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1:1 亞哈隨魯作王，從印度直到古實，統管一百二十七省。 This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, 1:1 Hebrew ((Ahasuerus,)) a variant of Xerxes' Persian name; here and throughout Esther the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush: 1:1 That is, the upper Nile region
1:2 亞哈隨魯王在書珊城的宮登基； At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, 1:3 在位第三年，為他一切首領臣僕設擺筵席，有波斯和米底亞的權貴，就是各省的貴冑與首領，在他面前。 and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present. 1:4 他把他榮耀之國的豐富和他美好威嚴的尊貴給他們看了許多日，就是一百八十日。 For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. 1:5 這日子滿了，又為所有住書珊城的大小人民在御園的院子裏設擺筵席七日。 When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king's palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest, who were in the citadel of Susa. 1:6 有白色、綠色、藍色的帳子，用細麻繩、紫色繩從銀環內繫在白玉石柱上；有金銀的榻擺在紅、白、黃、黑玉石鋪的石地上。 The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. 1:7 用金器皿賜酒，器皿各有不同。御酒甚多，足顯王的厚意。 Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king's liberality. 1:8 喝酒有例，不准勉強人，因王吩咐宮裏的一切臣宰，讓人各隨己意。 By the king's command each guest was allowed to drink in his own way, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished. 1:9 王后瓦實提在亞哈隨魯王的宮內也為婦女設擺筵席。 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes. 1:10 第七日，亞哈隨魯王飲酒，心中快樂，就吩咐在他面前侍立的七個太監米戶幔、比斯他、哈波拿、比革他、亞拔他、西達、甲迦， On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him--Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas-- 1:11 請王后瓦實提頭戴王后的冠冕到王面前，使各等臣民看她的美貌，因為她容貌甚美。 to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. 1:12 王后瓦實提卻不肯遵太監所傳的王命而來，所以王甚發怒，心如火燒。 But when the attendants delivered the king's command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger. 1:13 那時，在王左右常見王面、國中坐高位的，有波斯和米底亞的七個大臣，就是甲示拿、示達、押瑪他、他施斯、米力、瑪西拿、米母干，都是達時務的明哲人。按王的常規，辦事必先詢問知例明法的人。王問他們說： Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times 1:14 那時，在王左右常見王面、國中坐高位的，有波斯和米底亞的七個大臣，就是甲示拿、示達、押瑪他、他施斯、米力、瑪西拿、米母干，都是達時務的明哲人。按王的常規，辦事必先詢問知例明法的人。王問他們說： and were closest to the king--Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, the seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were highest in the kingdom. 1:15 「王后瓦實提不遵太監所傳的王命，照例應當怎樣辦理呢？」 <<According to law, what must be done to Queen Vashti?>> he asked. <<She has not obeyed the command of King Xerxes that the eunuchs have taken to her.>> 1:16 米母干在王和眾首領面前回答說：「王后瓦實提這事，不但得罪王，並且有害於王各省的臣民； Then Memucan replied in the presence of the king and the nobles, <<Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes. 1:17 因為王后這事必傳到眾婦人的耳中，說：『亞哈隨魯王吩咐王后瓦實提到王面前，她卻不來』，她們就藐視自己的丈夫。 For the queen's conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, <King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.> 1:18 今日波斯和米底亞的眾夫人聽見王后這事，必向王的大臣照樣行；從此必大開藐視和忿怒之端。 This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen's conduct will respond to all the king's nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord. 1:19 王若以為美，就降旨寫在波斯和米底亞人的例中，永不更改，不准瓦實提再到王面前，將她王后的位分賜給比她還好的人。 <<Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her royal position to someone else who is better than she. 1:20 所降的旨意傳遍通國（國度本來廣大），所有的婦人，無論丈夫貴賤都必尊敬他。」 Then when the king's edict is proclaimed throughout all his vast realm, all the women will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest.>> 1:21 王和眾首領都以米母干的話為美，王就照這話去行， The king and his nobles were pleased with this advice, so the king did as Memucan proposed. 1:22 發詔書，用各省的文字、各族的方言通知各省，使為丈夫的在家中作主，各說本地的方言。 He sent dispatches to all parts of the kingdom, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, proclaiming in each people's tongue that every man should be ruler over his own household. This is Alex Markley's PHPScripture v1.2.0, displaying a copy of Chinese Union Version Bible in XOOPS. 本模組中文化由長島基督福音教會的Jack起始, 聖經文字部分由CCIM(網路基督使團)網站下載. 如欲修改經文請洽聖經公會. 荒漠甘泉五合一■ 中文荒漠甘泉（12月02日）
十二月二日 「因受苦難得以完全。」希伯來書二章10節 鐵加上火成為鋼。土地是岩石加上熱，或冰河的沖壓。麻布是亞麻纖維加上清洗，梳劈，槌擊，和紡織。人格也是一定有其附加的因素。偉大人物決不為世界所遺忘，但偉大人物不是由逸樂，而是由苦難所造成的。 有一個母親，帶了一個瘸腿而又駝背的孩子回來，作他兒子的遊伴。她曾警告她的兒，要十分當心，不要用言語去傷這殘廢孩子的心：只要好好的和他玩耍，當他為一個普通的孩子。當他們玩耍的時候，她暗暗的偷聽她兒子說些甚麼；過了幾分鐘，他對他的遊伴說：「你知道你背上所背的是甚麼嗎？」小駝背大為受窘，答不出一句話來。他說：「這是一個裝翅膀的匣子；有一天，神要替你打開來；那時，你就能像天使一樣飛行了。」 有一天，神必讓每一個基督人看見：他們現在所反對的，乃是祂所用的工具，為要叫他們完全的。祂要他們成為磨光的日子，好用以建造天上的殿宇。 ─麥友 苦難對於人格的培植，是一種奇妙的肥料。人生的偉大目的，是培植人格，唯有人格，是我們能夠帶入永恆的東西……試煉的目的，就是要我們獲得高尚的人格。 ─斐伯斯 走盡荊刺路，能登異象山。
■ 英文荒漠甘泉（12月02日）
December 2 "Perfect through suffering." (Heb. 2:10) ＳTEEL is iron plus fire. Soil is rock, plus heat, or glacier crushing. Linen is flax plus the bath that cleans, the comb that separates, and the flail that pounds, and the shuttle that weaves. Human character must have a plus attached to it. The world does not forget great characters. But great characters are not made of luxuries, they are made by suffering. I heard of a mother who brought into her home as a companion to her own son, a crippled boy who was also a hunchback. She had warned her boy to be very careful in his relations to him, and not to touch the sensitive part of his life but go right on playing with him as if he were an ordinary boy. She listened to her son as they were playing; and after a few minutes he said to his companion: "Do you know what you have got on your back?" The little hunchback was embarrassed, and he hesitated a moment. The boy said: "It is the box in which your wings are; and some day God is going to cut it open, and then you will fly away and be an angel." Some day, God is going to reveal the fact to every Christian, that the very principles they now rebel against, have been the instruments which He used in perfecting their characters and moulding them into perfection, polished stones for His great building yonder. －Cortland Myers. Suffering is a wonderful fertilizer to the roots of character. The great object of this life is character. This is the only thing we can carry with us into eternity....To gain the most of it and the best of it is the object of probation. －Austin Phelps. "By the thorn road and no other is the mount of vision won."
