Genesis (1) creation Before the universe and heaven and earth were formed, the darkness shrouded the boundless emptiness and chaos. God’s life-conceived spirit moved in it, plunged into it, performed the work of creation, developed the beginning of completion, established the world, and made all things complete. God created the heavens, the earth, and the earth in seven days.The wonder and mystery of this creation cannot be described with pen and ink, nor can it be expressed by resorting to words. On the first day, God said: "Let there be light!" And there was light.God separated the light from the darkness, calling the light day and the darkness night.So there was evening, and there was morning.

On the second day, God said: "There must be an air between the waters." God created the air and called it the sky. On the third day, God said, "Let all the waters under the heaven be gathered together in one place, and let the dry land appear." Thus, the water and the dry land were separated.God called the dry land continents, and the gathering waters he called seas.God also commanded that the earth should grow green grass and all kinds of vegetables that bloom and bear seeds, and trees that bear fruit, all of which have seeds in them.And the world came to pass according to the word of God.

On the fourth day, God said: "Let there be lights in the sky, to be in charge of day and night, to be signs, to set festivals, days, and years, and to shine light to illuminate the whole earth." Let the bigger one rule the day, and the smaller one rule the night.God created countless stars.Embed them in the sky. On the fifth day, God said, "Let the waters multiply the living things, and let the birds fly in the sky and the earth." God created big fish and all kinds of life in the water, and made them each according to their own kind; He made all kinds of birds, each according to its kind.When God saw his creations, he was very pleased, and blessed them all, making them multiply and spread across rivers, seas, lakes, plains and empty valleys.

On the sixth day, God said: "Let the land produce living creatures; livestock, insects, and wild animals according to their kind." So God created these creatures and made them according to their kind. God saw that all things work together, and they are born and passed away, so he said: "In my image, after my likeness, I will make man All reptiles." God created man in his own image. God intended man to be the spirit of creation, so he blessed them and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, and rule over everything on it, and rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, and every living thing on the earth. "According to the Bible, human beings are the managers and rulers of this world.

On the seventh day, everything in the world was created, and God completed the creation of the world.On this day he rested, and blessed the sixth day, sanctifying it as a special day, for on that day he finished his creation and rested from his work.In this way, Sunday has also become a day for human beings to rest. "The good fortune clock is beautiful, and the yin and yang are separated." This is how God opened up the primordial world and created the universe. (Genesis 1; 2:1-2:4) Garden of Eden Creating man is the last and most sacred work of God.In the beginning, before the rain fell from the sky, there was mist transpiring on the ground, which grew plants and moistened the earth.God made man out of clay, and breathed the breath of life through the nose of the clay, and created a living man with a spirit.God named him Adam.But at that time Adam was lonely, and God determined to create a spouse for him, so he took off a rib from him while he was sleeping, and closed the flesh again.God used this rib to create a woman and named her Eve.

God led Eve to Adam. Adam immediately realized the connection between this woman and his own life. His heart was filled with joy and satisfaction, and he blurted out, "This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh! You can call her For the woman, because he was taken from the man." Man and woman are originally one, so when they grow up, both men and women will leave their parents and join each other, and the two will become one flesh. Adam means "man" and Eve means "mother of life".They are the beginning of human life in the legends of the Middle East and the West, the original father and mother of human beings, and the ancestors of human beings.

God created a paradise for Adam and Eve in Eden in the east.The ground there is full of gold, pearls, and onyx. All kinds of trees grow out of the ground, and they are full of all kinds of exotic flowers and plants. They are very beautiful; the fruits on the trees can also be used as food.In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.There is also a river gurgling and flowing in the garden, nourishing the earth.The waters of the river divided into four streams and encircled Eden: the first river was called Pishon, and it encircled all the land of Haphalon; the second river, Gihon, encircled all the land of Cush; flow.

and the fourth river was the Euphrates.As a gift from God, there is no rain and there is plenty of grain. God let Adam and Eve live in the Garden of Eden, let them repair and keep this paradise.God commanded them, "You may eat from any tree in the garden as you like, but you shall not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for the day you eat of it you will die." Adam and Eve are naked and beautiful, tasting the sweet fruit.They walked slowly, or lay down leisurely, casually naming all kinds of animals and plants: beasts on the ground, birds in the sky, trees in the garden, and flowers in the fields.

