以斯帖記4:1-17

 

4:1 末底改知道所做的這一切事，就撕裂衣服，穿麻衣，蒙灰塵，在城中行走，痛哭哀號。
4:2 到了朝門前停住腳步，因為穿麻衣的不可進朝門。
4:3 王的諭旨所到的各省各處，猶大人大大悲哀，禁食哭泣哀號，穿麻衣躺在灰中的甚多。
4:4 王后以斯帖的宮女和太監來把這事告訴以斯帖，她甚是憂愁，就送衣服給末底改穿，要他脫下麻衣，他卻不受。
4:5 以斯帖就把王所派伺候她的一個太監，名叫哈他革召來，吩咐他去見末底改，要知道這是甚麼事，是甚麼緣故。
4:6 於是哈他革出到朝門前的寬闊處見末底改。
4:7 末底改將自己所遇的事，並哈曼為滅絕猶大人應許捐入王庫的銀數都告訴了他；
4:8 又將所抄寫傳遍書珊城要滅絕猶大人的旨意交給哈他革，要給以斯帖看，又要給她說明，並囑咐她進去見王，為本族的人在王面前懇切祈求。
4:9 哈他革回來，將末底改的話告訴以斯帖；
4:10 以斯帖就吩咐哈他革去見末底改，說：
4:11 「王的一切臣僕和各省的人民都知道有一個定例：若不蒙召，擅入內院見王的，無論男女必被治死；除非王向他伸出金杖，不得存活。現在我沒有蒙召進去見王已經三十日了。」
4:12 人就把以斯帖這話告訴末底改。
4:13 末底改託人回覆以斯帖說：「你莫想在王宮裡強過一切猶大人，得免這禍。
4:14 此時你若閉口不言，猶大人必從別處得解脫，蒙拯救；你和你父家必致滅亡。焉知你得了王后的位分不是為現今的機會嗎？」
4:15 以斯帖就吩咐人回報末底改說：
4:16 「你當去招聚書珊城所有的猶大人，為我禁食三晝三夜，不吃不喝；我和我的宮女也要這樣禁食。然後我違例進去見王，我若死就死吧！」
4:17 於是末底改照以斯帖一切所吩咐的去行。

 

 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. ² But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. ³ In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

⁴ When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. ⁵ Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.

⁶ So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. ⁷ Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. ⁸ He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.

⁹ Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. ¹⁰ Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, ¹¹ “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

¹² When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, ¹³ he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. ¹⁴ For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

¹⁵ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶ “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

¹⁷ So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

 

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    事件發生的那麼突然和快速，本來過得很平靜的生活，卻因為惡人的殘暴，使猶大全族的人面臨到滅族的危機，真是教人措手不及！

 

    也因為是這樣的緊急，以斯帖的地位就顯得十分重要，她就如同解決這次危機的關鍵，也因為這樣末底改會向她說：「你莫想在王宮裡強過一切猶大人，得免這禍。此時你若閉口不言，猶大人必從別處得解脫，蒙拯救；你和你父家必致滅亡。焉知你得了王后的位分不是為現今的機會嗎？」

 

    的確，我們不管處在甚麼地位，我們都要好好為主做見證！因為許多人從未見過基督，不認識救主，不知道主耶穌的救恩。然而我們是主所揀選的見證人，我們存在的目的，見識要向世人見證耶穌基督，使人透過我們知道主耶穌，好讓聖靈感動他們的心，來信靠主耶穌。因為，誰也不知道上帝所揀選、所預定的人！

 

 

 

羅馬書1:18-32

 

1:18 原來，上帝的忿怒從天上顯明在一切不虔不義的人身上，就是那些行不義阻擋真理的人。
1:19 上帝的事情，人所能知道的，原顯明在人心裡，因為上帝已經給他們顯明。
1:20 自從造天地以來，上帝的永能和神性是明明可知的，雖是眼不能見，但藉著所造之物就可以曉得，叫人無可推諉。
1:21 因為，他們雖然知道上帝，卻不當作上帝榮耀他，也不感謝他。他們的思念變為虛妄，無知的心就昏暗了。
1:22 自稱為聰明，反成了愚拙，
1:23 將不能朽壞之上帝的榮耀變為偶像，彷彿必朽壞的人和飛禽、走獸、昆蟲的樣式。
1:24 所以，上帝任憑他們逞著心裡的情慾行污穢的事，以致彼此玷辱自己的身體。
1:25 他們將上帝的真實變為虛謊，去敬拜事奉受造之物，不敬奉那造物的主─主乃是可稱頌的，直到永遠。阿們！
1:26 因此，上帝任憑他們放縱可羞恥的情慾。他們的女人把順性的用處變為逆性的用處；
1:27 男人也是如此，棄了女人順性的用處，慾火攻心，彼此貪戀，男和男行可羞恥的事，就在自己身上受這妄為當得的報應。
1:28 他們既然故意不認識上帝，上帝就任憑他們存邪僻的心，行那些不合理的事；
1:29 裝滿了各樣不義、邪惡、貪婪、惡毒（或譯：陰毒）；滿心是嫉妒、凶殺、爭競、詭詐、毒恨；
1:30 又是讒毀的、背後說人的、怨恨上帝的（或譯：被上帝所憎惡的）、侮慢人的、狂傲的、自誇的、捏造惡事的、違背父母的、
1:31 無知的、背約的、無親情的、不憐憫人的。
1:32 他們雖知道上帝判定行這樣事的人是當死的，然而他們不但自己去行，還喜歡別人去行。

 

¹⁸ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

 

