聖經365恩典之旅

本日經文提要  ( 哥林多後書 11:1~13:14)

 

 

 

林後11:1但願你們寬容我這一點愚妄，其實你們原是寬容我的。
林後11:2我為你們起的憤恨，原是神那樣的憤恨，因為我曾把你們許配一個丈夫，要把你們如同貞潔的童女，獻給基督。
林後11:3我只怕你們的心或偏於邪，失去那向基督所存純一清潔的心，就像蛇用詭詐誘惑了夏娃一樣。
林後11:4假如有人來，另傳一個耶穌，不是我們所傳過的，或者你們另受一個靈，不是你們所受過的，或者另傳一個福音，不是你們所得過的，你們容讓他也就罷了。
林後11:5但我想，我一點不在那些最大的使徒以下。
林後11:6我的言語雖然粗俗，我的知識卻不粗俗，這是我們在凡事上，向你們眾人顯明出來的。
林後11:7我因為白白傳神的福音給你們，就自居卑微，叫你們高升，這算是我犯罪麼。
林後11:8我虧負了別的教會，向他們取了工價來，給你們效力。
林後11:9我在你們那裡缺乏的時候，並沒有累著你們一個人，因我所缺乏的，那從馬其頓來的弟兄們都補足了，我向來凡事謹守，後來也必謹守，總不至於累著你們。
林後11:10既有基督的誠實在我裡面，就無人能在亞該亞一帶地方阻擋我這自誇。
林後11:11為甚麼呢，是因我不愛你們麼，這有神知道。
林後11:12我現在所作的，後來還要作，為要斷絕那些尋機會人的機會，使他們在所誇的事上，也不過與我們一樣。
林後11:13那等人是假使徒，行事詭詐，裝作基督使徒的模樣。
林後11:14這也不足為怪，因為連撒但也裝作光明的天使。
林後11:15所以他的差役，若裝作仁義的差役，也不算希奇，他們的結局，必然照著他們的行為。
林後11:16我再說：人不可把我看作愚妄的，縱然如此，也要把我當作愚妄人接納，叫我可以略略自誇。
林後11:17我說的話，不是奉主命說的，乃像愚妄人放膽自誇。
林後11:18既有好些人憑著血氣自誇，我也要自誇了。
林後11:19你們既是精明人，就能甘心忍耐愚妄人。
林後11:20假若有人強你們作奴僕，或侵吞你們，或擄掠你們，或悔慢你們，或打你們的臉，你們都能忍耐他。
林後11:21我說這話，是羞辱自己，好像我們從前軟弱的，然而人在何事上勇敢，（我說句愚妄話）我也勇敢。
林後11:22他們是希伯來人麼，我也是。他們是以色列人麼，我也是。他們是亞伯拉罕的後裔麼，我也是。
林後11:23他們是基督的僕人麼，（我說句狂話）我更是。我比他們多受勞苦，多下監牢，受鞭打是過重的，冒死是屢次有的。
林後11:24被猶太人鞭打五次，每次四十，減去一下。
林後11:25被棍打了三次，被石頭打了一次，遇著船壞三次，一晝一夜在深海裡。
林後11:26又屢次行遠路，遭江河的危險，盜賊的危險，同族的危險，外邦人的危險，城裡的危險，曠野的危險，海中的危險，假弟兄的危險。
林後11:27受勞碌，受困苦，多次不得睡，又飢又渴，多次不得食，受寒冷，赤身露體。
林後11:28除了這外面的事，還有為眾教會掛心的事，天天壓在我身上。
林後11:29有誰軟弱，我不軟弱呢，有誰跌倒，我不焦急呢。
林後11:30我若必須自誇，就誇那關乎我軟弱的事便了。
林後11:31那永遠可稱頌之主耶穌的父神，知道我不說謊。
林後11:32在大馬色亞哩達王手下的提督，把守大馬色城要捉拿我。
林後11:33我就從窗戶中，在筐子裡從城牆上被人縋下去，脫離了他的手。

林後12:1我自誇固然無益，但我是不得已的，如今我要說到主的顯現和啟示。
林後12:2我認得一個在基督裡的人，他前十四年被提到第三層天上去，或在身內，我不知道，或在身外，我也不知道，只有神知道。
林後12:3我認得這人，或在身內，或在身外，我都不知道，只有神知道。
林後12:4他被提到樂園裡，聽見隱秘的言語，是人不可說的。
林後12:5為這人，我要誇口，但是為我自己，除了我的軟弱以外，我並不誇口。
林後12:6我就是願意誇口，也不算狂，因為我必說實話，只是我禁止不說：恐怕有人把我看高了，過於他在我身上所看見所聽見的。
林後12:7又恐怕我因所得的啟示甚大，就過於自高，所以有一根剌加我肉體上，就是撒但的差役，要攻擊我，免得我過於自高。
林後12:8為這事，我三次求過主，叫這剌離開我。
林後12:9他對我說：我的恩典夠你用的，因為我的能力，是在人的軟弱上顯得完全，所以我更喜歡誇自己的軟弱，好叫基督的能力覆庇我。
林後12:10我為基督的緣故，就以軟弱，凌辱，急難，逼迫，困苦，為可喜樂的，因我甚麼時候軟弱，甚麼時候就剛強了。
林後12:11我成了愚妄人，是被你們強逼的，我本該被你們稱許才是，我雖算不了甚麼，卻沒有一件事在那些最大的使徒以下。
林後12:12我在你們中間，用百般的忍耐，藉著神蹟奇事異能，顯出使徒的憑據來。
林後12:13除了我不累著你們這一件事，你們還有甚麼事不及別的教會呢，這不公之處，求你們饒恕我罷。
林後12:14如今我打算第三次到你們那裡去，也必不累著你門，因我所求的是你們，不是你們的財物，兒女不該為父母積財，父母該為兒女積財。
林後12:15我也甘心樂意為你們的靈魂費財費力。難道我越發愛你們，就越發少得你們的愛麼。
林後12:16罷了，我自己並沒有累著你們，你們卻有人說：我是詭詐，用心計牢籠你們。
林後12:17我所差到你們那裡去的人，我藉著他們一個人佔過你們的便宜麼。
林後12:18我勸了提多到你們那裡去，又差那位兄弟與他同去，提多佔過你們的便宜麼，我們行事，不同是一個心靈麼，不同是一個腳蹤麼。〔心靈或作聖靈〕
林後12:19你們到如今，還想我們是向你們分訴，我們本是在基督裡當神面前說話。親愛的弟兄阿，一切的事，都是為造就你們。
林後12:20我怕我再來的時候，見你們不合我所想望的，你們見我也不合你們所想望的，又怕有分爭，嫉妒，惱怒，結黨，毀謗，讒言，狂傲，混亂的事。
林後12:21且怕我來的時候，我的神叫我在你們面前慚愧，又因許多人從前犯罪，行污穢姦淫邪蕩的事，不肯悔改，我就憂愁。

林後13:1這是我第三次要到你們那裡去。憑兩三個人的口作見證，句句都要定準。
林後13:2我從前說過，如今不在你們那裡又說：正如我第二次見你們的時候所說的一樣，就是對那犯了罪的，和其餘的人說：我若再來必不寬容。
林後13:3你們既然尋求基督在我裡面說話的憑據，我必不寬容，因為基督在你們身上，不是軟弱的，在你們裡面，是有大能的。
林後13:4他因軟弱被釘在十字架上，卻因神的大能，仍然活著，我們也是這樣同他軟弱，但因神向你們所顯的大能，也必與他同活。
林後13:5你們總要自己省察有信心沒有，也要自己試驗，豈不知你們若不是可棄絕的，就有耶穌基督在你們心裡麼。
林後13:6我卻盼望你們曉得我們不是可棄絕的人。
林後13:7我們求神，叫你們一件惡事都不作，這不是要顯明我們是蒙悅納的，是要你們行事端正，任憑人看我們是被棄絕的罷。
林後13:8我們凡事不能敵擋真理，只能扶助真理。
林後13:9即使我們軟弱，你們剛強，我們也歡喜，並且我們所求的，就是你們作完全人。
林後13:10所以我不在你們那裡的時候，把這話寫給你們，好叫我見你們的時候，不用照主所給我的權柄，嚴厲的待你們，這權柄原是為造就人，並不是為敗壞人。
林後13:11還有末了的話，願弟兄們都喜樂，要作完全人，要受安慰，要同心合意，要彼此和睦，如此仁愛和平的神，必常與你們同在。
林後13:12你們親嘴問安，彼此務要聖潔。
林後13:13眾聖徒都問你們安。

 

11 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

5 I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”[a] 6 I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. 7 Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. 10 As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

Paul Boasts About His Sufferings
16 I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. 17 In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. 18 Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. 19 You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! 20 In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. 21 To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!

Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. 33 But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.

 

12 I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. 5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians
11 I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,”[a] even though I am nothing. 12 I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles. 13 How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!

14 Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? 16 Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! 17 Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent to you? 18 I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?

19 Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening. 20 For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. 21 I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.

 

 

13 This will be my third visit to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”[a] 2 I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others, 3 since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him in our dealing with you.

5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? 6 And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. 7 Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored. 10 This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.

Final Greetings
11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All God’s people here send their greetings.

14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

本日經文提要  ( 哥林多後書 8:1~10:18)

 

 

林後8:1弟兄們，我把神賜給馬其頓眾教會的恩告訴你們。
林後8:2就是他們在患難中受大試煉的時候，仍有滿足的快樂，在極窮之間，還格外顯出他們樂捐的厚恩。
林後8:3我可以證明他們是按著力量，而且也過了力量，自己甘心樂意的捐助。
林後8:4再三的求我們，准他們在這供給聖徒的恩情上有分。
林後8:5並且他們所作的，不但照我們所想望的，更照神的旨意，先把自己獻給主，又歸附了我們。
林後8:6因此我勸提多，既然在你們中間開辦這慈惠的事，就當辦成了。
林後8:7你們既然在信心，口才，知識，熱心，和待我們的愛心上，都格外顯出滿足來，就當在這慈惠的事上，也格外顯出滿足來。
林後8:8我說這話，不是吩咐你們，乃是藉著別人的熱心，試驗你們愛心的實在。
林後8:9你們知道我們主耶穌基督的恩典，他本來富足，卻為你們成了貧窮，叫你們因他的貧窮，可以成為富足。
林後8:10我在這事上把我的意見告訴你們，是與你們有益，因為你們下手辦這事，而且起此心意，已經有一年了。
林後8:11如今就當辦成這事，既有願作的心，也當照你們所有的去辦成。
林後8:12因為人若有願作的心，必蒙悅納，乃是照他所有的，並不是照他所無的。
林後8:13我原不是要別人輕省，你們受累，
林後8:14乃要均平，就是要你們的富餘，現在可以補他們的不足，使他們的富餘，將來也可以補你們的不足，這就均平了。
林後8:15如經上所記，『多收的也沒有餘，少收的也沒有缺。』
林後8:16多謝神，感動提多的心，叫他待你們殷勤，像我一樣。
林後8:17他固然是聽了我的勸，但自己更是熱心，情願往你們那裡去。
林後8:18我們還打發一位弟兄和他同去，這人在福音上得了眾教會的稱讚。
林後8:19不但這樣，他也被眾教會挑選，和我們同行，把所託與付我們的這捐貲送到了，可以榮耀主，又表明我們樂意的心。
林後8:20這就免得有人因我們收的捐銀很多，就挑我們的不是。
林後8:21我們留心行光明的事，不但在主面前，就在人面前，也是這樣。
林後8:22我們又打發一位兄弟同去，這人的熱心，我們在許多事上，屢次試驗過，現在他因為深信你們，就更加熱心了。
林後8:23論到提多，他是我的同伴，一同為你們勞碌的，論到那兩位弟兄，他們是眾教會的使者，是基督的榮耀。
林後8:24所以你們務要在眾教會面前，顯明你們愛心的憑據，並我所誇獎你們的憑據。

林後9:1論到供給聖徒的事，我不必寫信給你們。
林後9:2因為我知道你們樂意的心，常對馬其頓人誇獎你們，說亞該亞人豫備好了，已經有一年了，並且你們的熱心激動了許多人。
林後9:3但我打發那幾位弟兄去，要叫你們照我的話豫備妥當，免得我們在這事上誇獎你們的話落了空。
林後9:4萬一有馬其頓人與我們同去，見你們沒有豫備，就叫我們所確信的，反成了羞愧，你們的羞愧，更不用說了。
林後9:5因此，我想不得不求那幾位弟兄，先到你們那裡去，把從前所應許的捐貲，豫備妥當，就顯出你們所捐的，是出於樂意，不是出於勉強。
林後9:6少種的少收，多種的多收，這話是真的。
林後9:7各人要隨本心所酌定的，不要作難，不要勉強，因為捐得樂意的人，是神所喜愛的。
林後9:8神能將各樣的恩惠，多多的加給你們，使你們凡事常常充足，能多行各樣善事。
林後9:9如經上所記，『他施捨錢財，賙濟貧窮，他的仁義存到永遠。』
林後9:10那賜種給撒種的，賜糧給人吃的，必多多加給你們種地的種子，又增添你們仁義的果子。
林後9:11叫你們凡事富足，可以多多施捨，就藉著我們使感謝歸於神。
林後9:12因為辦這供給的事，不但補聖徒的缺乏，而且叫許多人越發感謝神。
林後9:13他們從這供給的事上得了憑據，知道你們承認基督順服他的福音，多多的捐錢給他們和眾人，便將榮耀歸與神。
林後9:14他們也因神極大的恩賜，顯在你們心裡，就切切的想念你們，為你們祈禱。
林後9:15感謝神，因他有說不盡的恩賜。

林後10:1我保羅，就是與你們見面的時候是謙卑的，不在你們那裡的時候向你們是勇敢的，如今親自藉著基督的溫柔和平，勸你們。
林後10:2有人以為我是憑著血氣行事，我也以為必須用勇敢待這等的人，求你們不要叫我在你們那裡的時候，有這樣的勇敢。
林後10:3因為我們雖然在血氣中行事，卻不憑著血氣爭戰。
林後10:4我們爭戰的兵器，本不是屬血氣的，乃是在神面前有能力，可以攻破堅固的營壘，
林後10:5將各樣的計謀，各樣攔阻人認識神的那些自高之事，一概攻破了，又將人所有的心意奪回，使他都順服基督。
林後10:6並且我已經豫備好了，等你們十分順服的時候，要責罰那一切不順服的人。
林後10:7你們是看眼前的麼，倘若有人自信是屬基督的，他要再想想，他如何屬基督，我們也是如何屬基督的。
林後10:8主賜給們權柄，是要造就你們，並不是要敗壞你們，我就是為這權柄稍微誇口，也不至於慚愧。
林後10:9我說這話免得你們以為我寫信是要威嚇你們。
林後10:10因為有人說：他的信，又沉重，又利害，及至見面，卻是氣貌不揚，言語粗俗的。
林後10:11這等人當想，我們不在那裡的時候，信上的言語如何，見面的時候，行事也必如何。
林後10:12因為我們不敢將自己和那自薦的人同列相比，他們用自己度量自己，用自己比較自己，乃是不通達的。
林後10:13我們不願意分外誇口，只要照神所量給我們的界限，搆到你們那裡。
林後10:14我們並非過了自己的界限，好像搆不到你們那裡，因為我們早就到你們那裡，傳了基督的福音。
林後10:15我們不仗著別人所勞碌的，分外誇口，但指望你們信心增長的時候，所量給我們的界限，就可以因著你們更加開展，
林後10:16得以將福音傳到你們以外的地方，並不是在別人界限之內，藉著他現成的事誇口。
林後10:17但誇口的當指著主誇口。

 

 

 

8 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. 6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you[a]—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

10 And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, 15 as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”[b]

Titus Sent to Receive the Collection
16 Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. 17 For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. 18 And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. 19 What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. 20 We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. 21 For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.

22 In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. 24 Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.

 

 

2 Corinthians 9 

9 There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the Lord’s people. 2 For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. 3 But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4 For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.

Generosity Encouraged
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever.”[a]
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Paul’s Defense of His Ministry
10 By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

7 You are judging by appearances.[a] If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. 8 So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it. 9 I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. 10 For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” 11 Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

12 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you. 14 We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. 15 Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, 16 so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory. 17 But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[b] 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

本日經文提要  ( 哥林多後書 4:1~7:16)

 

   

 

林後4:1我們既然蒙憐憫，受了這職分，就不喪膽。
林後4:2乃將那些暗昧可恥的事棄絕了，不行詭詐，不謬講神的道理，只將真理表明出來，好在神面前把自己薦與各人的良心。
林後4:3如果我們的福音蒙蔽，就是蒙蔽在滅亡的人身上。
林後4:4此等不信之人，被這世界的神弄瞎了心眼，不叫基督榮耀福音的光照著他們，基督本是神的像。
林後4:5我們原不是傳自己，乃是傳基督耶穌為主，並且自己因耶穌作你們的僕人。
林後4:6那吩咐光從黑暗裡照出來的神，已經照在我們心裡，叫我們得知神榮耀的光，顯在耶穌基督的面上。
林後4:7我們有這寶貝放在瓦器裡，要顯明這莫大的能力，是出於神，不是出於我們。
林後4:8我們四面受敵，卻不被困住，心裡作難，卻不至失望。
林後4:9遭逼迫，卻不被丟棄，打倒了，卻不至死亡。
林後4:10身上常帶著耶穌的死，使耶穌的生，也顯明在我們身上。
林後4:11因為我們這活著的人，是常為耶穌被交於死地，使耶穌的生，在我們這必死的身上顯明出來。
林後4:12這樣看來，死是在我們身上發動，生卻在你們身上發動。
林後4:13但我們既有信心，正如經上記著說：『我因信，所以如此說話。』我們也信，所以也說話。
林後4:14自己知道，那叫主耶穌復活的，也必叫我們與耶穌一同復活，並且叫我們與你們一同站在他面前。
林後4:15凡事都是為你們，好叫恩惠因人多越發加增，感謝格外顯多，以致榮耀歸與神。
林後4:16所以我們不喪膽，外體雖然毀壞，內心卻一天新似一天。
林後4:17我們這至暫至輕的苦楚，要為我們成就極重無比永遠的榮耀。
林後4:18原來我們不是顧念所見的，乃是顧念所不見的，因為所見的是暫時的，所不見的是永遠的。

林後5:1我們原知道，我們這地上的帳棚若拆毀了，必得神所造，不是人手所造，在天上永存的房屋。
林後5:2我們在這帳棚裡歎息，深想得那從天上來的房屋，好像穿上衣服。
林後5:3倘若穿上，被遇見的時候就不至於赤身了。
林後5:4我們在這帳棚裡，歎息勞苦，並非願意脫下這個，乃是願意穿上那個，好叫這必死的被生命吞滅了。
林後5:5為此培植我們的就是神，他又賜給我們聖靈作憑據。〔原文作質〕
林後5:6所以我們時常坦然無懼，並且曉得我們住在身內便與主相離。
林後5:7因我們行事為人，是憑著信心，不是憑著眼見。
林後5:8我們坦然無懼，是更願意離開身體與主同住。
林後5:9所以無論是住在身內，離開身外，我們立了志向，要得主的喜悅。
林後5:10因為我們眾人，必要在基督臺前顯露出來，叫各人按著本身所行的，或善或惡受報。
林後5:11我們既知道主是可畏的，所以勸人，但我們在神面前是顯明的，盼望在你們的良心裡也是顯明的。
林後5:12我們不是向你們再舉薦自己，乃是叫你們因我們有可誇之處，好對那憑外貌不憑內心誇口的人，有言可答。
林後5:13我們若果顛狂，是為神，若果謹守，是為你們。
林後5:14原來基督的愛激勵我們，因我們想一人既替眾人死，眾人就都死了。
林後5:15並且他替眾人死，是叫那些活著的人，不再為自己活，乃為替他們死而復活的主活。
林後5:16所以我們從今以後，不憑著外貌〔原文作內體本節同〕認人了，雖然憑著外貌認過基督，如今卻不再這樣認他了。
林後5:17若有人在基督裡，他就是新造的人，舊事已過，都變成新的了。
林後5:18一切都是出於神，他藉著基督使我們與他和好，又將勸人與他和好的職分賜給我們。
林後5:19這就是神在基督裡，叫世人與自己和好，不將他們的過犯歸到他們身上，並且將這和好的道理託付了我們。
林後5:20所以我們作基督的使者，就好像神藉我們勸你們一般，我們替基督求你們與神和好。
林後5:21神使那無罪的，〔無罪原文作不知罪〕替我們成為罪，好叫我們在他裡面成為神的義。

林後6:1我們與神同工的，也勸你們，不可徒受他的恩典。
林後6:2因為他說：『在悅納的時候，我應允了你，在拯救的子，我搭救了你。』看哪，現在正是悅納的時候，現在正是拯救的日子。
林後6:3我們凡事都不叫人有妨礙，免得這職分被人毀謗。
林後6:4反倒在各樣的事上，表明自己是神的用人，就如在許多的忍耐，患難，窮乏，困苦，
林後6:5鞭打，監禁，擾亂，勤勞，儆醒，不食，
林後6:6廉潔，知識，恆忍，恩慈，聖靈的感化，無偽的愛心，
林後6:7真實的道理，神的大能，仁義的兵器在左在右。
林後6:8榮耀羞辱，惡名美名，似乎是誘惑人的，卻是誠實的。
林後6:9似乎不為人所知，卻是人所共知的，似乎要死，卻是活著的，似乎受責罰，卻是不至喪命的。
林後6:10似乎憂愁，卻是常常快樂的，似乎貧窮，卻是叫許多人富足的，似乎一無所有，卻是樣樣都有的。
林後6:11哥林多人哪，我們向你們，口是張開的，心是寬宏的。
林後6:12你們狹窄，原不在乎我們，是在乎自己的心腸狹窄。
林後6:13你們也要照樣用寬宏的心報答我，我這話正像對自己的孩子說的。
林後6:14你們和不信的原不相配，不要同負一軛，義和不義有甚麼相交呢，光明和黑暗有甚麼相通呢。
林後6:15基督和彼列〔彼列就是撒但的別名〕有甚麼相和呢，信主的和不信主的有甚麼相干呢。
林後6:16神的殿和偶像有甚麼相同呢，因為我們是永生神的殿，就如神曾說：『我要在他們中間居住，在他們中間來往，我要作他們的神，他們要作我的子民。』
林後6:17又說：『你們務要從他們中間出來，與他們分別，不要沾不潔淨的物，我就收納你們。
林後6:18我要作你們的父，你們要作我的兒女。』這是全能的主說的。

林後7:1親愛的弟兄阿，我們既有這等應許，就當潔淨自己，除去身體靈魂一切的污穢，敬畏神，得以成聖。
林後7:2你們要心地寬大收納我們，我們未曾虧負誰，未曾敗壞誰，未曾佔誰的便宜。
林後7:3我說這話，不是要定你們的罪，我已經說過，你們常在我們心裡，情願與你們同生同死。
林後7:4我大大的放膽，向你們說話，我因你們多多誇口，滿得安慰，我們在一切患難中分外的快樂。
林後7:5我們從前就是到了馬其頓的時候，身體也不得著安寧，周圍遭患難，外有爭戰，內有懼怕。
林後7:6但那安慰喪氣之人的神，藉著提多來安慰了我們。
林後7:7不但藉著他來，也藉著他從你們所得的安慰，安慰了我們，因他把你們的想念，哀慟，和向我的熱心，都告訴了我，叫我更加歡喜。
林後7:8我先前寫信叫你們憂愁，我後來雖然懊悔，如今卻不懊悔，因我知道那信叫你們憂愁，不過是暫時的。
林後7:9如今我歡喜，不是因你們憂愁，是因你們從憂愁中生出懊悔來，你們依著神的意思憂愁，凡事就不至於因我們受虧損了。
林後7:10因為依著神的意思憂愁，就生出沒有後悔的懊悔來，以致得救，但世俗的憂愁，是叫人死。
林後7:11你看，你們依著神的意思憂愁，從此就生出何等的慇懃，自訴，自恨，恐懼，想念，熱心，責罰，〔或作自責〕在這一切事上你們都表明自己是潔淨的。
林後7:12我雖然從前寫信給你們，卻不是為那虧負人的，也不是為那受人虧負的，乃要在神面前，把你們顧念我們的熱心，表明出來。
林後7:13故此我們得了安慰，並且在安慰之中，因你們眾人使提多心裡暢快歡喜，我們就更加歡喜了。
林後7:14我若對提多誇獎了你們甚麼，也覺得沒有慚愧，因我對提多誇獎你們的話，成了真的，正如我對你們所說的話，也都是真的。
林後7:15並且提多想起你們眾人的順服，是怎樣恐懼戰兢的接待他，他愛你們的心腸就越發熱了。

 

 

4 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[a] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”[b] Since we have that same spirit of[c] faith, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

 

5 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

The Ministry of Reconciliation
11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 

6 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you,
    and in the day of salvation I helped you.”[a]
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

Paul’s Hardships
3 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. 12 We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. 13 As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also.

Warning Against Idolatry
14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[b]? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will live with them
    and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.”[c]
17 Therefore,

“Come out from them
    and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
    and I will receive you.”[d]
18 And,

“I will be a Father to you,
    and you will be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”[e]

 

7 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

Paul’s Joy Over the Church’s Repentance
2 Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. 4 I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.

5 For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.

8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So even though I wrote to you, it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. 13 By all this we are encouraged.

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. 14 I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well. 15 And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. 16 I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.