In this way, they lived happily in the Paradise of Eden, performing the work assigned by God. (Genesis 2:8-2:25) original sin In the Garden of Eden, there was a forbidden fruit tree called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which was set up by God to test people's faith.It is said that Satan was originally an angel of God, and later fell to become the leader of the devil and evil spirits.One day, he appeared to the summer frog in the shape of a snake, and tempted Eve in a very cunning tone, saying, "Did God really say that you are not allowed to eat the fruit of all the trees in the garden?!"

It is said that the snake originally had a long tail and a pair of beautiful wings, and could fly in the air. It was very beautiful. At that time, all animals were very gentle and kind, but the snake was very cunning because of the evil spirit.The snake flew down from the air to the ground, and stood up from the ground to talk to Eve, which was shaped like a big question mark.Doubts sprouted in Eve's heart.Although Eve was a little tempted, the foundation of her faith was not shaken.She faithfully conveyed God's commandment: "We can eat the fruit from the tree in the garden, but the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden, God said: Do not eat or touch, lest you die." Satan Hearing the slight hesitation in Eve's tone, he spread his wings and launched an offensive: "You will not necessarily die, because God knows that you have eaten the fruit. Your eyes will be opened, and you will know good and evil like God."

Eve saw that the fruit on the tree was very tender and clean, pleasing to the eye and lovable, better than any fruit she had ever eaten.She heard that eating it can also have the same wisdom as God.Her pure and innocent psychological balance was tilted, and God's warning was thrown out of the sky.At last she stretched out her hand and plucked the forbidden fruit, and ate it; she gave it to Adam, and Adam ate it too. The two fruits are like a powerful potion injected into two chaotic and ignorant hearts.The spiritual world of the two suddenly became clear and clear, and their eyes were brightened.They began to distinguish between things and me, and the concept of "self" came into being. They found it very frustrating that they were ashamed to be naked.So they wove themselves skirts of fig leaves to hide their nakedness. After God created man, this was the first time man violated God's order, and thus committed a sin that must be redeemed from generation to generation, which is called original sin.It means original, inherent sin. paradise lost After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, the world was turned upside down.In the sky that was as warm as spring, there was a cold current that turned against God, and the cool wind blew over in bursts, and everything in the world began to become chaotic and disharmonious.Dao is divided into yin and yang, movement and stillness rub against each other, and high and low overcome each other.Into the lost innocence, carefree childhood, doomed to experience ups and downs of baptism, to experience the impermanence of joy, anger, sorrow and joy.Wisdom is a symbol of human beings separated from the natural world, and it is also the source of human anguish and anxiety. God was walking in the garden, and Adam and Eve heard his footsteps.At this time, there was a gap between their hearts and God, and out of guilt, they began to hide from God in the woods.God issued a distressing call to man's loss: "Adam, where are you? Man, where are you?" This call contains God's sorrow and disappointment at man's sin and fall, and the loss of the original absolute perfection bestowed on man, as well as his expectation for man to confess his sins and return to restore his divinity. However, facing God's questioning step by step, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the snake.This is God's initial disappointment and sorrow for mankind, and this is the initial fall and pain of mankind's betrayal of God. Adam said to God, "I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid; because I was naked, I hid myself." "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat the fruit of the tree that I commanded you not to eat?" God asked angrily, knowing that he had violated his will. Adam argued, "The woman whom you gave me to live with me gave me the fruit of that tree, and I ate it." God looked back at Eve and asked her, "What have you done?" Eve said, "The serpent tempted me, and I ate it." God knows that man's transgression is irreversible, and since he has wisdom, he should bear the responsibility commensurate with his wisdom.God punished the chief culprit, the snake, and said: "Since you have done this, you will be cursed more than all livestock and beasts. You will walk on your stomach and eat dust all your life. I will also make you and Eve enmity with each other, Your offspring and her offspring are also at enmity. Her offspring will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel." So the snake lost its wings and its body, and