8:20 耶和華對摩西說:「你清早起來,法老來到水邊,你站在他面前,對他說:『耶和華這樣說:容我的百姓去,好事奉我。
8:21 你若不容我的百姓去,我要叫成群的蒼蠅到你和你臣僕並你百姓的身上,進你的房屋,並且埃及人的房屋和他們所住的地都要滿了成群的蒼蠅。
8:22 當那日,我必分別我百姓所住的歌珊地,使那裡沒有成群的蒼蠅,好叫你知道我是天下的耶和華。
8:23 我要將我的百姓和你的百姓分別出來。明天必有這神蹟。』」
8:24 耶和華就這樣行。蒼蠅成了大群,進入法老的宮殿,和他臣僕的房屋;埃及遍地就因這成群的蒼蠅敗壞了。
8:25 法老召了摩西、亞倫來,說:「你們去,在這地祭祀你們的上帝吧!」
8:26 摩西說:「這樣行本不相宜,因為我們要把埃及人所厭惡的祭祀耶和華
─我們的上帝;若把埃及人所厭惡的在他們眼前獻為祭,他們豈不拿石頭打死我們嗎?
8:27 我們要往曠野去,走三天的路程,照著耶和華
─我們上帝所要吩咐我們的祭祀他。」
8:28 法老說:「我容你們去,在曠野祭祀耶和華
─你們的上帝;只是不要走得很遠。求你們為我祈禱。」
8:29 摩西說:「我要出去求耶和華,使成群的蒼蠅明天離開法老和法老的臣僕並法老的百姓;法老卻不可再行詭詐,不容百姓去祭祀耶和華。」
8:30 於是摩西離開法老去求耶和華。
8:31 耶和華就照摩西的話行,叫成群的蒼蠅離開法老和他的臣僕並他的百姓,一個也沒有留下。
8:32 這一次法老又硬著心,不容百姓去。
20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as
he goes to the river and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship
me. 21 If
you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials,
on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full
of flies; even the ground will be covered with them.
22 “‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen,
where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know
that I, the Lord, am in this land. 23 I will make a distinction[b] between my people and your people. This
sign will occur tomorrow.’”
24 And the Lord did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and
into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the
flies.
25 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to
your God here in the land.”
26 But Moses said, “That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer
the Lord our God would
be detestable to the Egyptians. And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable
in their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must take a three-day
journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, as he commands us.”
28 Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but you must not go
very far. Now pray for me.”
29 Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his
officials and his people. Only let Pharaoh be sure that he does not act
deceitfully again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”
30 Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord, 31 and the Lord did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and
his people; not a fly remained. 32 But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and
would not let the people go.
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人是善變而且是說話不負責任的,就連貴為君王的埃及法老,也是一在改變他的心意,不願意放下自己的意念,讓以色列百姓可以去敬拜上帝,總是要約束不是屬於他的以色列百姓,好從其中獲得利益!
其實人心的險惡也在這裡,充滿詭詐和自我中心,這是人罪性真真實實的展現!不僅法老會如此,我們也常常想要得一些罪中之樂,常常是以自己的慾望滿足為行事為人的法則,就像這個法老王一般!
於是,有一些人認為:只要我敢,沒有什麼不可以!殊不知這樣的行為,會惹來天怒人怨!但是,他認為:自己有辦法,誰怕誰呢?其實這樣的做為是為自己種下禍因,上帝是公義的,必定會為受害者伸冤的!