本日經文提要  ( 哥林多後書 1:1~3:18)

 

   

 

林後1:1奉神旨意，作基督耶穌使徒的保羅，和兄弟提摩太，寫信給在哥林多神的教會，並亞該亞遍處的眾聖徒。
林後1:2願恩惠平安，從神我們的父和主耶穌基督歸與你們。
林後1:3願頌讚歸與我們的主耶穌基督的父神，就是發慈悲的父，賜各樣安慰的神。
林後1:4我們在一切患難中，他就安慰我們，叫我們能用神所賜的安慰，去安慰那遭各樣患難的人。
林後1:5我們既多受基督的苦楚，就靠基督多得安慰。
林後1:6我們受患難呢，是為叫你們得安慰得拯救，我們得安慰呢，也是為叫你們得安慰，這安慰能叫你們忍受我們所受的那樣苦楚。
林後1:7我們為你們所存的盼望是確定的，因為知道你們既是同受苦楚，也必同得安慰。
林後1:8弟兄們，我們不要你們不曉得，我們從前在亞西亞遭遇苦難，被壓太重，力不能勝，甚至連活命的指望都絕了。
林後1:9自己心裡也斷定是必死的，叫我們不靠自己，只靠叫死人復活的神。
林後1:10他曾救我們脫離那極大的死亡，現在仍要救我們，並且我們指望他將來還要救我們。
林後1:11你們以祈禱幫助我們，好叫許多人為我們謝恩，就是為我們因許多人所得的恩。
林後1:12我們所誇的，是自己的良心，見證我們憑著神的聖潔和誠實，在世為人，不靠人的聰明，乃靠神的恩惠，向你們更是這樣。
林後1:13我們現在寫給你們的話，並不外乎你們所念的，所認識的，我也盼望你們到底還是要認識。
林後1:14正如你們已經有幾分認識我們，以我們誇口，好像我們在我們主耶穌的日子，以你們誇口一樣。
林後1:15我既然這樣深信，就早有意到你們那裡去，叫你們再得益處。
林後1:16也要從你們那裡經過，往馬其頓去，再從馬其頓回到你們那裡，叫你們給我送行往猶太去。
林後1:17我有此意，豈是反復不定麼，我所起的意，豈是從情慾起的，叫我忽是忽非麼。
林後1:18我指著信實的神說：我們向你們所傳的道，並沒有是而又非的。
林後1:19因為我和西拉，並提摩太，在你們中間所傳神的兒子耶穌基督，總沒有是而又非的，在他只有一是。
林後1:20神的應許，不論有多少，在基督都是是的，所以藉著他也都是實在的，〔實在原文作阿們〕叫神因我們得榮耀。
林後1:21那在基督裡堅固我們和你們，並且膏我們的，就是神。
林後1:22他又用印印了我們，並賜聖靈在我們心裡作憑據。〔原文作質〕
林後1:23我呼籲神給我的心作見證，我沒有往哥林多去是為要寬容你們。
林後1:24我們並不是轄管你們的信心，乃是幫助你們的快樂，因為你們憑信才站立得住。
林後2:1我自己定了主意，再到你們那裡去，必須大家沒有憂愁。
林後2:2倘若我叫你們憂愁，除了我叫那憂愁的人以外，誰能叫我快樂呢。
林後2:3我曾把這事寫給你們，恐怕我到的時候，應該叫我快樂的那些人，反倒叫我憂愁，我也深信，你們眾人都以我的快樂為自己的快樂。
林後2:4我先前心裡難過痛苦，多多的流淚，寫信給你們，不是叫你們憂愁，乃是叫你們知道我格外的疼愛你們。
林後2:5若有叫人憂愁的，他不但叫我憂愁，也是叫你們眾人有幾分憂愁，我說幾分，恐怕說得太重。
林後2:6這樣的人，受了眾人的責罰，也就夠了。
林後2:7倒不如赦免他，安慰他，免得他憂愁太過，甚至沉淪了。
林後2:8所以我勸你們，要向他顯出堅定不移的愛心來。
林後2:9為此我先前也寫信給你們，要試驗你們，看你們凡事順從不順從。
林後2:10你們赦免誰，我也赦免誰，我若有所赦免的，是在基督面前為你們赦免的。
林後2:11免得撒但趁著機會勝過我們，因我們並非不曉得他的詭計。
林後2:12我從前為基督的福音到了特羅亞，主也給我開了門。
林後2:13那時因為沒有遇見兄弟提多，我心裡不安，便辭別那裡的人往馬其頓去了。
林後2:14感謝神，常帥領我們在基督裡誇勝，並藉著我們在各處顯揚那因認識基督而有的香氣。
林後2:15因為我們在神面前，無論在得救的人身上，或滅亡的人身上，都有基督馨香之氣。
林後2:16在這等人，就作了死的香氣叫他死，在那等人，就作了活的香氣叫他活，這事誰能當得起呢。
林後2:17我們不像那許多人，為利混亂神的道，乃是由於誠實，由於神，在神面前憑著基督講道。
林後3:1我們豈是又舉薦自己麼，豈像別人，用人的薦信給你們，或用你們的薦信給人麼。
林後3:2你們就是我們的薦信，寫在我們的心裡，被眾人所知道所念誦的。
林後3:3你們明顯是基督的信，藉著我們修成的，不是用墨寫的，乃是用永生神的靈寫的，不是寫在石版上，乃是寫在心版上。
林後3:4我們因基督所以在神面前才有這樣的信心。
林後3:5並不是我們憑自己能承擔甚麼事，我們所能承擔的，乃是出於神。
林後3:6他叫我們能承當這新約的執事，不是憑著字句，乃是憑著精意，因為那字句是叫人死，精意是叫人活。〔精意或作聖靈〕
林後3:7那用字刻在石頭上屬死的職事，尚且有榮光，甚至以色列人因摩西面上的榮光，不能定睛看他的臉，這榮光原是漸漸退去的。
林後3:8何況那屬靈的職事，豈不更有榮光麼。
林後3:9若是定罪的職事有榮光，那稱義的職事，榮光就越發大了。
林後3:10那從前有榮光的，因這極大的榮光，就算不得有榮光了。
林後3:11若那廢掉的有榮光，這長存的就更有榮光了。
林後3:12我們既有這樣的盼望，就大膽講說：
林後3:13不像摩西將帕子蒙在臉上，叫以色列人不能定睛看到那將廢者的結局。
林後3:14但他們的心地剛硬，直到今日誦讀舊約的時候，這帕子還沒有揭去，這帕子在基督裡已經廢去了。
林後3:15然而直到今日，每逢誦讀摩西書的時候，帕子還在他們心上。
林後3:16但他們的心幾時歸向主，帕子就幾時除去了。

 

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise to the God of All Comfort
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,[a] about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

Paul’s Change of Plans
12 Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity[b] and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace. 13 For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, 14 as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.

15 Because I was confident of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both “Yes, yes” and “No, no”?

18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas[c] and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

23 I call God as my witness—and I stake my life on it—that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.

2 Corinthians 2 

2 1 So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? 3 I wrote as I did, so that when I came I would not be distressed by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. 4 For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.

Forgiveness for the Offender
5 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9 Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10 Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

Ministers of the New Covenant
12 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.

14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.

 

 

2 Corinthians 3 

3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

4 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

The Greater Glory of the New Covenant
7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

本日經文提要  ( 哥林多前書 12:1~16:24)

 

   

 

林前12:1弟兄們，論到屬靈的恩賜，我不願意你們不明白。
林前12:2你們作外邦人的時候，隨事被牽引受迷惑，去服事那啞吧偶像，這是你們知道的。
林前12:3所以我告訴你們，被神的靈感動的，沒有說耶穌是可咒詛的，若不是被聖靈感動的，也沒有能說耶穌是主的。
林前12:4恩賜原有分別，聖靈卻是一位。
林前12:5職事也有分別，主卻是一位。
林前12:6功用也有分別，神卻是一位，在眾人裡面運行一切的事。
林前12:7聖靈顯在各人身上，是叫人得益處。
林前12:8這人蒙聖靈賜他智慧的言語，那人也蒙這位聖靈賜他知識的言語。
林前12:9又有一人蒙這位聖靈賜他信心，還有一人蒙這位聖靈賜他醫病的恩賜。
林前12:10又叫一人能行異能，又叫一人能作先知，又叫一人能辨別諸靈，又叫一人能說方言，又叫一人能繙方言。
林前12:11這一切都是這位聖靈所運行，隨己意分給各人的。
林前12:12就如身子是一個，卻有許多肢體，而且肢體雖多，仍是一個身子，基督也是這樣。
林前12:13我們不拘是猶太人，是希利尼人，是為奴的，是自主的，都從一位聖靈受洗，成了一個身體，飲於一位聖靈。
林前12:14身子原不是一個肢體，乃是許多肢體。
林前12:15設若腳說：我不是手，所以不屬乎身子，他不能因此就不屬乎身子。
林前12:16設若耳說：我不是眼，所以不屬乎身子，他也不能因此就不屬乎身子。
林前12:17若全身是眼，從那裡聽聲呢，若全身是耳，從那裡聞味呢。
林前12:18但如今神自己的意思，把肢體俱各安排在身上了。
林前12:19若都是一個肢體，身子在那裡呢。
林前12:20但如今肢體是多的，身子卻是一個。
林前12:21眼不能對手說：我用不著你，頭也不能對腳說：我用不著你。
林前12:22不但如此，身上肢體人以為軟弱的，更是不可少的。
林前12:23身上肢體，我們看為不體面的，越發給他加上體面，不俊美的，越發得著俊美。
林前12:24我們俊美的肢體，自然用不著裝飾，但神配搭這身子，把加倍的體面給那有缺欠的肢體。
林前12:25免得身上分門別類，總要肢體彼此相顧。
林前12:26若一個肢體受苦，所有的肢體就一同受苦，若一個肢體得榮耀，所有的肢體就一同快樂。
林前12:27你們就是基督的身子，並且各自作肢體。
林前12:28神在教會所設立的，第一是使徒，第二是先知，第三是教師，其次是行異能的，再次是得恩賜醫病的，幫助人的，治理事的，說方言的。
林前12:29豈都是使徒麼，豈都是先知麼，豈都是教師麼，豈都是行異能的麼。
林前12:30豈都是得恩賜醫病的麼，豈都是說方言的麼，豈都是繙方言的麼。
林前12:31你們要切切的求那更大的恩賜，我現今把最妙的道指示你們。

林前13:1我若能說萬人的方言，並天使的話語，卻沒有愛，我就成了鳴的鑼，響的鈸一般。
林前13:2我若有先知講道之能，也明白各樣的奧秘，各樣的知識，而且有全備的信，叫我能夠移山，卻沒有愛，我就算不得甚麼。
林前13:3我若將所有的賙濟窮人，又捨己身叫人焚燒，卻沒有愛，仍然與我無益。
林前13:4愛是恆久忍耐，又有恩慈，愛是不嫉妒，愛是不自誇，不張狂。
林前13:5不作害羞的事，不求自己的益處，不輕易發怒，不計算人的惡。
林前13:6不喜歡不義，只喜歡真理。
林前13:7凡事包容，凡事相信，凡事盼望，凡事忍耐。
林前13:8愛是永不止息，先知講道之能，終必歸於無有，說方言之能，終必停止，知識也終必歸於無有。
林前13:9我們現在所知道的有限，先知所講的也有限。
林前13:10等那完全的來到，這有限的必歸於無有了。
林前13:11我作孩子的時候，話語像孩子，心思像孩子，意念像孩子，既成了人，就把孩子的事丟棄了。
林前13:12我們如今彷彿對著鏡子觀看，模糊不清，〔模糊不清原文作如同猜謎〕到那時，就要面對面了，我如今所知道的有限，到那時就全知道，如同主知道我一樣。
林前13:13如今常存的有信，有望，有愛，這三樣，其中最大的是愛。

林前14:1你們要追求愛，也要切慕屬靈的恩賜，其中更要羡慕的，是作先知講道。〔原文作是說豫言下同〕
林前14:2那說方言的，原不是對人說：乃是對神說：因為沒有人聽出來，然而他在心靈裡，卻是講說各樣的奧秘。
林前14:3但作先知講道的，是對人說：要造就，安慰，勸勉人。
林前14:4說方言的，是造就自己，作先知講道的，乃是造就教會。
林前14:5我願意你們都說方言，更願意你們作先知講道，因為說方言的，若不繙出來，使教會被造就，那作先知講道的，就比他強了。
林前14:6弟兄們，我到你們那裡去，若只說方言，不用啟示，或知識，或豫言，或教訓，給你們講解，我與你們有甚麼益處呢。
林前14:7就是那有聲無氣的物，或簫，或琴，若發出來的聲音，沒有分別，怎能知道所吹所彈的是甚麼呢。
林前14:8若吹無定的號聲，誰能豫備打仗呢。
林前14:9你們也是如此，舌頭若不說容易明白的話，怎能知道所說的是甚麼呢，這就是向空說話了。
林前14:10世上的聲音，或者甚多，卻沒有一樣是無意思的。
林前14:11我若不明白那聲音的意思，這說話的人必以我為化外之人，我也以他為化外之人。
林前14:12你們也是如此，既是切慕屬靈的恩賜，就當求多得造就教會的恩賜。
林前14:13所以那說方言的，就當求著能繙出來。
林前14:14我若用方言禱告，是我的靈禱告，但我的悟性沒有果效。
林前14:15這卻怎麼樣呢，我要用靈禱告，也要用悟性禱告，我要用靈歌唱，也要用悟性歌唱。
林前14:16不然，你用靈祝謝，那在座不通方言的人，既然不明白你的話，怎能在你感謝的時候說阿們呢。
林前14:17你感謝的固然是好，無奈不能造就別人。
林前14:18我感謝神，我說方言比你們眾人還多。
林前14:19但在教會中，寧可用悟性說五句教導人的話，強如說萬句方言。
林前14:20弟兄們，在心志上不要作小孩子，然而在惡事上要作嬰孩，在心志上總要作大人。
林前14:21律法上記著說：『主說：我要用外邦人的舌頭，和外邦人的嘴唇，向這百姓說話，雖然如此，他們還是不聽從我。』
林前14:22這樣看來，說方言，不是為信的人作證據，乃是為不信的人，作先知講道，不是為不信的人作證據，乃是為信的人。
林前14:23所以全教會聚在一處的時候，若都說方言，偶然有不通方言的，或是不信的人進來，豈不說你們癲狂了麼。
林前14:24若都作先知講道，偶然有不信的，或是不通方言的人進來，就被眾人勸醒，被眾人審明。
林前14:25他心裡的隱情顯露出來，就必將臉伏地，敬拜神，說神真是在你們中間了。
林前14:26弟兄們，這卻怎麼樣呢，你們聚會的時候，各人或有詩歌，或有教訓，或有啟示，或有方言，或有繙出來的話，凡事都當造就人。
林前14:27若有說方言的，只好兩個人，至多三個人，且要輪流著說：也要一個人繙出來。
林前14:28若沒有人繙，就當在會中閉口，只對自己和神說：就是了。
林前14:29至於作先知講道的，只好兩個人，或是三個人，其餘的就當慎思明辨。
林前14:30若旁邊坐著的得了啟示，那先說話的就當閉口不言。
林前14:31因為你們都可以一個一個的作先知講道，叫眾人學道理，叫眾人得勸勉。
林前14:32先知的靈，原是順服先知的。
林前14:33因為神不是叫人混亂，乃是叫人安靜。
林前14:34婦女在會中要閉口不言，像在聖徒的眾教會一樣，因為不准他們說話，他們總要順服，正如律法所說的。
林前14:35他們若要學甚麼，可以在家裡問自己的丈夫，因為婦女在會中說話原是可恥的。
林前14:36神的道理，豈是從你們出來麼，豈是單臨到你們麼。
林前14:37若有人以為自己是先知，或是屬靈的，就該知道，我所寫給你們的是主的命令。
林前14:38若有不知道的，就由他不知道罷。
林前14:39所以弟兄們，你們要切慕作先知講道，也不要禁止說方言。
林前14:40凡事都要規規矩矩的按著次序行。

林前15:1弟兄們，我如今把先前所傳給你們的福音，告訴你們知道，這福音你們也領受了，又靠著站立得住。
林前15:2並且你們若不是徒然相信，能以持守我所傳給你們的，就必因這福音得救。
林前15:3我當日所領受又傳給你們的，第一，就是基督照聖經所說：為我們的罪死了。
林前15:4而且埋葬了，又照聖經所說：第三天復活了。
林前15:5並且顯給磯法看，然後顯給十二使徒看。
林前15:6後來一時顯給五百多弟兄看，其中一大半到如今還在，卻也有已經睡了的。
林前15:7以後顯給雅各看，再顯給眾使徒看。
林前15:8末了也顯給我看，我如同未到產期而生的人一般。
林前15:9我原是使徒中最小的，不配稱為使徒，因為我從前逼迫神的教會。
林前15:10然而我今日成了何等人，是蒙神的恩才成的，並且他所賜我的恩，不是徒然的，我比眾使徒格外勞苦，這原不是我，乃是神的恩與我同在。
林前15:11不拘是我是眾使徒，我們如此傳，你們也如此信了。
林前15:12既傳基督是從死裡復活了，怎麼在你們中間，有人說沒有死人復活的事呢。
林前15:13若沒有死人復活的事，基督也就沒有復活了。
林前15:14若基督沒有復活，我們所傳的便是枉然，你們所信的也是枉然。
林前15:15並且明顯我們是為神妄作見證的，因我們見證神是叫基督復活了，若死人真不復活，神也就沒有叫基督復活了。
林前15:16因為死人若不復活，基督也就沒有復活了。
林前15:17基督若沒有復活，你們的信便是徒然，你們乃在罪裡。
林前15:18就是在基督裡睡了的人也滅亡了。
林前15:19我們若靠基督，只在今生有指望，就算比眾人更可憐。
林前15:20但基督已經從死裡復活，成為睡了之人初熟的果子。
林前15:21死既是因一人而來，死人復活也是因一人而來。
林前15:22在亞當裡眾人都死了，照樣，在基督裡眾人也都要復活。
林前15:23但各人是按著自己的次序復活。初熟的果子是基督，以後在他來的時候，是那些屬基督的。
林前15:24再後末期到了，那時，基督既將一切執政的，掌權的，有能的，都毀滅了，就把國交與父神。
林前15:25因為基督必要作王，等神把一切仇敵，都放在他的腳下。
林前15:26儘末了所毀滅的仇敵，就是死。
林前15:27因為經上說：『神叫萬物都服在他的腳下。』既說萬物都服了他，明顯那叫萬物服他的不在其內了。
林前15:28萬物既服了他，那時，子也要自己服那叫萬物服他的，叫神在萬物之上，為萬物之主。
林前15:29不然，那些為死人受洗的，將來怎樣呢，若死人總不復活，因何為他們受洗呢。
林前15:30我們又因何時刻冒險呢。
林前15:31弟兄們，我在我主基督耶穌裡，指著你們所誇的口，極力的說：我是天天冒死。
林前15:32我若當日像尋常人，在以弗所同野獸戰鬥，那於我有甚麼益處呢，若死人不復活，我們就吃吃喝喝罷，因為明天要死了。
林前15:33你們不要自欺，濫交是敗壞善行。
林前15:34你們要醒悟為善，不要犯罪，因為有人不認識神，我說這話，是要叫你們羞愧。
林前15:35或有人問，死人怎樣復活，帶著甚麼身體來呢。
林前15:36無知的人哪，你所種的，若不死就不能生。
林前15:37並且你所種的，不是那將來的形體，不過是子粒，即如麥子，或是別樣的穀。
林前15:38但神隨自己的意思，給他一個形體，並叫各等子粒，各有自己的形體。
林前15:39凡肉體各有不同，人是一樣，獸又是一樣，鳥又是一樣，魚又是一樣。
林前15:40有天上的形體，也有地上的形體，但天上形體的榮光是一樣，地上形體的榮光又是一樣。
林前15:41日有日的榮光，月有月的榮光，星有星的榮光，這星和那星的榮光，也有分別。
林前15:42死人復活也是這樣，所種的是必朽壞的，復活的是不朽壞的。
林前15:43所種的是羞辱的，復活的是榮耀的，所種的是軟弱的，復活的是強壯的。
林前15:44所種的是血氣的身體，復活是靈性的身體，若有血氣的身體，也必有靈性的身體。
林前15:45經上也是這樣記著說：『首先的人亞當，成了有靈的活人。』〔靈或作血氣〕末後的亞當，成了叫人活的靈。
林前15:46但屬靈的不在先，屬血氣的在先，以後才有屬靈的。
林前15:47頭一個人是出於地，乃屬土，第二個人是出於天。
林前15:48那屬土的怎樣，凡屬土的也就怎樣，屬天的怎樣，凡屬天的也就怎樣。
林前15:49我們既有屬土的形狀，將來也必有屬天的形狀。
林前15:50弟兄們，我告訴你們說：血肉之體，不能承受神的國，必朽壞的，不能承受不朽壞的。
林前15:51我如今把一件奧秘的事告訴你們，我們不是都要睡覺，乃是都要改變，
林前15:52就在一霎時，眨眼之間，號筒末次吹響的時候，因號筒要響，死人要復活成為不朽壞的，我們也要改變。
林前15:53這必朽壞的，總要變成不朽壞的，〔變成原文作穿下同〕這必死的，總要變成不死的。
林前15:54這必朽壞既變成不朽壞的，這必死的，既變成不死的，那時經上所記，死被得勝吞滅的話就應驗了。
林前15:55死阿，你得勝的權勢在那裡，死阿，你的毒鉤在那裡。
林前15:56死的毒鉤就是罪，罪的權勢就是律法。
林前15:57感謝神，使我們藉著我們的主耶穌基督得勝。
林前15:58所以我親愛的弟兄們，你們務要堅固不可搖動，常常竭力多作主工，因為知道你們的勞苦，在主裡面不是徒然的。

林前16:1論到為聖徒捐錢，我從前怎樣吩咐加拉太的眾教會，你們也當怎樣行。
林前16:2每逢七日的第一日，各人要照自己的進項抽出來留著，免得我來的時候現湊。
林前16:3及至我來到了，你們寫信舉薦誰，我就打發他們，把你們的捐資送到耶路撒冷去。
林前16:4若我也該去，他們可以和我同去。
林前16:5我要從馬其頓經過，既經過了，就要到你們那裡去。
林前16:6或者和你們同住幾時，或者也過冬，無論我往那裡去，你們就可以給我送行。
林前16:7我如今不願意路過見你們，主若許我，我就指望和你們同住幾時。
林前16:8但我要仍舊住在以弗所，直等到五旬節。
林前16:9因為有寬大又有功效的門，為我開了，並且反對的人也多。力作主的工，像我一樣。
林前16:10若是提摩太來到，你們要留心，叫他在你們那裡無所懼怕，因為他勞因我指望他和弟兄們同來。
林前16:11所以無論誰，都不可藐視他，只要送他平安前行，叫他到我這裡來，決不願意去，幾時有了機會他必去。
林前16:12至於兄弟亞波羅，我再三的勸他，同弟兄們到你們那裡去，但這時他
林前16:13你們務要儆醒，在真道上站立得穩，要作大丈夫，要剛強。
林前16:14凡你們所作的，都要憑愛心而作。
林前16:15弟兄們，你們曉得司提反一家，是亞該亞初結的果子，並且他們專以服事聖徒為念。
林前16:16我勸你們順服這樣的人，並一切同工同勞的人。待我有不及之處，他們補上了。
林前16:17司提反，和福徒拿都，並亞該古，到我這裡來，我很喜歡，因為你們
林前16:18他們叫我和你們心裡都快活，這樣的人，你們務要敬重。因主多多的問你們安。
林前16:19亞西亞的眾教會問你們安。亞居拉和百基拉，並在他們家裡的教會，
林前16:20眾弟兄都問你們安。你們要親嘴問安，彼此務要聖潔。
林前16:21我保羅親筆問安。
林前16:22若有人不愛主，這人可詛可咒。主必要來。
林前16:23願主耶穌基督的恩，常與你們眾人同在。

 

 

12 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

Unity and Diversity in the Body
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[d]? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Love Is Indispensable

And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

 

 

1 Corinthians 13 

13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

 

 

14 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. 2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue[a] does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I would like every one of you to speak in tongues,[b] but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues,[c] unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.

6 Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7 Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8 Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9 So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 10 Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11 If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. 12 So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

13 For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. 16 Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer,[d] say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? 17 You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.

18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

20 Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. 21 In the Law it is written:

“With other tongues
    and through the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
    but even then they will not listen to me,
says the Lord.”[e]
22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

Good Order in Worship
26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.

29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.

34 Women[f] should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.[g]

36 Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. 38 But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored.[h]

39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

 

 

15 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas,[b] and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”[c] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,

“Let us eat and drink,
    for tomorrow we die.”[d]
33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”[e] 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.

The Resurrection Body
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[f]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we[g] bear the image of the heavenly man.

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[h]

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?”[i]
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

 

 

 

16 Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3 Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

Personal Requests
5 After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you—for I will be going through Macedonia. 6 Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

10 When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. 11 No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.

12 Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.

13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.

15 You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters, 16 to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it. 17 I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. 18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.

Final Greetings
19 The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla[a] greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. 20 All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.

