7. Manna issue 61 - A Godly Couple in a Godless Time 不信神時代的敬虔夫婦
The deep faith and unity of Samson’s parents.
參孫父母的深信和同心。
Hain-Lee Hsueh—East Bay, California, USA 美國加州東灣
In the era of the judges,
God was repeatedly angry with the Israelites
because they did not heed His voice
(Judg 2:20).
The original Hebrew word translated as “heed” in Judges 2:20
is sometimes translated as “listen” and “obey.”
在士師時代，
神多次對以色列人發怒，
因為他們未留意祂的命令
（士 2：20）。
士師記 2 章 20 節的希伯來原文被翻譯為“留意”
有時被翻譯為“聆聽”和“服從”。
After Joshua’s death,
the Israelites failed to completely drive out the Canaanites,
and the Angel of the Lord rebuked them, saying,
“But you have not obeyed My voice”
(Judg 2:2).
When the Israelites complained while under the oppression of Midian,
God sent a prophet to them,
saying again,
“But you have not obeyed My voice”
(Judg 6:10).
約書亞死後，
以色列人未能完全趕走迦南人，
主的天使責備他們說：
“2你們竟沒有聽從我的話！”
（士 2：2）。
當以色列人在米甸人壓迫發怨言時，
神差遣先知到他們那裡，
再說一次，
“10你們竟不聽從我的話。”
（士 6：10）。
It is the same in this generation.
People everywhere, including Christians,
often reject the voice of God
in favor of following their own desires,
just like the Israelites.
這個時代也是如此。
世界各地的人，包括基督徒，
常常拒絕聆聽神的聲音，
只想要於追隨自己的慾望，
就像以色列人一樣。
Nonetheless, among all the Israelites
who shut God out of their lives,
there was one man whose voice God explicitly listened to.
That man was Manoah, the obscure father of the legendary Samson.
然而，在所有以色列人中，
他們將神拒於生活外，
有一個人，神明確的傾聽他的聲音。
這個人就是瑪挪亞，是傳說參孫默默無聞的父親。
Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD…
Now there was a certain man from Zorah,
of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah;
and his wife was barren and had no children.
(Judg 13:1, 2)
1以色列人又行耶和華眼中看為惡的事...
2那時，有一個瑣拉人，
是屬但族的，名叫瑪挪亞。
他的妻不懷孕，不生育。
（士 13：1，2）
MANOAH AND HIS WIFE 瑪挪亞和妻子
Manoah’s wife was barren,
but one day the Angel of the LORD appeared to her
and said that she would conceive and bear a son.
After the Angel finished speaking,
she went to her husband Manoah:
瑪挪亞的妻子不能生育，
但是有一天耶和華的使者向她顯現，
並且傳達她將會懷孕生子。
天使說完之後，
她去找自已的丈夫瑪挪亞：
So the woman came and told her husband, saying,
“A Man of God came to me...
And He said to me,
‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son.
Now drink no wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean,
for the child shall be a Nazirite to God
from the womb to the day of his death.’”
Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, and said,
“O my Lord, please let the Man of God
whom You sent come to us again
and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.”
(Judg 13:6-8)
6婦人就回去對丈夫說：
“有一個神人到我面前來...
7卻對我說：
‘你要懷孕生一個兒子，
所以清酒濃酒都不可喝，一切不潔之物也不可吃；
因為這孩子從出胎一直到死，
必歸神作拿細耳人。’”
8瑪挪亞就祈求耶和華說：
“主啊，求你再差遣那神人到我們這裡來，
好指教我們怎樣待這將要生的孩子。”
（士 13：6-8）
After Manoah’s prayer the Angel of the LORD
appeared to his wife a second time.
In her excitement, she immediately fetched her husband:
瑪挪亞禱告之後，耶和華的使者，
第二次出現在他妻子面前。
她一激動，立刻叫來了自己的丈夫：
Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him,
“Look, the Man who came to me the other day
has just now appeared to me!”
