以賽亞書14:1-23

14:1 耶和華要憐恤雅各，必再揀選以色列，將他們安置在本地。寄居的必與他們聯合，緊貼雅各家。
14:2 外邦人必將他們帶回本土；以色列家必在耶和華的地上得外邦人為僕婢，也要擄掠先前擄掠他們的，轄制先前欺壓他們的。
14:3 當耶和華使你脫離愁苦、煩惱，並人勉強你做的苦工，得享安息的日子，
14:4 你必題這詩歌論巴比倫王說：欺壓人的何竟息滅？強暴的何竟止息？
14:5 耶和華折斷了惡人的杖，轄制人的圭，
14:6 就是在忿怒中連連攻擊眾民的，在怒氣中轄制列國，行逼迫無人阻止的。
14:7 現在全地得安息，享平靜；人皆發聲歡呼。
14:8 松樹和黎巴嫩的香柏樹都因你歡樂，說：自從你仆倒，再無人上來砍伐我們。
14:9 你下到陰間，陰間就因你震動來迎接你，又因你驚動在世曾為首領的陰魂，並使那曾為列國君王的，都離位站起。
14:10 他們都要發言對你說：你也變為軟弱像我們一樣嗎？你也成了我們的樣子嗎？
14:11 你的威勢和你琴瑟的聲音都下到陰間。你下鋪的是蟲，上蓋的是蛆。
14:12 明亮之星，早晨之子啊，你何竟從天墜落？你這攻敗列國的何竟被砍倒在地上？
14:13 你心裡曾說：我要升到天上；我要高舉我的寶座在上帝眾星以上；我要坐在聚會的山上，在北方的極處。
14:14 我要升到高雲之上；我要與至上者同等。
14:15 然而，你必墜落陰間，到坑中極深之處。
14:16 凡看見你的都要定睛看你，留意看你，說：使大地戰抖，使列國震動，
14:17 使世界如同荒野，使城邑傾覆，不釋放被擄的人歸家，是這個人嗎？
14:18 列國的君王俱各在自己陰宅的榮耀中安睡。
14:19 惟獨你被拋棄，不得入你的墳墓，好像可憎的枝子，以被殺的人為衣，就是被刀刺透，墜落坑中石頭那裡的；你又像被踐踏的屍首一樣。
14:20 你不得與君王同葬；因為你敗壞你的國，殺戮你的民。惡人後裔的名，必永不提說。
14:21 先人既有罪孽，就要預備殺戮他的子孫，免得他們興起來，得了遍地，在世上修滿城邑。
14:22 萬軍之耶和華說：我必興起攻擊他們，將巴比倫的名號和所餘剩的人，連子帶孫一併剪除。這是耶和華說的。
14:23 我必使巴比倫為箭豬所得，又變為水池；我要用滅亡的掃帚掃淨它。這是萬軍之耶和華說的。

But the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land; and aliens will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob. ²And the nations will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess the nations as male and female slaves in the Lord’s land; they will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them.

³ When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, ⁴you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:

How the oppressor has ceased!

How his insolence has ceased!

5

The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,

the scepter of rulers,

6

that struck down the peoples in wrath

with unceasing blows,

that ruled the nations in anger

with unrelenting persecution.

7

The whole earth is at rest and quiet;

they break forth into singing.

8

The cypresses exult over you,

the cedars of Lebanon, saying,

“Since you were laid low,

no one comes to cut us down.”

9

Sheol beneath is stirred up

to meet you when you come;

it rouses the shades to greet you,

all who were leaders of the earth;

it raises from their thrones

all who were kings of the nations.

10

All of them will speak

and say to you:

“You too have become as weak as we!

You have become like us!”

11

Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,

and the sound of your harps;

maggots are the bed beneath you,

and worms are your covering.

12

How you are fallen from heaven,

O Day Star, son of Dawn!

How you are cut down to the ground,

you who laid the nations low!

13

You said in your heart,

“I will ascend to heaven;

I will raise my throne

above the stars of God;

I will sit on the mount of assembly

on the heights of Zaphon;

14

I will ascend to the tops of the clouds,

I will make myself like the Most High.”

15

But you are brought down to Sheol,

to the depths of the Pit.

16

Those who see you will stare at you,

and ponder over you:

“Is this the man who made the earth tremble,

who shook kingdoms,

17

who made the world like a desert

and overthrew its cities,

who would not let his prisoners go home?”