became a long, crooked worm. People get bored.It can only crawl on its stomach and drill holes to eat soil. God then punished Eve, the woman who fell first, and said: "I will increase your pain in conception, and you will suffer more pain in giving birth to your children. You will love your husband, and your husband will rule you." Finally, God said to Adam, "Because you obeyed your wife and ate from the tree I commanded you not to eat. Cursed is the ground because of you, and you must toil all your days to get it Bread: the ground will bring forth thorns and thistles for you. You will also eat the vegetables that grow in the field, and you will eat by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground.For from the ground you were created, and to dust you are, and to dust you will return. " Human beings have created civilization because of their wisdom; they are cursed because of their misuse of wisdom.The fertile soil grows thorns, the green fields become deserts, the clear sky becomes smoky, and the clear rivers drift with filth.If human nature is corrupted by evil, it will lead to terrible consequences—destruction, and man may lose the right to eternal life (endless reproduction), and he will come out of dust and return to dust.This is an ancient but always new wake-up call. God said: "The man has become like us and can know good and evil. Now I am afraid that he will stretch out his hand and pick the fruit of the tree of life, and he will live forever." God punished Adam and Eve because they were his own creations. pity.He made clothing for them out of animal skins, then sent them out of the Garden of Eden, and gave them land to cultivate. After God expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, he placed Cheruna (a legendary winged animal) and a flaming sword on the east side of the garden to guard the way to the tree of life. Since then, God has lost man; man has lost God. (Genesis 3:8-3:24) initial jealousy After Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, for their own survival, they had to learn to work, slash and burn, work hard, and earn their own living. Although it was hard work, they also enjoyed it.They have known death by God's curse.In order to still have the race left on the ground after death, they thought of having children.One day, Adam and Eve had sex, and soon Eve became pregnant and gave birth to the eldest son Cain.Cain means "get".Within a few years, Cain had another younger brother named Alba.When Cain grew up, he engaged in agriculture and became a farmer.After Abel grew up, he engaged in animal husbandry and became a shepherd.One day, Cain sacrificed the crops produced in the field to the LORD (that is, God), and Abel offered him the firstborn lamb and sheep oil in the flock.For some unknown reason, God accepted Abel's offering with joy, while Cain's was dismissed. Cain was furious, and his face turned pale with jealousy.Hehua saw it in his heart, and asked Cain, "Why are you angry? Why did your face change?" Cain said, "If you do good things, your offering will be accepted; if you If you do bad things, sin will lie at your door, and it will obsess you, but you will subdue it.” Now it seems that Cain must have some handle in God’s hand at ordinary times, so God does not accept his tribute. . However, Cain ignored God's warning.Confused by jealousy, he tricked his brother Abel into a field and killed him. When God saw Cain kill his brother, he said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" Cain replied: "I don't know. I'm not his guard." He committed the crime of murder and wanted to quibble. God was furious and scolded him, "What have you done? Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground, and even the ground is torn to accept your brother's blood from your hand. Now you deserve the land the curse of God. You sow the ground, and the ground will no longer serve you, and you must wander on the earth." Cain pitied him and said, "I have to wander on earth, and I have committed the crime of killing my brother. Whoever meets me will surely kill me." God wanted Cain to repent after experiencing suffering, and he did not want others to kill him, so he marked Cain and said: "Whoever kills Cain will be recompensed sevenfold." lest anyone meet him and kill him. (Genesis 4:1-4:15) Strange people come forth in large numbers Cain left God and began to live in exile.Later he settled in a place called Nod, east of the Garden of Eden, and married a wife there.Cain had sex with his wife, and his wife conceived, and Enoch was born.Cain also built a castle and named the city after his son. At that time, Adam's descendants lived exceptionally long lives.When Enoch lived to be 65 years old, he developed a special ability to "walk with God" (to walk with God).Enoch probably had attained "becoming immortal" by this time.It is one of the few characters in the Bible whose end is not recorded with the word "death".After that, Enoch lived for 300 years, that is, when he was 365 years old, "God took him, and he was no more in this world." Among the descendants of Enoch was another named Enoch. He became enlightened at the age of 65 and had a son, Methuselah. Methuselah gave birth to Lamech when he was 187 years old, lived another 782 years, and had children.Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, ranking first in Adam's family and becoming the longest-lived old man. Later generations of Westerners complimented others with "older than Methuselah" for enjoying a long life, just like the Chinese say that a certain A certain life is like Peng Zu. Lamech, son of Methuselah, was a man to be offended, many times more powerful than his great-grandfather Cain; and one day he boasted of his ferocity to his two wives, singing: "Listen, Adah, Zilah My voice, Lamech's wife, listen to my living words. A man wounded me, and I killed him; a young man wounded me, and I killed him. If Cain was killed sevenfold, Lamech will be punished seventy-sevenfold. " This became the famous early Hebrew "Song of Lamech's Revenge".Although the poem is short, the character of bloodthirsty and revenge in the barbarian era is vivid on the paper. Lamech's son was quite successful. His wife Adah gave birth to a son named Jabal, who later became the ancestor of all the shepherds and shepherds.Jubal, the son of his wife Zillah, was the ancestor of all those who played and sang for a living.Zilah also had a son named Tubalcain, who was a craftsman and a skilled craftsman in copper and iron work. Later generations of Western copper and blacksmiths respected him as the ancestor. When Lamech lived to be 182 years old, his wife gave birth to a son named Noah.Lamech foresaw at birth that he would establish greatness.This Noah was the survivor of the primitive flood.Lamech was 777 years old. When Noah was 500 years old, he had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Genesis 4:16-5:31) noah's ark Adam lived for 930 years, and he and Eve had countless children, and their descendants passed on from generation to generation, more and more, and gradually spread throughout the entire earth.But human beings are branded with original sin, God cursed the land, and people have to work hard to feed themselves, so resentment and evil thoughts are increasing day by day.People are killing, fighting, and plundering each other endlessly, and the violence and crimes in the world are almost beyond the limit. Seeing all this, God regretted creating man very much, and was very sad about the sins committed by human beings.God said: "I will wipe out the man, the beast, the insect, and the bird of the air from the ground." But he was reluctant to destroy all his creations, and he hoped that the new generation of people and animals would be more obedient and repentant. Create an ideal world from scratch. Among the sinful people, only Noah found favor in the eyes of God.God considered him a righteous man who kept his duty; his three sons did not go astray under the strict education of their father.Noah also often warned the people around him that they should stop doing evil as soon as possible and get rid of their sinful life.But people didn't take his words seriously, and continued to go their own way, blindly doing evil and enjoying themselves. God chose Noah and his family: Noah, his wife, three sons and their daughter-in-law to preserve them as the seeds of a new generation of human beings.God told them that the great destruction would be carried out in seven days, and asked them to build an ark with gopher wood, divide it into rooms, and smear the inside and outside with rosin.The ark was 300 inches long, 50 inches wide, and 30 inches high.A light-transmitting window should be left on the top of the ark, and a door should be opened on the side.The ark was divided into upper, middle and lower layers.They did so immediately. Seeing that the ark was built, God said: "Look, I will cause the flood to flood the earth and destroy the whole world. Every living thing that has flesh and blood and breath on the earth will die. But I will make a covenant with you, and you will Your wives, sons, and daughters-in-law shall enter the ark. Of all the clean animals, you shall take seven males and seven females; You can save the seeds and reproduce on the ground in the future." On the 17th day of Dan, Noah's 600th birthday, the fountains of the ocean were split open, and huge water jets shot out from the ground; the windows of the sky were opened, and the heavy rain continued day and night for 40 days.The water had nowhere to flow, and rose rapidly, rising 15 degrees above the highest mountain peaks.All the lung-breathing animals on the dry land died, leaving only the seeds of the people and animals in the ark safe.The ark was drifting on the boundless ocean, carrying the high hopes of God. (Genesis 6; 7) dove of peace and olive branch The flood was raging and lasted for 150 days.God was thinking about Noah's Ark and the creatures inside, so he stopped the rain, let the strong wind blow the ground, and the water gradually fell.But the water receded very slowly, and the rain stopped for 150 days without a piece of land