列王紀下13:10-25

 

13:10 猶大王約阿施三十七年，約哈斯的兒子約阿施在撒馬利亞登基作以色列王十六年。
13:11 他行耶和華眼中看為惡的事，不離開尼八的兒子耶羅波安使以色列人陷在罪裡的一切罪，仍然去行。
13:12 約阿施其餘的事，凡他所行的和他與猶大王亞瑪謝爭戰的勇力，都寫在以色列諸王記上。
13:13 約阿施與他列祖同睡，耶羅波安坐了他的位。約阿施與以色列諸王一同葬在撒馬利亞。
13:14 以利沙得了必死的病，以色列王約阿施下來看他，伏在他臉上哭泣，說：「我父啊！我父啊！以色列的戰車馬兵啊！」
13:15 以利沙對他說：「你取弓箭來。」王就取了弓箭來；
13:16 又對以色列王說：「你用手拿弓。」王就用手拿弓。以利沙按手在王的手上，
13:17 說：「你開朝東的窗戶。」他就開了。以利沙說：「射箭吧！」他就射箭。以利沙說：「這是耶和華的得勝箭，就是戰勝亞蘭人的箭；因為你必在亞弗攻打亞蘭人，直到滅盡他們。」
13:18 以利沙又說：「取幾枝箭來。」他就取了來。以利沙說：「打地吧！他打了三次，便止住了。
13:19 神人向他發怒，說：「應當擊打五六次，就能攻打亞蘭人直到滅盡；現在只能打敗亞蘭人三次。」
13:20 以利沙死了，人將他葬埋。到了新年，有一群摩押人犯境，
13:21 有人正葬死人，忽然看見一群人，就把死人拋在以利沙的墳墓裡，一碰著以利沙的骸骨，死人就復活，站起來了。
13:22 約哈斯年間，亞蘭王哈薛屢次欺壓以色列人。
13:23 耶和華卻因與亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各所立的約，仍施恩給以色列人，憐恤他們，眷顧他們，不肯滅盡他們，尚未趕逐他們離開自己面前。
13:24 亞蘭王哈薛死了，他兒子便‧哈達接續他作王。
13:25 從前哈薛和約阿施的父親約哈斯爭戰，攻取了些城邑，現在約哈斯的兒子約阿施三次打敗哈薛的兒子便‧哈達，就收回了以色列的城邑。

 

¹⁰ In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years. ¹¹ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he continued in them.

¹² As for the other events of the reign of Jehoash, all he did and his achievements, including his war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? ¹³ Jehoash rested with his ancestors, and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

¹⁴ Now Elisha had been suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. “My father! My father!” he cried. “The chariots and horsemen of Israel!”

¹⁵ Elisha said, “Get a bow and some arrows,” and he did so. ¹⁶ “Take the bow in your hands,” he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.

¹⁷ “Open the east window,” he said, and he opened it. “Shoot!” Elisha said, and he shot. “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!” Elisha declared. “You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.”

¹⁸ Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. ¹⁹ The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”

²⁰ Elisha died and was buried.

Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. ²¹ Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.

²² Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. ²³ But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from his presence.

²⁴ Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben-Hadad his son succeeded him as king. ²⁵ Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz recaptured from Ben-Hadad son of Hazael the towns he had taken in battle from his father Jehoahaz. Three times Jehoash defeated him, and so he recovered the Israelite towns.

 

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    以利沙臨終前，以色列王約阿施下來看他，伏在他臉上哭泣，說：「我父啊！我父啊！以色列的戰車馬兵啊！」

 

    很難得有一位王能如此尊敬先知，所以先知一時高興，對他說：「你取弓箭來。」王就取了弓箭來；又對以色列王說：「你用手拿弓。」王就用手拿弓。以利沙按手在王的手上，說：「你開朝東的窗戶。」他就開了。以利沙說：「射箭吧！」他就射箭。以利沙說：「這是耶和華的得勝箭，就是戰勝亞蘭人的箭；因為你必在亞弗攻打亞蘭人，直到滅盡他們。」

 

    但是接下來的又讓以利沙失望了：以利沙又說：「取幾枝箭來。」他就取了來。以利沙說：「打地吧！他打了三次，便止住了。神人向他發怒，說：「應當擊打五六次，就能攻打亞蘭人直到滅盡；現在只能打敗亞蘭人三次。」

 

    這也讓我們看見人的極限，即使是先知盼望以色列可以消滅亞蘭，好讓以色列國可以長久安居樂業，但是事與願違，只能勝過三次！不過這三次也好，因為約哈斯的兒子約阿施三次打敗哈薛的兒子便‧哈達，就收回了以色列的城邑，不是徒勞無功的！

 

    其實上帝也是如此保守我們，讓我們經歷不盡人意的遺憾，卻獲得好得無比的結果！正如我們的人生不見的事事如意，可使上帝卻為我們預備永生之福，超過我們所能想像的！