22 If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord[b]!

23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.[c]

本日經文提要  (哥林多前書 10:1~11:34)

 

   

 

林前10:1弟兄們，我不願意你們不曉得，我們的祖宗從前都在雲下，都從海中經過。
林前10:2都在雲裡海裡受洗歸了摩西。
林前10:3並且都吃了一樣的靈食。
林前10:4也都喝了一樣的靈水，所喝的是出於隨著他們的靈磐石，那磐石就是基督。
林前10:5但他們中間，多半是神不喜歡的人，所以在曠野倒斃。
林前10:6這些事都是我們的鑑戒，叫我們不要貪戀惡事，像他們那樣貪戀的。
林前10:7也不要拜偶像，像他們有人拜的，如經上所記，『百姓坐下吃喝，起來玩耍。』
林前10:8我們也不要行姦淫，像他們有人行的，一天就倒斃了二萬三千人。
林前10:9也不要試探主，〔主有古卷作基督〕像他們有人試探的，就被蛇所滅。
林前10:10你們也不要發怨言，像他們有發怨言的，就被滅命的所滅。
林前10:11他們遭遇這些事，都要作為鑑戒，並且寫在經上，正是警戒我們這末世的人。
林前10:12所以自己以為站得穩的，須要謹慎，免得跌倒。
林前10:13你們所遇見的試探，無非是人所能受的，神是信實的，必不叫你們受試探過於所能受的，在受試探的時候，總要給你們開一條出路，叫你們能忍受得住。
林前10:14我所親愛的弟兄阿，你們要逃避拜偶像的事。
林前10:15我好像對明白人說的，你們要審察我的話。
林前10:16我們所祝福的杯，豈不是同領基督的血麼，我們所擘開的餅，豈不是同領基督的身體麼。
林前10:17我們雖多，仍是一個餅，一個身體，因為我們都是分受這一個餅。
林前10:18你們看屬肉體的以色列人，那吃祭物的，豈不是在祭壇上有分麼。
林前10:19我是怎麼說呢，豈是說祭偶像之物算得甚麼呢。或說偶像算得甚麼呢。
林前10:20我乃是說：外邦人所獻的祭，是祭鬼，不是祭神，我不願意你們與鬼相交。
林前10:21你們不能喝主的杯，又喝鬼的杯，不能吃主的筵席，又吃鬼的筵席。
林前10:22我們可惹主的憤恨麼，我們比他還有能力麼。
林前10:23凡事都可行，但不都有益處。凡事都可行，但不都造就人。
林前10:24無論何人，不要求自己的益處，乃要求別人的益處。
林前10:25凡市上所賣的，你們只管吃，不要為良心的緣故問甚麼話。
林前10:26因為地和其中所充滿的，都屬乎主。
林前10:27倘有一個不信的人請你們赴席，你們若願意去，凡擺在你們面前的，只管吃，不要為良心的緣故問甚麼話。
林前10:28若有人對你們說：這是獻過祭的物，就要為那告訴你們的人，並為良心的緣故，不吃。
林前10:29我說的良心，不是你的，乃是他的，我這自由，為甚麼被別人的良心論斷呢。
林前10:30我若謝恩而吃，為甚麼因我謝恩的物被人毀謗呢。
林前10:31所以你們或吃或喝，無論作甚麼，都要為榮耀神而行。
林前10:32不拘是猶太人，是希利尼人，是神的教會，你們都不要使他跌倒。
林前10:33就好像我凡事都叫眾人喜歡，不求自己的益處，只求眾人的益處，叫他們得救。

林前11:1你們該效法我，像我效法基督一樣。
林前11:2我稱讚你們，因你們凡事記念我，又堅守我所傳給你們的。
林前11:3我願意你們知道，基督是各人的頭，男人是女人的頭，神是基督的頭。
林前11:4凡男人禱告或是講道，〔講道或作說豫言下同〕若蒙著頭，就羞辱自己的頭。
林前11:5凡女人禱告或是講道，若不蒙著頭，就是羞辱自己的頭，因為這就如同剃了頭髮一樣。
林前11:6女人若不蒙著頭，就該剪了頭髮，女人若以剪髮剃髮為羞愧，就該蒙著頭。
林前11:7男人本不該蒙著頭，因為他是神的形像和榮耀，但女人是男人的榮耀。
林前11:8起初，男人不是由女人而出，女人乃是由男人而出。
林前11:9並且男人不是為女人所造的，女人乃是為男人造的。
林前11:10因此，女人為天使的緣故，應當在頭上有服權柄的記號。
林前11:11然而照主的安排，女也不無男，男也不是無女。
林前11:12因為女人原是由男人而出，男人也由女人而出，但萬有都是出乎神。
林前11:13你們自己審察，女人禱告神，不蒙著頭，是合宜的麼。
林前11:14你們的本性不也指示你們，男人若有長頭髮，便是他的羞辱麼。
林前11:15但女人有長頭髮，乃是他的榮耀，因為這頭髮是給他作蓋頭的。
林前11:16若有人想要辯駁，我們卻沒有這樣的規矩，神的眾教會也是沒有的。
林前11:17我現今吩咐你們的話，不是稱讚你們，因為你們聚會不是受益，乃是招損。
林前11:18第一，我聽說你們聚會的時候，彼此分門別類，我也稍微的信這話。
林前11:19在你們中間不免有分門結黨的事，好叫那些經驗的人，顯明出來。
林前11:20你們聚會的時候，算不得吃主的晚餐。
林前11:21因為吃的時候，各人先吃自己的飯，甚至這個飢餓，那個酒醉。
林前11:22你們要吃喝，難道沒有家麼，還是藐視神的教會，叫那沒有的羞愧呢。我向你們可怎麼說呢，可因此稱讚你們麼，我不稱讚。
林前11:23我當日傳給你們的，原是從主領受的，就是主耶穌被賣的那一夜，拿起餅來，
林前11:24祝謝了，就擘開，說：這是我的身體，為你們捨的，〔捨有古卷作擘開〕你們應當如此行，為的是記念我。
林前11:25飯後，也照樣拿起杯來，說：這杯是用我的血所立的新約，你們每逢喝的時候，要如此行，為的是記念我。
林前11:26你們每逢吃這餅，喝這杯，是表明主的死，直等到他來。
林前11:27所以無論何人，不按理吃主的餅，喝主的杯，就是干犯主的身主的血了。
林前11:28人應當自己省察，然後吃這餅，喝這杯。
林前11:29因為人吃喝，若不分辨是主的身體，就是吃喝自己的罪了。
林前11:30因此，在你們中間有好些軟弱的，與患病的，死的也不少。〔死原文作睡〕
林前11:31我們若是先分辨自己，就不至於受審。”
林前11:32我們受審的時候，乃是被主懲治，免得我們和世人一同定罪。
林前11:33所以我弟兄們，你們聚會吃的時候，要彼此等待。

1 Corinthians 10 

Warnings From Israel’s History
10 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”[a] 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ,[b] as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation[c] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[d] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,[e] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Idol Feasts and the Lord’s Supper
14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.

18 Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19 Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

The Believer’s Freedom
23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”[f]

27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. 29 I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? 30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

1 Corinthians 11 

11 1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

On Covering the Head in Worship
2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. 3 But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man,[a] and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. 6 For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

7 A man ought not to cover his head,[b] since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own[c] head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.

13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.

Correcting an Abuse of the Lord’s Supper
17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.

33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. 34 Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.

And when I come I will give further directions.

本日經文提要  (哥林多前書 7:1~9:27)

 

   

 

林前7:1論到你們信上所題的事，我說男不近女倒好。
林前7:2但要免淫亂的事，男子當各有自己的妻子，女子也當各有自己的丈夫。
林前7:3丈夫當用合宜之分待妻子，妻子待丈夫也要如此。
林前7:4妻子沒有權柄主張自己的身子，乃在丈夫，丈夫也沒有權柄主張自己的身子，乃在妻子。
林前7:5夫妻不可彼此虧負，除非兩相情願，暫時分房，為要專心禱告方可，以後仍要同房，免得撒但趁著你們情不自禁，引誘你們。
林前7:6我說這話，原是准你們的，不是命你們的。
林前7:7我願意眾人像我一樣，只是各人領受神的恩賜，一個是這樣，一個是那樣。
林前7:8我對著沒有嫁娶的和寡婦說：若他們常像我就好。
林前7:9倘若自己禁止不住，就可以嫁娶。與其慾火攻心，倒不如嫁娶為妙。
林前7:10至於那已經嫁娶的，我吩咐他們，其實不是我吩咐，乃是主吩咐，說：妻子不可離開丈夫。
林前7:11若是離開了，不可再嫁，或是仍同丈夫和好，丈夫也不可離棄妻子。
林前7:12我對其餘的人說：不是主說：倘若某弟兄有不信的妻子，妻子也情願和他同住，他就不要離棄妻子。
林前7:13妻子有不信的丈夫，丈夫也情願和他同住，他就不要離棄丈夫。
林前7:14因為不信的丈夫，就因著妻子成了聖潔，並且不信的妻子，就因著丈夫成了聖潔，〔丈夫原文作弟兄〕不然，你們的兒女就不潔淨，但如今他們是聖潔的了。
林前7:15倘若那不信的人要離去，就由他離去罷，無論是弟兄，是姐妹，遇著這樣的事，都不必拘束，神召我們原是要我們和睦。
林前7:16你這作妻子的，怎麼知道不能救你的丈夫呢，你這作丈夫的，怎麼知道不能救你的妻子呢。
林前7:17只要照主所分給各人的，和神所召各人的而行。我吩咐各教會都是這樣。
林前7:18有人已受割禮蒙召呢，就不要廢割禮，有人未受割禮蒙召呢，就不要受割禮。
林前7:19受割禮算不得甚麼，不受割禮也算不得甚麼，只要守神的誡命就是了。
林前7:20各人蒙召的時候是甚麼身分，仍要守住這身分。
林前7:21你是作奴隸蒙召的麼，不要因此憂慮，若能以自由，就求自由更好。
林前7:22因為作奴僕蒙召於主的，就是主所釋放的人，作自由之人蒙召的，就是基督的奴僕。
林前7:23你們是重價買來的，不要作人的奴僕。
林前7:24弟兄們，你們各人蒙召的時候是甚麼身分，仍要在神面前守住這身分。
林前7:25論到童身的人，我沒有主的命令，但我既蒙主憐恤，能作忠心的心人，就把自己的意見告訴你們。
林前7:26因現今的艱難，據我看來，人不如守素安常才好。
林前7:27你有妻子纏著呢，就不要求脫離，你沒有妻子纏著呢，就不要求妻子。
林前7:28你若娶妻，並不是犯罪，處女若出嫁，也是犯罪，然而這等人肉身必受苦難，我卻願意你們免這苦難。
林前7:29弟兄們，我對你們說：時候減少了，從此以後，那有妻子的，要像沒有妻子。
林前7:30哀哭的，要像不哀哭，快樂的，要像不快樂，置買的，要像無有所得。
林前7:31用世物的，要像不用世物，因為這世界的樣子將要過去了。
林前7:32我願你們無所罣慮。沒有娶妻的，是為主的事罣慮，想怎樣叫主喜悅。
林前7:33娶了妻的，是為世上的事罣慮，想怎樣叫妻子喜悅。
林前7:34婦人和處女也有分別。沒有出嫁的，是為主的事罣慮，要身體靈魂都聖潔，已經出嫁的，是為世上的事罣慮，想怎樣叫丈夫喜悅。
林前7:35我說這話，是為你們的益處，不是要牢籠你們，乃是要叫你們行合宜的事，得以殷勤服事主，沒有分心的事。
林前7:36若有人以為自己待他的女兒不合宜，女兒也過了年歲，事又當行，他就可隨意辦理，不算有罪，叫二人成親就是了。
林前7:37倘若人心裡堅定，沒有不得已的事，並且由得自己作主，心裡又決定了留下女兒不出嫁，如此行也好。
林前7:38這樣看來，叫自己的女兒出嫁是好，不叫他出嫁更是好。
林前7:39丈夫活著的時候，妻子是被約束的，丈夫若死了，妻子就可以自由，隨意再嫁，只是要嫁這在主裡面的人。
林前7:40然而按我的意見，若常守節更有福氣，我也想自己是被神的靈感動了。

林前8:1論到祭偶像之物，我們曉得我們都有知識，但知識是叫人自高自大，惟有愛心能造就人。
林前8:2若有人以為自己知道甚麼，按他所當知道的，他仍是不知道。
林前8:3若有人愛神，這人乃是神所知道的。
林前8:4論到吃祭偶像之物，我們知道偶像在世上算不得甚麼，也知道神只有一位，再沒有別的神。
林前8:5雖有稱為神的，或在天，或在地，就如那許多的神，許多的主。
林前8:6然而我們只有一位神，就是父萬物都本於他，我們也歸於他，並有一位主，就是耶穌基督，萬物都是藉著他有的，我們也是藉著他有的。
林前8:7但人不都有這等知識，有人到如今因拜慣了偶像，就以為所吃的是祭偶像之物，他們的良心既然軟弱，也就污穢了。
林前8:8其實食物不能叫神看中我們，因為我們不吃也無損，吃也無益。
林前8:9只是你們要謹慎，恐怕你們這自由，竟成了那軟弱人的絆腳石。
林前8:10若有人見你這有知識的，在偶像的廟裡坐席，這人的良心，若是軟弱，豈不放膽去吃那祭偶像之物麼。
林前8:11因此，基督為他死的那軟弱弟兄，也就因你的知識沉淪了。
林前8:12你們這樣得罪弟兄們，傷了他們軟弱的良心，就是得罪基督。
林前8:13所以食物若叫我弟兄跌倒，我就永遠不吃肉，免得叫我弟兄跌倒了。

林前9:1我不是自由的麼，我不是使徒麼，我不是見過我們的主耶穌麼，你們不是我在主裡面所作之工麼。
林前9:2假若在別人我不是使徒，在你們我總是使徒，因為你們在主裡面正是我作使徒的印證。
林前9:3我對那盤問我的人，就是這樣分訴。
林前9:4難道我們沒有權柄靠福音吃喝麼。
林前9:5難道我們沒有權柄娶信主的姊妹為妻，帶著一同往來，彷彿其餘的使徒，和主的弟兄，並磯法一樣麼。
林前9:6獨有我與巴拿巴沒有權柄不作工麼。
林前9:7有誰當兵，自備糧餉呢，有誰栽種葡萄園，不吃園裡的果子呢，有誰牧養牛羊，不吃牛羊的奶呢。
林前9:8我說這話，豈是照人的意見，律法不也是樣說麼。
林前9:9就如摩西的律法記著說：『牛在場上踹榖的時候，不可籠住他的嘴。』難道神所掛念的是牛麼。
林前9:10不全是為我們說的麼，分明是為我們說的，因為耕種的當存著指望去耕種，打場的也當存得糧的指望去打場。
林前9:11我們若把屬靈的種子撒在你們中間，就是從你們收割奉養肉身之物，這還算大事麼。
林前9:12若別人在你們身上有這權柄，何況我們呢，然而我們沒有用過這權柄，倒凡事忍受，免得基督的福音被阻隔。
林前9:13你們豈不知為聖事勞碌的，就吃殿中的物麼，伺候祭壇的，就分領壇上的物麼。
林前9:14主也是這樣命定，叫傳福音的靠著福音養生。
林前9:15但這權柄我全沒有用過，我寫這話，並非要你們這樣待我，因為我寧可死，也不叫人使我所誇的落了空。
林前9:16我傳福音原沒有可誇的，因為我是不得已的，若不傳福音，我便有禍了。
林前9:17我若甘心作這事，就有賞賜，若不甘心，責任卻已經託付我了。
林前9:18既是這樣，我的賞賜是甚麼呢，就是我傳福音的時候，叫人不花錢得福音，免得用盡我傳福音的權柄。
林前9:19我雖是自由的，無人轄管，然而我甘心作了眾人的僕人，為要多得人。
林前9:20向猶太人，我就作猶太人，為要得猶太人，向律法以下的人，我雖不在律法以下，還是作律法以下的人，為要得律法以下的人。
林前9:21向沒有律法的人，我就作沒有律法的人，為要得沒有律法的人，其實我在神面前，不是沒有律法，在基督面前，正在律法之下。
林前9:22向軟弱的人，我就作軟弱的人，為要得軟弱的人，向甚麼樣的人，我就作甚麼樣的人，無論如何，總要救些人。
林前9:23凡我所行的，都是為福音的緣故，為要與人同得這福音的好處。
林前9:24豈不知在場上賽跑的都跑，但得獎賞的只有一人，你們也當這樣跑，好叫你們得著獎賞。
林前9:25凡較力爭勝的，諸事都有節制，他們不過是要得能壞的冠冕，我們卻是要得不能壞的冠冕。
林前9:26所以我奔跑，不像無定向的，我鬥拳，不像打空氣的。

 

 

7 Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

8 Now to the unmarried[a] and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

Concerning Change of Status
17 Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. 20 Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 24 Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

Concerning the Unmarried
25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. 27 Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

36 If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong[b] and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. 37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. 38 So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better.[c]

39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. 40 In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

 

8 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.[a]

4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

 

9 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? 2 Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. 4 Don’t we have the right to food and drink? 5 Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas[a]? 6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?

7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? 8 Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”[b] Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

13 Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. 16 For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

Paul’s Use of His Freedom
19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

The Need for Self-Discipline

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

 

本日經文提要  (哥林多前書 4:1~6:20)

 

  

 

林前4:1人應當以我們為基督的執事，為神奧秘事的管家。
林前4:2所求於管家的，是要他有忠心。
林前4:3我被你們論斷，或被別人論斷，我都以為極小的事，連我自己也不論斷自己。
林前4:4我雖不覺得自己有錯，卻也不能因此得以稱義。但判斷我的乃是主。
林前4:5所以時候未到，甚麼都不要論斷，只等主來，他要照出暗中的隱情，顯明人心的意念。那時各人要從神那裡得著稱讚。
林前4:6弟兄們，我為你們的緣故，拿這些事轉比自己和亞波羅，叫你們效法我們不可過於聖經所記，免得你們自高自大，貴重這個，輕看那個。
林前4:7使你與人不同的是誰呢，你有甚麼不是領受的呢，若是領受的，為何自誇，彷彿不是領受的呢。
林前4:8你們已經飽足了，已經豐富了，不用我們，自己就作王了，我願意你們果真作王，叫我們也得與你們一同作王。
林前4:9我想神把我們使徒明明列在末後，好像定死罪的囚犯，因為我們成了一臺戲，獻給世人和天使觀看。
林前4:10我們為基督的緣故算是愚拙的，你們在基督裡倒是聰明的，我們軟弱，你們倒強壯，你們有榮耀，我們倒被藐視。
林前4:11直到如今，我們還是又飢，又渴，又赤身露體，又挨打，又沒有一定的住處。
林前4:12並且勞苦，親手作工，被人咒罵，我們就祝福，被人逼迫，我們就忍受。
林前4:13被人毀謗，我們就善勸，直到如今，人還把我們看作世界上的污穢，萬物中的渣滓。
林前4:14我寫這話，不是叫你們羞愧，乃是警戒你們，好像我所親愛的兒女一樣。
林前4:15你們學基督的，師傅雖有一萬，為父的卻是不多，因我在基督耶穌裡用福音生了你們。
林前4:16所以我求你們效法我。
林前4:17因此我已打發提摩太到你們那裡去，他在主裡面，是我所親愛有忠心的兒子，他必提醒你們，記念我在基督裡怎樣行事，在各處各教會中怎樣教導人。
林前4:18有些人自高自大，以為我不到你們那裡去。
林前4:19然而主若許我，我必快到你們那裡去，並且我所要知道的，不是那些自高自大之人的言語，乃是他們的權能。
林前4:20因為神的國不在乎言語，乃在乎權能。
林前4:21你們願意怎麼樣呢，是願意我帶著刑杖到你們那裡去呢，還是要我存慈愛溫柔的心呢。

林前5:1風聞在你們中間有淫亂的事，這樣的淫亂，連外邦人中也沒有，就是有人收了他的繼母。
林前5:2你們還是自高自大，並不哀痛，把行這事的人從你們中間趕出去。
林前5:3我身子雖不在你們那裡，心卻在你們那裡，好像我親自與你們同在，已經判斷了行這事的人，
林前5:4就是你們聚會的時候，我的心也同在，奉我們主耶穌的名，並用我們主耶穌的權能，
林前5:5要把這樣的人交給撒但，敗壞他的肉體，使他的靈魂在主耶穌的日子可以得救。
林前5:6你們這自誇是不好的，豈不知一點麵酵能使全團發起來麼。
林前5:7你們既是無酵的麵，應當把舊酵除淨，好使你們成為新團，因為我們逾越節的羔羊基督，已經被殺獻祭了。
林前5:8所以我們守這節不可用舊酵，也不可用惡毒〔或作陰毒〕邪惡的酵，只用誠實真正的無酵餅。
林前5:9我先前寫信給你們說：不可與淫亂的人相交。
林前5:10此話不是指這世上一概行淫亂的，或貪婪的，勒索的，或拜偶像的，若是這樣，你們除非離開世界方可。
林前5:11但如今我寫信給你們說：若有稱為弟兄，是行淫亂的，或貪婪的，或拜偶像的，或辱罵的，或醉酒的，或勒索的，這樣的人不可與他相交，就是與他吃飯都不可。
林前5:12因為審判教外的人與我何干，教內的人豈不是你們審判的麼。
林前5:13至於外人有神審判他們，你們應當把那惡人從你們中間趕出去。

林前6:1你們中間有彼此相爭的事，怎敢在不義的人面前求審，不在聖徒面前求審呢。
林前6:2豈不知聖徒要審判世界麼，若世界為你們所審，難道你們不配審判這最小的事麼。
林前6:3豈不知我們要審判天使麼，何況今生的事呢。
林前6:4既是這樣，你們若有今生的事當審判，是派教會所輕看的人審判麼。
林前6:5我說這話，是要叫你們羞恥。難道你們中間沒有一個智慧人，能審斷弟兄的事麼。
林前6:6你們竟是弟兄與弟兄告狀，而且告在不信主的人面前。
林前6:7你們彼此告狀，這已經是你們的大錯了，為甚麼不情願受欺呢，為其麼不情願吃虧呢。
林前6:8你們倒是欺壓人，虧負人，況且所欺壓所虧負的就是弟兄。
林前6:9你們豈不知，不義的人不能承受神的國麼。不要自欺，無論是淫亂的，拜偶像的，姦淫的，作孌童的，親男色的，
林前6:10偷竊的，貪婪的，醉酒的，辱罵的，勒索的，都不能承受神的國。
林前6:11你們中間也有人從前是這樣，但如今你們奉主耶穌基督的名，並藉著我們神的靈，已經洗淨，成聖稱義了。
林前6:12凡事我都可行，但不都有益處。凡事我都可行，但無論那一件，我總不受他的轄制。
林前6:13食物是為肚腹，肚腹是為食物，但神要叫這兩樣都廢壞。身子不是為淫亂，乃是為主，主也是為身子。
林前6:14並且神已經叫主復活，也要用自己的能力叫我們復活。
林前6:15豈不知你們的身子是基督的肢體麼，我可以將基督的肢體作為娼妓的肢體麼，斷乎不可。
林前6:16豈不知與娼妓聯合的，便是與他成為一體麼，因為主說：『二人要成為一體。』
林前6:17但與主聯合的，便是與主成為一靈。
林前6:18你們要逃避淫行。人所犯的，無論甚麼罪，都在身子以外，惟有行淫的，是得罪自己的身子。
林前6:19豈不知你們的身子就是聖靈的殿麼，這聖靈是從神而來，住在你們裡頭的，並且你們不是自己的人。

 

 

4 This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.

6 Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. 7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! 9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. 10 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.

Paul’s Appeal and Warning
14 I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

18 Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 21 What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit

 

Dealing With a Case of Incest
5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 3 For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. 4 So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh,[a][b] so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister[c] but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”[d]

 

 

Lawsuits Among Believers

6 If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people? 2 Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? 5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? 6 But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!