So Manoah arose and followed his wife.
(Judg 13:10, 11)
10婦人急忙跑去告訴丈夫說：
並對他說：
“那日到我面前來的人，
又向我顯現。”
11瑪挪亞起來跟隨他的妻來。
（士 13：10，11）
The Angel of the LORD repeated in front of Manoah the words first spoken to his wife.
Grateful for the good news,
Manoah and his wife offered a sacrifice,
and the Angel of the LORD ascended in the flames.
After a period of time, the words of the Angel of the LORD came to pass:
耶和華的使者在瑪挪亞面前重覆了第一次對他妻子所說的話。
因為感謝有這個好消息，
瑪挪亞和他妻子獻了祭，
耶和華的使者就在火焰中升天。
過了一段時間，耶和華的使者的話就應驗了：
So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson;
and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
(Judg 13:24)
24後來婦人生了一個兒子，給他起名叫參孫。
孩子長大，耶和華賜福與他。
（士 13：24）
We might wonder,
“What’s so special about this passage?
Sounds like many other stories in the Old Testament.”
But this is a story in the chaotic time of the judges.
我們可能會想，
“這段經文有何特別之處？
聽起來就像舊約許多其他的故事一樣。”
但這是士師混亂時代的一個故事。
If we go through all the judges
and try to find information about their parents,
we don’t get much more than the names of the fathers.
Othniel, the son of Kenaz.
Ehud, the son of Gera.
Shamgar, the son of Anath.
如果我們讀過所有士師的記載，
並試著尋找有關他們父母的信息，
除了父親的名字之外，我們並不會得到更多的資訊。
俄陀聶，基納斯的兒子。
以笏，格拉的兒子。
珊迦，亞拿的兒子。
Yet, the author of Judges thought
it worthy to write an entire account on Samson’s parents,
before Samson was even born.
Furthermore, the word of the LORD was rare in those days
(1 Sam 3:1),
during which the Angel of the LORD appeared only four times:
once to rebuke the Israelites
(Judg 2:1),
once to Gideon
(Judg 6:12),
and twice to Manoah’s wife
(Judg 13:3, 9).
然而，士師記的作者認為，
很值得寫一篇關於參孫父母的完整記錄，
甚至就在參孫出生之前。
況且，在那時耶和華的話語很稀少。
（撒上 3：1），
在此期間，耶和華的使者只出現了四次：
一次出現去斥責以色列人
(士 2：1)，
一次出現去見基甸
（士 6：12），
兩次出現去見瑪挪亞的妻子
（士 13：3，9）。
From these observations,
we see that Manoah and his wife were set apart by God.
What made God notice them?
And more importantly,
what can we learn from them
so that God will listen to our voices, too?
從這些觀察來看，
我們看到瑪挪亞和他妻子得到神的分別。
是什麼讓神注意到他們呢？
而更重要的是，
我們可以從他們身上學到什麼呢？
使神也會傾聽我們的聲音呢？
MANOAH’S PRAYER 瑪挪亞的祈禱
Two details worth further study
are Manoah’s prayer to God
and his question to the Angel of the LORD:
有兩個細節值得進一步探討，
就是瑪挪亞向神的禱告，
他問了耶和華的使者：
Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, and said,
“O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again
and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.”
And God listened to the voice of Manoah…
(Judg 13:8, 9)
8瑪挪亞就祈求耶和華說：
「主啊，求你再差遣那神人到我們這裡來，
好指教我們怎樣待這將要生的孩子。
9神應允瑪挪亞的話；…
（士 13：8，9）
Manoah said [to the Angel of the LORD],
“Now let Your words come to pass!
What will be the boy’s rule of life, and his work?”
(Judg 13:12)
12瑪挪亞說：[對耶和華的使者]
“願你的話應驗！
我們當怎樣待這孩子，他後來當怎樣呢？”
（士13：12）
Manoah requested God’s teaching.
He asked God to give him instruction
in regards to raising his son,
without considering how he thought it ought to be done.
