以西結書32:1-10

32:1 十二年十二月初一日，耶和華的話臨到我說：

32:2 「人子啊，你要為埃及王法老作哀歌，說：從前你在列國中，如同少壯獅子；現在你卻像海中的大魚。你衝出江河，用爪攪動諸水，使江河渾濁。

32:3 主耶和華如此說：我必用多國的人民，將我的網撒在你身上，把你拉上來。

32:4 我必將你丟在地上，拋在田野，使空中的飛鳥都落在你身上，使遍地的野獸吃你得飽。

32:5 我必將你的肉丟在山間，用你高大的屍首填滿山谷。

32:6 我又必用你的血澆灌你所游泳之地，漫過山頂；河道都必充滿。

32:7 我將你撲滅的時候，要把天遮蔽，使眾星昏暗，以密雲遮掩太陽，月亮也不放光。

32:8 我必使天上的亮光都在你以上變為昏暗，使你的地上黑暗。這是主耶和華說的。

32:9 「我使你敗亡的風聲傳到你所不認識的各國。那時，我必使多民的心因你愁煩。

32:10 我在許多國民和君王面前向你掄我的刀，國民就必因你驚奇，君王也必因你極其恐慌。在你仆倒的日子，他們各人為自己的性命時刻戰兢。」

1 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:2 "Son of man, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:

"You consider yourself a lion of the nations,

but you are like a dragon in the seas;

 you burst forth in your rivers,

trouble the waters with your feet,

and foul their rivers.

3 Thus says the Lord God:

 I will throw my net over you

with a host of many peoples,

and they will haul you up in my dragnet.

4 And I will cast you on the ground;

on the open field I will fling you,

and will cause all the birds of the heavens to settle on you,

and I will gorge the beasts of the whole earth with you.

5 I will strew your flesh upon the mountains

and fill the valleys with your carcass.

6 I will drench the land even to the mountains

with your flowing blood,

and the ravines will be full of you.

7 When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens

and make their stars dark;

I will cover the sun with a cloud,

and the moon shall not give its light.

8 All the bright lights of heaven

will I make dark over you,

and put darkness on your land,

declares the Lord God.

9 "I will trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries that you have not known. 10 I will make many peoples appalled at you, and the hair of their kings shall bristle with horror because of you, when I brandish my sword before them. They shall tremble every moment, every one for his own life, on the day of your downfall.

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    埃及要像海怪一般被巴比倫來滅亡，這是上帝的旨意。縱使埃及人是敬拜太陽神的，太陽卻會被烏雲遮蔽，無法庇佑它的子民，這也說明敬拜受造為神的後果！再次提醒猶大人不要想依賴埃及，埃及是不堪一擊的！

    基督徒既然明白這層道理，就不要受到人的影響，以「民粹」當力量，那是一件很可憐與虛空的作法！教會是上帝的經營，不是人數的多寡之問題，就像基甸的勇士只要三百人，不是要兩萬人！不要以群眾力量來做事，而是要靠聖靈來行事！

    今日我們要本著一個精神—只見耶穌基督，不見其他的。教會人再多，沒有耶穌基督就不是教會了！

以西結書31:15-18

31:15 主耶和華如此說：「它下陰間的那日，我便使人悲哀。我為它遮蓋深淵，使江河凝結，大水停流；我也使黎巴嫩為它悽慘，田野的諸樹都因它發昏。

31:16 我將它扔到陰間，與下坑的人一同下去。那時，列國聽見它墜落的響聲就都震動，並且伊甸的一切樹─就是黎巴嫩得水滋潤、最佳最美的樹─都在陰府受了安慰。

31:17 它們也與它同下陰間，到被殺的人那裡。它們曾作它的膀臂，在列國中它的蔭下居住。

31:18 在這樣榮耀威勢上，在伊甸園諸樹中，誰能與你相比呢？然而你要與伊甸的諸樹一同下到陰府，在未受割禮的人中，與被殺的人一同躺臥。法老和他的群眾乃是如此。這是主耶和華說的。」

“Thus says the Lord God: On the day the cedar went down to Sheol I caused mourning; I closed the deep over it, and restrained its rivers, and many waters were stopped. I clothed Lebanon in gloom for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it.  I made the nations quake at the sound of its fall, when I cast it down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit. And all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the world below.  They also went down to Sheol with it, to those who are slain by the sword; yes, those who were its arm, who lived under its shadow among the nations.

  “Whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? You shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the world below. You shall lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword.      

“This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord God.”