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    保羅在此理論到人的實際狀況：不是上帝不拯救人，而是人拒絕上帝、悖逆上帝！而人的悖逆不是對上帝無知，世人故意如此行。正如保羅在這裡如此說：「他們雖然知道上帝，卻不當作上帝榮耀他，也不感謝他。他們的思念變為虛妄，無知的心就昏暗了。自稱為聰明，反成了愚拙，將不能朽壞之上帝的榮耀變為偶像，彷彿必朽壞的人和飛禽、走獸、昆蟲的樣式。」

 

    也因為這樣人就去追求那些可見之物，而不去尋求上帝的面！他們將受造之物當成上帝來崇拜，甚至情慾來主宰自己，尋求一時的歡樂，不去尋求永恆的上帝，對上帝沒有感恩的心！忘記：「一切美物，都是上帝所賞賜的！」

 

    也因為如此，上帝用「任憑」惡人的方式來警戒祂的兒女，讓祂的兒女們清楚，不要再悖逆要快快悔改歸向上帝，不要到與上帝關係永遠破裂，那就無法挽回了！而「任憑」就是失去了真正與上帝和好的關係，最終會滅亡的！

 

 

 

 *** 請繼續閱讀:         羅馬書1章

 

羅馬書1:8-17

 

1:8 第一，我靠著耶穌基督，為你們眾人感謝我的上帝，因你們的信德傳遍了天下。
1:9 我在他兒子福音上，用心靈所事奉的上帝可以見證，我怎樣不住地提到你們；
1:10 在禱告之間常常懇求，或者照上帝的旨意，終能得平坦的道路往你們那裡去。
1:11 因為我切切地想見你們，要把些屬靈的恩賜分給你們，使你們可以堅固；
1:12 這樣，我在你們中間，因你與我彼此的信心，就可以同得安慰。
1:13 弟兄們，我不願意你們不知道，我屢次定意往你們那裡去，要在你們中間得些果子，如同在其餘的外邦人中一樣；只是到如今仍有阻隔。
1:14 無論是希臘人、化外人、聰明人、愚拙人，我都欠他們的債，
1:15 所以情願盡我的力量，將福音也傳給你們在羅馬的人。
1:16 我不以福音為恥；這福音本是上帝的大能，要救一切相信的，先是猶太人，後是希臘人。
1:17 因為上帝的義正在這福音上顯明出來；這義是本於信，以至於信。如經上所記：「義人必因信得生。」

 

⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. ⁹ God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you ¹⁰ in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

¹¹ I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— ¹² that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. ¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,^[d] that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

¹⁴ I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. ¹⁵ That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. ¹⁷ For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,^[e] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

 

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    有兩個詞在和合本聖經表達得不是很好，就是英文的「righteousness」和「justice」。其實兩者意義是有差異的：「righteousness」是與上帝之間的關係；「justice」是談到平等性和不虧欠別人。這裡提到「信」的結果是讓人與上帝有合宜的關係，不是讓人覺得自己比別人好。

 

    而然透過與上帝和好，才能繼續享受上帝的供應，是一種生命的聯繫，好像一棵樹栽在溪水旁，如此才能脫離死亡，進入永生的福樂！也因為如此，才能說：「義人必因信得生。」

 

    因此說到福音，有一點是非常重要的：就是要和上帝建立合宜的關係，讓上帝成為我們的上帝，我們成為上帝的兒女！而要建立這樣的關係，就是要透過耶穌基督，我們的責任就是「信靠」、就是「跟隨」主耶穌！

 

 

 *** 請繼續閱讀:         羅馬書1章

羅馬書1:1-7

 

1:1 耶穌基督的僕人保羅，奉召為使徒，特派傳上帝的福音。
1:2 這福音是上帝從前藉眾先知在聖經上所應許的，
1:3 論到他兒子─我主耶穌基督。按肉體說，是從大衛後裔生的；
1:4 按聖善的靈說，因從死裡復活，以大能顯明是上帝的兒子。
1:5 我們從他受了恩惠並使徒的職分，在萬國之中叫人為他的名信服真道；
1:6 其中也有你們這蒙召屬耶穌基督的人。
1:7 我寫信給你們在羅馬、為上帝所愛、奉召作聖徒的眾人。願恩惠、平安從我們的父上帝並主耶穌基督歸與你們！

 

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— ² the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures ³ regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life^[a] was a descendant of David, ⁴ and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power^[b] by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. ⁵ Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from^[c] faith for his name’s sake. ⁶ And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

⁷ To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

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    在聖經中的福音，是以耶穌基督為中心，不是人為中心。所以，保羅在此宣告：「這福音是上帝從前藉眾先知在聖經上所應許的，論到他兒子─我主耶穌基督。按肉體說，是從大衛後裔生的；按聖善的靈說，因從死裡復活，以大能顯明是上帝的兒子。」

 

    主耶穌不只是人，祂更是上帝的兒子，也就是說祂也是上帝。說到祂是人，更是要強調舊約的背景，祂是大衛的子孫，是上帝透過先知所應許給世人的！先制由猶太人開始，然後臨到萬民！

 

    說到福音，不是教我們得拯救，而是要強調祂勝過死亡和罪惡，祂是從死人中復活的那一位，是上帝的大能在他身上彰顯！

 

     而在這裡的「萬民」，在原文特別是指「外邦人」，表示福音不被約束在猶太人中間，只是由猶太人開始，最終是要臨到各外邦人中的，使外邦人也成為上帝的子民！

 

    親愛的弟兄姊妹，我們是猶太人的外邦人，然而上帝的聖召卻臨到我們，正如保羅所說：「為上帝所愛、奉召作聖徒的眾人」！

 

   保羅這段問候辭，也是聖靈給我們的問候，因為我們也是蒙召的聖徒！

 

 

 *** 請繼續閱讀:         羅馬書1章

 

以斯帖記3章

      以斯帖記3:1-15 , 以斯帖記3:7 ,