今日讀經

亞瑪謝接續作王

²⁷至於他的眾子和他所受的警戒，並他重修　神殿的事，都寫在列王的傳上。他兒子亞瑪謝接續他作王。The accounts of the sons of Joash and the many pronouncements about him, and of the restoration of the house of God, are indeed written in the Treatise of the Book of the Kings. And his son Amaziah reigned in his place.

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行正卻心不專誠

¹亞瑪謝登基的時候年二十五歲，在耶路撒冷作王二十九年。他母親名叫約耶但，是耶路撒冷人。Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem.

²亞瑪謝行耶和華眼中看為正的事，只是心不專誠。And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly.

³國一堅定，就把殺他父王的臣僕殺了，As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, Amaziah executed the servants who had murdered his father the king.

⁴卻沒有治死他們的兒子，是照摩西律法書上耶和華所吩咐的說：「不可因子殺父，也不可因父殺子，各人要為本身的罪而死。」Yet he did not put their sons to death, but acted according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”

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雇用以色列兵

⁵亞瑪謝招聚猶大人，按著猶大和便雅憫的宗族設立千夫長、百夫長，又數點人數，從二十歲以外，能拿槍拿盾牌出去打仗的精兵共有三十萬；Then Amaziah gathered the people of Judah and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and of hundreds. And he numbered those twenty years of age or older throughout Judah and Benjamin and found 300,000 chosen men able to serve in the army, bearing the spear and shield.

⁶又用銀子一百他連得，從以色列招募了十萬大能的勇士。He also hired 100,000 mighty men of valor from Israel for a hundred talents of silver.

神人的警告

⁷有一個神人來見亞瑪謝，對他說：「王啊，不要使以色列的軍兵與你同去，因為耶和華不與以色列人以法蓮的後裔同在。But a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel—not with any of the Ephraimites.

⁸你若一定要去，就奮勇爭戰吧！但　神必使你敗在敵人面前；因為　神能助人得勝，也能使人傾敗。」Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has power to help and power to overthrow.”

⁹亞瑪謝問神人說：「我給了以色列軍的那一百他連得銀子怎麼樣呢？」神人回答說：「耶和華能把更多的賜給你。」Amaziah asked the man of God, “What should I do about the hundred talents I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God replied, “The LORD is able to give you much more than this.”

¹⁰於是亞瑪謝將那從以法蓮來的軍兵分別出來，叫他們回家去。故此，他們甚惱怒猶大人，氣忿忿地回家去了。So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. And they were furious with Judah and returned home in great anger.

在鹽谷打敗以東

¹¹亞瑪謝壯起膽來，率領他的民到鹽谷，殺了西珥人一萬。Amaziah, however, summoned his strength and led his troops to the Valley of Salt, where he struck down 10,000 men of Seir,

¹²猶大人又生擒了一萬帶到山崖上，從那裡把他們扔下去，以致他們都摔碎了。and the army of Judah also captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.

¹³但亞瑪謝所打發回去、不許一同出征的那些軍兵攻打猶大各城，從撒馬利亞直到伯．和崙，殺了三千人，搶了許多財物。Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had dismissed from battle raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon. They struck down 3,000 people and carried off a great deal of plunder.

拜以東的神像

¹⁴亞瑪謝殺了以東人回來，就把西珥的神像帶回，立為自己的神，在它面前叩拜燒香。When Amaziah returned from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the Seirites, set them up as his own gods, bowed before them, and burned sacrifices to them.

¹⁵因此，耶和華的怒氣向亞瑪謝發作，就差一個先知去見他，說：「這些神不能救它的民脫離你的手，你為何尋求它呢？」Therefore the anger of the LORD burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet, who said, “Why have you sought this people’s gods, which could not deliver them from your hand?”

¹⁶先知與王說話的時候，王對他說：「誰立你作王的謀士呢？你住口吧！為何找打呢？」先知就止住了，又說：「你行這事，不聽從我的勸戒，我知道　神定意要滅你。」While he was still speaking, the king asked, “Have we made you the counselor to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice.”

向以色列王挑戰

¹⁷猶大王亞瑪謝與群臣商議，就差遣使者去見耶戶的孫子、約哈斯的兒子、以色列王約阿施，說：「你來，我們二人相見於戰場。」Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent word to the king of Israel Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. “Come, let us meet face to face,” he said.

¹⁸以色列王約阿施差遣使者去見猶大王亞瑪謝，說：「黎巴嫩的蒺藜差遣使者去見黎巴嫩的香柏樹，說：『將你的女兒給我兒子為妻。』後來黎巴嫩有一個野獸經過，把蒺藜踐踏了。But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle.