 

7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. 9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men[a] 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

 

Sexual Immorality

12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”[b] 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.[c]

 

18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

本日經文提要  (哥林多前書 1:1~3:23)

 

   

 

林前1:1奉神旨意，蒙召作耶穌基督使徒的保羅，同兄弟所提尼，

林前1:2寫信給哥林多神的教會，就是在基督耶穌裡成聖，蒙召作聖徒的，以及所有在各處求告我主耶穌基督之名的人，基督是他們的主，也是我們的主。
林前1:3願恩惠平安，從神我們的父，並主耶穌基督，歸與你們。
林前1:4我常為你們感謝我的神，因神在基督耶穌裡所賜給你們的恩惠。
林前1:5又因你們在他裡面凡事富足，口才知識都全備。
林前1:6正如我為基督作的見證，在你們心裡得以堅固。
林前1:7以致你們在恩賜上沒有一樣不及人的，等候我們的主耶穌基督顯現。
林前1:8他也必堅固你們到底，叫你們在我們主耶穌基督的日子，無可責備。
林前1:9神是信實的，你們原是被他所召，好與他兒子，我們的主耶穌基督，一同得分。
林前1:10弟兄們，我藉我們主耶穌基督的名，勸你們都說一樣的話，你們中間也不可分黨，只要一心一意彼此相合。
林前1:11因為革來氏家裡的人，曾對我題起弟兄們來，說你們中間有分爭。
林前1:12我的意思就是你們各人說：我是屬保羅的，我是屬亞波羅的，我是屬磯法的，我是屬基督的。
林前1:13基督是分開的麼，保羅為你們釘了十字架麼，你們是奉保羅的名受了洗麼。
林前1:14我感謝神，除了基利司布並該猶以外，我沒有給你們一個人施洗。
林前1:15免得有人說：你們是奉我的名受洗。
林前1:16我也給司提反家施過洗，此外給別人施洗沒有，我卻記不清。
林前1:17基督差遣我，原不是為施洗，乃是為傳福音，並不用智慧的言語，免得基督的十字架落了空。
林前1:18因為十字架的道理，在那滅亡的人為愚拙，在我們得救的人卻為神的大能。
林前1:19就如經上所記，『我要滅絕智慧人的智慧，廢棄聰明人的聰明。』
林前1:20智慧人在那裡，文士在那裡，這世上的辯士在那裡，神豈不是叫這世上的智慧變成愚拙麼。
林前1:21世人憑自己的智慧，既不認識神，神就樂意用人所當所愚拙的道理，拯救那些信的人，這就是神的智慧了。
林前1:22猶太人是要神蹟，希利尼人是求智慧。
林前1:23我們卻是傳釘十字架的基督，在猶太人為絆腳石，在外邦人為愚拙，
林前1:24但在那蒙召的，無論是猶太人，希利尼人，基督總為神的能力，神的智慧。
林前1:25因神的愚拙總比人智慧，神的軟弱總比人強壯。
林前1:26弟兄們哪，可見你們蒙召的，按著肉體有智慧的不多，有能力的不多，有尊貴的也不多。
林前1:27神卻揀選了世上愚拙的，叫有智慧的羞愧，又揀選了世上軟弱的，叫那強壯的羞愧。
林前1:28神也揀選了世上卑賤的，被人厭惡的，以及那無有的，為要廢掉那有的。
林前1:29使一切有血氣的，在神面前一個也不能自誇。
林前1:30但你們得在基督耶穌裡，是本乎神，神又使他成為我們的智慧，公義，聖潔，救贖。
林前1:31如經上所記，『誇口的當指著主誇口。』

林前3:1弟兄們，我從前對你們說話，不能把你們當作屬靈的，只得把你們當作屬肉體，在基督裡為嬰孩的。
林前3:2我是用奶餵你們，沒有用飯餵你們，那時你們不能吃，就是如今還是不能。
林前3:3你們仍是屬肉體的，因為在你們中間有嫉妒分爭，這豈不是屬乎肉體，照著世人的樣子行麼。
林前3:4有說：我是屬保羅的，有說：我是屬亞波羅的，這豈不是你們和世人一樣麼。
林前3:5亞波羅算甚麼，保羅算甚麼，無非是執事，照主所賜給他們各人的，引導你們相信。
林前3:6我栽種了，亞波羅澆灌了，惟有神叫他生長。
林前3:7可見栽種的算不得甚麼，澆灌的也算不得甚麼，只在那叫他生長的神。
林前3:8栽種的和澆灌的都是一樣，但將來各人要照自己的工夫，得自己的賞賜。
林前3:9因為我們是與神同工的，你們是神所耕種的田地，所建造的房屋。
林前3:10我照神所給我的恩，好像一個聰明的工頭，立好了根基，有別人在上面建造，只是各人要謹慎怎樣在上面建造。
林前3:11因為那已經立好的根基，就是耶穌基督，此外沒有人能立別的根基。
林前3:12若有人用金，銀，寶石，草木，禾楷，在這根基上建造。
林前3:13各人的工程必然顯露，因為那日子要將他表明出來，有火發現，這火要試驗各人的工程怎樣。
林前3:14人在那根基上所建造的工程，若存得住，他就要得賞賜。
林前3:15人的工程若被燒了，他就要受虧損，自己卻要得救，雖然得救乃像從火裡經過的一樣。
林前3:16豈不知你們是神的殿，神的靈住在你們裡頭麼。
林前3:17若有人毀壞神的殿，神必要毀壞那人，因為神的殿是聖的，這殿就是你們。
林前3:18人不可自欺，你們中間若有人，在這世界自以為有智慧，倒不如變作愚拙，好成為有智慧的。
林前3:19因這世界的智慧，在神看是愚拙，如經上記著說：『主叫有智慧的中了自己的詭計。』
林前3:20又說：『主知道智慧人的意念是虛妄的。』
林前3:21所以無論誰，都不可拿人誇口，因為萬有全是你們的。

林前3:22或保羅，或亞波羅，或磯法，或世界，或生，或死，或現今的事，或將來的事，全是你們的。

林前3:23並且你們是屬基督的，基督又是屬神的。

 

 

 

   

 

1 Corinthians 1 

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving
4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

A Church Divided Over Leaders
10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[a] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas[b]”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Christ Crucified Is God’s Power and Wisdom
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
    the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”[c]
20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[d]

 

1 Corinthians 2 

2 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit
6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”[b]—
    the things God has prepared for those who love him—
10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.[c] 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for,

“Who has known the mind of the Lord
    so as to instruct him?”[d]

But we have the mind of Christ.

 

1 Corinthians 3 

The Church and Its Leaders
3 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”[a]; 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”[b] 21 So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas[c] or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

 

 

羅15:1我們堅固的人，應該擔代不堅固人的軟弱，不求自己的喜悅。
羅15:2我們各人務要叫鄰舍喜悅，使他得益處，建立德行。
羅15:3因為基督也不求自己的喜悅，如經上所記，『辱罵你人的辱罵，都落在我身上。』
羅15:4從前所寫的聖經，都是為教訓我們寫的，叫我們因聖經所生的忍耐和安慰，可以得著盼望。
羅15:5但願賜忍耐安慰的神，叫你們彼此同心，效法基督耶穌。
羅15:6一心一口，榮耀神，我們主耶穌基督的父。
羅15:7所以你們要彼此接納，如同基督接納你們一樣，使榮耀歸與神。
羅15:8我說：基督是為神真理作了受割禮人的執事，要證實所應許列祖的話。
羅15:9並叫外邦人，因他的憐憫，榮耀神，如經上所記，『因此我要在外邦中稱讚你，歌頌你的名。』
羅15:10又說：『你們外邦人，當與主的百姓一同歡樂。』
羅15:11又說：『外邦阿，你們當讚美主，萬民哪，你們都當頌讚他。』
羅15:12又有以賽亞說：『將來有耶西的根，就是那興起來要治理外邦的，外邦人要仰望他。』
羅15:13但願使人有盼望的神，因信，將諸般的喜樂平安，充滿你們的心，使你們藉著聖靈的能力，大有盼望。
羅15:14弟兄們，我自己也深信你們是滿有良善，充足了諸般的知識，也能彼此勸戒。
羅15:15但我稍微放膽寫信給你們，是要提醒你們的記性，特因神所給我的恩典，
羅15:16使我為外邦人作基督耶穌的僕役，作神福音的祭司，叫所獻上的外邦人，因著聖靈，成為聖潔，可蒙悅納。
羅15:17所以論到神的事我在基督耶穌裡有可誇的。
羅15:18除了基督藉我作的那些事，我甚麼都不敢題，只題他藉我言語作為，用神蹟奇事的能力，並聖靈的能力，使外邦人順服。
羅15:19甚至我從耶路撒冷，直轉到以利哩古，到處傳了基督的福音。
羅15:20我立了志向，不在基督的名被稱過的地方傳福音，免得建造在別人的根基上。
羅15:21就如經上所記，『未曾聞知他信息的，將要看見，未曾聽過的，將要明白。』
羅15:22我因多次被攔阻，總不得到你們那裡去。
羅15:23但如今在這裡再沒有可傳的地方，而且這好幾年，我切心想望到士班雅去的時候，可以到你們那裡。
羅15:24盼望從你們那裡經過，得見你們，先與你們彼此交往，心裡稍微滿足，然後蒙你們送行。
羅15:25但現在我往耶路撒冷去，供給聖徒。
羅15:26因為馬其頓，和亞該亞人樂意湊出捐項，給耶路撒冷聖徒中的窮人。
羅15:27這固然是他們樂意的，其實也算是所欠的債，因外邦人，既然在他們屬靈的好處上有分，就當把養身之物供給他們。
羅15:28等我辦完了這事，把這善果向他們交付明白，我就要路過你們那裡，往士班雅去。
羅15:29我也曉得去的時候，必帶著基督豐盛的恩典而去。
羅15:30弟兄們，我藉著我們主耶穌基督，又藉著聖靈的愛，勸你們與我一同竭力，為我祈求神。
羅15:31叫我脫離在猶太不順從的人，也叫我為耶路撒冷所辦的捐項，可蒙聖徒悅納。
羅15:32並叫我順著神的旨意，歡歡喜喜的到你們那裡，與你們同得安息。
羅15:33願賜平安的神，常和你們眾人同在。阿們。

羅16:1我對你們舉薦我們的姊妹非比，他是堅革哩教會中的女執事。
羅16:2請你們為主接待他，合乎聖徒的體統，他在何事上，要你們幫助，你們就幫助他，因他素來幫助許多人，也幫助了我。
羅16:3問百基拉和亞居拉安，他們在基督耶穌裡與我同工，
羅16:4也為我的命，將自己的頸項，置之度外，不但我感謝他們，就是外邦的眾教會，也感謝他們。
羅16:5又問在他們家中的教會安。問我所親愛的以拜尼士安，他在亞西亞是歸基督初結的果子。
羅16:6又問馬利亞安，他為你們多受勞若。
羅16:7又問我親屬與我一同坐監的安多尼古和猶尼亞安，他們在使徒中是有名望的，也是比我先在基督裡。
羅16:8又問我在主裡面所親愛的暗伯利安。
羅16:9又問在基督裡與我們同工的耳巴奴，並我所親愛的士大古安。
羅16:10又問在基督裡經過試驗的亞比利安。問亞利多布家裡的人安。
羅16:11又問我親屬希羅天安。問拿其數家在主裡的人安。
羅16:12又問為主勞苦的士非拿氏和士富撒氏安。問可親愛為主多受勞苦的彼息氏安。
羅16:13又問在主蒙揀選的魯孚和他母親安，他的母親就是我的母親。
羅16:14又問亞遜其士，弗勒干，黑米，八羅巴，黑馬，並與他們在一處的弟兄們安。
羅16:15又問非羅羅古，和猶利亞，尼利亞，和他姊妹，同阿林巴，並與他們在一處的眾聖徒安。
羅16:16你們親嘴問安，彼此務要聖潔。基督的眾教會都問你們安。
羅16:17弟兄們，那些離間你們，叫你們跌倒，背乎所學之道的人，我勸你們要留意躲避他們。
羅16:18因為這樣的人不服事我們的主基督，只服事自己的肚腹，用花言巧語，誘惑那些老實人的心。
羅16:19你們的順服，已經傳於眾人，所以我為你們歡喜，但我願意你們在善上聰明，在惡上愚拙。
羅16:20賜平安的神，快要將撒但踐踏在你們腳下。願我主耶穌基督的恩，常和你們同在。
羅16:21與我同工的提摩太，和我的親屬路求，耶孫，所西巴德，問你們安。
羅16:22我這代筆寫信的德丟，在主裡面問你們安。
羅16:23那接待我，也接待全教會的該猶，問你們安。
羅16:24城內管銀庫的以拉都，和兄弟括士，問你們安。
羅16:25惟有神能照我所傳的福音，和所講的耶穌基督，並照永古隱藏不言的奧秘，堅固你們的心。
羅16:26這奧秘如今顯明出來，而且按著永生神的命，藉眾先知的書指示萬國的民，使他們信服真道。

 

Romans 15 

15 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”[a] 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews[b] on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
    I will sing the praises of your name.”[c]
10 Again, it says,

“Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.”[d]
11 And again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
    let all the peoples extol him.”[e]
12 And again, Isaiah says,

“The Root of Jesse will spring up,
    one who will arise to rule over the nations;
    in him the Gentiles will hope.”[f]
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles
14 I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. 15 Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

17 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. 18 I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— 19 by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. 21 Rather, as it is written:

“Those who were not told about him will see,
    and those who have not heard will understand.”[g]
22 This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.

Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome
23 But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, 24 I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. 27 They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. 28 So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. 29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.

30 I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 31 Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, 32 so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. 33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen.

 

 

16 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon[a][b] of the church in Cenchreae. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.

3 Greet Priscilla[c] and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

5 Greet also the church that meets at their house.

Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.

6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.

7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among[d] the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.

8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.

9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.

Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.

11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.

Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.

Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.

13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.

14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.

15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them.

16 Greet one another with a holy kiss.

All the churches of Christ send greetings.

17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

21 Timothy, my co-worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.

22 I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.

23 Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings.

Erastus, who is the city’s director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings. [24] [e]

25 Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from[f] faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

本日經文提要  (羅馬書 10:1~14:23)

 

 

羅10:1弟兄們，我心裡所願的，向神所求的，是要以色列人得救。
羅10:2我可以證明他們向神有熱心，但不是按著真知識。
羅10:3因為不知道神的義，想要立自己的義，就不服神的義了。
羅10:4律法的總結就是基督，使凡信他的都得著義。
羅10:5摩西寫著說：『人若行那出於律法的義，就必因此活著。』
羅10:6惟有出於信心的義如此說：『你不要心裡說：誰要升到天上去呢，就是要領下基督來。
羅10:7誰要下到陰間去呢，就是要領基督從死裡上來。』
羅10:8他到底怎麼說呢，他說：『這道離你不遠，正在你口裡，在你心裡。』就是我們所傳信主的道。
羅10:9你若口裡認耶穌為主，心裡信神叫他從死裡復活，就必得救。
羅10:10因為人心裡相信，就可以稱義，口裡承認，就可以得救。
羅10:11經上說：『凡信他的人，必不至於羞愧。』
羅10:12猶太人和希利尼人，並沒有分別，因為眾人同有一位主，他也厚待一切求告他的人。
羅10:13因為『凡求告主名的，就必得救。』
羅10:14然而人未曾信他，怎能求他呢，未曾聽見他，怎能信他呢，有沒傳道的，怎能聽見呢。
羅10:15若沒有奉差遣，怎能傳道呢，如經上所記，『報福音傳喜信的人，他們的腳蹤何等佳美。』
羅10:16只是人沒有都聽從福音，因為以賽亞說：『主阿，我們所傳的有誰信呢。』
羅10:17可見信道是從聽道來的，聽道是從基督的話來的。
羅10:18但我說：人沒有聽見麼，誠然聽見了，『他們的聲音傳遍天下，他們的言語傳到地極。』
羅10:19我再說：以色列人不知道麼，先有摩西說：『我要用那不成子民的，惹動你們的憤恨，我要用那無知的民，觸動你們的怒氣。』
羅10:20又有以賽亞放膽說：『沒有尋找我的，我叫他們遇見，沒有訪問我的，我向他們顯現。』
羅10:21至於以色列人，他說：『我整天伸手招呼那悖逆頂嘴的百姓。』

羅11:1我且說：神棄絕了他的百姓麼，斷乎沒有，因為我也是以色列人，亞伯拉罕的後裔，屬便雅憫支派的。
羅11:2神並沒有棄絕他豫先所知道的百姓。你們豈不曉得經上論到以利亞是怎麼說的呢，他在神面前怎樣控告以色列人，說：
羅11:3『主阿，他們殺了你的先知，拆了你的祭壇，只剩下我一個人，他們還要尋索我的命。』
羅11:4神的回話是怎麼說的呢，他說：『我為自己留下七千人，是未曾向巴力屈膝的。』
羅11:5如今也是這樣，照著揀選的恩典還有所留的餘數。
羅11:6既是出於恩典，就不在乎行為，不然，恩典就不是恩典了。
羅11:7這是怎麼樣呢，以色列人所求的，他們沒有得著，惟有蒙揀選的人得著了，其餘的就成了頑梗不化的。
羅11:8如經上所記，『神給他們昏迷的心，眼睛不能看見，耳朵不能聽見，直到今日。』
羅11:9大衛也說：『願他們的筵席變為網羅，變為機檻，變為絆腳石，作他們的報應。
羅11:10願他們的眼睛昏矇，不得看見，願你時常彎下他們的腰。』
羅11:11我且說：他們失腳是要他們跌倒麼，斷乎不是，反倒因他們的過失，救恩便臨到外邦人，要激動他們發憤。
羅11:12若他們的過失，為天下的富足，他們的缺乏，為外邦人的富足，何況他們的豐滿呢。
羅11:13我對你們外邦人說這話，因我是外邦人的使徒，所以敬重我的職分，〔敬重原文作榮耀〕
羅11:14或者可以激動我骨肉之親發憤，好救他們一些人。
羅11:15若他們被丟棄，天下就得與神和好，他們被收納，豈不是死而復生麼。
羅11:16所獻的新麵若是聖潔，全團也就聖潔了，樹根若是聖潔，樹枝也就聖潔了。
羅11:17若有幾根枝子被折下來，你這野橄欖得接在其中，一同得著橄欖根的肥汁。
羅11:18你就不向舊枝子誇口，若是誇口，當知道不是你托著根，乃是根托著你。
羅11:19你若說：那枝子被折下來，是特為叫我接上。
羅11:20不錯，他們因為不信，所以被折下來，你因為信，所以立得住，你不可自高，反要懼怕。
羅11:21神既不愛惜原來的枝子，也必不愛惜你。
羅11:22可見神的恩慈，和嚴厲，向那跌倒的人，是嚴厲的，向你是有恩慈的，只要你長久在他的恩慈裡，不然，你也要被砍下來。
羅11:23而且他們若不是長久不信，仍要被接上，因為神能夠把他們從新接上。
羅11:24你是從那天生的野橄欖上砍下來的，尚且逆著性得接在好橄欖上，何況這本樹的枝子，要接在本樹上呢。
羅11:25弟兄們，我不願意你們不知道這奧秘，（恐怕你們自以為聰明）就是以色列人有幾分是硬心的，等到外邦人的數目添滿了。
羅11:26於是以色列全家都要得救，如經上所記，『必有一位救主，從錫安出來，要消除雅各家的一切罪惡。』
羅11:27又說：『我除去他們罪的時候，這就是我與他們所立的約。』
羅11:28就著福音說：他們為你們的緣故是仇敵，就著揀選說：他們為列祖的緣故是蒙愛的。
羅11:29因為神的恩賜和選召，是沒有後悔的。
羅11:30你們從前不順服神，如今因他們的不順服，你們倒蒙了憐恤。
羅11:31這樣，他們也是不順服，叫他們因著施給你們的憐恤，現在也就蒙憐恤。
羅11:32因為神將眾人都圈在不順服之中，特意要憐恤眾人。
羅11:33深哉，神豐富的智慧和知識。他的判斷，何其難測，他的蹤跡何其難尋，
羅11:34誰知道主的心，誰作過他的謀士呢，
羅11:35誰是先給了他，使他後來償還呢。
羅11:36因為萬有都是本於他，倚靠他，歸於他，願榮耀歸給他，直到永遠。阿們。

羅12:1所以弟兄們，我以神的慈悲勸你們，將身體獻上，當作活祭，是聖潔的，是神所喜悅的，你們如此事奉，乃是理所當然的。
羅12:2不要效法這個世界，只要心意更新而變化，叫你們察驗何為神的善良，純全可喜悅的旨意。
羅12:3我憑著所賜我的恩，對你們各人說：不要看自己過於所當看的，要照著神所分給各人信心的大小，看得合乎中道。
羅12:4正如我們一個身子上有好些肢體，肢體也不都是一樣的用處。
羅12:5我們這許多人，在基督裡成為一身，互相聯絡作肢體，也是如此。
羅12:6按我們所得的恩賜，各有不同，或說豫言，就當照著信心的程度說豫言。
羅12:7或作執事，就當專一執事，或作教導的，就當專一教導。
羅12:8或作勸化的，就當專一勸化，施捨的，就當誠實，治理的，就當殷勤，憐憫人的，就當甘心。
羅12:9愛人不可虛假，惡要厭惡，善要親近。
羅12:10愛弟兄，要彼此親熱，恭敬人，要彼此推讓。
羅12:11殷勤不可懶惰，要心裡火熱，常常服事主。
羅12:12在指望中要喜樂，在患難中要忍耐。禱告要恆切。
羅12:13聖徒缺乏要幫補，客要一味的款待。
羅12:14逼迫你們的，要給他們祝福，只要祝福，不可咒詛。
羅12:15與喜樂的人要同樂，與哀哭的人要同哭。
羅12:16要彼此同心，不要志氣高大，倒要俯就卑微的人。〔人或作事〕不要自以為聰明。
羅12:17不要以惡報惡，眾人以為美的事，要留心去作。
羅12:18若是能行，總要盡力與眾人和睦。
羅12:19親愛的弟兄，不要自己伸冤，寧可讓步，聽憑主怒，〔或作讓人發怒〕因為經上記著，『主說：伸冤在我，我必報應。』
羅12:20所以『你的仇敵若餓了，就給他吃，若渴了，就給他喝，因為你這樣行，就是把炭火堆在他的頭上。』
羅12:21你不可為惡所勝，反要以善勝惡。

羅13:1在上有權柄的，人人當順服他，因為沒有權柄不是出於神的，凡掌權的都是神所命的。
羅13:2所以抗拒掌權的，就是抗拒神的命，抗拒的必自取刑罰。
羅13:3作官的原不是叫行善的懼怕，乃是叫作惡的懼怕。你願意不懼怕掌權的麼，你只要行善，就可得他的稱讚。
羅13:4因為他是神的用人，是與你有益的。你若作惡，卻當懼怕，因為他不是空空的佩劍，他是神的用人，是伸冤的，刑罰那作惡的。
羅13:5所以你們必須順服，不但是因為刑罰，也是因為良心。
羅13:6你們納糧，也為這個緣故，因他們是神的差役，常常特管這事。
羅13:7凡人所當得的，就給他，當得糧的，給他納糧，當得稅的，給他上稅，當懼怕的，懼怕他，當恭敬的，恭敬他。
羅13:8凡事都不可虧欠人，惟有彼此相愛，要常以為虧欠，因為愛人的就完全了律法。
羅13:9像那不可姦淫，不可殺人，不可偷盜，不可貪婪，或有別的誡命，都包在愛人如己這一句話之內了。
羅13:10愛是不加害與人的，所以愛就完全了律法。
羅13:11再者，你們曉得現今就是該趁早睡醒的時候，因為我們得救，現今比初信的時候更近了。
羅13:12黑夜已深，白晝將近，我們就當脫去暗昧的行為，帶上光明的兵器。
羅13:13行事為人要端正，好像行在白晝，不可荒宴醉酒，不可好色邪蕩，不可爭競嫉妒。
羅13:14總要披戴主耶穌基督，不要為肉體安排，去放縱私慾。

羅14:1信心軟弱的，你們要接納，但不要辯論所疑惑的事。
羅14:2有人信百物都可吃，但那軟弱的，只吃蔬菜。
羅14:3吃的人不可輕看不吃的人，不吃的人不可論斷吃的人，因為神己經收納他了。
羅14:4你是誰，竟論斷別人的僕人呢。他或站住，或跌倒，自有他的主人在，而且他也必要站住，因為主能使他站住。
羅14:5有人看這日比那日強，有人看日日都是一樣，只是各人心裡要意見堅定。
羅14:6守日的人，是為主守的，吃的人，是為主吃的，因他感謝神，不吃的人，是為主不吃的，也感謝神。
羅14:7我們沒有一個人為自己活，也沒有一個人為自己死。
羅14:8我們若活著，是為主而活，若死了，是為主而死，所以我們或活或死，總是主的人。
羅14:9因此基督死了，又活了，為要作死人並活人的主。
羅14:10你這個人，為甚麼論斷弟兄呢，又為甚麼輕看弟兄呢，因我們都要站在神的臺前。
羅14:11經上寫著，『主說：我憑著我的永生起誓，萬膝必向我跪拜，萬口必向我承認。』
羅14:12這樣看來，我們各人必要將自己的事，在神面前說明。
羅14:13所以我們不可再彼此論斷，寧可定意誰也不給弟兄放下絆腳跌人之物。
羅14:14我憑著主耶穌確知深信，凡物本來沒有不潔淨的，惟獨人以為不潔淨的，在他就不潔淨了。
羅14:15你若因食物叫弟兄憂愁，就不是按著愛人的道理行。基督已經替他死，你不可因你的食物叫他敗壞。
羅14:16不可叫你的善被人毀謗。
羅14:17因為神的國，不在乎吃喝，只在乎公義，和平，並聖靈中的喜樂。
羅14:18在這幾樣上服事基督的，就為神所喜悅，又為人所稱許。
羅14:19所以我們務要追求和睦的事，與彼此建立德行的事。
羅14:20不可因食物毀壞神的工程，凡物固然潔淨，但有人因食物叫人跌倒，就是他的罪了。
羅14:21無論是吃肉，是喝酒，是甚麼別的事，叫弟兄跌倒，一概不作才好。
羅14:22你有信心，就當在神面前守著。人在自己以為可行的事上，能不自責，就有福了。

 

Romans 10 

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”[a] 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”[b] (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”[c] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”[d] that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[e] 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[f]

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”[g]

16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”[h] 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:

“Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.”[i]
19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,

“I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
    I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”[j]
20 And Isaiah boldly says,

“I was found by those who did not seek me;
    I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”[k]
21 But concerning Israel he says,

“All day long I have held out my hands

    to a disobedient and obstinate people.”[l]

 

 

 

11 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”[a]? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”[b] 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8 as it is written:

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
    eyes that could not see
    and ears that could not hear,
to this very day.”[c]
9 And David says:

“May their table become a snare and a trap,
    a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
    and their backs be bent forever.”[d]
Ingrafted Branches
11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!

13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

All Israel Will Be Saved
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way[e] all Israel will be saved. As it is written:

“The deliverer will come from Zion;
    he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is[f] my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”[g]
28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now[h] receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

Doxology
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and[i] knowledge of God!
    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counselor?”[j]
35 “Who has ever given to God,
    that God should repay them?”[k]
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.

    To him be the glory forever! Amen.

