1:8 有不認識約瑟的新王起來,治理埃及,
1:9 對他的百姓說:「看哪,這以色列民比我們還多,又比我們強盛。
1:10 來吧,我們不如用巧計待他們,恐怕他們多起來,日後若遇甚麼爭戰的事,就連合我們的仇敵攻擊我們,離開這地去了。」
1:11 於是埃及人派督工的轄制他們,加重擔苦害他們。他們為法老建造兩座積貨城,就是比東和蘭塞。
1:12 只是越發苦害他們,他們越發多起來,越發蔓延;埃及人就因以色列人愁煩。
1:13 埃及人嚴嚴地使以色列人做工,
1:14 使他們因做苦工覺得命苦;無論是和泥,是做磚,是做田間各樣的工,在一切的工上都嚴嚴地待他們。
8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in
Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the
Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or
they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our
enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
11 So they put slave
masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and
Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they
were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to
dread the Israelites 13 and
worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh
labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all
their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.
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在這裡我們看見以色列人在埃及增多並不是福分,反而遭遇到打壓,尤其是執政者害怕他們通敵,正如經文所說之法老的擔心:「看哪,這以色列民比我們還多,又比我們強盛。來吧,我們不如用巧計待他們,恐怕他們多起來,日後若遇甚麼爭戰的事,就連合我們的仇敵攻擊我們,離開這地去了。」
有因為這樣,導致他們的生活困苦,受到欺壓與逼迫:「於是埃及人派督工的轄制他們,加重擔苦害他們。他們為法老建造兩座積貨城,就是比東和蘭塞。」
然而上帝卻眷顧他們,雖然受到苦害,卻如經文所說:「只是越發苦害他們,他們越發多起來,越發蔓延;埃及人就因以色列人愁煩。」
因此,我們屬上帝的人,不要因為眼前的景況而難過、而氣餒和失志,仍然要信靠上帝,上帝必定會保守與眷顧,正如祂當年眷顧與保守以色列人一般。
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