以斯拉記1:1-11

 

1:1 波斯王塞魯士元年，耶和華為要應驗藉耶利米口所說的話，就激動波斯王塞魯士的心，使他下詔通告全國說：
1:2 「波斯王塞魯士如此說：『耶和華天上的上帝已將天下萬國賜給我，又囑咐我在猶大的耶路撒冷為他建造殿宇。
1:3 在你們中間凡作他子民的，可以上猶大的耶路撒冷，在耶路撒冷重建耶和華─以色列上帝的殿（只有他是上帝）。願上帝與這人同在。
1:4 凡剩下的人，無論寄居何處，那地的人要用金銀、財物、牲畜幫助他，另外也要為耶路撒冷上帝的殿甘心獻上禮物。』」
1:5 於是，猶大和便雅憫的族長、祭司、利未人，就是一切被上帝激動他心的人，都起來要上耶路撒冷去建造耶和華的殿。
1:6 他們四圍的人就拿銀器、金子、財物、牲畜、珍寶幫助他們（原文是堅固他們的手），另外還有甘心獻的禮物。
1:7 塞魯士王也將耶和華殿的器皿拿出來，這器皿是尼布甲尼撒從耶路撒冷掠來、放在自己神之廟中的。
1:8 波斯王塞魯士派庫官米提利達將這器皿拿出來，按數交給猶大的首領設巴薩。
1:9 器皿的數目記在下面：金盤三十個，銀盤一千個，刀二十九把，
1:10 金碗三十個，銀碗之次的四百一十個，別樣的器皿一千件。
1:11 金銀器皿共有五千四百件。被擄的人從巴比倫上耶路撒冷的時候，設巴薩將這一切都帶上來。

 

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

² “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. ³ Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. ⁴ And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’”

⁵ Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. ⁶ All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.

⁷ Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.^{[a] 8} Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.

⁹ This was the inventory:

gold dishes	30
silver dishes	1,000
silver pans[b]	29
10 gold bowls	30
matching silver bowls	410
other articles	1,000

¹¹ In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

 

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    從一位外邦的君王說出：「耶和華天上的上帝已將天下萬國賜給我，又囑咐我在猶大的耶路撒冷為他建造殿宇。在你們中間凡作他子民的，可以上猶大的耶路撒冷，在耶路撒冷重建耶和華─以色列上帝的殿（只有他是上帝）。願上帝與這人同在。凡剩下的人，無論寄居何處，那地的人要用金銀、財物、牲畜幫助他，另外也要為耶路撒冷上帝的殿甘心獻上禮物。」實在是很難想像，這也是上帝奇妙之處，祂要成就的事，常常是超越人的想法！

 

    正如主耶穌的降臨，並沒有違背先知的預言，卻從一位卑微的木匠之家，為世人預備基督，使人透過這位不被世人注意的大衛之子，甚至以十字架的死，承擔世人的罪孽，藉由死敗壞掌死權的惡者，拯救世人脫離罪與死！

 

    猶太人從巴比倫被擄歸回，本是不可能的，也是很難想像的，上帝卻透過一位征服巴比倫的波斯王來成就，這就是上帝奇妙之處！同樣，基督的再來也是要以征服舊世界的榮耀君王之形式來顯現上帝的拯救！讓我們盼望與相信：上帝榮耀的國必定降臨，我們必定完全得贖！