English第二课 亚伯兰和罗得分开——创13
INTRODUCTION 简介
As chapter 12 ended, Abram and his family had been expelled from Egypt because of his shameful attempt to deceive the Pharaoh. In spite of his conduct in Egypt, Abram returned to Canaan as a very wealthy man, with many flocks and herds and both male and female servants (see Genesis 12:16). God had kept his promise to bless Abram (12:2) and this promise was being kept, even though Abram had done nothing to deserve God’s rich blessings. It is clear that God was being gracious to Abram.
在第十二章结尾的时候，亚伯兰和他的家人被赶出埃及，因为他想要欺骗法老，那种做法不大光荣。然而，尽管他在埃及的行为不体面，亚伯兰回到迦南地的时候十分富有，带着许多牲畜和奴隶（见创12:16）。神成就了他的应许，大大祝福了亚伯兰（创12:2）。哪怕亚伯兰的所作所为不配得到神的祝福，神也依旧信守他的承诺。显而易见，神对亚伯兰满有恩典。
We do not know whether the famine was over or not as Abram’s family returned to Canaan, but they traveled north to the places where they had pitched their tents before. We read in verses 3-4 that the family returned to the middle of Canaan where Abram had previously built an altar and confessed his faith.
我们不知道，当亚伯兰家回到迦南的时候，饥荒有没有结束；不过，他们沿路北上回到他们曾经支搭帐棚的地方。阅读第3-4节，我们就知道，他们一家回到了迦南中部，就是亚伯兰曾经筑坛认信的地方。
READ GENESIS 13:1-4 阅读创13:1-4
/1. What was Abram’s purpose in building an altar and proclaiming the name of the Lord (vs. 4)?
亚伯兰筑坛求告耶和华的名，他的目的是什么（第4节）？
READ GENESIS 13:5-13 阅读创13:5-13
Verse 7 reminds us that the land of Canaan was still occupied by the Canaanites, and so Abram’s group and Lot’s group had only the less desirable part of the land (the part not already occupied by the Canaanites) as grazing land for their large flocks and herds. Though Canaan was a land “flowing with milk and honey,” with a fertile soil that would support life, there was simply not enough space for both groups to provide ample grazing for their animals. On the surface, that may seem to be the reason for the separation. However, there was something else happening through this event.
第7节提醒我们，迦南地仍旧由迦南人占据；所以亚伯兰的人和罗得的人只能住在别人不想住的地方（迦南人没有占据的地方），以此来作为他们诸多牲畜的放牧之地。虽然迦南地是“流奶与蜜之地”，土地肥沃滋养生命，只不过没有那么多地方供两大群人来牧养牲畜。表面看来，这是他们分开的原因。然而，造成这个结果的还有其他原因。
God had previously separated Abram from most of his relatives, but his nephew Lot had remained part of his traveling group. Lot may have been an orphan, the son of Abram’s brother Haran who had died in Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 11:28), and it seems that Abram and Sarai had committed to caring for Lot and keeping him as part of their family. But the Lord had promised that Abram and Sarai would have a family of their own, and so now the Lord would arrange for Abram to also separate from Lot and his family.
之前，神带领亚伯兰离开他的大多数亲族，但是他的侄子罗得一直与他同行。罗得是个孤儿，是亚伯兰的哥哥哈兰的儿子。哈兰死在迦勒底的吾珥（创1:28）。亚伯兰和撒莱似乎承诺要照顾罗得，把他当做自己家的一员。然而，耶和华应许亚伯兰和撒莱会有自己的家。现在，耶和华安排亚伯兰和罗得、罗得的家人分开。
And there was another part of God’s promise to Abram (“To your offspring I will give this land” – Genesis 12:7) that was involved in this story.
神对亚伯兰的应许还包括另外一部分（“我要把这地赐给你的后裔”——创12:7），也和这一事件有关。
/2. Agree or disagree: Since the Lord had promised the land of Canaan to Abram and his offspring (12:7), it was not a good thing that Abram would offer to give it to Lot.
同意或不同意：耶和华已经应许要把迦南地赐给亚伯兰和他的后裔（12:7），亚伯兰要把这地给罗得，这样并不是好事。
Our text describes the place to which Lot and his group re-located. It was in the direction of the “plain of the Jordan … toward Zoar” (v. 10). In verse 12 we read that eventually Lot and his group settled near the city of Sodom, a city that would eventually place his family in great trouble.
