旧约 - 列王记上(1 Kings)第20章

Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he went up and besieged Samaria and attacked it.
He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, saying, "This is what Ben-Hadad says:
'Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.'"
The king of Israel answered, "Just as you say, my lord the king. I and all I have are yours."
The messengers came again and said, "This is what Ben-Hadad says: 'I sent to demand your silver and gold, your wives and your children.
But about this time tomorrow I am going to send my officials to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will seize everything you value and carry it away.'"
The king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said to them, "See how this man is looking for trouble! When he sent for my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I did not refuse him."
The elders and the people all answered, "Don't listen to him or agree to his demands."
So he replied to Ben-Hadad's messengers, "Tell my lord the king, 'Your servant will do all you demanded the first time, but this demand I cannot meet.'" They left and took the answer back to Ben-Hadad.
Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab: "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust remains in Samaria to give each of my men a handful."
The king of Israel answered, "Tell him: 'One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.'"
Ben-Hadad heard this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents, and he ordered his men: "Prepare to attack." So they prepared to attack the city.
Meanwhile a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and announced, "This is what the LORD says: 'Do you see this vast army? I will give it into your hand today, and then you will know that I am the LORD.'"
"But who will do this?" asked Ahab. The prophet replied, "This is what the LORD says: 'The young officers of the provincial commanders will do it.'" "And who will start the battle?" he asked. The prophet answered, "You will."
So Ahab summoned the young officers of the provincial commanders, 232 men. Then he assembled the rest of the Israelites, 7,000 in all.
They set out at noon while Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk.
The young officers of the provincial commanders went out first. Now Ben-Hadad had dispatched scouts, who reported, "Men are advancing from Samaria."
He said, "If they have come out for peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive."
The young officers of the provincial commanders marched out of the city with the army behind them
and each one struck down his opponent. At that, the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with some of his horsemen.
The king of Israel advanced and overpowered the horses and chariots and inflicted heavy losses on the Arameans.
Afterward, the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, "Strengthen your position and see what must be done, because next spring the king of Aram will attack you again."
Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, "Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they.
Do this: Remove all the kings from their commands and replace them with other officers.
You must also raise an army like the one you lost--horse for horse and chariot for chariot--so we can fight Israel on the plains. Then surely we will be stronger than they." He agreed with them and acted accordingly.
The next spring Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.
The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, "This is what the LORD says: 'Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the LORD.'"
For seven days they camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle was joined. The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day.
The rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek, where the wall collapsed on twenty-seven thousand of them. And Ben-Hadad fled to the city and hid in an inner room.
His officials said to him, "Look, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. Let us go to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life."
Wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, "Your servant Ben-Hadad says: 'Please let me live.'" The king answered, "Is he still alive? He is my brother."
The men took this as a good sign and were quick to pick up his word. "Yes, your brother Ben-Hadad!" they said. "Go and get him," the king said. When Ben-Hadad came out, Ahab had him come up into his chariot.
"I will return the cities my father took from your father," Ben-Hadad offered. "You may set up your own market areas in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." Ahab said,"On the basis of a treaty I will set you free." So he made a treaty with him, and let him go.
By the word of the LORD one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, "Strike me with your weapon," but the man refused.
So the prophet said, "Because you have not obeyed the LORD, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you." And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him.
The prophet found another man and said, "Strike me, please." So the man struck him and wounded him.
Then the prophet went and stood by the road waiting for the king. He disguised himself with his headband down over his eyes.
As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, "Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, 'Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent of silver.'
While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared." "That is your sentence," the king of Israel said. "You have pronounced it yourself."
Then the prophet quickly removed the headband from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.
He said to the king, "This is what the LORD says: 'You have set free a man I had determined should die. Therefore it is your life for his life, your people for his people.'"
Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went to his palace in Samaria.
列王纪上第二十章   第 20 章 

  亚哈 

  神拯救亚哈 

  王上 20 章 > 强权者兴起,他们将带来什么后果? 

  20 章 到这时南国犹大有两个善王与两个恶王。这个国家在敬虔与不敬虔之间摇摆,北国以色列则一连八个都是昏君。神为惩罚南北两国偏行己路、不肯服从,就容许其他国家强大,成为他们的仇敌。在以后的二百年中,威胁犹大与以色列的三个主要仇敌是:亚兰、亚述与巴比伦。第一个强大起来的是亚兰,即时威胁到亚哈与以色列。 

  王上 20:23> 为何亚兰王的仆人说以色列人的神是山神?决定战争胜负的是神,我怀疑过吗? 

  20:23 自约书亚统军以来,以色列军队就以善于在山地作战着称,在平原与低谷则无大作为,因为他们没有使用战车作战。在山区及稠密的树林中,马拉的战车难派上用场,在平原则能发挥威力。便哈达的军官却不知道,决定胜负的乃是神,并不在于战车。 

  王上 20:31> 投降为何要腰束麻布,头套绳索? 

  20:31 麻布是粗糙的布,通常穿在身上(或披上)来表示为死人或天灾悲哀。头套绳索则可能是听凭别人处置(甚至吊死)的表示。换句话说,头套绳索是投降的记号。 

  王上 20:35-36> 先知为何让人打伤自己? 

  20:35-36 这位先知必须身体受伤,才会被看作受伤的士兵,有效地向亚哈传出信息。头一个人不肯顺服耶和华藉先知所吩咐的,所以被狮子咬死。 

  王上 20:41-42> 违背神就应承担后果,我也曾经历过…… 

  20:41-42 亚哈居然放走了仇敌便哈达,尤其是在他使以色列人吃尽苦头之后,竟容他存活,这颇令人难解。神帮助亚哈消灭亚兰军队,向亚哈与亚兰人证明独有祂是真神,但亚哈却不除灭最大的仇敌亚兰王。按照神的刑罚,便哈达应当被处死,亚哈并无权容他存活,为此,神告诉亚哈,他必须替便哈达受死。先知的这个信息,在亚哈阵亡的时候( 22:25 )应验了。──《灵修版圣经注释》