All of his contemporaries acted according to their own judgment,
but Manoah prayed for God’s judgment.
瑪挪亞請求神的教導。
他請求神給他指教
關於扶養兒子的問題，
沒有考慮到自已認為應該如何做。
所有與他同時代的人都是按照自己的判斷行事，
但瑪挪亞祈求神的判斷。
He didn’t just ask, either —he pleaded.
The Israelites would occasionally inquire of God
(Judg 20:18, 23, 27),
but only Manoah entreated to God.
And he entreated not for deliverance from famine, plague, or oppression
but for God to lay down the boy’s rule of life.
In the Book of Judges,
the Hebrew words for “entreat”and “teach” appear only once
—during Manoah’s prayer.
他也不是只有問一問—他向神懇求。
以色列人偶爾會求問神
(士 20：18，23，27)，
但只有瑪挪亞向神祈求。
他的祈求並不是為了脫離飢荒、瘟疫或壓迫，
而是請神為小男孩訂下生活的規則。
在士師記中，
希伯來文“懇求”和“教導”的字，只出現一次
—只在瑪挪亞祈禱時。
This tells us a lot about Manoah’s heart and attitude.
While surrounded by ungodly people who sought after idols,
he patiently continued to desire God’s will.
When his wife told him the Angel of the LORD had just appeared to her,
his heart must have skipped a beat in excitement.
After so much yearning and searching for God,
he finally had a direction.
He prayed to God, desiring to fulfill His will in His way.
And God listened to the voice of Manoah.
這告訴我們很多情況有關於瑪挪亞的內心和態度。
雖然周圍都是尋求偶像的不敬虔之人，
他繼續耐心尋求神的旨意。
當他的妻子告訴他，耶和華的天使剛剛向她顯現時，
他的內心一定很激動的砰砰亂跳。
經過這麼長久的渴望尋找神之後，
他終於有了方向。
他向神禱告，渴望按神的方式成就神的旨意。
神傾聽了瑪挪亞的聲音。
In Jeremiah it is written: 耶利米書記載：
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil,
to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me,
and I will listen to you.
And you will seek Me and find Me,
when you search for Me with all your heart.”
(Jer 29:11-13)
“11耶和華說：我知道我向你們所懷的意念
是賜平安的意念，不是降災禍的意念，
要叫你們末後有指望。
12你們要呼求我，禱告我，
我就應允你們。
13你們尋求我，
若專心尋求我，就必尋見。”
（耶 29：11-13）
God has a plan for all of us,
but we often prefer to do things our own way instead.
We receive blessing upon blessing
only to use them for personal enjoyment and gain.
But Manoah, when he learned God was going to give him a son,
sought out God’s thoughts and plans on how his son should live.
神都有一個給我們所有人的計劃，
但我們往往更喜歡用自己的方式做事。
我們領受福上加福，
只是用它們作為個人的享受和好處。
但是瑪挪亞，當他得知神要賜給他一個兒子的時候，
尋求神對於祂兒子應該如何生活的想法和計劃。
When was the last time we received a blessing
and sought how we should utilize it for God’s will?
When was the last time we asked
—no, pleaded
—for God’s teaching?
Amidst all the people who pursue their own plans and personal ambitions,
we need to be like Manoah,
maintaining a steadfast thirst for God’s teaching and God’s will.
Only if we have this attitude of entreating with all our heart will God listen to us.
我們最後一次得到祝福是什麼時候呢？
並且思考自已應該如何利用福氣來實現神的旨意呢？
我們最後一次的尋求是什麼時候呢？
—不，是懇求，
—尋求神的教導？
在所有追求自己的計劃和個人抱負的人中，
我們要像瑪挪亞一樣，
對於神的教導和神的旨意保持堅定的渴慕。
只有我們有這樣全心懇求的態度，神才會垂聽我們。
A UNITED COUPLE 同心的夫婦
It would not be fair, however, to talk only about Manoah;
from the passage, we see that God set his wife apart as well.