 

 

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Humble Service in the Body of Christ
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love in Action
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e]

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

 

13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Love Fulfills the Law
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

The Day Is Near

11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.[c]

 

 

14 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
    every tongue will acknowledge God.’”[b]
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.[c]

 

本日經文提要  (羅馬書 5:1~9:33)

 

   

 

羅5:1我們既因信稱義，就藉著我們的主耶穌基督，得與神相和。
羅5:2我們又藉著他，因信得進入現在所站的這恩典中，並且歡歡喜喜盼望神的榮耀。
羅5:3不但如此，就是在患難中，也是歡歡喜喜的，因為知道患難生忍耐。
羅5:4忍耐生老練，老練生盼望。
羅5:5盼望不至於羞恥，因為所賜給我們的聖靈，將神的愛澆灌在我們心裡。
羅5:6因我們還軟弱的時候，基督就按所定的日期為罪人死。
羅5:7為義人死，是少有的，為仁人死，或者有敢作的。
羅5:8惟有基督在我們還作罪人的時候為我們死，神的愛就在此向我們顯明了。
羅5:9現在我們既靠著他的血稱義，就更要藉著他免去神的忿怒。
羅5:10因為我們作仇敵的時候，且藉著神兒子的死，得與神和好，既已和好，就更要因他的生得救了。
羅5:11不但如此，我們既藉著我主耶穌基督，得與神和好，也就藉著他，以神為樂。
羅5:12這就如罪是從一人入了世界，死又是從罪來的，於是死就臨到眾人，因為眾人都犯了罪。
羅5:13沒有律法之先，罪已經在世上，但沒有律法，罪也不算罪。
羅5:14然而從亞當到摩西死就作了王，連那些不與亞當犯一樣罪過的，也在他的權下，亞當乃是那以後要來之人的豫像。
羅5:15只是過犯不如恩賜，若因一人的過犯，眾人都死了，何況神的恩典，與那因耶穌基督一人恩典中的賞賜，豈不更加倍的臨到眾人麼。
羅5:16因一人犯罪就定罪，也不如恩賜，原來審判是由一人而定罪，恩賜乃是由許多過犯而稱義。
羅5:17若因一人的過犯，死就因這一人作了王，何況那些受洪恩又蒙所賜之義的，豈不更要因耶穌基督一人在生命中作王麼。
羅5:18如此說來，因一次的過犯，眾人都被定罪，照樣，因一次的義行，眾人也就被稱義得生命了。
羅5:19因一人的悖逆，眾人成為罪人，照樣，因一人的順從，眾人也成為義了。
羅5:20律法本是外添的，叫過犯顯多，只是罪在那裡顯多，恩典就更顯多了。
羅5:21就如罪作王叫人死，照樣，恩典也藉著義作王，叫人因我們的主耶穌基督得永生。

羅6:1這樣，怎麼說呢，我們可以仍在罪中，叫恩典顯多麼。
羅6:2斷乎不可，我們在罪上死了的人，豈可仍在罪中活著呢。
羅6:3豈不知我們這受洗歸入基督耶穌的人，是受洗歸入他的死麼。
羅6:4所以我們藉著洗禮歸入死，和他一同埋葬，原是叫我們一舉一動有新生的樣式，像基督藉著父的榮耀，從死裡復活一樣。
羅6:5我們若在他死的形狀上與他聯合，也要在他復活的形狀上與他聯合。
羅6:6因為知道我們的舊人，和他同釘十字架，使罪身滅絕，叫我們不再作罪的奴僕。
羅6:7因為已死的人，是脫離了罪。
羅6:8我們若是與基督同死，就信必與他同活。
羅6:9因為知道基督既從死裡復活，就不再死，死也不再作他的主了。
羅6:10他死是向罪死了，只有一次，他活是向神活著。
羅6:11這樣，你們向罪也當看自己是死的，向神在基督耶穌裡，卻當看自己是活的。
羅6:12所以不要容罪在你們必死的身上作王，使你門順從身子的私慾。
羅6:13也不要將你們的肢體獻給罪作不義的器具，倒要像從死裡復活的人，將自己獻給神，並將肢體作義的器具獻給神。
羅6:14罪必不能作你們的主，因你們不在律法之下，乃在恩典之下。
羅6:15這卻怎麼樣呢，我們在恩典之下，不在律法之下，就可以犯罪麼，斷乎不可。
羅6:16豈不曉得你們獻上自己作奴僕，順從誰，就作誰的奴僕麼，或作罪的奴僕，以至於死，或作順命的奴僕，以至成義。
羅6:17感謝神，因為你們從前雖然作罪的奴僕，現今卻從心裡順服了所傳給你們道理的模範。
羅6:18你們既從罪裡得了釋放，就作了義的奴僕。
羅6:19我因你們肉體的軟弱，就照人的常話對你們說：你們從前怎樣將肢體獻給不潔不法作奴僕，以至於不法，現今也要照樣將肢體獻給義作奴僕，以至於成聖。
羅6:20因為你們作罪之奴僕的時候，就不被義約束了。
羅6:21你們現今所看為羞恥的事，當日有甚麼果子呢，那些事的結局就是死。
羅6:22但現今你們既從罪裡得了釋放，作了神的奴僕，就有成聖的果子，那結局就是永生。
羅6:23因為罪的工價乃是死，惟有神的恩賜，在我們的主基督耶穌裡，乃是永生。

羅7:1弟兄們，我現在對明白律法的人說：你們豈不曉得律法管人是在活著的時候麼。
羅7:2就如女人有了丈夫，丈夫還活著，就被律法約束，丈夫若死了，就脫離了丈夫的律法。
羅7:3所以丈夫活著，他若歸於別人，便叫淫婦，丈夫若死了，他就脫離了丈夫的律法，雖然歸於別人，也不是淫婦。
羅7:4我的弟兄們，這樣說來，你們藉著基督的身體，在律法上也是死了，叫你們歸於別人，就是歸於那從死裡復活的，叫我們結果子給神。
羅7:5因為我們屬肉體的時候，那因律法而生的惡慾，就在我們肢體中發動，以致結成死亡的果子。
羅7:6但我們既然在捆我們的律法上死了，現今就脫離了律法，叫我們服事主，要按著心靈的新樣，不按著儀文的舊樣。〔心靈或作聖靈〕
羅7:7這樣，我們可說甚麼呢，律法是罪麼，斷乎不是，只是非因律法，我就不知何為罪，非律法說：『不可起貪心。』我就不知何為貪心。
羅7:8然而罪趁著機會，就藉著誡命叫諸般的貪心在我裡頭發動，因為沒有律法罪是死的。
羅7:9我以前沒有律法是活著的，但是誡命來到，罪又活了，我就死了。
羅7:10那本來叫人活的誡命，反倒叫我死。
羅7:11因為罪趁著機會，就藉著誡命引誘我，並且殺了我。
羅7:12這樣看來，律法是聖潔的，誡命也是聖潔，公義，良善的。
羅7:13既然如此，那良善的是叫我死麼，斷乎不是，叫我死的乃是罪。但罪藉著那良善的叫我死，就顯出真是罪，叫罪因著誡命更顯出是惡極了。
羅7:14我們原曉得律法是屬乎靈的，但我是屬乎肉體的，是已經賣給罪了。
羅7:15因為我所作的，我自己不明白，我所願意的，我並不作，我所恨惡的，我倒去作。
羅7:16若我所作的，是我所不願意的，我就應承律法是善的。
羅7:17既是這樣，就不是我作的，乃是住在我裡頭的罪作的。
羅7:18我也知道，在我裡頭，就是我肉體之中，沒有良善，因為立志為善由得我，只是行出來由不得我。
羅7:19故此，我所願意的善，我反不作，我所不願意的惡，我倒去作。
羅7:20若我去作所不願意作的，就不是我作的，乃是住在我裡頭的罪作的。
羅7:21我覺得有個律，就是我願意為善的時候，便有惡與我同在。
羅7:22因為按著我裡面的意思。〔原文作人〕我是喜歡神的律。
羅7:23但我覺得肢體中另有個律，和我心中的律交戰，把我擄去叫我附從那肢體中犯罪的律。
羅7:24我真是苦阿，誰能救我脫離這取死的身體呢。
羅7:25感謝神，靠著我們的主耶穌基督就能脫離了。這樣看來，我以內心順服神的律，我肉體卻順服罪的律了。

羅8:1如今那些在基督耶穌裡的，就不定罪了。
羅8:2因為賜生命聖靈的律，在基督耶穌裡釋放了我，使我脫離罪和死的律了。
羅8:3律法既因肉體軟弱，有所不能行的，神就差遣自己的兒子，成為罪身的形狀，作了贖罪祭，在肉體中定了罪案。
羅8:4使律法的義，成就在我們這不隨從肉體，只隨從聖靈的人身上。
羅8:5因為隨從肉體的人，體貼肉體的事，隨從聖靈的人，體貼聖靈的事。
羅8:6體貼肉體的就是死，體貼聖靈的乃是生命平安。
羅8:7原來體貼肉體，就是與神為仇，因為不服神的律法，也是不能服。
羅8:8而且屬肉體的人，不能得神的喜歡。
羅8:9如果神的靈住在你們心裡，你們就不屬肉體，乃屬聖靈了，人若沒有基督的靈，就不是屬基督的。
羅8:10基督若在你們心裡，身體就因罪而死，心靈卻因義而活。
羅8:11然而叫耶穌從死裡復活者的靈，若住在你們心裡，那叫基督耶穌從死裡復活的，也必藉著住在你們心裡的聖靈，使你們必死的身體又活過來。
羅8:12弟兄們，這樣看來，我們並不是欠肉體的債，去順從肉體活著。
羅8:13你們若順從肉體活著必要死，若靠著聖靈治死身體的惡行必要活著。
羅8:14因為凡被神的靈引導的，都是神的兒子。
羅8:15你們所受的不是奴僕的心，仍舊害怕，所受的乃是兒子心，因此我們呼叫阿爸，父。
羅8:16聖靈與我們的心同證我們是神的兒女。
羅8:17既是兒女，便是後嗣，就是神的後嗣，和基督同作後嗣，如果我們和他一同受苦，也必和他一同得榮耀。
羅8:18我想現在的苦楚，若比起將來要顯於我們的榮耀，就不足介意了。
羅8:19受造之物，切望等候神的眾子顯出來。
羅8:20因為受造之物服在虛空之下，不是自己願意，乃是因那叫他如此的。
羅8:21但受造之物仍然指望脫離敗壞的轄制，得享神兒女自由的榮耀。〔享原文作入〕
羅8:22我們知道一切受造之物，一同歎息勞苦，直到如今。
羅8:23不但如此，就是我們這有聖靈初結果子的，也是自己心裡歎息，等候得著兒子的名分，乃是我們的身體得贖。
羅8:24我們得救是在乎盼望，只是所見的盼望不是盼望，誰還盼望他所看的呢。〔有古卷作人所看見的何必再盼望呢〕
羅8:25但我們若盼望那所不見的，就必忍耐等候。
羅8:26況且我們的軟弱有聖靈幫助，我們本不曉得當怎樣禱告，只是聖靈親自用說不出來的歎息，替我們禱告。
羅8:27鑒察人心的，曉得聖靈的意思，因為聖靈照著神的旨意替聖徒祈求。
羅8:28我們曉得萬事都互相效力，叫愛神的人得益處，就是按他旨意被召的人。
羅8:29因為他豫先所知道的人，就豫先定下效法他兒子的模樣使他兒子在許多弟兄中作長子。
羅8:30豫先所定下的人又召他們來，所召來的人，又稱他們為義，所稱為義的人，又叫他們得榮耀。
羅8:31既是這樣，還有甚麼說的呢，神若幫助我們，誰能敵擋我們呢。
羅8:32神既不愛惜自己的兒子為我們眾人捨了，豈不也把萬物和他一同白白的賜給我們麼。
羅8:33誰能控告神所揀選的人呢，有神稱他們為義了。〔或作是稱他們為義的神麼〕
羅8:34誰能定他們的罪呢，有基督耶穌已經死了，而且從死裡復活，現今在神的右邊，也替我們祈求。〔有基督云云或作是已經死了而且從死裡復活現今在神的右邊也替我們祈求的基督耶穌麼〕
羅8:35誰能使我們與基督的愛隔絕呢，難道是患難麼，是困苦麼，是逼迫麼，是飢餓麼，是赤身露體麼，是危險麼，是刀劍麼。
羅8:36如經上所記，『我們為你的緣故，終日被殺，人看我們如將宰的羊。』
羅8:37然而靠著愛我們的主，在這一切的事上，已經得勝有餘了。
羅8:38因為我深信無論是死，是生，是天使，是掌權的，是有能的，是現在的事，是將來的事，
羅8:39是高處的，是低處的，是別的受造之物，都不能叫我們與神的愛隔絕，這愛是在我們的主基督耶穌裡的。

 

羅9:1我在基督裡說真話，並不謊言，有我良心被聖靈感動，給我作見證。
羅9:2我是大有憂愁，心裡時常傷痛。
羅9:3為我弟兄，我骨肉之親，就是自己被咒詛，與基督分離，我也願意。
羅9:4他們是以色列人，那兒子的名分，榮耀，諸約，律法，禮儀，應許，都是他們的。
羅9:5列祖就是他們的祖宗，按肉體說：基督也是從他們出來的，他是在萬有之上，永遠可稱頌的神。阿們。
羅9:6這不是說神的話落了空，因為從以色列生的，不都是以色列人。
羅9:7也不因為是亞伯拉罕的後裔，就都作他的兒女，惟獨『從以撒生的，才要稱為你的後裔。』
羅9:8這就是說：肉身所生的兒女，不是神的兒女，惟獨那應許的兒女，才算是後裔。
羅9:9因為所應許的話是這樣說：『到明年這時候我要來，撒拉必生一個兒子。』
羅9:10不但如此，還有利百加，既從一個人，就是從我們的祖宗以撒懷了孕。
羅9:11（雙子還沒有生下來，善惡還沒有作出來，只因要顯明神揀選人的旨意，不在乎人的行為，乃在乎召人的主）
羅9:12神就對利百加說：『將來大的要服事小的。』
羅9:13正如經上所記，『雅各是我所愛的，以掃是我所惡的。』
羅9:14這樣，我們可說甚麼呢，難道神有甚麼不公平麼，斷乎沒有。
羅9:15因他對摩西說：『我要憐憫誰，就憐憫誰，要恩待誰，就恩待誰。』
羅9:16據此看來，這不在乎那定意的，也不在乎那奔跑的，只在乎發憐憫的神。
羅9:17因為經上有話向法老說：『我將你興起來，特要在你身上彰顯我的權能，並要使我的名傳遍天下。』
羅9:18如此看來，神要憐憫誰，就憐憫誰，要叫誰剛硬，就叫誰剛硬。
羅9:19這樣，你必對我說：他為甚麼還指責人呢，有誰抗拒他的旨意呢。
羅9:20你這個人哪，你是誰，竟敢向神強嘴呢，受造之物豈能對造他的說：你為甚麼這樣造我呢。
羅9:21窯匠難道沒有權柄，從一團泥裡拿一塊作成貴重的器皿，又拿一塊作成卑賤的器皿麼。
羅9:22倘若神要顯明他的忿怒，彰顯他的權能，就多多忍耐寬容那可怒豫備遭毀滅的器皿。
羅9:23又要將他豐盛的榮耀，彰顯在那蒙憐憫早豫備得榮耀的器皿上。
羅9:24這器皿就是我們被神所召的，不但是從猶太人中，也是從外邦人中，這有甚麼不可呢。
羅9:25就像神在何西阿書上說：『那本來不是我子民的，我要稱為我的子民，本來不是蒙愛的，我要稱為蒙愛的。
羅9:26從前在甚麼地方對他們說：你們不是我的子民，將來就在那裡稱他們為永生神的兒子。』
羅9:27以賽亞指著以色列人喊著說：『以色列人雖多如海沙，得救的不過是剩下的餘數。
羅9:28因為主要在世上施行他的話，叫他的話都成全，速速的完結。』
羅9:29又如以賽亞先前說過，『若不是萬軍之主給我們存留餘種，我們早已像所多瑪，蛾摩拉的樣子了。』
羅9:30這樣，我們可說甚麼呢，那本來不追求義的外邦人，反得了義，就是因信而得的義。
羅9:31但以色列人追求律法的義，反得不著律法的義。
羅9:32這是甚麼緣故呢，是因為他們不憑著信心求，只憑著行為求，他們正跌在那絆腳石上。

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

 

6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Slaves to Righteousness
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

7 Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? 2 For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. 3 So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the realm of the flesh,[a] the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

The Law and Sin
7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”[b] 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.

13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature[d] a slave to the law of sin.

 

8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.[c] And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[d] because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[e] his Spirit who lives in you.

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,[g] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Present Suffering and Future Glory
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[h] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[i] have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

More Than Conquerors
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[j]

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Romans 9

Paul’s Anguish Over Israel
9 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised![a] Amen.

God’s Sovereign Choice
6 It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[b] 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9 For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”[c]

10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”[d] 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[e]

14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”[f]
16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”[g] 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”[h] 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

22 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As he says in Hosea:

“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”[i]
26 and,

“In the very place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”[j]
27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:

“Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
28 For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”[k]
29 It is just as Isaiah said previously:

“Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.”[l]
Israel’s Unbelief
30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:

“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[m]

本日經文提要  (羅馬書 3:1~4:25)

 

 

 

羅3:1這樣說來，猶太人有甚麼長處，割禮有甚麼益處呢。
羅3:2凡事大有好處，第一是神的聖言交託他們。
羅3:3即便有不信的，這有何妨呢，難道他們的不信，就廢掉神的信麼。
羅3:4斷乎不能，不如說：神是真實的，人都是虛謊的，如經上所記，『你責備人的時候，顯為公義，被人議論的時候，可以得勝。』
羅3:5我且照著人的常話說：我們的不義，若顯出神的義來，我們可以怎麼說呢，神降怒，是他不義麼。
羅3:6斷乎不是，若是這樣，神怎能審判世界呢。
羅3:7若神的真實，因我的虛謊，越發顯出他的榮耀，為甚麼我還受審判，好像罪人呢。
羅3:8為甚麼不說：我們可以作惡以成善呢，這是毀謗我們的人，說我們有這話，這等人定罪，是該當的。
羅3:9這卻怎麼樣呢，我們比他們強麼，決不是的，因我們已經證明，猶太人和希利尼人都在罪惡之下。
羅3:10就如經上所記，『沒有義人，連一個也沒有。
羅3:11沒有明白的，沒有尋求神的。
羅3:12都是偏離正路，一同變為無用，沒有行善的，連一個也沒有。
羅3:13他們的喉嚨是敞開的墳墓，他們用舌頭弄詭詐，嘴唇裡有虺蛇的毒氣。
羅3:14滿口是咒罵苦毒。
羅3:15殺人流血他們的腳飛跑。
羅3:16所經過的路，便行殘害暴虐的事。
羅3:17平安的路，他們未曾知道。
羅3:18他們眼中不怕神。』
羅3:19我們曉得律法上的話，都是對律法以下之人說的，好塞住各人的口，叫普世的人都伏在神審判之下。
羅3:20所以凡有血氣的沒有一個，因行律法，能在神面前稱義，因為律法本是叫人知罪。
羅3:21但如今神的義在律法以外已經顯明出來，有律法和先知為證。
羅3:22就是神的義，因信耶穌基督，加給一切相信的人，並沒有分別。
羅3:23因為世人都犯了罪，虧缺了神的榮耀。
羅3:24如今卻蒙神的恩典，因基督耶穌的救贖，就白白的稱義。
羅3:25神設立耶穌作挽回祭，是憑著耶穌的血，藉著人的信，要顯明神的義，因為他用忍耐的心，寬容人先時所犯的罪。
羅3:26好在今時顯明他的義，使人知道他自己為義，也稱信耶穌的人為義。
羅3:27既是這樣，那裡能誇口呢，沒有可誇的了。用何法沒有的呢，是用立功之法麼，不是，乃用信主之法。
羅3:28所以〔有古卷作因為〕我們看定了，人稱義是因著信，不在乎遵行律法。
羅3:29難道神只作猶太人的神麼，不也是作外邦人的神麼，是的，也作外邦人的神。
羅3:30神既是一位，他就要因信稱那受割禮的為義，也要因信稱那未受割禮的為義。
羅3:31這樣，我們因信廢了律法麼，斷乎不是，更是堅固律法。

羅4:1如此說來，我們的祖宗亞伯拉罕，憑著肉體得了甚麼呢。
羅4:2倘若亞伯拉罕是因行為稱義，就有可誇的，只是在神面前並無可誇。
羅4:3經上說甚麼呢，說：『亞伯拉罕信神，這就算為他的義。』
羅4:4作工的得工價，不算恩典，乃是該得的，
羅4:5惟有不作工的，只信稱罪人為義的神，他的信就算為義。
羅4:6正如大衛稱那在行為以外，蒙神算為義的人是有福的。
羅4:7他說：『得赦免其過，遮蓋其罪的，這人是有福的。
羅4:8主不算為有罪的，這人是有福的。』
羅4:9如此看來，這福是單加給那受割禮的人麼，不也是加給那未受割禮的人麼，因我們所說：亞伯拉罕的信，就算為他的義。
羅4:10是怎麼算的呢，是在他受割禮的時候呢，是在他未受割禮的時候呢，不是在受割禮的時候，乃是在未受割禮的時候。
羅4:11並且他受了割禮的記號，作他未受割禮的時候因信稱義的印證，叫他作一切未受割禮而信之人的父，使他們也算為義。
羅4:12又作受割禮之人的父，就是那些不但受割禮，並且按我們的祖宗亞伯拉罕，未受割禮而信之蹤跡去行的人。
羅4:13因為神應許亞伯拉罕和他後裔，必得承受世界，不是因律法，乃是因信而得的義。
羅4:14若是屬乎律法的人，才得為後嗣，信就歸於虛空，應許也就廢棄了。
羅4:15因為律法是惹動忿怒的，〔或作叫人受刑的〕那裡沒有律法，那裡就沒有過犯。
羅4:16所以人得為後嗣是本乎信，因此就屬乎恩，叫應許定然歸給一切後裔，不但歸給那屬乎律法的，也歸給那效法亞伯拉罕之信的。
羅4:17亞伯拉罕所信的，是那叫死人復活使無變為有的神，他在主面前作我們世人的父，如經上所記，『我已經立你作多國的父。』
羅4:18他在無可指望的時候，因信仍有指望，就得以作多國的父，正如先前所說：『你的後裔將要如此。』
羅4:19他將近百歲的時候，雖然想到自己的身體如同已死，撒拉的生育已經斷絕，他的信心還是不軟弱。
羅4:20並且仰望神的應許，總沒有因不信，心裡起疑惑，反倒因信，心裡得堅固，將榮耀歸給神。
羅4:21且滿心相信，神所應許的必能作成。
羅4:22所以這就算為他的義。
羅4:23算為他義的這句話，不是單為他寫的，
羅4:24也是為我們將來得算為義之人寫的，就是我們這信神使我們的主耶穌從死裡復活的人。

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.

3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written:

“So that you may be proved right when you speak
    and prevail when you judge.”[a]
5 But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6 Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7 Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” 8 Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!

