約書亞記20:1-9

20:1 耶和華曉諭約書亞說：
20:2 「你吩咐以色列人說：你們要照著我藉摩西所曉諭你們的，為自己設立逃城，
20:3 使那無心而誤殺人的，可以逃到那裡。這些城可以作你們逃避報血仇人的地方。
20:4 那殺人的要逃到這些城中的一座城，站在城門口，將他的事情說給城內的長老們聽。他們就把他收進城裡，給他地方，使他住在他們中間。
20:5 若是報血仇的追了他來，長老不可將他交在報血仇的手裡；因為他是素無仇恨，無心殺了人的。
20:6 他要住在那城裡，站在會眾面前聽審判，等到那時的大祭司死了，殺人的才可以回到本城本家，就是他所逃出來的那城。」
20:7 於是，以色列人在拿弗他利山地分定加利利的基低斯；在以法蓮山地分定示劍；在猶大山地分定基列‧亞巴（基列‧亞巴就是希伯崙）；
20:8 又在約旦河外耶利哥東，從流便支派中，在曠野的平原，設立比悉；從迦得支派中設立基列的拉末；從瑪拿西支派中設立巴珊的哥蘭。
20:9 這都是為以色列眾人和在他們中間寄居的外人所分定的城邑，使誤殺人的都可以逃到那裡，不死在報血仇人的手中，等他站在會眾面前聽審判。

  Then the Lord said to Joshua: ² “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, ³ so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood. ⁴ When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state their case before the elders of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them. ⁵ If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the fugitive killed their neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought. ⁶ They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in the town from which they fled.”

⁷ So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. ⁸ East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.

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    逃城的設立式非常有智慧的做法，對於那些誤殺事件的當事人有庇護的作用，這也是對生命的一種尊重。當然逃城是不包庇那些續意殺人的人；也就是說，蓄意殺人的人逃到逃城躲避，也是沒有用的！

    當然這也讓我們想到耶穌基督的救恩，不是讓我們逃避將來審判時，上帝的怒氣！要是我們存著不信和做惡的心，耶穌基督的救贖就無法臨到我們身上！正如施洗約翰對於那些到他受洗的法利賽人說：「毒蛇的種類！誰指示你們逃避將來的忿怒呢？你們要結出果子來，與悔改的心相稱。」（馬太福音3:7-8）

    親愛的弟兄姊妹，上帝是輕慢不得的，來到上帝面前不是靠自己的義，是要靠耶穌基督的義，這個義必須信靠耶穌基督才有的！所以，聖經告訴我們：「人非有信，就不能得上帝的喜悅；因為到上帝面前來的人必須信有上帝，且信他賞賜那尋求他的人。」（希伯來書11:6）

詩篇104:1-35

104:1 我的心哪，你要稱頌耶和華！耶和華─我的上帝啊，你為至大！你以尊榮威嚴為衣服，
104:2 披上亮光，如披外袍，鋪張穹蒼，如鋪幔子，
104:3 在水中立樓閣的棟梁，用雲彩為車輦，藉著風的翅膀而行，
104:4 以風為使者，以火焰為僕役，
104:5 將地立在根基上，使地永不動搖。
104:6 你用深水遮蓋地面，猶如衣裳；諸水高過山嶺。
104:7 你的斥責一發，水便奔逃；你的雷聲一發，水便奔流。
104:8 諸山升上，諸谷沉下（或譯：隨山上翻，隨谷下流），歸你為它所安定之地。
104:9 你定了界限，使水不能過去，不再轉回遮蓋地面。
104:10 耶和華使泉源湧在山谷，流在山間，
104:11 使野地的走獸有水喝，野驢得解其渴。
104:12 天上的飛鳥在水旁住宿，在樹枝上啼叫。
104:13 他從樓閣中澆灌山嶺；因他作為的功效，地就豐足。
104:14 他使草生長，給六畜吃，使菜蔬發長，供給人用，使人從地裡能得食物，
104:15 又得酒能悅人心，得油能潤人面，得糧能養人心。
104:16 佳美的樹木，就是黎巴嫩的香柏樹，是耶和華所栽種的，都滿了汁漿。
104:17 雀鳥在其上搭窩；至於鶴，松樹是牠的房屋。
104:18 高山為野山羊的住所；巖石為沙番的藏處。
104:19 你安置月亮為定節令；日頭自知沉落。
104:20 你造黑暗為夜，林中的百獸就都爬出來。
104:21 少壯獅子吼叫，要抓食，向上帝尋求食物。
104:22 日頭一出，獸便躲避，臥在洞裡。
104:23 人出去做工，勞碌直到晚上。
104:24 耶和華啊，你所造的何其多！都是你用智慧造成的；遍地滿了你的豐富。
104:25 那裡有海，又大又廣；其中有無數的動物，大小活物都有。
104:26 那裡有船行走，有你所造的鱷魚游泳在其中。
104:27 這都仰望你按時給牠食物。
104:28 你給牠們，牠們便拾起來；你張手，牠們飽得美食。
104:29 你掩面，牠們便驚惶；你收回牠們的氣，牠們就死亡，歸於塵土。
104:30 你發出你的靈，牠們便受造；你使地面更換為新。
104:31 願耶和華的榮耀存到永遠！願耶和華喜悅自己所造的！
104:32 他看地，地便震動；他摸山，山就冒煙。
104:33 我要一生向耶和華唱詩！我還活的時候，要向我上帝歌頌！
104:34 願他以我的默念為甘甜！我要因耶和華歡喜！
104:35 願罪人從世上消滅！願惡人歸於無有！我的心哪，要稱頌耶和華！你們要讚美耶和華（原文是哈利路亞；下同）！