然而，若只談瑪挪亞是不公平的。
從這段經文中，我們看到神也將他的妻子分別。
And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman…
Then Manoah prayed to the LORD…
and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field;
but Manoah her husband was not with her.”
(Judg 13:3, 8, 9, emphasis added)
3耶和華的使者向那婦人顯現…
8瑪挪亞就祈求耶和華說…
9婦人正坐在田間的時候，神的使者又到他那裡，
他丈夫瑪挪亞卻沒有同他在一處。
（士 13：3，8，9，原文強調）
So the Angel of the LORD said to Manoah,
“Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful.”
(Judg 13:13, emphasis added)
13耶和華的使者對瑪挪亞說：
“我告訴婦人的一切事，他都當謹慎。”
（士 13：13，原文強調）
This is remarkable among other accounts of barren women
who conceived at the word of God.
The Angel of the LORD appeared to Abraham, not Sarah
(Gen 18:1);
to Zechariah, not Elizabeth
(Lk 1:11).
But here, both times,
the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman.
Thus, Manoah did not stand out alone;
God set him and his wife apart.
這在其他不孕婦女的記載中是很特殊的，
這是因著神的話語而懷孕。
耶和華的使者向亞伯拉罕顯現，而不是撒拉，
（創 18：1）；
向撒迦利亞顯現，而不是以利沙伯(伊莉莎白)，
（路 1：11）。
但此處，有兩次，
耶和華的使者向那個女人顯現。
因此，並不是只有瑪挪亞表現突出。
神將他和他的妻子分別開來。
The unity between Manoah and his wife is apparent from his words.
In his prayer, he says,
瑪挪亞和他妻子的團結可從他的話語中可見。
他禱告說：
“Let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again
and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.”
(Judg 13:8, emphasis added).
“8求你再差遣那神人到我們這裡來，
好指教我們怎樣待這將要生的孩子。”
（士 13：8，原文強調）。
Even though the Angel of God appeared only to his wife,
he considered it the same
as if the Angel had appeared to both of them.
Furthermore, when the Angel of the Lord repeated his instructions,
Manoah said to him,
“Let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You”
(Judg 13:15, emphasis added),
even though Manoah himself prepared and made the offering
(Judg 13:19).
儘管神的天使只向他的妻子顯現，
他認為這是一樣的，
就好像天使已經向他們兩人都顯現一樣。
此外，當主的天使再重述祂的指示時，
瑪挪亞對他說：
“15求你容我們款留你，好為你預備一隻山羊羔。”
（士 13：15，原文強調），
即使瑪挪亞親自準備獻上了祭物
（士13：19）。
Compare this to Abraham’s words to the three visitors:
比較此處與亞伯拉罕對三位訪客所說的話：
“My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight,
do not pass on by Your servant…
I will bring a morsel of bread,
that you may refresh your hearts.
After that you may pass by,
inasmuch as you have come to your servant.”
(Gen 18:3-5, emphasis added)
“3我主，我若在你眼前蒙恩，
求你不要離開僕人往前去。…
5我再拿一點餅來，
你們可以加添心力，
然後往前去。
你們既到僕人這裡來，理當如此。”
（創 18:3-5，原文強調）
Abraham tells Sarah to prepare food for the visitors
but makes no reference to her in front of them.
亞伯拉罕吩咐莎拉為來訪者準備食物，
卻沒有在他們面前提及她。
The interaction between Manoah and his wife
further illustrate their unity.
The fact that the Angel of the LORD appeared both times to Manoah’s wife
when she was alone seems to imply
that Manoah and his wife typically spent the day apart.
瑪挪亞和他妻子的互動，
進一步體現了他們的同心。
耶和華的使者兩次顯現都是瑪挪亞妻子的事實，
當時她獨自一人似乎是暗示，
瑪諾亞和他妻子通常是分開度過一天。
As soon as the Angel of the LORD entered their lives,
however, they immediately came together.
