以西結書7:10-27

7:10 「看哪，看哪，日子快到了，所定的災已經發出。杖已經開花，驕傲已經發芽。

7:11 強暴興起，成了罰惡的杖。以色列人，或是他們的群眾，或是他們的財寶，無一存留，他們中間也沒有得尊榮的。

7:12 時候到了，日子近了，買主不可歡喜，賣主不可愁煩，因為烈怒已經臨到他們眾人身上。

7:13 賣主雖然存活，卻不能歸回再得所賣的，因為這異象關乎他們眾人。誰都不得歸回，也沒有人在他的罪孽中堅立自己。」

7:14 「他們已經吹角，預備齊全，卻無一人出戰，因為我的烈怒臨到他們眾人身上。

7:15 在外有刀劍，在內有瘟疫、饑荒；在田野的，必遭刀劍而死；在城中的，必有饑荒、瘟疫吞滅他。

7:16 其中所逃脫的就必逃脫，各人因自己的罪孽在山上發出悲聲，好像谷中的鴿子哀鳴。

7:17 手都發軟，膝弱如水。

7:18 要用麻布束腰，被戰兢所蓋；各人臉上羞愧，頭上光禿。

7:19 他們要將銀子拋在街上，金子看如污穢之物。當耶和華發怒的日子，他們的金銀不能救他們，不能使心裡知足，也不能使肚腹飽滿，因為這金銀作了他們罪孽的絆腳石。

7:20 論到耶和華妝飾華美的殿，他建立得威嚴，他們卻在其中製造可憎可厭的偶像，所以這殿我使他們看如污穢之物。

7:21 我必將這殿交付外邦人為掠物，交付地上的惡人為擄物；他們也必褻瀆這殿。

7:22 我必轉臉不顧以色列人，他們褻瀆我隱密之所，強盜也必進去褻瀆。

7:23 「要製造鎖鍊；因為這地遍滿流血的罪，城邑充滿強暴的事，

7:24 所以我必使列國中最惡的人來佔據他們的房屋；我必使強暴人的驕傲止息，他們的聖所都要被褻瀆。

7:25 毀滅臨近了，他們要求平安，卻無平安可得。

7:26 災害加上災害，風聲接連風聲；他們必向先知求異象，但祭司講的律法、長老設的謀略都必斷絕。

7:27 君要悲哀，王要披淒涼為衣，國民的手都發顫。我必照他們的行為待他們，按他們應得的審判他們，他們就知道我是耶和華。」

10 "Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom has come; the rod has blossomed; pride has budded. 11 Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness. None of them shall remain, nor their abundance, nor their wealth; neither shall there be preeminence among them. 12 The time has come; the day has arrived. Let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn, for wrath is upon all their multitude. 13 For the seller shall not return to what he has sold, while they live. For the vision concerns all their multitude; it shall not turn back; and because of his iniquity, none can maintain his life.

14 "They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but none goes to battle, for my wrath is upon all their multitude. 15 The sword is without; pestilence and famine are within. He who is in the field dies by the sword, and him who is in the city famine and pestilence devour. 16 And if any survivors escape, they will be on the mountains, like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, each one over his iniquity. 17 All hands are feeble, and all knees turn to water. 18 They put on sackcloth, and horror covers them. Shame is on all faces, and baldness on all their heads. 14 "They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but none goes to battle, for my wrath is upon all their multitude. 15 The sword is without; pestilence and famine are within. He who is in the field dies by the sword, and him who is in the city famine and pestilence devour. 16 And if any survivors escape, they will be on the mountains, like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, each one over his iniquity. 17 All hands are feeble, and all knees turn to water. 18 They put on sackcloth, and horror covers them. Shame is on all faces, and baldness on all their heads. 19 They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing. Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. They cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity. 20 His beautiful ornament they used for pride, and they made their abominable images and their detestable things of it. Therefore I make it an unclean thing to them. 21 And I will give it into the hands of foreigners for prey, and to the wicked of the earth for spoil, and they shall profane it. 22 I will turn my face from them, and they shall profane my treasured place. Robbers shall enter and profane it.

23 "Forge a chain! For the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence. 24 I will bring the worst of the nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the strong, and their holy places shall be profaned. 25 When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there shall be none. 26 Disaster comes upon disaster; rumor follows rumor. They seek a vision from the prophet, while the law perishes from the priest and counsel from the elders. 27 The king mourns, the prince is wrapped in despair, and the hands of the people of the land are paralyzed by terror. According to their way I will do to them, and according to their judgments I will judge them, and they shall know that I am the Lord."

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    以色列人以為可以保護他們的，都是無效的。上帝的旨意已經顯明，就像「亞倫的杖已經開花」一樣，以色列人就要承受災難了。當然這個「杖」也可能同時暗指巴比倫的攻擊力量，將要來摧毀猶大國。

    以色列人過去追求的金銀，不能讓他們的心靈與肉體滿足，只是推落他們更是犯罪。我們現在追求的東西，是否也是這樣？不過此時的猶大人已經來不及悔改了，因為審判已經臨到。

    這也警戒我們，我們是不是追求別的，過於對上帝的關係追求，我們要與上帝建立合宜與正確的關係，才有真正的平安。