1:1 以色列的眾子,各帶家眷,和雅各一同來到埃及。他們的名字記在下面。
1:2 有流便、西緬、利未、猶大、
1:3 以薩迦、西布倫、便雅憫、
1:4 但、拿弗他利、迦得、亞設。
1:5 凡從雅各而生的,共有七十人。約瑟已經在埃及。
1:6 約瑟和他的弟兄,並那一代的人,都死了。
1:7 以色列人生養眾多,並且繁茂,極其強盛,滿了那地。
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。
1:15 有希伯來的兩個收生婆,一名施弗拉,一名普阿;埃及王對她們說:
1:16 「你們為希伯來婦人收生,看她們臨盆的時候,若是男孩,就把他殺了;若是女孩,就留她存活。」
1:17 但是收生婆敬畏上帝,不照埃及王的吩咐行,竟存留男孩的性命。
1:18 埃及王召了收生婆來,說:「你們為甚麼做這事,存留男孩的性命呢?」
1:19 收生婆對法老說:「因為希伯來婦人與埃及婦人不同;希伯來婦人本是健壯的(原文是活潑的),收生婆還沒有到,她們已經生產了。」
1:20 上帝厚待收生婆。以色列人多起來,極其強盛。
1:21 收生婆因為敬畏上帝,上帝便叫她們成立家室。
1:22 法老吩咐他的眾民說:「以色列人所生的男孩,你們都要丟在河裡;一切的女孩,你們要存留她的性命。」
1:2 有流便、西緬、利未、猶大、
1:3 以薩迦、西布倫、便雅憫、
1:4 但、拿弗他利、迦得、亞設。
1:5 凡從雅各而生的,共有七十人。約瑟已經在埃及。
1:6 約瑟和他的弟兄,並那一代的人,都死了。
1:7 以色列人生養眾多,並且繁茂,極其強盛,滿了那地。
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。
1:15 有希伯來的兩個收生婆,一名施弗拉,一名普阿;埃及王對她們說:
1:16 「你們為希伯來婦人收生,看她們臨盆的時候,若是男孩,就把他殺了;若是女孩,就留她存活。」
1:17 但是收生婆敬畏上帝,不照埃及王的吩咐行,竟存留男孩的性命。
1:18 埃及王召了收生婆來,說:「你們為甚麼做這事,存留男孩的性命呢?」
1:19 收生婆對法老說:「因為希伯來婦人與埃及婦人不同;希伯來婦人本是健壯的(原文是活潑的),收生婆還沒有到,她們已經生產了。」
1:20 上帝厚待收生婆。以色列人多起來,極其強盛。
1:21 收生婆因為敬畏上帝,上帝便叫她們成立家室。
1:22 法老吩咐他的眾民說:「以色列人所生的男孩,你們都要丟在河裡;一切的女孩,你們要存留她的性命。」
These
are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his
family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and
Benjamin; 4 Dan
and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy[a] in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Now Joseph and all his brothers
and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were
exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became
so numerous that the land was filled with them.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.
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
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上帝賜福給以色列人,讓他們在埃及第生養眾多。也因此造成了埃及人的憂患,使埃及人害怕他們強盛之後會造成很大的威脅。於是想盡各種辦法要讓以色列人減少,但是上帝反而讓以色列人更多!
這就像教會剛建立時,受到羅馬政府迫害,因為惡者希望透過政治的力量,讓教會消失在這個地上。然而有上帝的保守,反而讓教會越迫害越興旺,人數和信仰品質都得著提升,這也是上帝奇妙的做為!
今日,許多人為教會憂心,害怕教會的信仰世俗化,害怕信主的人數銳減!其實這都不是我們該擔心的,我們的責任就是信靠主耶穌,人數多少事上帝自己決定,上帝會用聖靈的大能來更新教會,使教會得復興,我們不要為此擔心,就像以利亞時代,上帝也為自己預備七千人呢!