经文描述了罗得和他的牧人迁移的地方，是在“约旦河的全平原，直到锁珥”（第10节）。在第12节，我们得知，最终罗得和他牧人们在所多玛附近安家。他的家最终在那里遭遇了大麻烦。
There are two possible locations for the city of Sodom. For many years, most Bible scholars believed that the best possible location was at the southeastern end of the Dead Sea. But recently some archaeologists have suggested that the preferred location was at the northeastern end of the Dead Sea because that location was closer to the Jordan River.
下一页的地图显示，所多玛可能的位置有两处。有许多年，大多数圣经学者认为所多玛最有可能位于死海的东南部。但是近年来，有些考古学家认为其更有可能位于死海的东北部，因为那里离约旦河更近。
A solution to this situation is that it is possible that Lot’s group first moved toward the area where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, and then migrated further south toward Zoar, which was at the southern end of the Dead Sea. That theory would fit with the location of Sodom and Gomorrah closer to the southeastern end of the Dead Sea.
要想解释这一情况，可能就是，罗得一行人首先迁移到了约旦河流入死海的地方，然后继续南移，到了锁珥，也就是死海的南部。这个说法能够解释所多玛和蛾摩拉靠近死海东南部的情形。
No matter which location we choose, the important fact is that Lot’s group located at the far edge of Canaan, and eventually outside of the borders of Canaan altogether. That would leave the entire land of Canaan to the offspring of Abram.
不论我们认为所多玛位置在哪里，最重要的事实是，罗得一行人先是在迦南的边缘，最终移到了迦南以外。这样，整个迦南就归亚伯兰的后裔所有。
Later (Genesis 19:37–38) we learn that Lot became the ancestor of the Ammonites and the Moabites. Abram almost handed over the Promised Land to the same people who, in the author’s own day (e.g., Numbers 22–25) and throughout Israel’s subsequent history (Deuteronomy 23:3–6; Ezra 9:1), were the primary obstacle to the fulfillment of the promise.
我们知道，稍后（创19:37-38）罗得成为了亚扪人和摩押人的祖先。亚伯兰差一点就亲手把应许之地交给了阻碍应许成就的那群人，他们在作者的年代（如民22-25）和以色列历史上（申23:3-6；拉9:1）都是应许成就的主要障碍。
/3. What do we learn from the fact that Lot chose to relocate to the east, leaving the land of Canaan for Abram and his family?
罗得迁移到东边，把迦南地留给了亚伯兰及其家族。从这一事实我们学到了什么？
In verses 10-13, Moses mentions what we will read about in chapter 19 – the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah because of the great wickedness within those cities. Did Lot realize the spiritual danger that would come upon him and his family when he pitched his tents near Sodom? We don’t know. But we do know that eventually he ended up living not just near the city, but within the gates of the evil city itself.
在第10-13节，摩西提到了所多玛和蛾摩拉的毁灭，它们毁灭是因为城内的大恶之事，这在第19章当中会提到。当罗得渐渐挪移帐棚到所多玛的时候，他有没有意识到他和家人所面临的属灵危险？我们不得而知。但是我们的确知道，最终，他不仅仅是住得离那城很近而已，而是住到了那个罪恶之城的里面。
READ GENESIS 13:14-18 阅读创13:14-18
/7. Why did God renew and expand his promise to give Abram’s offspring the land of Canaan? (vs. 14-16)
为什么神要更新并且扩展他对亚伯兰的应许，把迦南地赐给他的后裔？（第14-16节）
/9. Agree or Disagree? In verse 15, God promised that Abram’s descendants would be entitled to possess the land of Canaan for all time. (see Deuteronomy 28:63, 10:17-18) (Explain your answer)
同意或不同意？在第15节，神应许亚伯兰的后裔将永远拥有迦南地。（见申28:63,0:17-18）。（请解释你的回答）
/10. How did Abram give proof/evidence that he believed God’s promise? (vs. 17-18)
亚伯兰如何表明他相信神的应许？（第17-18节）
/11. Identify at least three things we might do to show that we believe God’s promise that He will give us full possession of the promised land of heaven in the future.
如果我们相信神的应许，即将来我们要承受天上的应许之地，我们需要做些什么才能证明我们真的相信。请举出至少三件我们可以做的事情。