■ 永活之泉（12月02日）
十二月二日 信和愛 「我主的恩是格外豐盛，使我在基督耶穌裡有信心和愛心。」提摩太前書一章14節 「因信心所作的工夫，因愛心所受的勞苦。」帖撒羅尼迦前書一章3節 「把信和愛當作護心鏡遮胸。」帖撒羅尼迦前書五章8節 「你們的信心格外增長，並且你們眾人彼此相愛的心也都充足。」帖撒羅尼迦後書一章3節 這些保羅所寫出的字句，顯出信和愛在基督徒生活中的關係。信總是在先，如同生根於神的愛裏，結出弟兄彼此相愛的果子；根和果子自然無法分離，同樣信和愛都同在恩典的範疇內。但事實上，兩者經常分開。五旬節門徒們聚在一起，以信心從基督支取能力去愛弟兄。那天傳講的總結是相信耶穌基督，並接受聖靈所賜的能力，而其結果自然是：「信徒都在一處，凡物公用。」「他們都同心合意。」 唉！宗教改革時期尚未造成此一趨勢。宗教改革產生極有能力；「信」的教訓，但在領袖和傳道人之間的信心卻缺乏愛心，所以世人無法知道神的愛在完全聖潔人的生命中有全能。 所以，讓我們衷心深思：「我主信和愛的恩是格外豐盛的。」當我們在神的愛中培養信心，我們的心就會充滿愛弟兄的心，我們信心的真實性要在日常家中生活彰顯出來。但神幫助我們一天天藉著信心之根結出愛果，使我們可在日常生活體驗真實和能力，並賜福他人。
■ 中文屬天日子（12月02日）
十二月二日 基督徒的完全 「這不是說，我已經得著了，已經完全了。」腓立比書三章12節 以為神要把我們造成一個完全的標本，那是極大的錯誤；神的旨意，乃是要我們與祂完全合而為一。著重聖潔運動的人們，是很容易把神看為製造聖潔標本者，把那些聖潔的標本，陳列在祂的博物院中。如果你取從這種個人聖潔的觀念，則你生命的目的不是為神，卻是為的你所稱為的神，在你生命中的表現。你說：「我的生病，絕不是神的旨意。」如果壓傷祂的兒子是神的旨意，為甚麼不壓傷你呢？替神宣傳，不是一個聖徒應有的觀念，卻是你與耶穌基督真實而根本的關係，無論是病是健康，一樣的歸依祂。 基督徒的完全，不是成功一個完全的人，而是與神發生關係的完全，並且在人生不順利中，將這關係表現出來。當你服從耶穌基督選召的時候，叫你感覺的第一件事，是不順利的事你必得做，其次是你感覺別人生活完全協調的事實。這種生活似乎容易叫你生出神不必要的思想來，以為藉著人的努力與順服，能夠達到神所要的標準。須知在一個墮落的世界裡，這是絕對行不通的。我蒙召，生活在與神完全關係之中，叫我在別人的生活中產生一個戀慕神的心，絲毫不稱許我的自身。注意自身就阻止了我對於神的用處。神不是要完成我，作祂陳列室裡的標本：祂要我到祂能用我的地方。讓祂行其所欲吧！
■ 中文上海嗎哪（12月02日）
十二月二日 「又要謹慎，恐怕有人失了神的恩。」希伯來書十二章15節 事實上，虧缺神的榮耀，與完全失去神恩一樣地需要我們擔心。或許我們不會失去救恩，但卻失去比生命更寶貴的——神最高的旨意，以及那頂叫我們不致毀壞且鑲滿了珠寶的冠冕，以致我們所損失的就更無法計數了。讓我們記住：只差一度溫差的水，可以決定是否能使蒸汽鍋產生動力。願我們不致失去最好的。 在我短短的生命中， 我願竭力而為， 在對神、對人的事奉裡， 求主使我擺上最好的。 我願我的名字是與得勝的人並列著， 並且在將來聽到主說： 「良善的僕人，你已盡了力。」 主啊！ 求您給我您最高的旨意， 不論他人選擇什麼。 世人所有的好東西對我絲毫沒有吸引力， 因我已得到您為我的至寶。
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中英聖經朗讀◎黃哲輝牧師◎
