6:1 參巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人基善和我們其餘的仇敵聽見我已經修完了城牆,其中沒有破裂之處(那時我還沒有安門扇)的,
6:2 參巴拉和基善就打發人來見我,說:「請你來,我們在阿挪平原的一個村莊相會。」他們卻想害我。
6:3 於是我差遣人去見他們,說:「我現在辦理大工,不能下去。焉能停工下去見你們呢?」
6:4 他們這樣四次打發人來見我,我都如此回答他們。
6:5 參巴拉第五次打發僕人來見我,手裡拿著未封的信,
6:6 信上寫著說:「外邦人中有風聲,迦施慕(就是基善,見二章十九節)也說,你和猶大人謀反,修造城牆,你要作他們的王;
6:7 你又派先知在耶路撒冷指著你宣講,說在猶大有王。現在這話必傳與王知;所以請你來,與我們彼此商議。」
6:8 我就差遣人去見他,說:「你所說的這事,一概沒有,是你心裡捏造的。」
6:9 他們都要使我們懼怕,意思說,他們的手必軟弱,以致工作不能成就。上帝啊,求你堅固我的手。
6:10 我到了米希大別的孫子、第來雅的兒子示瑪雅家裡;那時,他閉門不出。他說:「我們不如在上帝的殿裡會面,將殿門關鎖;因為他們要來殺你,就是夜裡來殺你。」
6:11 我說:「像我這樣的人豈要逃跑呢?像我這樣的人豈能進入殿裡保全生命呢?我不進去!」
6:12 我看明上帝沒有差遣他,是他自己說這話攻擊我,是多比雅和參巴拉賄買了他。
6:13 賄買他的緣故,是要叫我懼怕,依從他犯罪,他們好傳揚惡言毀謗我。
6:14 我的上帝啊,多比雅、參巴拉、女先知挪亞底,和其餘的先知要叫我懼怕,求你記念他們所行的這些事。
6:15 以祿月二十五日,城牆修完了,共修了五十二天。
6:16 我們一切仇敵、四圍的外邦人聽見了便懼怕,愁眉不展;因為見這工作完成是出乎我們的上帝。
6:17 在那些日子,猶大的貴冑屢次寄信與多比雅,多比雅也來信與他們。
6:18 在猶大有許多人與多比雅結盟;因他是亞拉的兒子,示迦尼的女婿,並且他的兒子約哈難娶了比利迦兒子米書蘭的女兒為妻。
6:19 他們常在我面前說多比雅的善行,也將我的話傳與他。多比雅又常寄信來,要叫我懼怕。
When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates— 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages[a] on the plain of Ono.”
But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.
5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written:
“It is reported among the nations—and Geshem[b] says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7 and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.”
8 I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”
9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”
But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”
10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.”
11 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.
14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. 15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.
16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.
17 Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. 18 For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 19 Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
**************
尼希米修建城牆,所面對到的一群敵人是何等的奸詐與陰險,不只是他們在外面叫囂,也在猶太人的當中收買許多人,製造假消息、假預言,就是要讓尼希米和猶太人害怕,以至於工程進度耽延!
其實「製造恐懼」和「不實的控告」也是魔鬼的伎倆,牠也像尼西米的眾敵人一樣,用這些虛謊的事情來攻擊我們,使我們因為懼怕而不敢向前奔跑,以致沒有跟上上帝的腳步!
當然我們對岸的強國也是用這些方法來恫嚇我們,我們突破的方式當然是要仰望上帝,靠主不要懼怕,因為主耶穌必保守我們十分平安!正如主耶穌所說:「我將這些事告訴你們,是要叫你們在我裡面有平安。在世上,你們有苦難;但你們可以放心,我已經勝了世界。」(約翰福音16:33)
沒有留言:
張貼留言