No One Is Righteous
9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11     there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one.”[b]
13 “Their throats are open graves;
    their tongues practice deceit.”[c]
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”[d]
14     “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”[e]
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16     ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”[f]
18     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”[g]
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

Righteousness Through Faith
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

 

 

4 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”[a]

4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7 “Blessed are those
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”[b]
9 Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”[c] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”[d] 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

本日經文提要  (羅馬書 1:1~2:29)

 

  

 

羅1:1耶穌基督的僕人保羅，奉召為使徒，特派傳神的福音。
羅1:2這福音是神從前藉眾先知，在聖經上所應許的，
羅1:3論到他兒子我主耶穌基督，按肉體說：是從大衛後裔生的，
羅1:4按聖善的靈說：因從死裡復活，以大能顯明是神的兒子。
羅1:5我們從他受了恩惠，並使徒的職分，在萬國之中叫人為他的名信服真道。
羅1:6其中也有你們這蒙召屬耶穌基督的人。
羅1:7我寫信給你們在羅馬為神所愛，奉召作聖徒的眾人。願恩惠平安，從我們的父神，並主耶穌基督，歸與你們。
羅1:8第一，我靠著耶穌基督，為你們眾人感謝我的神，因你們的信德傳遍了天下。
羅1:9我在他兒子福音上，用心靈所事奉的神，可以見證我怎樣不住的題到你們，
羅1:10在禱告之間，常常懇求，或者照神的旨意，終能得平坦的道路往你們那裡去。
羅1:11因為我切切的想見你們，要把些屬靈的恩賜分給你們，使你們可以堅固。
羅1:12這樣我在你們中間，因你與我彼此的信心，就可以同得安慰。
羅1:13弟兄們，我不願意你們不知道，我屢次定意往你們那裡去，要在你們中間得些果子，如同在其餘的外邦人中一樣，只是到如今仍有阻隔。
羅1:14無論是希利尼人，化外人，聰明人，愚拙人，我都欠他們的債。
羅1:15所以情願盡我的力量，將福音也傳給你們在羅馬的人。
羅1:16我不以福音為恥，這福音本是神的大能，要救一切相信的，先是猶太人，後是希利尼人。
羅1:17因為神的義，正在這福音上顯明出來，這義是本於信，以致於信，如經上所記，『義人必因信得生。』
羅1:18原來神的忿怒，從天上顯明在一切不虔不義的人身上，就是那些行不義阻擋真理的人。
羅1:19神的事情，人所能知道的，原顯明在人心裡，因為神已經給他們顯明。
羅1:20自從造天地以來，神的永能和神性是明明可知的，雖是眼不能見，但藉著所造之物，就可以曉得，叫人無可推諉。
羅1:21因為他們雖然知道神，卻不當作神榮耀他，也不感謝他，他們的思念變為虛妄，無知的心就昏暗了。
羅1:22自稱為聰明，反成了愚拙，
羅1:23將不能朽壞之神的榮耀，變為偶像，彷彿必朽壞的人，和飛禽走獸昆蟲的樣式。
羅1:24所以神任憑他們，逞著心裡的情慾行污穢的事，以致彼此玷辱自己的身體。
羅1:25他們將神的真實變為虛謊，去敬拜事奉受造之物，不敬奉那造物的主，主乃是可稱頌的，直到永遠。阿們。
羅1:26因此神任憑他們放縱可羞恥的情慾，他們的女人，把順性的用處，變為逆性的用處。
羅1:27男人也是如此，棄了女人順性的用處，慾火攻心，彼此貪戀，男和男行可羞恥的事，就在自己身上受這妄為當得的報應。
羅1:28他們既然故意不認識神，神就任憑他們存邪僻的心，行那些不合理的事。
羅1:29裝滿了各樣不義，邪惡，貪婪，惡毒，〔或作陰毒〕滿心是嫉妒，兇殺，爭競，詭詐，毒恨。
羅1:30又是讒毀的，背後說人的，怨恨神的，〔或作被神所憎惡的〕侮慢人的，狂傲的，自誇的，捏造惡事的，違背父母的，
羅1:31無知的，背約的，無親情的，不憐憫人的。
羅1:32他們雖知道神判定，行這樣事的人是當死的，然而他們不但自己去行，還喜歡別人去行。

羅2:1你這論斷人的，無論你是誰，也無可推諉，你在甚麼事上論斷人，就在甚麼事上定自己的罪，因你這論斷人的，自己所行卻和別人一樣。
羅2:2我們知道這樣行的人，神必照真理審判他。
羅2:3你這人哪，你論斷行這樣事的人，自己所行的卻和別人一樣，你以為能逃脫神的審判麼。
羅2:4還是你藐視他豐富的恩慈，寬容，忍耐，不曉得他的的恩慈是領你悔改呢。
羅2:5你竟任著你剛硬不悔改的心，為自己積蓄忿怒，以致神震怒，顯他公義審判的日子來到。
羅2:6他必照各人的行為報應各人。
羅2:7凡恆心行善，尋求榮耀尊貴，和不能朽壞之福的，就以永生報應他們。
羅2:8惟有結黨不順從真理，反順從不義的，就以忿怒惱恨報應他們。
羅2:9將患難，困苦，加給一切作惡的人，先是猶太人，後是希利尼人。
羅2:10卻將榮耀，尊貴，平安，加給一切行善的人，先是猶太人，後是希利尼人。
羅2:11因為神不偏待人。
羅2:12凡沒有律法犯了罪的，也必不按律法滅亡，凡在律法以下犯了罪的，也必按律法受審判，
羅2:13（原來在神面前，不是聽律法的為義，乃是行律法的稱義。
羅2:14沒有律法的外邦人，若順著本性行律法上的事，他們雖然沒有律法，自己就是自己的律法。
羅2:15這是顯出律法的功用刻在他們心裡，他們是非之心同作見證，並且他們的思念互相較量，或以為是，或以為非）
羅2:16就在神藉耶穌基督審判人隱秘事的日子，照著我的福音所言。
羅2:17你稱為猶太人，又倚靠律法，且指著神誇口。
羅2:18既從律法中受了教訓，就曉得神的旨意，也能分別是非，〔或作也喜愛那美好的事〕
羅2:19又深信自己是給瞎子領路的，是黑暗中人的光，
羅2:20是蠢笨人的師傅，是小孩子的先生，在律法上有知識和真理的模範。
羅2:21你既是教導別人，還不教導自己麼，你講說人不可偷竊，自己還偷竊麼。
羅2:22你說人不可姦淫，自己還姦淫麼，你厭惡偶像，自己還偷竊廟中之物麼。
羅2:23你指著律法誇口，自己倒犯律法，玷辱神麼。
羅2:24神的名在外邦人中，因你們受了褻瀆，正如經上所記的。
羅2:25你若是行律法的，割禮固然於你有益，若是犯律法的，你的割禮就算不得割禮。
羅2:26所以那未受割禮的，若遵守律法的條例，他雖然未受割禮，豈不算是有割禮麼。
羅2:27而且那本來未受割禮的，若能全守律法，豈不是要審判你這有儀文和割禮竟犯律法的人麼。
羅2:28因為外面作猶太人的，不是真猶太人，外面肉身的割禮，也不是真割禮。

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life[a] was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power[b] by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from[c] faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s Longing to Visit Rome
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,[d] that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[e] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”[f]

God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

God’s Righteous Judgment
2 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”[a] 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.

12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

The Jews and the Law
17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”[b]

25 Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. 26 So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? 27 The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the[c] written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.

28 A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.

本日經文提要  (使徒行傳 27:1~28:31)

 

 

 

徒27:1非斯都既然定規了，叫我們坐船往義大利去，便將保羅，和別的囚犯，交給御營裡的一個百夫長，名叫猶流。
徒27:2有一隻亞大米田的船，要沿著亞西亞一帶地方的海邊走，我們就上了那船開行，有馬其頓的帖撒羅尼迦人，亞里達古，和我們同去。
徒27:3第二天，到了西頓，猶流寬待保羅，准他往朋友那裡去，受他們的照應。
徒27:4從那裡又開船，因為風不順，就貼著居比路背風岸行去。
徒27:5過了基利家旁非利亞前面的海，就到了呂家的每拉。
徒27:6在那裡百夫長遇見一隻亞力山太的船，要往義大利去，便叫我們上了那船。
徒27:7一連多日，船行得慢，僅僅來到革尼土的對面。因為被風攔阻，就貼著革哩底背風岸，從撒摩尼對面行過。
徒27:8我們沿岸行走，僅僅來到一個地方，名叫佳澳，離那裡不遠，有拉西亞城。
徒27:9走的日子多了，已經過了禁食的節期，行船又危險，保羅就勸眾人說：
徒27:10眾位，我看這次行船，不但貨物和船要受傷損，大遭破壞，連我們的性命也難保。
徒27:11但百夫長信從掌船的和船主，不信從保羅所說的。
徒27:12且因在這海口過冬不便，船上的人，就多半說：不如開船離開這地方，或者能到非尼基過冬，非尼基是革哩底的一個海口，一面朝東北，一面朝東南。
徒27:13這時微微起了南風，他們以為得意，就起了錨，貼近革哩底行去。
徒27:14不多幾時，狂風從島上撲下來，那風名叫友拉革羅。
徒27:15船被風抓住，敵不住風，我們就任風颳去。
徒27:16貼著一個小島的背風岸奔行，那島名叫高大，在那裡僅僅收住了小船。
徒27:17既然把小船拉上來，就用纜索捆綁船底，又恐怕在賽耳底沙灘上擱了淺，就落下篷來，任船飄去。
徒27:18我們被風浪逼得甚急，第二天眾人就把貨物拋在海裡。
徒27:19到第三天，他們又親手把船上的器具拋棄了。
徒27:20太陽和星辰多日不顯露，又有狂風大浪催逼，我們得救的指望就都絕了。
徒27:21眾人多日沒有吃甚麼，保羅就出來站在他們中間說：眾位，你們本該聽我的話，不離開革哩底，免得遭這樣的傷損破壞。
徒27:22現在我還勸你們放心，你們的性命，一個也不失喪，惟獨失喪這船。
徒27:23因我所屬所事奉的神，他的使者昨夜站在我旁邊說：
徒27:24保羅，不要害怕，你必定站在該撒面前，並且與你同船的人，神都賜給你了。
徒27:25所以眾位可以放心，我信神他怎樣對我說：事情也要怎樣成就。
徒27:26只是我們必要撞在一個島上。
徒27:27到了第十四天夜間，船在亞底亞海，飄來飄去，約到半夜，水手以為漸近旱地，
徒27:28就探深淺，探得有十二丈，稍往前行，又探深淺，探得有九丈。
徒27:29恐怕撞在石頭上，就從船尾拋下四個錨，盼望天亮。
徒27:30水手想要逃出船去，把小船放在海裡，假作要從船頭拋錨的樣子。
徒27:31保羅對百夫長和兵丁說：這些人若不等在船上，你們必不能得救。
徒27:32於是兵丁砍斷小船的繩子，由他飄去。
徒27:33天漸亮的時候，保羅勸眾人都吃飯，說：你們懸望忍餓不吃甚麼，已經十四天了。
徒27:34所以我勸你們吃飯，這是關乎你們救命的事，因為你們各人連一根頭髮，也不至於損壞。
徒27:35保羅說了這話，就拿著餅，在眾人面前祝謝了神，擘開吃。
徒27:36於是他們都放下心，也就吃了。
徒27:37我們在船上的，共有二百七十六個人。
徒27:38他們吃飽了，就把船上的麥子，拋在海裡，為要叫船輕一點。
徒27:39到了天亮，他們不認識那地方，但見一個海灣，有岸可登，就商議能把船攏進去不能。
徒27:40於是砍斷纜索，棄錨在海裡，同時也鬆開舵繩，拉起頭篷，順著風向岸行去。
徒27:41但遇著兩水夾流的地方，就把船擱了淺，船頭膠住不動，船尾被浪的猛力衝壞。
徒27:42兵丁的意思，要把囚犯殺了，恐怕有洑水脫逃的。
徒27:43但百夫長要救保羅，不准他們任意而行，就吩咐會洑水的，跳下水去先上岸。
徒27:44其餘的人，可以用板子，或船上的零碎東西上岸，這樣，眾人都得了救上了岸。

徒28:1我們既已得救，才知道那島名叫米利大。
徒28:2土人看待我們，有非常的情分，因為當時下雨，天氣又冷，就生火，接待我們眾人。
徒28:3那時，保羅拾起一捆柴，放在火上，有一條毒蛇，因為熱了出來，咬住他的手。
徒28:4土人看見那毒蛇，懸在他手上，就彼此說：這人必是個兇手，雖然從海裡救上來，天理還不容他活著。
徒28:5保羅竟把那毒蛇甩在火裡，並沒有受傷。
徒28:6土人想他必要腫起來，或是忽然仆倒死了，看了多時，見他無害，就轉念說：他是個神。
徒28:7離那地方不遠，有田產是島長部百流的，他接納我們，盡情款待三日。
徒28:8當時，部百流的父親，患熱病和痢疾躺著，保羅進去，為他禱告，按手在他身上，治好了他。
徒28:9從此，島上其餘的病人，也來得了醫治。
徒28:10他們又多方的尊敬我們，到了開船的時候，也把我們所需用的送到船上。
徒28:11過了三個月，我們上了亞力山太的船，往前行，這船以丟斯雙子為記，是在那海島過了冬的。
徒28:12到了敘拉古，我們停泊三日。
徒28:13又從那裡繞行，來到利基翁，過了一天，起了南風，第二天就來到部丟利。
徒28:14在那裡遇見弟兄們，請我們與他們同住了七天，這樣，我們來到羅馬。
徒28:15那裡的弟兄們，一聽見我們的信息，就出來到亞比烏巿，和三館地方迎接我們，保羅見了他們，就感謝神，放心壯膽。
徒28:16進了羅馬城，〔有古卷在此有百夫長把眾囚犯交給御營的統領惟有〕保羅蒙准，和一個看守他的兵，另住在一處。
徒28:17過了三天，保羅請猶太人的首領來，他們來了，就對他們說：弟兄們，我雖沒有作甚麼事干犯本國的百姓，和我們祖宗的規條，卻被鎖綁，從耶路撒冷解在羅馬人的手裡。
徒28:18他們審問了我，就願意釋放我，因為在我身上，並沒有該死的罪。
徒28:19無奈猶太人不服，我不得已，只好上告於該撒，並非有甚麼事，要控告我本國的百姓。
徒28:20因此，我請你們來見面說話，我原為以色列人所指望的，被這鍊子捆鎖。
徒28:21他們說：我們並沒有接著從猶太來論你的信，也沒有弟兄到這裡來，報給我們說：你有甚麼不好處。
徒28:22但我們願意聽你的意見如何，因為這教門，我們曉得是到處被毀謗的。
徒28:23他們和保羅約定了日子，就有許多人到他的寓處來，保羅從早到晚，對他們講論這事，證明神國的道，引摩西的律法和先知的書，以耶穌的事，勸勉他們。
徒28:24他所說的話，有信的，有不信的。
徒28:25他們彼此不合，就散了，未散以先，保羅說了一句話，說：聖靈藉先知以賽亞，向你們祖宗所說的話，是不錯的。
徒28:26他說：『你去告訴這百姓說：你們聽是要聽見，卻不明白，看是要看見，卻不曉得。
徒28:27因為這百姓，油蒙了心，耳朵發沉，眼睛閉著，恐怕眼睛看見，耳朵聽見，心裡明白，回轉過來，我就醫治他們。』
徒28:28所以你們當知道，神這救恩，如今傳給外邦人，他們也必聽受。〔有古卷在此有〕
徒28:29〔保羅說了這話猶太人議論紛紛的就走了〕
徒28:30保羅在自己所租的房子裡，住了足足兩年。凡來見他的人，他全都接待，

 

27 When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.

3 The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement.[a] So Paul warned them, 10 “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.

The Storm
13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, 17 so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor[b] and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”

The Shipwreck
27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic[c] Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet[d] deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet[e] deep. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.

33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.

39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.

42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.

 

28 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. 8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

Paul’s Arrival at Rome
11 After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. 12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. 13 From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. 14 There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15 The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. 16 When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.

Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard
17 Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19 The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. 20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”

21 They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”

23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:

26 “‘Go to this people and say,
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
27 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’[a]
28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” [29] [b]

30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

本日經文提要  (使徒行傳 24:1~26:32)

 

 

 

徒24:1過了五天，大祭司亞拿尼亞，同幾個長老，和一個辯士帖士羅，下來，向巡撫控告保羅。
徒24:2保羅被提了來，帖士羅就告他說：
徒24:3腓力斯大人，我們因你得以大享太平，並且這一國的弊病，因著你的先見，得以更正了，我們隨時隨地，滿心感謝不盡。
徒24:4惟恐多說：你嫌煩絮，只求你寬容聽我們說幾句話。
徒24:5我們看這個人，如同瘟疫一般，是鼓動普天下眾猶太人生亂的，又是拿撒勒教黨裡的一個頭目。
徒24:6連聖殿他也想要污穢，我們把他捉住了，〔有古卷在此有要按我們的律法審問〕
徒24:7〔不料千夫長呂西亞前來甚是強橫從我們手中把他奪去吩咐告他的人到你這裡來〕
徒24:8你自己究問他，就可以知道我們告他的一切事了。
徒24:9眾猶太人也隨著告他說：事情誠然是這樣。
徒24:10巡撫點頭叫保羅說話，他就說：我知道你在這國裡斷事多年，所以我樂意為自己分訴。
徒24:11你查問就可以知道，從我上耶路撒冷禮拜，到今日，不過有十二天。
徒24:12他們並沒有看見我在殿裡，或是在會堂裡，或是在城裡，和人辯論，聳動眾人。
徒24:13他們現在所告我的事，並不能對你證實了。
徒24:14但有一件事，我向你承認，就是他們所稱為異端的道，我正按著那道事奉我祖宗的神，又信合乎律法的，和先知書上一切所記載的。
徒24:15並且靠著神，盼望死人，無論善惡，都要復活，就是他們自己也有這個盼望。
徒24:16我因此自己勉勵，對神，對人，常存無虧的良心。
徒24:17過了幾年，我帶著賙濟本國的捐項和供獻的物上去。
徒24:18正獻的時候，他們看見我在殿裡已經潔淨了，並沒有聚眾，也沒有吵嚷，惟有幾個從亞西亞來的猶太人。
徒24:19他們若有告我的事，就應當到你面前來告我。
徒24:20即或不然，這些人，若看出我站在公會前，有妄為的地方，他們自己也可以說明。
徒24:21縱然有，也不過一句話，就是我站在他們中間大聲說：我今日在你們面前受審，是為死人復活的道理。
徒24:22腓力斯本是詳細曉得這道，就支吾他們說：且等千夫長呂西亞下來，我要審斷你們的事。
徒24:23於是吩咐百夫長看守保羅，並且寬待他，也不攔阻他的親友來供給他。
徒24:24過了幾天，腓力斯和他夫人猶太的女子土西拉，一同來到，就叫了保羅來，聽他講論信基督耶穌的道。
徒24:25保羅講論公義，節制，和將來的審判，腓力斯甚覺恐懼，說：你暫且去罷，等我得便再叫你來。
徒24:26腓力斯又指望保羅送他銀錢，所以屢次叫他來，和他談論。
徒24:27過了兩年，波求非斯都接了腓力斯的任，腓力斯要討猶太人的喜歡，就留保羅在監裡。

徒25:1非斯都到了任，過了三天，就從該撒利亞上耶路撒冷去。
徒25:2祭司長，和猶太人的首領，向他控告保羅，
徒25:3又央告他，求他的情，將保羅提到耶路撒冷來，他們要在路上埋伏殺害他。
徒25:4非斯都卻回答說：保羅押在該撒利亞，我自己快要往那裡去。
徒25:5又說：你們中間有權勢的人，與我一同下去，那人若有甚麼不是，就可以告他。
徒25:6非斯都在他們那裡，住了不過十天八天，就下該撒利亞去，第二天坐堂，吩咐將保羅提上來。
徒25:7保羅來了，那些從耶路撒冷下來的猶太人，周圍站著，將許多重大的事控告他，都是不能證實的。
徒25:8保羅分訴說：無論猶太人的律法，或是聖殿，或是該撒，我都沒有干犯。
徒25:9但非斯都要討猶太人的喜歡，就問保羅說：你願意上耶路撒冷去，在那裡聽我審斷這事麼。
徒25:10保羅說：我站在該撒的堂前，這就是我應當受審的地方，我向猶太人並沒有行過甚麼不義的事，這也是你明明知道的。
徒25:11我若行了不義的事，犯了甚麼該死的罪，就是死，我也不辭，他們所告我的事若都不實，就沒有人可以把我交給他們。我要上告於該撒。
徒25:12非斯都和議會商量了，就說：你既上告於該撒，可以往該撒那裡去。
徒25:13過了些日子，亞基帕王，和百尼基氏，來到該撒利亞，問非斯都安。
徒25:14在那裡住了多日，非斯都將保羅的事告訴王，說：這裡有一個人，是腓力斯留在監裡的。
徒25:15我在耶路撒冷的時候，祭司長和猶太的長老，將他的事稟報了我，求我定他的罪。
徒25:16我對他們說：無論甚麼人，被告還沒有和原告對質，未得機會分訴所告他的事，就先定他的罪，這不是羅馬人的條例。
徒25:17及至他們都來到這裡，我就不耽延，第二天便坐堂，吩咐把那人提上來。
徒25:18告他的人站著告他，所告的，並沒有我所逆料的那等惡事。
徒25:19不過是有幾樣辯論，為他們自己敬鬼神的事，又為一個人名叫耶穌，是已經死了，保羅卻說他是活著的。
徒25:20這些事當怎樣究問，我心裡作難，所以問他說：你願意上耶路撒冷去，在那裡為這些事聽審麼。
徒25:21但保羅求我留下他要聽皇上審斷，我就吩咐把他留下，等我解他到該撒那裡去。
徒25:22亞基帕對非斯都說：我自己也願聽這人辯論。非斯都說：明天你可以聽。
徒25:23第二天，亞基帕和百尼基大張威勢而來，同著眾千夫長，和城裡的尊貴人，進了公廳，非斯都吩咐一聲，就有人將保羅帶進來。
徒25:24非斯都說：亞基帕王，和在這裡的諸位阿，你們看人，就是一切猶太人在耶路撒冷，和這裡，曾向我懇求，呼叫說：不可容他再活著。
徒25:25但我查明他沒有犯甚麼該死的罪，並且他自己上告於皇帝，所以我定意把他解去。
徒25:26論到這人，我沒有確實的事，可以奏明主上，因此我帶他到你們面前，也特意帶他到你亞基帕王面前，為要在查問之後，有所陳奏。
徒25:27據我看來，解送囚犯，不指明他的罪案，是不合理的。

徒26:1亞基帕對保羅說：准你為自己辯明。於是保羅伸手分訴說：
徒26:2亞基帕王阿，猶太人所告我的一切事，今日得在你面前分訴，實為萬幸。
徒26:3更可幸的，是你熟悉猶太人的規矩，和他們的辯論，所以求你耐心聽我。
徒26:4我從起初在本國的民中，並在耶路撒冷，自幼為人如何，猶太人都知道。
徒26:5他們若肯作見證，就曉得我從起初，是按著我們教中最嚴緊的教門，作了法利賽人。
徒26:6現在我站在這裡受審，是因為指望神向我們祖宗所應許的。
徒26:7這應許，我們十二個支派，晝夜切切的事奉神，都指望得著，王阿，我被猶太人控告，就是因這指望。
徒26:8神叫死人復活，你們為甚麼看作不可信的呢。
徒26:9從前我自己以為應當多方攻擊拿撒勒人耶穌的名。
徒26:10我在耶路撒冷也曾這樣行了，既從祭司長得了權柄，我就把許多聖徒囚在監裡，他們被殺，我也出名定案。
徒26:11在各會堂，我屢次用刑，強逼他們說褻瀆的話，又分外惱恨他們，甚至追逼他們直到外邦的城邑。
徒26:12那時，我領了祭司長的權柄和命令，往大馬色去。
徒26:13王阿，我在路上，晌午的時候，看見從天發光，比日頭還亮，四面照著我，並與我同行的人。
徒26:14我們都仆倒在地，我就聽見有聲音，用希伯來話，向我說：掃羅，掃羅，為甚麼逼迫我，你用腳踢刺是難的。
徒26:15我說：主阿，你是誰。主說：我就是你所逼迫的耶穌。
徒26:16你起來站著，我特意向你顯現，要派你作執事作見證，將你所看見的事，和我將要指示你的事，證明出來。
徒26:17我也要救你脫離百姓和外邦人的手。
徒26:18我差你到他們那裡去，要叫他們的眼睛得開，從黑暗中歸向光明，從撒但權下歸向神，又因信我，得蒙赦罪，和一切成聖的人同得基業。
徒26:19亞基帕王阿，我故此沒有違背那從天上來的異象。
徒26:20先在大馬色，後在耶路撒冷，和猶太全地，以及外邦，勸勉他們應當悔改歸向神，行事與悔改的心相稱。
徒26:21因此，猶太人在殿裡拿住我，想要殺我。
徒26:22然而我蒙神的幫助，直到今日還站得住，對著尊貴卑賤老幼作見證，所講的，並不外乎眾先知和摩西所說：將來必成的事。
徒26:23就是基督必須受害，並且因從死裡復活，要首先把光明的道，傳給百姓和外邦人。
徒26:24保羅這樣分訴，非斯都大聲說：保羅，你癲狂了罷，你的學問太大，反叫你癲狂了。
徒26:25保羅說：非斯都大人，我不是癲狂，我說的乃是真實明白話。
徒26:26王也曉得這些事，所以我向王放膽直言，我深信這些事沒有一件向王隱藏的，因都不是在背地裡作的。
徒26:27亞基帕王阿，你信先知麼，我知道你是信的。
徒26:28亞基帕對保羅說：你想少微一勸，便叫我作基督徒阿。〔或作你這樣勸我幾乎叫我作基督徒了〕
徒26:29保羅說：無論是少勸，是多勸，我向神所求的，不但你一個人，就是今天一切聽我的，都要像我一樣，只是不要像我有這些鎖鍊。
徒26:30於是王，和巡撫，並百尼基，與同坐的人，都起來，
徒26:31退到裡面，彼此談論說：這人並沒有犯甚麼該死該綁的罪。

 

 

 

24 Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. 2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: “We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. 3 Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. 4 But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.

5 “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect 6 and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. [7] [a] 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.”

9 The other Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true.

10 When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: “I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. 11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. 14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.

17 “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. 18 I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance. 19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me. 20 Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— 21 unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”

22 Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.” 23 He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to take care of his needs.

24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.

27 When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison.

 

 

 

25 Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. 3 They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. 4 Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. 5 Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.”

6 After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. 7 When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them.

8 Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.”

9 Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?”

10 Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. 11 If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”

12 After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”

Festus Consults King Agrippa
13 A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. 15 When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned.

16 “I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accusers and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges. 17 When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. 19 Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. 20 I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. 21 But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.”

22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.”

He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”

Paul Before Agrippa

23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 Festus said: “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. 25 I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. 26 But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. 27 For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.”

