尼希米記13:1-31

 

13:1 當日，人念摩西的律法書給百姓聽，遇見書上寫著說，亞捫人和摩押人永不可入上帝的會；
13:2 因為他們沒有拿食物和水來迎接以色列人，且雇了巴蘭咒詛他們，但我們的上帝使那咒詛變為祝福。
13:3 以色列民聽見這律法，就與一切閒雜人絕交。
13:4 先是蒙派管理我們上帝殿中庫房的祭司以利亞實與多比雅結親，
13:5 便為他預備一間大屋子，就是從前收存素祭、乳香、器皿，和照命令供給利未人、歌唱的、守門的五穀、新酒，和油的十分之一，並歸祭司舉祭的屋子。
13:6 那時我不在耶路撒冷；因為巴比倫王亞達薛西三十二年，我回到王那裡。過了多日，我向王告假。
13:7 我來到耶路撒冷，就知道以利亞實為多比雅在上帝殿的院內預備屋子的那件惡事。
13:8 我甚惱怒，就把多比雅的一切家具從屋裡都拋出去，
13:9 吩咐人潔淨這屋子，遂將上帝殿的器皿和素祭、乳香又搬進去。
13:10 我見利未人所當得的分無人供給他們，甚至供職的利未人與歌唱的俱各奔回自己的田地去了。
13:11 我就斥責官長說：「為何離棄上帝的殿呢？」我便招聚利未人，使他們照舊供職。
13:12 猶大眾人就把五穀、新酒，和油的十分之一送入庫房。
13:13 我派祭司示利米雅、文士撒督，和利未人毘大雅作庫官管理庫房；副官是哈難。哈難是撒刻的兒子；撒刻是瑪他尼的兒子。這些人都是忠信的，他們的職分是將所供給的分給他們的弟兄。
13:14 我的上帝啊，求你因這事記念我，不要塗抹我為上帝的殿與其中的禮節所行的善。
13:15 那些日子，我在猶大見有人在安息日醡酒（原文是踹酒醡），搬運禾捆馱在驢上，又把酒、葡萄、無花果，和各樣的擔子在安息日擔入耶路撒冷，我就在他們賣食物的那日警戒他們。
13:16 又有泰爾人住在耶路撒冷；他們把魚和各樣貨物運進來，在安息日賣給猶大人。
13:17 我就斥責猶大的貴冑說：「你們怎麼行這惡事犯了安息日呢？
13:18 從前你們列祖豈不是這樣行，以致我們上帝使一切災禍臨到我們和這城嗎？現在你們還犯安息日，使忿怒越發臨到以色列！」
13:19 在安息日的前一日，耶路撒冷城門有黑影的時候，我就吩咐人將門關鎖，不過安息日不准開放。我又派我幾個僕人管理城門，免得有人在安息日擔甚麼擔子進城。
13:20 於是商人和販賣各樣貨物的，一兩次住宿在耶路撒冷城外。
13:21 我就警戒他們說：「你們為何在城外住宿呢？若再這樣，我必下手拿辦你們。」從此以後，他們在安息日不再來了。
13:22 我吩咐利未人潔淨自己，來守城門，使安息日為聖。我的上帝啊，求你因這事記念我，照你的大慈愛憐恤我。
13:23 那些日子，我也見猶大人娶了亞實突、亞捫、摩押的女子為妻。
13:24 他們的兒女說話，一半是亞實突的話，不會說猶大的話，所說的是照著各族的方言。
13:25 我就斥責他們，咒詛他們，打了他們幾個人，拔下他們的頭髮，叫他們指著上帝起誓，必不將自己的女兒嫁給外邦人的兒子，也不為自己和兒子娶他們的女兒。
13:26 我又說：「以色列王所羅門不是在這樣的事上犯罪嗎？在多國中並沒有一王像他，且蒙他上帝所愛，上帝立他作以色列全國的王；然而連他也被外邦女子引誘犯罪。
13:27 如此，我豈聽你們行這大惡，娶外邦女子干犯我們的上帝呢？」
13:28 大祭司以利亞實的孫子、耶何耶大的一個兒子是和倫人參巴拉的女婿，我就從我這裡把他趕出去。
13:29 我的上帝啊，求你記念他們的罪；因為他們玷污了祭司的職任，違背你與祭司利未人所立的約。
13:30 這樣，我潔淨他們，使他們離絕一切外邦人，派定祭司和利未人的班次，使他們各盡其職。
13:31 我又派百姓按定期獻柴和初熟的土產。我的上帝啊，求你記念我，施恩與我。

 

  On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God, ² because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.) ³ When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.

⁴ Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, ⁵ and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.

⁶ But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission ⁷ and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God. ⁸ I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. ⁹ I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.

¹⁰ I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields. ¹¹ So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?” Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.

¹² All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil into the storerooms. ¹³ I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms and made Hanan son of Zakkur, the son of Mattaniah, their assistant, because they were considered trustworthy. They were made responsible for distributing the supplies to their fellow Levites.

¹⁴ Remember me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.

¹⁵ In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day. ¹⁶ People from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah. ¹⁷ I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? ¹⁸ Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.”

¹⁹ When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day. ²⁰ Once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem. ²¹ But I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you.” From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath. ²² Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.

Remember me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.

²³ Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. ²⁴ Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah. ²⁵ I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God’s name and said: “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves. ²⁶ Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women. ²⁷ Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?”

²⁸ One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. And I drove him away from me.

²⁹ Remember them, my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.

³⁰ So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign, and assigned them duties, each to his own task. ³¹ I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits.

Remember me with favor, my God.

 

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    尼希米一直照摩西的律法來潔淨聖殿，恢復利未人該有的尊榮和供應，這也是今日教會要看重的！我們豈可不照顧上帝的家呢？