After the Angel spoke to Manoah’s wife the first time,
she immediately went to tell her husband.
After the second appearance,
she “ran in haste” to get her husband
before the Angel could even speak.
And Manoah immediately arose and followed his wife, no questions asked.
耶和華的使者一進入他們的生活，
然而，他們立刻就走到一起。
在天使第一次與瑪挪亞的妻子說話之後，
她立即跑去告訴她的丈夫。
第二次顯現之後，
她“急忙跑去”找她的丈夫，
甚至天使還來不及說話之前。
瑪挪亞立刻起身跟隨他的妻子，沒有多問。
They trusted each other fully and,
when it came to addressing the matters of God, were a unit.
The image of both husband and wife
before the Angel of the LORD ascending in the flames of their offering
is a beautiful one.
他們彼此完全信任，並且，
當遇到要處理神的問題時，他們就是一個整體。
夫妻兩人的影象，
於耶和華的天使在他們祭物火焰升起之前，
是一富美麗的畫面。
In contrast, Abraham spoke to the three visitors by himself
while his wife Sarah was in the tent.
Interestingly, the first thing that the visitors asked Abraham was,
“Where is Sarah your wife?”
(Gen 18:9).
It was as if they expected Sarah to be present
so they could tell her directly,
as the Angel of the LORD told Manoah’s wife firsthand,
that she would conceive and bear a son.
相較之下，亞伯拉罕獨自與三位訪客談話，
而他的妻子莎拉待在帳篷裡。
有趣的是，來訪者問亞伯拉罕的第一件事是，
“你妻子撒拉在那裡？”
（創 18：9）。
這就好像他們亦期待莎拉會在場一樣，
因此他們就可以直接告訴她，
正如耶和華的使者親口告訴瑪挪亞的妻子，
她會懷孕並且生下一個兒子。
The trust between Manoah and his wife
also existed between the couple and God.
In a time when it seemed as if God had left Israel,
Manoah believed the words of his wife,
and both believed in the words of God.
瑪挪亞與妻子之間的信任，
也存在於夫妻和神之間。
在一個似乎神已經離開以色列的時代，
瑪挪亞相信他妻子的話語，
而兩人都相信神的話語。
When God told Abraham, the father of faith,
and his wife Sarah that they would have a son, both of them laughed
(Gen 17:17, 18:12).
When God told Zacharias that Elizabeth would conceive,
he also doubted
(Lk 1:18).
But when Manoah learned that his wife would conceive, he prayed.
當神告訴信心之父亞伯拉罕的時候，
和他的妻子莎拉說，他們會有一個兒子，兩人都笑了
（創 17：17，18：12）。
當神告訴撒迦利亞以利沙伯將懷孕時，
他也產生懷疑
（路 1：18）。
但是當瑪挪亞得知他妻子會懷孕的時候，他就禱告。
Abraham and Zacharias heard the news
from the Angel of the LORD firsthand;
Manoah heard it secondhand.
Yet, Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD,
“Now let Your words come to pass!”
And because he trusted and honored both his wife and God,
God listened to his prayer.
In 1 Peter, Peter writes:
亞伯拉罕和撒迦利亞聽到這個消息，
直接來自於耶和華的天使；
瑪挪亞是間接才聽到的。
然而，瑪挪亞對耶和華的使者說：
“願你的話應驗！” 和
因為他信任並尊重他的
因為他相信尊重他的妻子和神，
神垂聽了他的禱告。
在彼得前書中彼得寫道：
“Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding,
giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel,
and as being heirs together of the grace of life,
that your prayers may not be hindered.”
(1 Pet 3:7, emphasis added)
“7你們作丈夫的，也要按情理（原文是知識）和妻子同住；
因他比你軟弱（比你軟弱：原文作是軟弱的器皿），
與你一同承受生命之恩的，所以要敬重他。
這樣，便叫你們的禱告沒有阻礙。”
（彼前 3：7，強調為）
In the case of Manoah and his wife,
the wife acknowledged the husband as the head by going to get him,
and the husband spoke to the Angel of the LORD with his wife.