本日經文提要  (使徒行傳 22:1~23:35)

 

  

 

徒22:1諸位父兄請聽，我現在對你們分訴。
徒22:2眾人聽他說的是希伯來話，就更加安靜了。
徒22:3保羅說：我原是猶太人，生在基利家的大數，長在這城裡，在迦瑪列門下，按著我們祖宗嚴緊的律法受教，熱心事奉神，像你們眾人今日一樣。
徒22:4我也曾逼迫奉這道的人，直到死地，無論男女都鎖拿下監。
徒22:5這是大祭司和眾長老都可以給我作見證的，我又領了他們達與弟兄的書信，往大馬色去，要把在那裡奉這道的人鎖拿，帶到耶路撒冷受刑。
徒22:6我將到大馬色，正走的時候，約在晌午，忽然從天上發大光，四面照著我。
徒22:7我就仆倒在地，聽見有聲音對我說：掃羅，掃羅，你為甚麼逼迫我。
徒22:8我回答說：主阿，你是誰。他說：我就是你所逼迫的拿撒勒人耶穌。
徒22:9與我同行的人，看見了那光，卻沒有聽明那位對我說話的聲音。
徒22:10我說：主阿，我當作甚麼。主說：起來，進大馬色去，在那裡要將所派你作的一切事，告訴你。
徒22:11我因那光的榮耀，不能看見，同行的人，就拉著我手進了大馬色。
徒22:12那裡有一個人，名叫亞拿尼亞，按著律法是虔誠人，為一切住在那裡的猶太人所稱讚。
徒22:13他來見我，站在旁邊，對我說：兄弟掃羅，你可以看見，我當時往上一看，就看見了他。
徒22:14他又說：我們祖宗的神，揀選了你，叫你明白他的旨意，又得見那義者，聽他口中所出的聲音。
徒22:15因為你要將所看見的，所聽見的，對著萬人為他作見證。
徒22:16現在你為甚麼耽延呢，起來，求告他的名受洗，洗去你的罪。
徒22:17後來我回到耶路撒冷，在殿裡禱告的時候，魂遊象外，
徒22:18看見主向我說：你趕緊的離開耶路撒冷，不可遲延，因你為我作的見證，這裡的人，必不領受。
徒22:19我就說：主阿，他們知道我從前把信你的人，收在監裡，又在各會堂裡鞭打他們。
徒22:20並且你的見證人司提反，被害流血的時候，我也站在旁邊歡喜，又看守害死他之人的衣裳。
徒22:21主向我說：你去罷，我要差你遠遠的往外邦人那裡去。
徒22:22眾人聽他說到這句話，就高聲說：這樣的人，從世上除掉他罷，他是不當活著的。
徒22:23眾人喧嚷，摔掉衣裳，把塵土向空中揚起來。
徒22:24千夫長就吩咐將保羅帶進營樓去，叫人用鞭子拷問他，要知道他們向他這樣喧嚷，是為甚麼緣故。
徒22:25剛用皮條捆上，保羅對旁邊站著的百夫長說：人是羅馬人，又沒有定罪，你們就鞭打他，有這個例。
徒22:26百夫長聽見這話，就去見千夫長，告訴他說：你要作甚麼，這人是羅馬人。
徒22:27千夫長就來問保羅說：你告訴我，你是羅馬人麼。保羅說：是。
徒22:28千夫長說：我用許多銀子，才入了羅馬的民藉。保羅說：我生來就是。
徒22:29於是那些要拷問保羅的人，就離開他去了。千夫長既知道他是羅馬人，又因為捆綁了他，也害怕了。
徒22:30第二天，千夫長為要知道猶太人控告保羅的實情，便解開他，吩咐祭司長和全公會的人，都聚集，將保羅帶下來，叫他站在他們面前。

 

徒23:1保羅定睛看著公會的人，說：弟兄們，我在神面前行事為人，都是憑著良心，直到今日。

徒23:2大祭司亞拿尼亞，就吩咐旁邊站著的人打他的嘴。
徒23:3保羅對他說：你這粉飾的牆，神要打你，你坐堂為的是按律法審問我，你竟違背律法，吩咐人打我麼。
徒23:4站在旁邊的人說：你辱罵神的大祭司麼。
徒23:5保羅羅說：弟兄們，我不曉得他是大祭司，經上記著說：『不可毀謗你百姓的官長。』
徒23:6保羅看出大眾，一半是撒都該人，一半是法利賽人，就在公會中大聲說：弟兄們，我是法利賽人，也是法利賽人的子孫，我現在受審問，是為盼望死人復活。
徒23:7說了這話，法利賽人和撒都該人，就爭論起來，會眾分為兩黨。
徒23:8因為撒都該人說：沒有復活，也沒有天使，和鬼魂，法利賽人卻說：兩樣都有。
徒23:9於是大大的喧嚷起來，有幾個法利賽黨的文士站起來，爭辯說：我們看不出這人有甚麼惡處，倘若有鬼魂，或是天使，對他說過話，怎麼樣呢。
徒23:10那時大起爭吵，千夫長恐怕保羅被他們扯碎了，就吩咐兵丁下去，把他從眾人當中搶出來，帶進營樓去。
徒23:11當夜，主站在保羅旁邊說：放心罷，你怎樣在耶路撒冷為我作見證，也必怎樣在羅馬為我作見證。
徒23:12到了天亮，猶太人同謀起誓，說：若不先殺保羅，就不吃不喝。
徒23:13這樣同心起誓的，有四十多人。
徒23:14他們來見祭司長和長老說：我們已經起了一個大誓，若不先殺保羅，就不吃甚麼。
徒23:15現在你們和公會要知會千夫長，叫他帶下保羅到你們這裡來，假作要詳細察考他的事，我們已經豫備好了，不等他來到跟前就殺他。
徒23:16保羅的外甥，聽見他們設下埋伏，就來到營樓裡告訴保羅。
徒23:17保羅請一個百夫長來，說：你領這少年人去見千夫長，他有事告訴他。
徒23:18於是把他領去見千夫長說：被囚的保羅請我到他那裡，求我領這少年人來見你，他有事告訴你。
徒23:19千夫長就拉著他的手，走到一旁，私下問他說：你有甚麼事告訴我呢。
徒23:20他說：猶太人已經約定，要求你明天帶下保羅到公會裡去，假作要詳細查問他的事。
徒23:21你切不要隨從他們，因為他們有四十多人埋伏，已經起誓，說：若不先殺保羅，就不吃不喝，現在豫備好了，只等你應允。
徒23:22於是千夫長打發少年人走，囑咐他說：不要告訴人你將這事報給我了。
徒23:23千夫長便叫了兩個百夫長來，說：豫備步兵二百，馬兵七十，長槍手二百，今夜亥初往該撒利亞去。
徒23:24也要豫備牲扣叫保羅騎上，護送到巡撫腓力斯那裡去。
徒23:25千夫長又寫了文書，
徒23:26大略說：革老丟呂西亞，請巡撫腓力斯大人安。
徒23:27這人被猶太人拿住，將要殺害，我得知他是羅馬人，就帶兵丁下去救他出來。
徒23:28因要知道他們告他的緣故，我就帶他下到他們的公會去。
徒23:29便查知他被告，是因他們律法的辯論，並沒有甚麼該死該綁的罪名。
徒23:30後來有人把要害他的計謀告訴我，我就立時解他到你那裡去，又吩咐告他的人，在你面前告他。〔有古卷在此有願你平安〕
徒23:31於是兵丁照所吩咐他們的，將保羅夜裡帶到安提帕底。
徒23:32第二天，讓馬兵護送，他們就回營樓去。
徒23:33馬兵來到該撒利亞，把文書呈給巡撫，便叫保羅站在他面前。
徒23:34巡撫看了文書，問保羅是那省的人，既曉得他是基利家人，

22 1 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.”

2 When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet.

Then Paul said: 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. 4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5 as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.

6 “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’

8 “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. 9 My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.

10 “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’ 11 My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.

12 “A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. 13 He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.

14 “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15 You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’

17 “When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’

19 “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. 20 And when the blood of your martyr[a] Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’

21 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”

Paul the Roman Citizen
22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”

23 As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. 25 As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”

26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”

27 The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

“Yes, I am,” he answered.

28 Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”

“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.

29 Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

30 The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.

23 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” 2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”

4 Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”

5 Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’[a]”

6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)

9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.

11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

The Plot to Kill Paul
12 The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty men were involved in this plot. 14 They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. 15 Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.”

16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul.

17 Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him to the commander.

The centurion said, “Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”

19 The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?”

20 He said: “Some Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. 21 Don’t give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request.”

22 The commander dismissed the young man with this warning: “Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me.”

Paul Transferred to Caesarea
23 Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen[b] to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. 24 Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.”

25 He wrote a letter as follows:

26 Claudius Lysias,

To His Excellency, Governor Felix:

Greetings.

27 This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen. 28 I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin. 29 I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him.

31 So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. 32 The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. 33 When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. 34 The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers get here.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.

 

 

Paul’s Trial Before Felix
24 Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. 2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: “We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. 3 Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. 4 But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.

5 “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect 6 and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. [7] [a] 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.”

9 The other Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true.

10 When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: “I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. 11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. 14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.

17 “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. 18 I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance. 19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me. 20 Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— 21 unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”

22 Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.” 23 He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to take care of his needs.

24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.

27 When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison.

本日經文提要  (使徒行傳 18:1~21:40)

 

   

 

徒18:1這事以後，保羅離了雅典，來到哥林多。
徒18:2遇見一個猶太人，名叫亞居拉，他生在本都，因為革老丟命猶太人都離開羅馬，新近帶著妻百基拉，從義大利來，保羅就投奔了他們。
徒18:3他們本是製造帳棚為業，保羅因與他們同業，就和他他們同住作工。
徒18:4每逢安息日，保羅在會堂裡辯論，勸化猶太人和希利尼人。
徒18:5西拉和提摩太從馬其頓來的時候，保羅為道迫切，向猶太人證明耶穌是基督。
徒18:6他們既抗拒，毀謗，保羅就抖著衣裳說：你們的罪歸到你們自己頭上，〔罪原文作血〕與我無干，〔原文作我卻乾淨〕從今以後，我要往外邦人那裡去，
徒18:7於是離開那裡，到了一個人的家中，這人名叫提多猶士都，是敬拜神的，他的家靠近會堂。
徒18:8管會堂的基利司布和全家都信了主，還有許多哥林多人聽了，就相信受洗。
徒18:9夜間主在異象中對保羅說：不要怕，只管講，不要閉口。
徒18:10有我與你同在，必沒有人下手害你，因為在這城裡我有許多的百姓。
徒18:11保羅在那裡住了一年零六個月，將神的道教訓他們。
徒18:12到迦流作亞該亞方伯的時候，猶太人同心起來攻擊保羅，拉他到公堂，
徒18:13說：這個人勸人不按著律法敬拜神。
徒18:14保羅剛要開口，迦流就對猶太人說：你們這些猶太人，如果是為冤枉，或奸惡的事，我理當耐性聽你們。
徒18:15但所爭論的，若是關乎言語，名目，和你們的律法，你們自己去辦罷，這樣的事我不願意審問。
徒18:16就把他們攆出公堂。
徒18:17眾人便揪住管會堂的所提尼，在堂前打他，這些事迦流都不管。
徒18:18保羅又住了多日，就辭別了弟兄，坐船往敘利亞去，百基拉，亞居拉和他同去，他因為許過願，就在堅革哩剪了頭髮。
徒18:19到了以弗所，保羅就把他們留在那裡，自己進了會堂，和猶太人辯論。
徒18:20眾人請他多住些日子，他卻不允。
徒18:21就辭別他們說：神若許我，我還要回到你們這裡，於是開船離了以弗所。
徒18:22在該撒利亞下了船，就上耶路撒冷去問教會安，隨後下安提阿去。
徒18:23住了些日子，又離開那裡，挨次經過加拉太和弗呂家地方，堅固眾門徒。
徒18:24有一個猶太人，名叫亞波羅，來到以弗所，他生在亞力山太，是有學問的，最能講解聖經。〔學問或作口才〕
徒18:25這人已經在主的道上受了教訓，心裡火熱，將耶穌的事，詳細講論教訓人，只是他單曉得約翰的洗禮。
徒18:26他在會堂裡放膽講道，百基拉亞居拉聽見，就接他來，將神的道給他講解更加詳細。
徒18:27他想要往亞該亞去，弟兄們就勉勵他，並寫信請門徒接待他，〔或作弟兄們就寫信勸門徒接待他〕他到了那裡，多幫助那蒙恩信主的人。
徒18:28在眾人面前極有能力，駁倒猶太人，引聖經證明耶穌是基督。

徒19:1亞波羅在哥林多的時候，保羅經過了上邊一帶地方，就來到以弗所，在那裡遇見幾個門徒。
徒19:2問他們說：你們信的時候，受了聖靈沒有，他們回答說：沒有，也未曾聽見有聖靈賜下來。
徒19:3保羅說：這樣，你們受的是甚麼洗呢。他們說：是約翰的洗。
徒19:4保羅說：約翰所行的是悔改的洗，告訴百姓，當信那在他以後要來的，就是耶穌。
徒19:5他們聽見這話，就奉主耶穌的名受洗。
徒19:6保羅按手在他們頭上，聖靈便降在他們身上，他們就說方言，又說豫言。〔或作又講道〕
徒19:7一共約有十二個人。
徒19:8保羅進會堂，放膽講道，一連三個月，辯論神國的事，勸化眾人。
徒19:9後來有些人，心裡剛硬不信，在眾人面前毀謗這道，保羅就離開他們，也叫門徒與他們分離，便在推喇奴的學房，天天辯論。
徒19:10這樣有兩年之久，叫一切住在亞西亞的，無論是猶太人，是希利尼人，都聽見主的道。
徒19:11神藉保羅的手，行了些非常的奇事。
徒19:12甚至有人從保羅身上拿手巾，或圍裙，放在病人身上，病就退了，惡鬼也出去了。
徒19:13那時，有幾個遊行各處，念咒趕鬼的猶太人，向那被惡鬼附的人，擅自稱主耶穌的名，說：我奉保羅所傳的耶穌，敕令你們出來。
徒19:14作這事的，有猶太祭司長士基瓦的七個兒子。
徒19:15惡鬼回答他們說：耶穌我認識，保羅我也知道，你們卻是誰呢。
徒19:16惡鬼所附的人，就跳在他們身上，勝了其中二人，制伏他們，叫他們赤著身子受了傷，從那房子裡逃出去了。
徒19:17凡住在以弗所的，無論是猶太人，是希利尼人，都知道這事，也都懼伯，主耶穌的名從此就尊大了。
徒19:18那已經信的，多有人來承認訴說自己所行的事。
徒19:19平素行邪術的，也有許多人把書拿來，堆積在眾人面前焚燒，他們算計書價，便知道共合五萬塊錢。
徒19:20主的道大大興旺而且得勝，就是這樣。
徒19:21這些事完了，保羅心裡定意，經過了馬其頓亞該亞，就往耶路撒冷去，又說：我到了那裡以後，也必須往羅馬去看看。
徒19:22於是從幫助他的人中，打發提摩太以拉都二人，往馬其頓去，自己暫時等在亞西亞。
徒19:23那時，因為這道起的擾亂不小。
徒19:24有一個銀匠，名叫底米丟，是製造亞底米神銀龕的，他使這樣手藝人生意發達。
徒19:25他聚集他們和同行的工人，說：眾位，你們知道我們是倚靠這生意發財。
徒19:26這保羅不但在以弗所，也幾乎在亞西亞全地，引誘迷惑許多人，說：人手所作的不是神，這是你們所看見所聽見的。
徒19:27這樣，不獨我們這事業，被人藐視，就是大女神亞底米的廟，也要被人輕忽，連亞西亞全地，和普天下，所敬拜的大女神之威榮，也要銷滅了。
徒19:28眾人聽見，就怒氣填胸，喊著說：大哉以弗所人的亞底米阿。
徒19:29滿城都轟動起來，眾人拿住與保羅同行的馬其頓人該猶，和亞里達古，齊心擁進戲園裡去。
徒19:30保羅想要進去，到百姓那裡，門徒卻不許他去。
徒19:31還有亞西亞幾位首領，是保羅的朋友，打發人來勸他，不要冒險到戲園裡去。
徒19:32聚集的人，紛紛亂亂，有喊叫這個的，有喊叫那個的，大半不知道是為甚麼聚集。
徒19:33有人把亞力山大從眾人中帶出來，猶太人推他往前，亞力山大就擺手，要向百姓分訴。
徒19:34只因他們認出他是猶太人，就大家同聲喊著說：大哉以弗所人的亞底米阿，如此約有兩小時。
徒19:35那城裡的書記，安撫了眾人，就說：以弗所人哪，誰不知道以弗所人的城，是看守大亞底米的廟，和從丟斯那裡落下來的像呢。
徒19:36這事既是駁不倒的，你們就當安靜，不可造次。
徒19:37你們把這些人帶來，他們並沒有偷竊廟中之物，也沒有謗讟我們的女神。
徒19:38若是底米丟和他同行的人，有控告人的事，自有放告的日子，〔或作自有公堂〕也有方伯，可以彼此對告。
徒19:39你們若問別的事，就可以照常例聚集斷定。
徒19:40今日的擾亂，本是無緣無故，我們難免被查問，論到這樣聚眾，我們也說不出所以然來。
徒19:41說了這話，便叫眾人散去。

徒20:1亂定之後，保羅請門徒來，勸勉他們，就辭別起行，往馬其頓去。
徒20:2走遍了那一帶地方，用許多話勸勉門徒，〔或作眾人〕然後來到希臘。
徒20:3在那裡住了三個月，將要坐船往敘利亞去，猶太人設計要害他，他就定意從馬其頓回去。
徒20:4同他到亞西亞去的，有庇哩亞人畢羅斯的兒子所巴特，帖撒羅尼迦人亞里達古，和西公都，還有特庇人該猶，並提摩太，又有亞西亞人推基古，和特羅非摩。
徒20:5這些人先走在特羅亞等候我們。
徒20:6過了除酵的日子，我們從腓立比開船，五天到了特羅亞，和他們相會，在那裡住了七天。
徒20:7七日的第一日，我們聚會擘餅的時候，保羅因為要次日起行，就與他們講論，直講到半夜。
徒20:8我們聚會的那座樓上，有好些燈燭。
徒20:9有一個少年人，名叫猶推古，坐在窗臺上，困倦沉睡，保羅講了多時，少年人睡熟了，就從三層樓上掉下去，扶起他來，已經死了。
徒20:10保羅下去，伏在他身上，抱著他，說：你們不要發慌，他的靈魂還在身上。
徒20:11保羅又上去，擘餅，吃了，談論許久，直到天亮，這才走了。
徒20:12有人把那童子活活的領來，得的安慰不少。
徒20:13我們先上船開往亞朔去，意思要在那裡接保羅，因為他是這樣安排的，他自己打算要步行。
徒20:14他既在亞朔與我們相會，我們就接他上船，來到米推利尼。
徒20:15從那裡開船，次日到了基阿的對面，又次日，在撒摩靠岸，又次日，來到米利都。
徒20:16乃因保羅早已定意越過以弗所，免得在亞西亞耽延，他急忙前走，巴不得趕五旬節能到耶路撒冷。
徒20:17保羅從米利都打發人往以弗所去，請教會的長老來。
徒20:18他們來了，保羅就說：你們知道，自從我到亞西亞的日子以來，在你們中間始終為人如何，
徒20:19服事主凡事謙卑，眼中流淚，又因猶太人的謀害，經歷試煉。
徒20:20你們也知道，凡與你們有益的，我沒有一樣避諱不說的，或在眾人面前，或在各人家裡，我都教導你們。
徒20:21又對猶太人，和希利尼人，證明當向神悔改，信靠我主耶穌基督。
徒20:22現在我往耶路撒冷去，心甚迫切，〔原文作心被捆綁〕不知道在那裡要遇見甚麼事。
徒20:23但知道聖靈在各城裡向我指證，說：有捆鎖與患難等待我。
徒20:24我卻不以性命為念，也不看為寶貴，只要行完我的路程，成就我從主耶穌所領受的職事，證明神恩惠的福音。
徒20:25我素常在你們中間來往，傳講神國的道，如今我曉得你們以後都不得再見我的面了。
徒20:26所以我今日向你們證明，你們中間無論何人死亡，罪不在我身上。〔原文作我於眾人的血是潔淨的〕
徒20:27因為神的旨意，我並沒有一樣避諱不傳給你們的。
徒20:28聖靈立你們作全群的監督，你們就當為自己謹慎，也為全群謹慎，牧養神的教會，就是他用自己血所買來的。〔或作救贖的〕
徒20:29我知道我去之後，必有兇暴的豺狼，進入你們中間，不愛惜羊群。
徒20:30就是你們中間，也必有人起來，說悖謬的話，要引誘門徒跟從他們。
徒20:31所以你們應當儆醒，記念我三年之久，晝夜不住的流淚，勸戒你們各人。
徒20:32如今我把你們交託神，和他恩惠的道，這道能建立你們，叫你們和一切成聖的人同得基業。
徒20:33我未曾貪圖一個人的金，銀，衣服。
徒20:34我這兩隻手，常供給我和同人的需用，這是你們自己知道的。
徒20:35我凡事給你們作榜樣，叫你們知道，應當這樣勞苦，扶助軟弱的人，又當記念主耶穌的話，說：施比受更為有福。
徒20:36保羅說完了這話，就跪下同眾人禱告。
徒20:37眾人痛哭，抱著保羅的頸項，和他親嘴。
徒20:38叫他們最傷心的，就是他說：以後不能再見我的面那句話，於是送他上船去了。

徒21:1我們離別了眾人，就開船一直行到哥士，第二天到了羅底，從那裡到帕大喇。
徒21:2遇見一隻船，要往腓尼基去，就上船起行。
徒21:3望見居比路，就從南邊行過，往敘利亞去，我們就在推羅上岸，因為船要在那裡卸貨。
徒21:4找著了門徒，就在那裡住了七天，他們被聖靈感動，對保羅說：不要上耶路撒冷去。
徒21:5過了這幾天，我們就起身前行，他們眾人同妻子兒女，送我們到城外，我們都跪在岸上禱告，彼此亂別。
徒21:6我們上了船，他們就回家去了。
徒21:7我們從推羅行盡了水路，來到多利買，就問那裡的弟兄安，和他們同住了一天。
徒21:8第二天，我們離開那裡，來到該撒利亞，就進了傳福音的腓利家裡，和他同住，他是那七個執事裡的一個。
徒21:9他有四個女兒，都是處女，是說豫言的。
徒21:10我們在那裡多住了幾天，有一個先知，名叫亞迦布，從猶太下來。
徒21:11到了我們這裡，就拿保羅的腰帶，捆上自己的手腳，說：聖靈說：猶太人在耶路撒冷，要如此捆綁這腰帶的主人，把他交在外邦人手裡。
徒21:12我們和那本地的人，聽見這話，都苦勸保羅不要上耶路撒冷去。
徒21:13保羅說：你們為甚麼這樣痛哭，使我心碎呢，我為主耶穌的名，不但被人捆綁，就是死在耶路撒冷，也是願意的。
徒21:14保羅既不聽勸，我們便住了口，只說：願主的旨意成就便了。
徒21:15過了幾日，我們收拾行李上耶路撒冷去。
徒21:16有該撒利亞的幾個門徒和我們同去，帶我們到一個久為〔久為或作老〕門徒的家裡，叫我們與他同住，他名叫拿孫，是居比路人。
徒21:17到了耶路撒冷，弟兄們歡歡喜喜的接待我們。
徒21:18第二天，保羅同我們去見雅各，長老們也都在那裡。
徒21:19保羅問了他們安，便將神用他傳教，在外邦人中間所行之事，一一的述說了。
徒21:20他們聽見，就歸榮耀與神，對保羅說：兄台，你看猶太人中信主的有多少萬，並且都為律法熱心。
徒21:21他們聽見人說：你教訓一切在外邦的猶太人，離棄摩西，對他們說：不要給孩子行割禮，也不要遵行條規。
徒21:22眾人必聽見你來了，這可怎麼辦呢。
徒21:23你就照著我們的話行罷，我們這裡有四個人，都有願在身。
徒21:24你帶他們去，與他們一同潔淨的禮，替他們拿出規費，叫他們得以剃頭，這樣，眾人就可知道，先前所聽見你的事都是虛的，並可知道，你自己為人，循規蹈矩，遵行律法。
徒21:25至於信主的外邦人，我們已經寫信擬定，叫他們謹忌那祭偶像之物，和血，並勒死的牲畜，與姦淫。
徒21:26於是保羅帶著那四個人，第二天與他們一同行了潔淨的禮，進了殿，報明潔淨的日期滿足，只等祭司為他們各人獻祭。
徒21:27那七日將完，從亞西亞來的猶太人，看見保羅在殿裡，就聳動了眾人，下手拿他，
徒21:28喊叫說：以色列人來幫助，這就是在各處教訓眾人蹧踐我們百姓，和律法，並這地方的，他又帶著希利尼人進殿，污穢了這聖地。
徒21:29這話是因他們曾看見以弗所人特羅非摩，同保羅在城裡，以為保羅在帶他進了殿。
徒21:30合城都震動，百姓一齊跑來，拿住保羅，拉他出殿，殿門立刻都關了。
徒21:31他們正想要殺他，有人報信給營裡的千夫長說：耶路撒冷合城都亂了。
徒21:32千夫長立時帶著兵丁，和幾個百夫長，跑下去到他們那裡，他們見了千夫長和兵丁，就止住不打保羅。
徒21:33於是千夫長上前拿住他，吩咐用兩條鐵鍊捆鎖，又問他是甚麼人，作的是甚麼事。
徒21:34眾人有喊叫這個的，有喊叫那個的，千夫長因為這樣亂嚷，得不著實情，就吩咐人將保羅帶進營樓去。
徒21:35到了臺階上，眾人擠得兇猛，兵丁只得將保羅抬起來。
徒21:36眾人跟在後面，喊著說：除掉他。
徒21:37將要帶他進營樓，保羅對千夫長說：我對你說句話，可以不可以，他說：你懂得希利尼話麼。
徒21:38你莫非是從前作亂，帶領四千兇徒，往曠野去的那埃及人麼。
徒21:39保羅說：我本是猶太人，生在基利家的大數，並不是無名小城的人，求你准我對百姓說話。

徒21:40千夫長准了，保羅就站在臺階上，向百姓擺手，他們都靜默無聲，保羅便用希伯來話對他們說。

 

 

 

 

 

 

18 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.

9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. 13 “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”

14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” 16 So he drove them off. 17 Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.

Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos
18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.

23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor[a] and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

 

 

19 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when[a] you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues[b] and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.[c] 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

21 After all this had happened, Paul decided[d] to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.

The Riot in Ephesus
23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.

32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

 

 

20 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas
7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders
13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.

17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,[a] which he bought with his own blood.[b] 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

 

21 After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. 2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. 3 After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. 4 We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. 6 After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.

7 We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day. 8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”

12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

15 After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.

Paul’s Arrival at Jerusalem
17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly. 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”

26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.

Paul Arrested
27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, 28 shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” 29 (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.)

30 The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. 31 While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

33 The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. 35 When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. 36 The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!”

Paul Speaks to the Crowd
37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”

“Do you speak Greek?” he replied. 38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?”