18

All the kings of the nations lie in glory,

each in his own tomb;

19

but you are cast out, away from your grave,

like loathsome carrion,

clothed with the dead, those pierced by the sword,

who go down to the stones of the Pit,

like a corpse trampled underfoot.

20

You will not be joined with them in burial,

because you have destroyed your land,

you have killed your people.

May the descendants of evildoers

nevermore be named!

21

Prepare slaughter for his sons

because of the guilt of their father.

Let them never rise to possess the earth

or cover the face of the world with cities.

²² I will rise up against them, says the Lord of hosts, and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, offspring and posterity, says the Lord. ²³And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog, and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction, says the Lord of hosts.

**************

    先知以賽亞不僅對亞述的敗亡下預言，也對巴比倫的敗亡下預言。而這些預言的目的是要以色列人和猶大人，對將來的復興存著盼望，使他們感受到上帝的慈愛永不改變，雖然眼前敵人非常強大，看不到任何希望。

    在我們的人生中，常常被眼前的事物遮蔽，以致於讓我們沒有看見上帝豐盛的預備，和祂將來要賜給我們的各樣福分，使得我們失去了向前行的力量，整個人灰心喪志，不知如何是好！

    也因為如此，我們不可以不提醒自己：上帝的慈愛永遠長存，祂飽受我們到底，祂為我們預備了永生之福呢！不要害怕眼前，要相信永遠的勝利，是屬於上帝和祂的子民！

以賽亞書13:6-22

13:6 你們要哀號，因為耶和華的日子臨近了！這日來到，好像毀滅從全能者來到。
13:7 所以，人手都必軟弱；人心都必消化。
13:8 他們必驚惶悲痛；愁苦必將他們抓住。他們疼痛，好像產難的婦人一樣，彼此驚奇相看，臉如火焰。
13:9 耶和華的日子臨到，必有殘忍、忿恨、烈怒，使這地荒涼，從其中除滅罪人。
13:10 天上的眾星群宿都不發光；日頭一出就變黑暗；月亮也不放光。
13:11 我必因邪惡刑罰世界，因罪孽刑罰惡人，使驕傲人的狂妄止息，制伏強暴人的狂傲。
13:12 我必使人比精金還少，使人比俄斐純金更少。
13:13 我─萬軍之耶和華在忿恨中發烈怒的日子，必使天震動，使地搖撼，離其本位。
13:14 人必像被追趕的鹿，像無人收聚的羊，各歸回本族，各逃到本土。
13:15 凡被仇敵追上的必被刺死；凡被捉住的必被刀殺。
13:16 他們的嬰孩必在他們眼前摔碎；他們的房屋必被搶奪；他們的妻子必被玷污。
13:17 我必激動米底亞人來攻擊他們。米底亞人不注重銀子，也不喜愛金子。
13:18 他們必用弓擊碎少年人，不憐憫婦人所生的，眼也不顧惜孩子。
13:19 巴比倫素來為列國的榮耀，為迦勒底人所矜誇的華美，必像上帝所傾覆的所多瑪、蛾摩拉一樣。
13:20 其內必永無人煙，世世代代無人居住。阿拉伯人也不在那裡支搭帳棚；牧羊的人也不使羊群臥在那裡。
13:21 只有曠野的走獸臥在那裡；咆哮的獸滿了房屋。鴕鳥住在那裡；野山羊在那裡跳舞。
13:22 豺狼必在它宮中呼號；野狗必在它華美殿內吼叫。巴比倫受罰的時候臨近；它的日子必不長久。

Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;

it will come like destruction from the Almighty!

7

Therefore all hands will be feeble,

and every human heart will melt,

8

and they will be dismayed.

Pangs and agony will seize them;

they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.

They will look aghast at one another;

their faces will be aflame.

9

See, the day of the Lord comes,

cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,

to make the earth a desolation,

and to destroy its sinners from it.

10

For the stars of the heavens and their constellations

will not give their light;

the sun will be dark at its rising,

and the moon will not shed its light.

11

I will punish the world for its evil,

and the wicked for their iniquity;

I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant,

and lay low the insolence of tyrants.

12

I will make mortals more rare than fine gold,

and humans than the gold of Ophir.

