尼希米記13:15-22

 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。 

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.

 

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    尼希米為了讓歸回的猶大百姓手安息日，就想盡辦法斷絕安息日有買賣之情形，好讓守安息日可以成立！

 

    他之所以如此，是出於對上帝的敬畏，希望得上帝的喜悅！所以，他向上帝呼求：「我的上帝啊，求你因這事記念我，照你的大慈愛憐恤我。」

 

    同樣，我們也當用這樣的心願來服事上帝，好得上帝的喜悅，使上帝記念我們，而不是求人的稱讚！