and
competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and
language of the Chaldeans. The king assigned them a daily portion of the food
that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for
three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the
king. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.
And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called
Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and
Azariah he called Abednego.
***********
但以理書一開始就說到猶大滅國的事情：猶大王約雅敬在位第三年，巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒來到耶路撒冷，將城圍困。主將猶大王約雅敬，並上帝殿中器皿的幾分交付他手。他就把這器皿帶到示拿地，收入他神的廟裡，放在他神的庫中。
這是多麼特別的記載，因為在一般人的觀念中，應該對自己的神歌功頌德，記載自己的神是多麼有能力，成就多麼大的事，多麼保佑信靠祂的人。而聖經竟然記載這些令人羞恥的事情，因為猶大被巴比倫滅了，聖殿東西被搶奪到巴比倫去，放在別神的手中！這樣的筆法讓人覺得上帝是「魯蛇」，是失敗無能者，怎能是全能的上帝呢！
雖然是如此，但以理書卻要告訴我們一個，雖然國破家亡，但是這些人仍然信靠祂們的主，並且經歷到上帝仍然在行奇事！不因為聖殿被毀，沒有集體性的禮拜，上帝就不賜福於祂的百姓，不眷顧他們。上帝仍然在天上保守，仍然在引導！
你所信靠的上帝是怎樣的上帝呢？是「溫拿」嗎？還是這裡記載的「魯蛇」？不過「魯蛇」的上帝，卻已經是永遠「溫拿」。因為一切都在祂的掌握之下，表面是「魯蛇」，實際卻是「溫拿」。就像耶穌基督在十字架上是「魯蛇」，卻藉此勝過了魔鬼成為「溫拿」！這是我們不能理解，這就是「奧秘」！
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