參考版本 AFV  A  Faithful Version 的希臘文 2009版本    

耶和華的事，不謀利沒有版權

8. And there arose a new king over Egypt who did not know Joseph.

9. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are many and mightier than we.

10. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it will be when there comes a war, they join also to our enemies and fight against us, and get them out of the land.”

11. And they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built treasure cities for Pharaoh, Pithon and Raamses.

12. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.

13. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with harshness.

14. And they made their lives bitter with hard work in mortar and in bricks, and in all kinds of work in the field. All their work in which they made them do was with harshness.

15. And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah.

16. And he said, “When you midwife the Hebrew women, and look on the birth stools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him. But if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

17. But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved alive the male children.

18. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and have saved the male children alive?”

19. And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered before the midwives come to them.”

20. And God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and became very mighty.

21. And it came to pass because the midwives feared God, that He made them houses.

22. And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, “Every son that is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

 (A Faithful Version)

8. 過了一段日子，埃及出現了新王，他從不知道有位約瑟的存在。

9. 這王對臣民說：大家看看，以色列人的人數比我們要多，勢力比我們要強。

10. 我們真的要想想，如何去防止他們人數繼續增多。萬一有戰事出現，這些人加入到敵對的一方，來對付我們，他們就會被救，離開這遍土地。

11. 埃及人想出一個方法，派人加緊監控，用苦工去消磨他們的意志。於是指派為法老建造兩座富麗堂皇的大城：比頓和蘭塞。

12. 奇異的是，埃及人越去苦待，以色列人數增加越多。埃及人就越發恐懼。

13. 埃及人就加大力度去對付。

14. 加重作工的勞苦，包括做黏土、做磚塊等付出體力的工作，以及田間各種運動量大的勞務，監管嚴厲。

15. 這位新王並找來屬希伯來的助產婦，一名示弗拉，另一叫普阿。

16. 吩咐她們：為希伯來婦人接生時，要留心察看胎盤是男或女，若是男的，殺了，是女的，留下。

17. 幸好，助產婦都是敬畏耶和華的，沒有照吩咐去行，倒想到法子拯救過來。

18. 過了些時日，新王召助產婦到來，問：為何沒有男孩死亡回報？

19. 助產婦回應：也許希伯來婦人不像埃及婦人，她們好動，我們還未到，孩子已經產下來了。

20. 耶和華對助產婦人的作為甚為喜悅。以色列人數依舊繁衍昌盛。

21. 耶和華就為這二位助產婦，示弗拉和普阿給她們預備自己的居所。

22. 新法老在無計可施下，公告天下：凡以色列族生的男孩，要丟河裡；生女嬰，可以留著。

v.11  Pithom and Raamses (also spelled Rameses) are two cities mentioned in the Book of Exodus (1:11) as “store cities” built by the Israelites using forced labor for the Pharaoh of the Oppression.  They served as the departure point for the Exodus journey. 

Pithom (Per-Atum)

Pithom (Egyptian: pr-jtm, meaning “House of Atum”) is associated with the cult of the sun god Atum.  Its exact location has been debated between two primary sites in the Wadi Tumilat:

• Tell el-Retaba: Some scholars argue this was the original Pithom, occupied during the 19th Dynasty under Ramesses II, featuring fortifications and a Temple of Atum. 

Raamses (Pi-Ramesses)

The biblical Raamses is widely identified by archaeologists as Pi-Ramesses, the capital city built by Pharaoh Ramesses II (reigned c.  1279–1213 BC). Located at Qantir in the Nile Delta, near the ancient site of Avaris, it was a major urban center featuring lavish temples, palaces, and extensive granaries.  The city was founded on the site of a former summer palace used by Seti I. While the Bible omits the “Pi-” prefix (meaning “House of”), the identification is supported by the city’s prominence during the 19th Dynasty and its location in the Land of Goshen.

摩西描述一個現象，新人事新作風。這個新王擔心以色列人，人數眾多帶來對政權的威脅。只是這威脅是真實存在，還是一個假想？

當人內心存私，眼光就放在自己存亡的可能性這方面。這個想法有必要，卻不是用猜疑作依據，而是看事實此其一，其二，人多就表示力量不假，也要看這些人有沒有這心思。新王可能因為自己的無能，因害怕失去王權而產生恐懼，以色列人即使無心作亂，新王仍會以己之恐懼視之為真。這是許多人的心理反映出人對現象不信任，更不信任人，這是禍事的起因。

當人有權，他會利用法律，作出規管。這是為什麼保羅說律法叫人知罪，它有正面也有反面，利用律法行惡。律法不能叫人稱義。信，天下間有正義的存在，人，才能稱義：因信稱義。立法又不守的，一般會發生在專制的政權和領袖身上。

人有許多機會遇上無罔之災，因為是外在因素做成。耶和華對相信的人，他主動與人立的約，就不要以為祂是一般的 [神]，要人去討好。不，這位耶和華不同那些人為的 [神祗]，是人的代理，用虛言誇大後果，讓人心驚被嚇怕跟隨。耶和華是犧牲自己的一切，為人付出，保守相信的人，生命不受摧殘。人，只要像雅各一樣，有膽與耶和華摔跤，又有靈巧似蛇的心思，純良像耶和華般的愛(祂如鴿從天降在耶穌的頭上那樣)，幫助雅各，又幫助約瑟，現在幫助他們的後代摩西，成了如星沙般大族，卻無礙應許的實現。人無能作拯救，耶和華便興起一位，摩西去協助他們  (新約從以色列人的摩西自救，到外邦人從耶穌基督被差來人間得救) 離開為奴之地。

摩西自己還在母腹的時候，耶和華就讓二位助產婦去維護以色列的初生，這二位婦人明知王權不可抗，只因為信，就不從王命，去救助以色列人，是她們的家人，也讓耶和華的應許落實。

耶和華參與人間事務，是有其必然的因素，要符合立約的條文：相信祂。相信的人要守約，什麼約？保存自己的靈不被自己的私慾遮蔽。如此這般，人如何在貪婪的人世中守住？學雅各，靈巧純良，耶和華就會像幫助雅各、約瑟和摩西一樣幫助你。

聖經將耶和華的作為，讓祂如何幫助，透過雅各、約瑟和摩西顯明出來：從受苦之地，埃及出來。為何以色列人受苦？因為人，不完全。這不完全來自肉身的需要，是有人為的因素在。人到社會上，有各樣情況出現，都在經歷下成長，滿有基督長成的身量，那是心智成熟時，因心清而不惑，自己親見那位天地的創造者：耶和華，又稱亞爸父，從此與耶穌同列，一左一右。 摩西由不認識，因為有民族文化仍在，知道有位耶和華，他心開敞，耶和華主動向他顯現。如今，一樣，若心靈開敞，耶和華依舊向你顯現。你相信，必會明白，就多去分享。