約書亞記8:30-35

 

8:30 那時，約書亞在以巴路山上為耶和華─以色列的上帝築一座壇，

8:31 是用沒有動過鐵器的整石頭築的，照著耶和華僕人摩西所吩咐以色列人的話，正如摩西律法書上所寫的。眾人在這壇上給耶和華奉獻燔祭和平安祭。

8:32 約書亞在那裡，當著以色列人面前，將摩西所寫的律法抄寫在石頭上。

8:33 以色列眾人，無論是本地人、是寄居的，和長老、官長，並審判官，都站在約櫃兩旁，在抬耶和華約櫃的祭司利未人面前，一半對著基利心山，一半對著以巴路山，為以色列民祝福，正如耶和華僕人摩西先前所吩咐的。

8:34 隨後，約書亞將律法上祝福、咒詛的話，照著律法書上一切所寫的，都宣讀了一遍。

8:35 摩西所吩咐的一切話，約書亞在以色列全會眾和婦女、孩子，並他們中間寄居的外人面前，沒有一句不宣讀的。

 

³⁰ Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, ³¹ as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses—an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. ³² There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses. ³³ All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.

³⁴ Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law. ³⁵ There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.

 

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    雖然第一次在艾城征戰失敗，但是以色列人願意在上帝面前認罪與立志願意遵行上帝的話，上帝就大大賜福於他們，使他們在第二次戰役就得勝利了﹗

 

    勝利之後所做的第一件事件就是在以巴路山上獻燔祭和平安祭，不僅如此約書亞還抄寫律法於石頭上，並且將以色列人分成兩隊人馬：都站在約櫃兩旁，在抬耶和華約櫃的祭司利未人面前，一半對著基利心山，一半對著以巴路山，為以色列民祝福，正如耶和華僕人摩西先前所吩咐的。

 

    約書亞就藉著這個機會，將律法上祝福、咒詛的話，照著律法書上一切所寫的，都宣讀了一遍。就像當年摩西所做的一樣：基利心山是賜福的話；以巴路山是咒詛的話。

 

    總之，我們要留心上帝的話才能蒙福；忽略上帝的話就帶來咒詛！在今日依然是如此，因為上帝的話是永不改變的！

詩篇113:4

 

耶和華超乎萬民之上；他的榮耀高過諸天。

 

The Lord is exalted over all the nations,

    his glory above the heavens.

 

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    詩人向我們宣告上帝是超越萬國萬民和宇宙萬象，因為上帝是創造主，超越一切的受造之物！

 

    也因為這樣，我們要存敬畏的心來到祂面前，向祂敬拜與歡呼！祂是我們最堅實的倚靠，是充滿榮耀與憐憫的上帝！

 

    因此，我們理當來敬拜祂、信靠祂，將生命獻給祂而活！

 

 

士師記3:31

 

以笏之後，有亞拿的兒子珊迦，他用趕牛的棍子打死六百非利士人。他也救了以色列人。

 

 After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.

 

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    第三位士師是珊迦，是就義色列人脫離非力士人。

 

士師記3:12-30

 

3:12 以色列人又行耶和華眼中看為惡的事，耶和華就使摩押王伊磯倫強盛，攻擊以色列人。
3:13 伊磯倫招聚亞捫人和亞瑪力人，去攻打以色列人，佔據棕樹城。
3:14 於是以色列人服事摩押王伊磯倫十八年。
3:15 以色列人呼求耶和華的時候，耶和華就為他們興起一位拯救者，就是便雅憫人基拉的兒子以笏；他是左手便利的。以色列人託他送禮物給摩押王伊磯倫。
3:16 以笏打了一把兩刃的劍，長一肘，帶在右腿上衣服裡面。
3:17 他將禮物獻給摩押王伊磯倫（原來伊磯倫極其肥胖）；
3:18 以笏獻完禮物，便將抬禮物的人打發走了，
3:19 自己卻從靠近吉甲鑿石之地回來，說：「王啊，我有一件機密事奏告你。」王說：「迴避吧！」於是左右侍立的人都退去了。
3:20 以笏來到王面前；王獨自一人坐在涼樓上。以笏說：「我奉上帝的命報告你一件事。」王就從座位上站起來。
3:21 以笏便伸左手，從右腿上拔出劍來，刺入王的肚腹，
3:22 連劍把都刺進去了。劍被肥肉夾住，他沒有從王的肚腹拔出來，且穿通了後身。
3:23 以笏就出到遊廊，將樓門盡都關鎖。
3:24 以笏出來之後，王的僕人到了，看見樓門關鎖，就說：「他必是在樓上大解。」
3:25 他們等煩了，見仍不開樓門，就拿鑰匙開了，不料，他們的主人已死，倒在地上。
3:26 他們耽延的時候，以笏就逃跑了，經過鑿石之地，逃到西伊拉；
3:27 到了，就在以法蓮山地吹角。以色列人隨著他下了山地，他在前頭引路，
3:28 對他們說：「你們隨我來，因為耶和華已經把你們的仇敵摩押人交在你們手中。」於是他們跟著他下去，把守約旦河的渡口，不容摩押一人過去。
3:29 那時擊殺了摩押人約有一萬，都是強壯的勇士，沒有一人逃脫。
3:30 這樣，摩押就被以色列人制伏了。國中太平八十年。

¹² Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. ¹³ Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms.^{[c] 14} The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.

¹⁵ Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. ¹⁶ Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a cubit^[d] long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. ¹⁷ He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. ¹⁸ After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way those who had carried it. ¹⁹ But on reaching the stone images near Gilgal he himself went back to Eglon and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”

The king said to his attendants, “Leave us!” And they all left.

²⁰ Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace^[e] and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, ²¹ Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. ²² Even the handle sank in after the blade, and his bowels discharged. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. ²³ Then Ehud went out to the porch^[f]; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

²⁴ After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the palace.” ²⁵ They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.

²⁶ While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah. ²⁷ When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.

²⁸ “Follow me,” he ordered, “for the Lord has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.” So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over. ²⁹ At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped. ³⁰ That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.

 

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    第二位士師是以笏，是對付摩押王伊磯倫。