2020年4月8日 星期三

申命記21:1-9


21:1 「在耶和華你上帝所賜你為業的地上,若遇見被殺的人倒在田野,不知道是誰殺的,
21:2
長老和審判官就要出去,從被殺的人那裡量起,直量到四圍的城邑,
21:3
看哪城離被殺的人最近,那城的長老就要從牛群中取一隻未曾耕地、未曾負軛的母牛犢,
21:4
把母牛犢牽到流水、未曾耕種的山谷去,在谷中打折母牛犢的頸項。
21:5
祭司利未的子孫要近前來;因為耶和華你的上帝揀選了他們事奉他,奉耶和華的名祝福,所有爭訟毆打的事都要憑他們判斷。
21:6
那城的眾長老,就是離被殺的人最近的,要在那山谷中,在所打折頸項的母牛犢以上洗手,
21:7
禱告(原文是回答)說:『我們的手未曾流這人的血;我們的眼也未曾看見這事。
21:8
耶和華啊,求你赦免你所救贖的以色列民,不要使流無辜血的罪歸在你的百姓以色列中間。』這樣,流血的罪必得赦免。
21:9
你行耶和華眼中看為正的事,就可以從你們中間除掉流無辜血的罪。」

If someone is found slain, lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who the killer was, your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighboring towns. Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke and lead it down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer’s neck. The Levitical priests shall step forward, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the Lord and to decide all cases of dispute and assault. Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, and they shall declare: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, Lord, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent person.” Then the bloodshed will be atoned for, and you will have purged from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

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    古時的偵防能力沒有現在技術好,免不了有這種情形:「「在耶和華─你上帝所賜你為業的地上,若遇見被殺的人倒在田野,不知道是誰殺的!」

    然而上帝也不為難人,提供人有一個出路,於是向以色列人如此說:「長老和審判官就要出去,從被殺的人那裡量起,直量到四圍的城邑,看哪城離被殺的人最近,那城的長老就要從牛群中取一隻未曾耕地、未曾負軛的母牛犢,把母牛犢牽到流水、未曾耕種的山谷去,在谷中打折母牛犢的頸項。祭司利未的子孫要近前來;因為耶和華─你的上帝揀選了他們事奉他,奉耶和華的名祝福,所有爭訟毆打的事都要憑他們判斷。那城的眾長老,就是離被殺的人最近的,要在那山谷中,在所打折頸項的母牛犢以上洗手,禱告(原文是回答)說:『我們的手未曾流這人的血;我們的眼也未曾看見這事。耶和華啊,求你赦免你所救贖的以色列民,不要使流無辜血的罪歸在你的百姓以色列中間。』這樣,流血的罪必得赦免。」

    這樣的做法比起台灣過去怕死人變鬼討命的做法智慧多了!人尊重生命是應該的,但是不是用恐嚇法於弄人,這是非常不可取的!變鬼之說不見得可以使人尊重生命,反倒嚇到無辜之人,毫無意義可言!




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