¹ Praise the Lord, my soul.

Lord my God, you are very great;
    you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

² The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;
    he stretches out the heavens like a tent
³     and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
    and rides on the wings of the wind.
⁴ He makes winds his messengers,^[a]
    flames of fire his servants.

⁵ He set the earth on its foundations;
    it can never be moved.
⁶ You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
⁷ But at your rebuke the waters fled,
    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
⁸ they flowed over the mountains,
    they went down into the valleys,
    to the place you assigned for them.
⁹ You set a boundary they cannot cross;
    never again will they cover the earth.

¹⁰ He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
    it flows between the mountains.
¹¹ They give water to all the beasts of the field;
    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
¹² The birds of the sky nest by the waters;
    they sing among the branches.
¹³ He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
    the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
¹⁴ He makes grass grow for the cattle,
    and plants for people to cultivate—
    bringing forth food from the earth:
¹⁵ wine that gladdens human hearts,
    oil to make their faces shine,
    and bread that sustains their hearts.
¹⁶ The trees of the Lord are well watered,
    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
¹⁷ There the birds make their nests;
    the stork has its home in the junipers.
¹⁸ The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
    the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.

¹⁹ He made the moon to mark the seasons,
    and the sun knows when to go down.
²⁰ You bring darkness, it becomes night,
    and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
²¹ The lions roar for their prey
    and seek their food from God.
²² The sun rises, and they steal away;
    they return and lie down in their dens.
²³ Then people go out to their work,
    to their labor until evening.

²⁴ How many are your works, Lord!
    In wisdom you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵ There is the sea, vast and spacious,
    teeming with creatures beyond number—
    living things both large and small.
²⁶ There the ships go to and fro,
    and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

²⁷ All creatures look to you
    to give them their food at the proper time.
²⁸ When you give it to them,
    they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
    they are satisfied with good things.
²⁹ When you hide your face,
    they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
    they die and return to the dust.
³⁰ When you send your Spirit,
    they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

³¹ May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works—
³² he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

³³ I will sing to the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
³⁴ May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    as I rejoice in the Lord.
³⁵ But may sinners vanish from the earth
    and the wicked be no more.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Praise the Lord.^[b]

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    詩篇是用來頌讚上帝，不是科學論文，也因此要以文學的角度來認識這首讚美詩，不要去細究合不合乎「地球科學」的理論。我們要以貼近生活的文學欣賞，來感受上帝創造和護理的奇妙！

    我們對許多大自然的現象不明白，也沒有足夠的科學知識，只能用上帝的啟示來填補一些我們無法明瞭的事情。但是對於這些不明白的事，也只能用想像或擬人的手法來敘述，這是合乎常理的做法。

    也因為如此，我們不可以用今日的科學來批判過去的文學，更不能用輕視的眼光來閱讀。想想這樣的作品，讓人感受到上帝的真實與慈愛的作為，算是非常精準敘述的文學作品，勝過許多的神話故事！也因此，我們可以說：聖經是無謬誤的！我們大可透過這些話語，來述說與傳揚，帶領弟兄姊妹一同來敬拜主！正如施人的呼籲：哈利路亞！讓我們來頌讚上帝！