4:1 參巴拉聽見我們修造城牆就發怒,大大惱恨,嗤笑猶大人,
4:2 對他弟兄和撒馬利亞的軍兵說:「這些軟弱的猶大人做甚麼呢?要保護自己嗎?要獻祭嗎?要一日成功嗎?要從土堆裡拿出火燒的石頭再立牆嗎?」
4:3 亞捫人多比雅站在旁邊,說:「他們所修造的石牆,就是狐狸上去也必跐倒。」
4:4 我們的上帝啊,求你垂聽,因為我們被藐視。求你使他們的毀謗歸於他們的頭上,使他們在擄到之地作為掠物。
4:5 不要遮掩他們的罪孽,不要使他們的罪惡從你面前塗抹,因為他們在修造的人眼前惹動你的怒氣。
4:6 這樣,我們修造城牆,城牆就都連絡,高至一半,因為百姓專心做工。
When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”
3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”
4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of[b] the builders.
6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
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尼希米重建耶路撒冷城是藉由禱告倚靠上帝的,尤其是在面對附近仇敵的攻擊時,就像聖經記載:
參巴拉聽見我們修造城牆就發怒,大大惱恨,嗤笑猶大人,對他弟兄和撒馬利亞的軍兵說:「這些軟弱的猶大人做甚麼呢?要保護自己嗎?要獻祭嗎?要一日成功嗎?要從土堆裡拿出火燒的石頭再立牆嗎?」亞捫人多比雅站在旁邊,說:「他們所修造的石牆,就是狐狸上去也必跐倒。」
尼希米不去辯解,也不去爭吵,只有默默向上帝禱告:「我們的上帝啊,求你垂聽,因為我們被藐視。求你使他們的毀謗歸於他們的頭上,使他們在擄到之地作為掠物。不要遮掩他們的罪孽,不要使他們的罪惡從你面前塗抹,因為他們在修造的人眼前惹動你的怒氣。」
因為他清楚自己之所以放棄大好的官職,來到這個破舊的城的目地,就是要從建這座城,這座屬於上帝的城,這是上帝給他的使命!他知道,他的目的、他要完成的是什麼,更知道這是上帝要他完成的,所以他只有安靜、仰望上帝,不是爭辯的時候,也不需要花費時間於口舌之爭,建城要緊!
然而他這樣的禱告,不僅激勵了自己,也激勵了同工,使祂們的工作有果效,正如聖經所說:「這樣,我們修造城牆,城牆就都連絡,高至一半,因為百姓專心做工。」
這也讓我們看見,面對困難的時候,要安靜、仰望上帝,不住的禱告,因為上帝與我們同在,我們認定祂,祂必指引我們當行的路,不徬徨也不迷失,必定完成使命,使上帝的名得榮耀!
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