¹⁹你說：『看哪，我打敗了以東人』，你就心高氣傲，以致矜誇。你在家裡安居就罷了，為何要惹禍使自己和猶大國一同敗亡呢？」You have said, ‘Look, I have defeated Edom,’ and your heart has become proud and boastful. Now stay at home. Why should you stir up trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?”

²⁰亞瑪謝卻不肯聽從。這是出乎　神，好將他們交在敵人手裡，因為他們尋求以東的神。But Amaziah would not listen, for this had come from God in order to deliver them into the hand of Jehoash, because they had sought the gods of Edom.

在伯‧示麥大敗

²¹於是以色列王約阿施上來，在猶大的伯‧示麥與猶大王亞瑪謝相見於戰場。So Jehoash king of Israel advanced, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh in Judah.

²²猶大人敗在以色列人面前，各自逃回家裡去了。And Judah was routed before Israel, and every man fled to his own home.

²³以色列王約阿施在伯‧示麥擒住約哈斯（就是亞哈謝）的孫子、約阿施的兒子、猶大王亞瑪謝，將他帶到耶路撒冷，又拆毀耶路撒冷的城牆，從以法蓮門直到角門，共四百肘；There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section of four hundred cubits.

²⁴又將俄別‧以東所看守　神殿裡的一切金銀和器皿，與王宮裡的財寶都拿了去，並帶人去為質，就回撒馬利亞去了。He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the house of God with Obed-edom and in the treasuries of the royal palace, as well as some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.

亞瑪謝被殺

²⁵以色列王約哈斯的兒子約阿施死後，猶大王約阿施的兒子亞瑪謝又活了十五年。Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel.

²⁶亞瑪謝其餘的事，自始至終不都寫在猶大和以色列諸王記上嗎？As for the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from beginning to end, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel?

²⁷自從亞瑪謝離棄耶和華之後，在耶路撒冷有人背叛他，他就逃到拉吉；叛黨卻打發人到拉吉，將他殺了。From the time that Amaziah turned from following the LORD, a conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But men were sent after him to Lachish, and they killed him there.

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²⁸人就用馬將他的屍首馱回，葬在猶大京城他列祖的墳地裡。They carried him back on horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of Judah.

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百夫長哥尼流

¹在凱撒利亞有一個人，名叫哥尼流，是「意大利營」的百夫長。At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was called the Italian Regiment.

²他是個虔誠人，他和全家都敬畏　神，多多賙濟百姓，常常禱告　神。He and all his household were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to the people and prayed to God regularly.

天使向哥尼流顯現

³有一天，約在申初，他在異象中明明看見　神的一個使者進去，到他那裡，說：「哥尼流。」One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

⁴哥尼流定睛看他，驚怕說：「主啊，甚麼事呢？」天使說：「你的禱告和你的賙濟達到　神面前，已蒙記念了。Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

⁵現在你當打發人往約帕去，請那稱呼彼得的西門來。Now send men to Joppa to call for a man named Simon who is called Peter.

⁶他住在海邊一個硝皮匠西門的家裡，房子在海邊上。」He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

⁷向他說話的天使去後，哥尼流叫了兩個家人和常伺候他的一個虔誠兵來，When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among his attendants.

⁸把這事都述說給他們聽，就打發他們往約帕去。He explained what had happened and sent them to Joppa.

彼得在房頂禱告

⁹第二天，他們行路將近那城。彼得約在午正，上房頂去禱告，The next day at about the sixth hour, as the men were approaching the city on their journey, Peter went up on the roof to pray.

¹⁰覺得餓了，想要吃。那家的人正預備飯的時候，彼得魂遊象外，He became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.

天上降下大布

¹¹看見天開了，有一物降下，好像一塊大布，繫著四角，縋在地上，He saw heaven open and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.

¹²裡面有地上各樣四足的走獸和昆蟲，並天上的飛鳥；It contained all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, as well as birds of the air.

宰了吃

¹³又有聲音向他說：「彼得，起來，宰了吃！」Then a voice said to him: “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!”

¹⁴彼得卻說：「主啊，這是不可的！凡俗物和不潔淨的物，我從來沒有吃過。」“No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

¹⁵第二次有聲音向他說：「　神所潔淨的，你不可當作俗物。」The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

¹⁶這樣一連三次，那物隨即收回天上去了。This happened three times, and all at once the sheet was taken back up into heaven.

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