They undertook the mission from God together,
and God listened to the husband’s prayer.
就瑪挪亞和他的妻子而言，
妻子承認丈夫是頭，而去找他，
丈夫和他的妻子向耶和華的使者說話。
他們共同承擔神的使命，
而神就垂聽了丈夫的禱告。
Husband and wife need to be closely united,
especially when serving God,
because God views them as being heirs together.
Do our interactions and words illustrate
that we trust and are closely united with our spouse?
If there is always internal conflict
or lack of honor and respect between our spouse and ourselves,
such unity is not possible and will hinder our prayers.
夫妻需要緊密團結，
尤其是事奉神的時候，
因為神視他們為共同的後嗣。
我們的互動和言語是否說明，
我們很信任自已的配偶，並且與配偶緊密連結呢？
如果總是有內部的衝突，
或是我們與配偶之間沒有榮耀和尊重，
這種團結是不可能的，且會阻礙我們的禱告。
THIRST FOR GOD'S TEACHING 渴望神的教導
Just as everyone in Israel in those days
did whatever was right in his own eyes
(Judg 21:25),
people today often do whatever they see fit
according to their own views and opinions.
Consequently, quarrels are often exacerbated
because individuals insist on their own ways of thinking.
Many marriages end up in divorce.
Even in church, there may be conflicts or barriers between husband and wife
that result in individual and disconnected spiritual lives.
正如當時以色列每個人，
他行自己眼中看為正的事
（士 21：25）,
今天的人經常做他們認為合宜的事情，
根據自己的的看法和意見。
因此，爭吵往往會惡化，
因為個人都堅持自己思考的方式。
許多婚姻以離婚收場。
即使在教會裡，夫妻之間也可能存在衝突或隔閡，
這導致了個人的和不相連的靈命。
In this godless generation,
the marriage of Manoah and his wife serves as a model for married couples to follow.
We need to perceive marriage not just as companionship
but also as a means to serve God more effectively.
From God’s point of view, two become one in marriage.
Thus, husband and wife need to trust each other and trust God together,
so that they may serve God as one.
在這個不敬畏神的世代，
瑪挪亞和他妻子的婚姻成為已婚夫妻效法的典範。
我們需要視婚姻不僅是伴侶關係，
也是更有效服事神的一種方法。
從神的角度來看，婚姻中兩人合而為一。
因此，丈夫和妻子需要彼此共同信任，信靠神，
使他們能成為一體事奉神。
There are also lessons to be learned for those who are single.
In this age, idols of worldly pleasure and ambition
often render us blind to God’s existence.
But just as Manoah differentiated himself from the rest of the Israelites
by maintaining a simple faith and continually praying to God to seek His will,
we need to do likewise among our peers,
whether they are believers or not.
對於單身人士來說，也有一些值得學習的教導。
在這個時代，追求世俗享樂和野心的偶像，
常常使我們對神的存在視而不見。
但正如瑪挪亞自己分別不與其他以色列人一樣，
保持單純的信心，不斷向神禱告尋來求神的心意，
在同靈中我們也要這樣做，
無論他們是不是信徒。
In this society where individualism thrives
and leaves little place for submission to God’s word,
we must persist in thirsting for God’s teaching.
In doing so, the Lord God in heaven
can distinguish us from among the worldly throng
and set us apart for His holy work.
And when we pray and make our entreaty before Him,
He will listen to our voice.
在此個人主義盛行的社會中，
幾乎沒有留下順服神話語的空間，
我們必須堅持渴慕追求神的教導。
這樣做時，天上的主耶和華，
能區分我們與世間的人群，
並把我們分別出來進行祂的聖工。
而且當我們在祂面前禱告祈求的時候，
祂就會傾聽我們的聲音。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
歡迎主內同靈來信加入翻譯
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