13

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,

and the earth will be shaken out of its place,

at the wrath of the Lord of hosts

in the day of his fierce anger.

14

Like a hunted gazelle,

or like sheep with no one to gather them,

all will turn to their own people,

and all will flee to their own lands.

15

Whoever is found will be thrust through,

and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.

16

Their infants will be dashed to pieces

before their eyes;

their houses will be plundered,

and their wives ravished.

17

See, I am stirring up the Medes against them,

who have no regard for silver

and do not delight in gold.

18

Their bows will slaughter the young men;

they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb;

their eyes will not pity children.

19

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,

the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans,

will be like Sodom and Gomorrah

when God overthrew them.

20

It will never be inhabited

or lived in for all generations;

Arabs will not pitch their tents there,

shepherds will not make their flocks lie down there.

21

But wild animals will lie down there,

and its houses will be full of howling creatures;

there ostriches will live,

and there goat-demons will dance.

22

Hyenas will cry in its towers,

and jackals in the pleasant palaces;

its time is close at hand,

and its days will not be prolonged.

**********

    巴比倫興起之後，也會走向敗亡之路。這是一切國家的走向，就連中國也是經過好幾個朝代，其實也是興起與敗亡。國家和政權的替換，讓我們看見人所建立的國度都是短暫的，唯有上帝是永恆的！

    從歷史的演替，讓我們再一次體認到，人是敵不過上帝的，人只能依附或倚靠上帝，將短暫有限的生命交託在上帝的手中，讓上帝的救贖臨到，才有辦法化短暫為永恆，使生命不再受時間和空間的限制，並且享受耶穌基督所賜得永生之福。

    我們相信，上帝在耶穌基督裡的應許都是會成就的，也因為這樣，我們今天被上帝揀選並安置在基督裡，就要存著感謝的心來在基督裡尊上帝為大，要不是上帝預備救恩，我們就無法得拯救，我們豈能說是這個救恩是上帝和我合作完成的呢！反到要將榮耀歸給上帝說：唯獨上帝的恩典，我們才可以得救！

以賽亞書13章

     以賽亞書13:1-5  ,  以賽亞書13:6-22  ,

以賽亞書13:1-5

13:1 亞摩斯的兒子以賽亞得默示，論巴比倫。
13:2 應當在淨光的山豎立大旗，向群眾揚聲招手，使他們進入貴冑的門。
13:3 我吩咐我所挑出來的人；我招呼我的勇士─就是那矜誇高傲之輩，為要成就我怒中所定的。
13:4 山間有多人的聲音，好像是大國人民。有許多國的民聚集鬨嚷的聲音；這是萬軍之耶和華點齊軍隊，預備打仗。
13:5 他們從遠方來，從天邊來，就是耶和華並他惱恨的兵器要毀滅這全地。

The oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw.

 

2

On a bare hill raise a signal,

cry aloud to them;

wave the hand for them to enter

the gates of the nobles.

3

I myself have commanded my consecrated ones,

have summoned my warriors, my proudly exulting ones,

to execute my anger.

4

Listen, a tumult on the mountains

as of a great multitude!

Listen, an uproar of kingdoms,

of nations gathering together!

The Lord of hosts is mustering

an army for battle.

5

They come from a distant land,

from the end of the heavens,

the Lord and the weapons of his indignation,

to destroy the whole earth.

**********

    先知以賽亞在此預言巴比倫的興起，這個國家要取代亞述，成為超級強國，甚至要將亞述消滅，都在上帝的掌握之中。所以，國家和政權的存亡，事由上帝決定不是由人來決定。

    聖經對於歷史的結局已經像我們宣告了，正如啟示錄11章15節所說：「第七位天使吹號，天上就有大聲音說：世上的國成了我主和主基督的國；他要作王，直到永永遠遠。」

    也因為如此，我們不要害怕世界局勢的變化詭異，國家前途茫茫，全球經濟衰退或興盛，地球暖化，這些種種問題，終會過去，最後存留得就是上帝的國，也唯有基督的王權是永恆的！而主耶穌更是將祂的王權分享給我們，使我們一同在榮耀中。

以賽亞書12章

       以賽亞書12:1-6  , 

       以賽亞書12:2 ,

       以賽亞書12:2   , 

      以賽亞書12:4  ,

     以賽亞書12:5  ,