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  先知在此說明與亞述一同滅亡的國家，因為亞述也滅亡，就覺得舒坦一點，畢竟自己的勢力也沒亞述大，亞述都滅亡了，自己滅亡就比較可接受了。話鋒一轉帶到法老，既然勢力大的亞述國因為驕傲都被上帝砍伐滅亡了，埃及為何能例外呢？西元前667-653年亞述還曾經佔領埃及呢！亞述都會滅亡了，埃及算什麼呢？

  這也警告我們，不要自己以為剛強，不要自以為有辦法，再厲害、再有辦法的，都無法逃離滅亡的命運，更何況是一般普通通的人，更是不可以自覺的不可一視，更是要謙卑！

  也因此，人要自己謙卑尤其是在上帝面前，要靠耶穌基督的拯救，信靠與順服在上帝大能手下，才能蒙福到永遠！

以西結書31:10-14

31:10 所以主耶和華如此說：「因它高大，樹尖插入雲中，心驕氣傲，

31:11 我就必將他交給列國中大有威勢的人；他必定辦他。我因他的罪惡，已經驅逐他。

31:12 外邦人，就是列邦中強暴的，將它砍斷棄掉。它的枝條落在山間和一切谷中，它的枝子折斷，落在地的一切河旁。地上的眾民已經走去，離開它的蔭下。

31:13 空中的飛鳥都要宿在這敗落的樹上，田野的走獸都要臥在它的枝條下，

31:14 好使水旁的諸樹不因高大而自尊，也不將樹尖插入雲中，並且那些得水滋潤、有勢力的，也不得高大自立。因為它們在世人中，和下坑的人都被交與死亡，到陰府去了。」

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because it towered high and set its top among the clouds, and its heart was proud of its height,  I will give it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations. He shall surely deal with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast it out.  Foreigners, the most ruthless of nations, have cut it down and left it. On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all the ravines of the land, and all the peoples of the earth have gone away from its shadow and left it.  On its fallen trunk dwell all the birds of the heavens, and on its branches are all the beasts of the field.  All this is in order that no trees by the waters may grow to towering height or set their tops among the clouds, and that no trees that drink water may reach up to them in height. For they are all given over to death, to the world below, among the children of man, with those who go down to the pit.

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    香柏樹的高大華美，卻沒有說這樣有什麼不對，但是其內心高傲，上帝就要懲罰之。上帝的懲罰就是「砍斷這棵自高的香柏樹」。讓依附於他群眾棄他而去。但是香柏樹被砍伐後，還是有不少生物依附於其殘驅之中。這也表示人的無知，只知倚靠那無法長遠的偶想或強權，而不倚靠真正有能力的上帝。

    無論如何，有勢力而自高自大的國家，最終都要和世人一樣會死亡（滅亡）。所以這些強國也不能自高自大，仍然要敬畏上帝，以免遭受到滅亡之命運。強權國家如此，每一個人也是如此，要倚靠上帝！

    求主幫助我們，讓我們不要自高自大，要靠耶穌基督的名來成為上帝的兒女，行在上帝要我們行的道路，我們才可以享受永生之福，得真正的安息！

以西結書31章

      以西結書31:1-9  ,   以西結書31:10-14  ,   以西結書31:15-18 ,

以西結書31:1-9

31:1 十一年三月初一日，耶和華的話臨到我說：

31:2 「人子啊，你要向埃及王法老和他的眾人說：在威勢上誰能與你相比呢？

31:3 亞述王曾如黎巴嫩中的香柏樹，枝條榮美，影密如林，極其高大，樹尖插入雲中。

31:4 眾水使它生長；深水使它長大。所栽之地有江河圍流，汊出的水道延到田野諸樹。

31:5 所以他高大超過田野諸樹；發旺的時候，枝子繁多，因得大水之力枝條長長。

31:6 空中的飛鳥都在枝子上搭窩；田野的走獸都在枝條下生子；所有大國的人民都在它蔭下居住。

31:7 樹大條長，成為榮美，因為根在眾水之旁。

31:8 上帝園中的香柏樹不能遮蔽它；松樹不及它的枝子；楓樹不及它的枝條；上帝園中的樹都沒有它榮美。

31:9 我使它的枝條蕃多，成為榮美，以致上帝伊甸園中的樹都嫉妒它。」

​ In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:  “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude:      

“Whom are you like in your greatness?

  Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon,

with beautiful branches and forest shade,

and of towering height,

its top among the clouds.

  The waters nourished it;

the deep made it grow tall,

making its rivers flow

around the place of its planting,

sending forth its streams

to all the trees of the field.

  So it towered high

above all the trees of the field;

its boughs grew large

and its branches long

from abundant water in its shoots.

All the birds of the heavens

made their nests in its boughs;

under its branches all the beasts of the field

gave birth to their young,

and under its shadow

lived all great nations.

  It was beautiful in its greatness,

in the length of its branches;

for its roots went down

to abundant waters.

  The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it,

nor the fir trees equal its boughs;

neither were the plane trees

like its branches;

no tree in the garden of God

was its equal in beauty.

  I made it beautiful

in the mass of its branches,

and all the trees of Eden envied it,

that were in the garden of God.

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    亞述帝國出由西元前900到612年，算是當時橫跨歐亞非三洲的大帝國。以西結寫這段文字時，亞述剛剛滅亡二十年左右。亞述位於兩河流域，其繁華受惠於兩大河，與埃及受惠於尼羅河類似。

    雖然亞述（或埃及）生長的環境得天獨厚，所以整個勢力超過周圍列國。但是仍然敵不過巴比倫帝國，為巴比倫所打敗所滅！這也告訴猶大國的君臣百姓，他們也無法抵擋巴比倫帝國的！

    這再一次告訴，人要謙卑在上帝面前，而且要信靠上帝，因為人是軟弱的，無法勝過上帝所安排的命運，是無法抵當，只有順從在上帝的大能手下，有一天上帝會高舉我們，使我們透過耶穌基督享受上帝兒女的榮耀！