39 Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”

40 After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic[a]:

本日經文提要  (使徒行傳 14:1~17:34)

 

   

 

徒14:1二人在以哥念同進猶太人的會堂，在那裡講的叫猶太人，和希利尼人，信的很多。
徒14:2但那不順從的猶太人，聳動外邦人，叫他們心裡惱恨弟兄。
徒14:3二人在那裡住了多日，倚靠主放膽講道，主藉他們的手，施行神蹟奇事，證明他的恩道。
徒14:4城裡的眾人就分了黨，有附從猶太人的，有附從使徒的。
徒14:5那時，外邦人和猶太人，並他們的官長，一齊擁上來，要凌辱使徒，用石頭打他們。
徒14:6使徒知道了，就逃往呂高尼的路司得，特庇，兩個城，和周圍地方去。
徒14:7在那裡傳福音。
徒14:8路司得城裡坐著一個兩腳無力的人，生來是瘸腿的，從來沒有走過。
徒14:9他聽保羅講道。保羅定睛看他，見他有信心，可得痊癒，
徒14:10就大聲說：你起來，兩腳站直。那人就跳起來而且行走。
徒14:11眾人看見保羅所作的事，就用呂高尼的話，大聲說：有神藉著人形，降臨我們中間了。
徒14:12於是稱巴拿巴為丟斯，稱保羅為希耳米，因為他說話領首。
徒14:13有城外丟斯廟的祭司，牽著牛，拿著花圈，來到門前，要同眾人向使徒獻祭。
徒14:14巴拿巴，保羅，二使徒聽見，就撕開衣裳，跳進眾人中間，喊著說：
徒14:15諸君，為甚麼作這事呢，我們也是人，性情和你們一樣，我們傳福音給你們，是叫你們離棄這些虛妄，歸向那創造天，地，海，和其中萬物的永生神。
徒14:16他在從前的世代，任憑萬國各行其道。
徒14:17然而為自己未嘗不顯出證據來，就如常施恩惠，從天降雨，賞賜豐年，叫你們飲食飽足，滿心喜樂。
徒14:18二人說了這些話，僅僅的攔住眾人不獻祭與他們。
徒14:19但有些猶太人，從安提阿和以哥念來，挑唆眾人，就用石頭打保羅，以為他是死了，便拖到城外。
徒14:20門徒正圍著他，他就起來，走進城去，第二天，同巴拿巴往特庇去，
徒14:21對那城裡的人傳了福音，使好些人作門徒，就回路司得，以哥念，安提阿去，
徒14:22堅固門徒的心，勸他們恆守所信的道，又說：我們進入神的國，必須經歷許多艱難。
徒14:23二人在各教會中選立了長老，又禁食禱告，就把他們交託所信的主。
徒14:24二人經過彼西底，來到旁非利亞。
徒14:25在別加講了道，就下亞大利去。
徒14:26從那裡坐船，往安提阿去。當初他們被眾人所託蒙神之恩，要辦現在所作之工，就是在這地方。
徒14:27到了那裡，聚集了會眾，就述說神藉他們所行的一切事，並神怎樣為外邦人開了信道的門。
徒14:28二人就在那裡同門徒住了多日。

徒15:1有幾個人，從猶太下來，教訓弟兄們說：你們若不按摩西的規條受割禮，不能得救。
徒15:2保羅巴拿巴與他們大大的分爭辯論，眾門徒就定規，叫保羅巴拿巴和本會中幾個人，為所辯論的，上耶路撒冷去，見使徒和長老。
徒15:3於是教會送他們起行，他們經過腓尼基，撒瑪利亞，隨處傳說外邦人歸主的事，叫眾弟兄都甚歡喜。
徒15:4到了耶路撒冷，教會和使徒並長老，都接待他們，他們就述說神同他們所行的一切事。
徒15:5惟有幾個信徒是法利賽教門的人，起來說：必須給外邦人行割禮，吩咐他們遵守摩西的律法。
徒15:6使徒和長老，聚會商議這事。
徒15:7辯論已經多了，彼得就起來，說：諸位弟兄，你們知道神早已在你們中間揀選了我，叫外邦人從我口中得聽福音之道，而且相信。
徒15:8知道人心的神，也為他們作了見證，賜聖靈給他們，正如給我們一樣。
徒15:9又藉著信潔淨了他們的心，並不分他們我們。
徒15:10現在為甚麼試探神，要把我們祖宗和我們所不能負的軛，放在門徒的頸項上呢。
徒15:11我們得救，乃是因主耶穌的恩，和他們一樣，這是我們所信的。
徒15:12眾人都默默無聲，聽巴拿巴和保羅，述說神藉他們在外邦人中所行的神蹟奇事。
徒15:13他們住了聲，雅各就說：諸位弟兄，請聽我的話。
徒15:14方才西門述說神當初怎樣眷顧外邦人，從他們中間選取百姓歸於自己的名下。
徒15:15眾先知的話，也與這意思相合。
徒15:16正如經上所寫的，『此後我要回來，重新修造大衛倒塌的帳幕，把那破壞的，重新修造建立起來。
徒15:17叫餘剩的人，就是凡稱為我名下的外邦人，都尋求主。
徒15:18這話是從創世以來，顯明這事的主說的。』
徒15:19所以據我的意見，不可難為那歸服神的外邦人。
徒15:20只要寫信，吩咐他們禁戒偶像的污穢和姦淫，並勒死的牲畜，和血。
徒15:21因為從古以來，摩西的書在各城有人傳講，每逢安息日，在會堂裡誦讀。
徒15:22那時，使徒和長老並全教會，定意從他們中間揀選人，差他們和保羅，巴拿巴，同住安提阿去，所揀選的，就是稱呼巴撒巴的猶大，和西拉，這兩個人在弟兄中是作首領的。
徒15:23於是寫信交付他們，內中說：使徒和作長老的弟兄們，問安提阿，敘利亞，基利家外邦眾弟兄的安。
徒15:24我們聽說有幾個人，從我們這裡出去，用言語攪擾你們，惑亂你們的心，〔有古卷在此有你們必須受割禮守摩西的律法〕其實我們並沒有吩咐他們。
徒15:25所以我們同心定意，揀選幾個人，差他們同我們所親愛的巴拿巴，和保羅，往你們那裡去。
徒15:26這二人是為我主耶穌基督的名，不顧性命的。
徒15:27我們就差了猶大和西拉，他們也要親口訴說這些事。
徒15:28因為聖靈和我們，定意不將別的重擔放在你們身上，惟有幾件事是不可少的，
徒15:29就是禁戒祭偶像的物，和血，並勒死的牲畜，和姦淫，這幾件你們若能自己禁戒不犯，就好了，願你們平安。
徒15:30他們既奉了差遣，就下安提阿去，聚集眾人，交付書信。
徒15:31眾人念了，因為信上安慰的話，就歡喜了。
徒15:32猶大和西拉也是先知，就用許多話勸勉弟兄，堅固他們。
徒15:33住了些日子，弟兄們打發他們平平安安的回到差遣他們的人那裡去。〔有古卷在此有〕
徒15:34〔惟有西拉定意仍住在那裡〕
徒15:35但保羅和巴拿巴，仍住在安提阿，和許多別人一同教訓人，傳主的道。
徒15:36過了些日子，保羅對巴拿巴說：我們可以回到從前宣傳主道的各城，看望弟兄們景況如何。
徒15:37巴拿巴有意，要帶稱呼馬可的約翰同去。
徒15:38但保羅，因為馬可從前在旁非利亞離開他們，不和他們同去作工，就以為不可帶他去。
徒15:39於是二人起了爭論，甚至彼此分開，巴拿巴帶著馬可，坐船往居比路去。
徒15:40保羅揀選了西拉，也出去，蒙弟兄們把他交於主的恩中。
徒15:41他就走遍敘利亞，基利家，堅固眾教會。

徒16:1保羅來到特庇，又到路司得，在那裡有一個門徒，名叫提摩太，是信主之猶太婦人的兒子，他父親卻是希利尼人。
徒16:2路司得和以哥念的弟兄，都稱讚他。
徒16:3保羅要帶他同去，只因那些地方的猶太人，都知道他父親是希利尼人，就給他行了割禮。
徒16:4他們經過各城，把耶路撒冷使徒和長老所定的條規，交給門徒遵守。
徒16:5於是眾教會信心越發堅固，人數天天加增。
徒16:6聖靈既然禁止他們在亞西亞講道，他們就經過弗呂家加拉太一帶地方。
徒16:7到了每西亞的邊界，他們想要往庇推尼去，耶穌的靈卻不許。
徒16:8他們就越過每西亞，下到特羅亞去。
徒16:9在夜間有異象現與保羅，有一個馬其頓人，站著求他說：請你過到馬其頓來幫助我們。
徒16:10保羅既看見這異象，我們隨即想要往馬其頓去，以為神召我們傳福音給那裡的人聽。
徒16:11於是從特羅亞開船，一直行到撒摩特喇，第二天到了尼亞波利。
徒16:12從那裡來到腓立比，就是馬其頓這一方的頭一個城，也是羅馬的駐防城，我們在這城裡住了幾天。
徒16:13當安息日，我們出城門，到了河邊，知道那裡有一個禱告的地方，我們就坐下對那聚會的婦女講道。
徒16:14有一個賣紫色布疋的婦人，名叫呂底亞，是推雅推喇城的人，素來敬拜神，他聽見了，主就開導他的心，叫他留心聽保羅所講的詁。
徒16:15他和他一家既領了洗，便求我們說：你們若以為我是真信主的，〔或作你們若以為我是忠心事主的〕請到我家裡來住，於是強留我們。
徒16:16後來，我們往那禱告的地方去，有一個使女迎著面來，她被巫鬼所附，用法術，叫她主人們大得財利。
徒16:17她跟隨保羅和我們，喊著說：這些人是至高神的僕人，對你們傳說救人的道。
徒16:18她一連多日這樣喊叫，保羅就心中厭煩，轉身對那鬼說：我奉耶穌基督的名，吩咐你從她身上出來，那鬼當時就出來了。
徒16:19使女的主人們，見得利的指望沒有了，便揪住保羅和西拉，拉他們到市上去見首領。
徒16:20又帶到官長面前說：這些人原是猶太人，竟騷擾我們的城，
徒16:21傳我們羅馬人所不可受，不可行的規矩。
徒16:22眾人就一同起來攻擊他們，官長吩咐剝了他們的衣裳，用棍打。
徒16:23打了許多棍，便將他們下在監裡，囑咐禁卒嚴緊看守。
徒16:24禁卒領了這樣的命，就把他們下在內監裡，兩腳上了木狗。
徒16:25約在半夜，保羅和西拉，禱告唱詩讚美神，眾囚犯也側耳而聽。
徒16:26忽然地大震動，甚至監牢的地基都搖動了，監門立刻全開，眾囚犯的鎖鍊也都鬆開了。
徒16:27禁卒一醒，看見監門全開，以為囚犯已經逃走，就拔刀要自殺。
徒16:28保羅大聲呼叫說：不要傷害自己，我們都在這裡。
徒16:29禁卒叫人拿燈來，就跳進去，戰戰兢兢的，俯伏在保羅西拉面前。
徒16:30又領他們出來，說：二位先生，我當怎樣行才可以得救。
徒16:31他們說：當信主耶穌，你和你一家都必得救。
徒16:32他們就把主的道，講給他和他全家的人聽。
徒16:33當夜，就在那時候，禁卒把他們帶去，洗他們的傷，他和屬乎他的人，立時都受了洗。
徒16:34於是禁卒領他們上自己家裡去，給他們擺上飯，他和全家，因為信了神，都很喜樂。
徒16:35到了天亮，官長打發差役來說：釋放那兩個人罷。
徒16:36禁卒就把這話告訴保羅說：官長打發人來叫釋放你們，如今可以出監，平平安安的去罷。
徒16:37保羅卻說：我們是羅馬人，並沒有定罪，他們就在眾人面前打了我們，又把我們下在監裡，現在要私下攆我們出去麼，這是不行的，叫他們自己來領我們出去罷。
徒16:38差役把這話回稟官長，官長聽見他們是羅馬人，就害怕了。
徒16:39於是來勸他們，領他們出來，請他們離那城。
徒16:40二人出了監，往呂底亞家裡去，見了弟兄們，勸慰他們一番，就走了。

徒17:1保羅和西拉，經過暗妃波里，亞波羅尼亞，來到帖撒羅尼迦，在那裡有猶太人的會堂。
徒17:2保羅照他素常的規矩進去，一連三個安息日，本著聖經與他們辯論，
徒17:3講解陳明基督必須受害，從死裡復活，又說：我所傳與你們的這立耶穌，就是基督。
徒17:4他們中間有些人聽了勸，就附從保羅和西拉，並有許多虔敬的希利尼人，尊貴的婦女也不少。
徒17:5但那不信的猶太人心裡嫉妒，招聚了些市井匪類，搭夥成群，聳動合城的人，闖進耶孫的家，要將保羅西拉帶到百姓那裡。
徒17:6找不著他們，就把耶孫，和幾個弟兄，拉到地方官那裡，喊叫說：那攪亂天下的，也到這裡來了。
徒17:7耶孫收留他們，這些人都違背該撒的命令，說另有一個王耶穌。
徒17:8眾人和地方官，聽見這話，就驚慌了。
徒17:9於是取了耶孫和其餘之人的保狀，就釋放了他們。
徒17:10弟兄們，隨即在夜間打發保羅和西拉往庇哩亞去，二人到了，就進入猶太人的會堂。
徒17:11這地方的人，賢於帖撒羅尼迦的人，甘心領受這道，天天考查聖經，要曉得這道是與不是。
徒17:12所以他們中間多有相信的，又有希利尼尊貴的婦女，男子也不少。
徒17:13但帖撒羅尼迦的猶太人，知道保羅又庇哩亞傳神的道，也就往那裡去，聳動攪擾眾人。
徒17:14當時弟兄們便打發保羅往海邊去，西拉和提摩太仍住在庇哩亞。
徒17:15送保羅的人帶他到了雅典，既領了保羅的命，叫西拉和提摩太速速到他這裡來，就回去了。
徒17:16保羅在雅典等候他們的時候，看見滿城都是偶像，就心裡著急。
徒17:17於是在會堂裡，與猶太人，和虔敬的人，並每日在市上所遇見的人辯論。
徒17:18還有以彼古羅和斯多亞兩門的學士，與他爭論，有的說：這胡言亂語的要說甚麼，有的說：他似乎是傳說外邦鬼神的，這話是因保羅傳講耶穌，與復活的道。
徒17:19他們就把他帶到亞略巴古說：你所講的這新道，我們也可以知道麼。
徒17:20因為你有些奇怪的事，傳到我們耳中，我們願意知道這些事是甚麼意思。
徒17:21（雅典人，和住在那裡的客人，都不顧別的事，只將新聞說說聽聽。）
徒17:22保羅站在亞略巴古當中，說：眾位雅典人哪，我看你們凡事很敬畏鬼神。
徒17:23我遊行的時候，觀看你們所敬拜的，遇見一座壇，上面寫著未識之神，你們所不認識而敬拜的，我現在告訴你們。
徒17:24創造宇宙和其中萬物的神，既是天地的主，就不住人手所造的殿。
徒17:25也不用人手服事，好像缺少甚麼，自己倒將生命，氣息，萬物，賜給萬人。
徒17:26他從一本造出萬族的人，〔本有古卷作血脈〕住在全地上，並且豫先定準他們的年限，和所住的疆界。
徒17:27要叫他們尋求神，或者可以揣摩而得，其實他離我們各人不遠。
徒17:28我們生活，動作，存留，都在乎他，就如你們作詩的，有人說：我們也是他所生的。
徒17:29我們既是神所生的，就不當以為神的神性像人用手藝，心思，所雕刻的金，銀，石。
徒17:30世人蒙昧無知的時候，神並不監察，如今卻吩咐各處的人都要悔改。
徒17:31因為他已經定了日子，要藉著他所設立的人，按公義審判天下，並且叫他從死裡復活，給萬人作可信的憑據。
徒17:32眾人聽見從死裡復活的話，就有譏誚他的，又有人說：我們再聽你講這個罷。
徒17:33於是保羅從他們當中出去了。

 

14 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. 4 The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. 5 There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. 6 But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the gospel.

In Lystra and Derbe
8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

The Return to Antioch in Syria
21 They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders[a] for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 24 After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, 25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

26 From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

 

15 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”

6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. 14 Simon[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

16 “‘After this I will return
    and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
    and I will restore it,
17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
    even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’[b]—
18     things known from long ago.[c]
19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers
22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. 23 With them they sent the following letter:

The apostles and elders, your brothers,

To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:

Greetings.

24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.

Farewell.

30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. [34] [d] 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.

Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

 

 

16 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi
11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district[a] of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.

13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Paul and Silas in Prison
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” 36 The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”

37 But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

 

 

17 When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.

5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.[a] 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

In Berea
10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

In Athens
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[b] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[c]

29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

本日經文提要  (使徒行傳 12:1~13:52)

 

 

 

徒12:1那時，希律王下手苦害教會中幾個人。
徒12:2用刀殺了約翰的哥哥雅各。
徒12:3他見猶太人喜歡這事，又去捉拿彼得。那時正是除酵的日子。
徒12:4希律拿了彼得收在監裡，交付四班兵丁看守，每班四個人，意思要在逾越節後，把他提出來，當著百姓辦他。
徒12:5於是彼得被囚在監裡，教會卻為他切切的禱告神。
徒12:6希律將要提他出來的前一夜，彼得被兩條鐵鍊鎖著，睡在兩個兵丁當中，看守的人也在門外看守。
徒12:7忽然有主的一個使者，站在旁邊，屋裡有光照耀，天使拍彼得的肋旁，拍醒了他，說：快快起來，那鐵鍊就從他手上脫落下來。
徒12:8天使對他說：束上帶子，穿上鞋，他就那樣作，天使又說：披上外衣跟著我來。
徒12:9彼得就出來跟著他，不知道天使所作是真的，只當見了異象。
徒12:10過了第一層第二層監牢，就來到臨街的鐵門，那門自己開了。他們出來，走過一條街，天使便離開他去了。
徒12:11彼得醒悟過來，說：我現在真知道主差遣他的使者，救我脫離希律的手，和猶太百姓一切所盼望的。
徒12:12想了一想，就往那稱呼馬可的約翰他母親馬利亞家去，在那裡有好些人聚集禱告。
徒12:13彼得敲外門，有一個使女，名叫羅大出來探聽。
徒12:14聽得是彼得的聲音，就歡喜的顧不得開門，跑進去告訴眾人說：彼得站在門外。
徒12:15他們說：你是瘋了。使女極力的說：真是他。他們說：必是他的天使。
徒12:16彼得不住的敲門，他們開了門，看見他，就甚驚奇。
徒12:17彼得擺手，不要他們作聲，就告訴他們主怎樣領他出監，又說：你們把這事告訴雅各，和眾弟兄，於是出去往別處去了。
徒12:18到了天亮，兵丁擾亂得很，不知道彼得往那裡去了。
徒12:19希律找他，找不著，就審問看守的人，吩咐把他們拉去殺了。後來希律離開猶太，下該撒利亞去，住在那裡。
徒12:20希律惱怒推羅西頓的人，他們那一帶地方，是從王的地土得糧，因此就託了王的內侍臣伯拉斯都的情，一心來求和。
徒12:21希律在所定的日子，穿上朝服，坐在位上，對他們講論一番。
徒12:22百姓喊著說：這是神的聲音，不是人的聲音。
徒12:23希律不歸榮耀給神，所以主的使者立刻罰他，他被蟲所咬，氣就絕了。
徒12:24神的道日見興旺，越發廣傳。
徒12:25巴拿巴和掃羅，辦完了他們供給的事，就從耶路撒冷回來，帶著稱呼馬可的約翰同去。

徒13:1在安提阿的教會中，有幾位先知和教師，就是巴拿巴，和稱呼尼結的西面，古利奈人路求，與分封之王希律同養的馬念，並掃羅。
徒13:2他們事奉主，禁食的時候，聖靈說：要為我分派巴拿巴和掃羅，去作我召他們所作的工。
徒13:3於是禁食禱告，按手在他們頭上，就打發他們去了。
徒13:4他們既被聖靈差遣，就下到西流基，從那裡坐船往居比路去。
徒13:5到了撒拉米，就在猶太人各會堂裡傳講神的道，也有約翰作他們的幫手。
徒13:6經過全島，直到帕弗，在那裡遇見一個有法術假充先知的猶太人，名叫巴耶穌。
徒13:7這人常和方伯士求保羅同在，士求保羅是個通達人，他請了巴拿巴和掃羅來，要聽神的道。
徒13:8只是那行法術的以呂馬，（這名繙出來就是行法術的意思）敵擋使徒，要叫方伯不信真道。
徒13:9掃羅又名保羅，被聖靈充滿，定睛看他，
徒13:10說：你這充滿各樣詭詐奸惡，魔鬼的兒子，眾善的仇敵，你混亂主的正道還不止住麼。
徒13:11現在主的手加在你身上，你要瞎眼，暫且不見日光。他的眼睛，立刻昏蒙黑暗，四下裡求人拉著手領他。
徒13:12方伯看見所作的事，很希奇主的道，就信了。
徒13:13保羅和他的同人，從帕弗開船，來到旁非利亞的別加，約翰就離開他們回耶路撒冷去。
徒13:14他們離了別加往前行，來到彼西底的安提阿，在安息日進會堂坐下。
徒13:15讀完了律法和先知的書，管會堂的叫人過去，對他們說：二位兄台，若有甚麼勸勉眾人的話，請說。
徒13:16保羅就站起來，舉手說：以色列人，和一切敬畏神的人，請聽。
徒13:17這以色列民的神，揀選了我們的祖宗，當民寄居埃及的時候，抬舉他們，用大能的手領他們出來。
徒13:18又在曠野容忍他們約有四十年。〔容忍或作撫養〕
徒13:19既滅了迦南地七族的人，就把那地分給他們為業。
徒13:20此後，給他們設立士師，約有四百五十年，直到先知撒母耳的時候。
徒13:21後來他們求一個王，神就將便雅憫支派中，基士的兒子掃羅，給他們作王四十年。
徒13:22既廢了掃羅，就選立大衛作他們的王，又為他作見證說：『我尋得耶西的兒子大衛，他是合我心意的人，凡事要遵行我的旨意。』
徒13:23從這人的後裔中，神已經照著所應許的，為以色列人立了一位救主，就是耶穌。
徒13:24在他沒有出來以先，約翰向以色列眾民宣講悔改的洗禮。
徒13:25約翰將行盡他的程途說：你們以為我是誰，我不是基督，只是有一位在我以後來的，我解他腳上的鞋帶，也是不配的。
徒13:26弟兄們，亞伯拉罕的子孫，和你們中間敬畏神的人哪，這救世的道，是傳給我們的。
徒13:27耶路撒冷居住的人，和他們的官長，因為不認識基督，也不明白每安息日所讀眾先知的書，就把基督定了死罪，正應了先知的豫言。
徒13:28雖然查不出他有當死的罪來，還是求彼拉多殺他。
徒13:29既成就了經上指著他所記的一切話，就把他從木頭上取下來，放在墳墓裡。
徒13:30神卻叫他從死裡復活。
徒13:31那從加利利同他上耶路撒冷的人多日看見他，這些人如今在民間是他的見證。
徒13:32我們也報好信息給你們，就是那應許祖宗的話，
徒13:33神已經向我們這作兒女的應驗，叫耶穌復活了，正如詩篇第二篇上記著說：『你是我的兒子，我今日生你。』
徒13:34論到神叫他從死裡復活，不再歸於朽壞，就這樣說：『我必將所應許大衛那聖潔可靠的恩典，賜給你們。』
徒13:35又有一篇上說：『你必不叫你的聖者見朽壞。』
徒13:36大衛在世的時候，遵行了神的旨意，就睡了，〔或作大衛按神的旨意服事了他那一世的人就睡了〕歸到他祖宗那裡，已見朽壞。
徒13:37惟獨神所復活的，他並未見朽壞。
徒13:38所以弟兄們，你們當曉得，赦罪的道是由這人傳給你們的。
徒13:39你們靠摩西的律法，在一切不得稱義的事上，信靠這人，就都得稱義了。
徒13:40所以你們務要小心，免得先知書上所說的臨到你們。
徒13:41主說：『你們這輕慢的人要觀看，要驚奇，要滅亡，因為在你們的時候，我行一件事，雖有人告訴你們，你們總是不信。』
徒13:42他們出會堂的時候，眾人請他們到下安息日，再講這話給他們聽。
徒13:43散會以後，猶太人和敬虔進猶太教的人，多有跟從保羅，巴拿巴的，二人對他們講道，勸他們務要恆久在神的恩中。
徒13:44到下安息日，合城的人，幾乎都來聚集，要聽神的道。
徒13:45但猶太人看見人這樣多，就滿心嫉妒，硬駁保羅所說的話，並且毀謗。
徒13:46保羅和巴拿巴放膽說：神的道先講給你們，原是應當的，只因你們棄絕這道，斷定自己不配得永生，我們就轉向外邦人去。
徒13:47因為主曾這樣吩咐我們說：『我已經立你作外邦人的光，叫你施行救恩直到地極。』
徒13:48外邦人聽見這話，就歡喜了，讚美神的道，凡豫定得永生的人都信了。
徒13:49於是主的道，傳遍了那一帶地方。
徒13:50但猶太人挑唆虔敬尊貴的婦女，和城內有名望的人，逼迫保羅，巴拿巴，將他們趕出境外。
徒13:51二人對著眾人跺下腳上的塵土，就往以哥念去了。

 

 

12 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.

Herod’s Death
Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.

21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

24 But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from[a] Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.

13 1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

On Cyprus
4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.

6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”

Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

In Pisidian Antioch
13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”

16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; 18 for about forty years he endured their conduct[a] in the wilderness; 19 and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years.

“After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’

26 “Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.

32 “We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:

“‘You are my son;
    today I have become your father.’[b]
34 God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said,

“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’[c]
35 So it is also stated elsewhere:

“‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’[d]
36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. 37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.

38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. 40 Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

41 “‘Look, you scoffers,
    wonder and perish,
for I am going to do something in your days
    that you would never believe,
    even if someone told you.’[e]”
42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. 43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.

46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“‘I have made you[f] a light for the Gentiles,
    that you[g] may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’[h]”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.