(Nahum 那鴻書 2:1-13) 我與你為敵 I AM AGAINST YOU (Nahum 那鴻書 2:1-13)

我與你為敵 I AM AGAINST YOU (Nahum 那鴻書 2:1-13)  

祈禱:  求神助我不看世界的浮誇, 等候那座有根基的城，就是神所經營所建造的。(來十一10)

PRAYER:  Oh Lord, help me not to look at the splendor of this world, but to look forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. (Hebrews 11:10)                          

讀經:  鴻二章1~13節

SCRIPTURE READING:  Nahum 2:1-13

釋義:  尼尼微是古代世界霸主亞述國的最重要的大城。尼尼微的遺址由底格里斯河東岸的兩個土墩（在現代伊拉克北部的摩蘇爾城對開之處）標明出來。它四周有高大的城牆和護城河, 皇宮有70多個房間，外牆幾有三公里長。牆上遺留著燒焦了的雕刻，上面記著各場勝仗及其他功績。

但它們大多已損毀不堪。在發掘中，發現了一個 保存得很好的房間，牆上展示的浮雕描述一個堅固城遭敵軍攻陷，御駕親征的國王坐在城外一個寶座上，俘虜在他面前列隊走過。國王的上頭刻了一些以亞述文寫成的字，專家們將這句話譯作如下：「世界的王亞述國王西拿基立坐在

尼米杜寶座上，檢閱從拉吉（奪得）的戰利品。」

INSIGHT:  Niniveh was the most important city in the ancient Assyrian empire.  The ruins of Niniveh are marked by two mounds on the eastern bank of the Tigris River (on the other side of the city of Mosul in modern northern Iraq).  It was surrounded by tall city walls and moats, the Royal Palace had more than 70 rooms, and the outer wall was almost three kilometers long. Charred carvings were left on the wall, which recorded the various battles and other feats.  But most of them have been damaged. During an excavation, a well-preserved room was found. The relief displayed on the wall depicts a fortified city captured by the enemy. The king sitting on a throne outside the city, and the captives marching in front of him.  An inscription above the seated figure of the king read:  "Sennacherib, the mighty king, king of the country of Assyria, sitting on the throne of judgment, before (or at the entrance of) the city of Lachish (Lakhisha). I give permission for its slaughter".

               在那鴻的日子，除了耶和華的先知外，沒有人預言當時的世界處於鼎盛時期的世界霸權亞述的首都會「河閘崩裂、宮殿被大水沖沒……(變成)一片荒蕪淒涼」(4,10; 現代中文譯本)。隨後的事態發展表明，這些預言超越地應驗。主前612年，巴比倫人、西徐亞人、米底亞人圍攻尼尼微城。暴發的洪水衝破城牆，敵軍隨即突破防線，攻進城裏。巴比倫王那波帕拉薩爾的編年史論及米底亞人及巴比倫人攻取尼尼微城的經過說：「［他們將］城嚴重摧毀，使之淪為一片殘［垣敗瓦］」。

In the days of Nahum, no one but the prophets of the Lord prophesied that the most prosperous capital of the mighty Assyrian Empire would be destroyed as “The chariots race madly in the streets, they rush wildly in the squares, their appearance like torches, they dash to and fro like lightning flashes…she is emptied, desolate and waste.” (v. 4, 10).  Subsequent developments show that these prophecies were fully fulfilled.  In 612 BC, the Babylonians, Scythians and Medes besieged the city of Niniveh.  They broke through the line of defense and rushed wildly into the city walls as a flash flood.  The chronicles of the king of Babylon, Nabopolassar said:  "[They destroyed] the city, and made it a ruin [a ruined city]."
    

               那鴻先知指出, 尼尼微的傾覆不只是一次戰爭，而是對那些許多世紀以來一直存在的帝國主義殘暴的懲罰。尼尼微的被劫掠是該城罪惡造成的直接結果，而個結果並沒有給人一種愉快的感覺，也不值得慶祝。那鴻一針見血地指出，這事件是因為：「萬軍之耶和華說，我與你為敵

！」（13）對人施行殘暴，不可避免地導致神的反對。

The Prophet Nahum draws attention to the fact that the fall of Nineveh was not the result of a war, but a punishment for the brutal imperialistic regime that had been rampant for centuries. The capture of Nineveh was a direct result of the city's wickedness, and should not have given the people a pleasant feeling, nor was it worth celebrating.  Nahum pointed out sharply that the incident was because the Lord of Hosts declared: “Behold, I am against you!”  (v. 13) The brutality of man inevitably leads to the opposition of God.

尼尼微的陷落，正好提醒我們：所有人類偉大的力量和自信心的標誌，都是不能長久的、都是脆弱的。任何要塞城堡、或給予人安全感的制度, 都可能在壓力下被攻破，特別是當它已經因暴力的腐蝕而衰弱時，就更是如此。而且在它失敗前的榮耀愈大，在它崩潰後的陷落看來愈會加深。

The fall of Nineveh reminds us that all the signs of human great power and self-confidence is fragile and will not last. Any fortress, castle, or system that gives people a sense of security, can crumble under pressure, especially when it is weakened by the erosion of violence. And the greater the glory before its failure, the deeper the fall after it collapses.

那鴻提醒我們, 人類的驕傲和力量其實是多麼脆弱。他暗示我們必須

在這個世界上尋求一座比尼尼微更恆久的城市。

Nahum reminds us that human pride and strength are actually very fragile.  He suggests that we must seek a city that is more lasting than Niniveh.