in sight. On July 17, the ark rested on Mount Ararat.By October 1, most of the top of the mountain was exposed to the water.After another 40 days, Noah opened the window of the ark and released a crow to see if he could find land.But the crow flew back.He sent out another dove, but that dove also flew back, and because there was no place to rest, Noah reached out and took the dove into the ark.Seven days later, Noah sent the dove out again.In the evening, the dove flew back with an olive branch in its mouth, which meant that there was dry land somewhere in the earth.After waiting another seven days, Noah sent the dove out again, but this time the dove did not come back, because the earth was dry and the flood waters had all receded.This is why today people regard the dove with the olive branch in its mouth as a symbol of peace and peace. On the first day of the first month, Noah removed the cover of the ark and looked around. Seeing that the ground had become cooler, he and his family walked out of the ark; he also released all the animals on the ark.Noah built an altar and offered all kinds of clean animals and birds on the altar as burnt offerings, offering them to God in thanks for his gift of life.When God smelled the fragrance of the burnt offering, he said in his heart, "I will no longer curse him for man's sake, nor will I destroy all kinds of living things as I do. While the land remains, the harvest will be harvested." , cold, summer, winter, and summer, day and night will never stop." God blessed Noah and his sons and said, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Every beast of the earth and every bird of the air will be terrified of you, and every creeping thing on the ground and every fish of the sea will be delivered to you. hands. Every living animal can be your food. I give you all of these, like vegetables. Only the flesh has blood, that is its life, you must not eat it, it will shed your blood and harm you man or beast, I will punish him, and every man's brother. Whoever sheds human blood, his blood will be shed, for God created man in his own image of. Be fruitful and multiply and multiply in the earth. "Because of this commandment, most people in the world who believe in God do not eat animal blood or blood products. God made a covenant with man and all other living beings, and decided that he would never destroy the world in this way: "No flood will destroy any flesh, nor will any flood destroy the earth any more." God used the seven-colored rainbow in the sky as a sign of the covenant to commemorate the covenant he made with the creatures on earth. In order to rebuild his homeland, Noah started farming again. He plowed the land, raised livestock, planted vineyards, and learned how to make wine.Once he drank too much, and when he was drunk, he took off all his clothes and fell asleep in the tent naked.His son Ham, seeing him sleeping naked in the tent, laughed and told the two brothers what had happened.But Shem and Japheth respected their father more. They took clothes and covered their father's body. In order not to see their father's nakedness, they entered the tent backwards. When Noah woke up and knew what Ham had done, he lost his temper. He cursed Ham, saying that his descendants would become slaves of Shem and Japheth. (Genesis 8; 9) Tower of Babylon After the flood passed, Noah lived another 350 years, and Noah died at the age of 950.The descendants of Noah's three sons formed the three major branches of mankind, living all over the world. Japheth is the ancestor of the northern peoples, Shem is the ancestor of the Semites, and Ham is the African nation-Hamit the ancestor of man. Noah's offspring multiplied more and more and covered the earth.At that time, people's languages ​​and accents were the same.As they migrated eastward, they found a plain in the area of ​​Shinar, and they settled there.Because on the plains, the stones used for building are not easy to get, so they invented the method of making bricks, made cubes with mud, and then burned them thoroughly, they used bricks as stones, and stone paint as mortar, and built The bustling city of Babylon,. People are proud of their achievements, and they decided to build a tower reaching the sky in Bielon to spread their great reputation and serve as a symbol to gather brothers from all over the world so as not to disperse.Because everyone speaks the same language and work together, the stepped Tongtian Tower was built smoothly, and it towered into the sky in no time. God does not allow mortals to reach their own heights.Seeing that people are so unified and powerful, he thought to himself, they all speak the same language, if they really build the majestic Tongtian Pagoda, what else can they do in the future?God once drove those who wished to have his wisdom out of the Garden of Eden, and guarded the fruit on the tree of life with sword and fire, not to be shared.Today he wants to stop human beings from approaching his arrogance once again.God left the kingdom of heaven and came to the world, confusing people's language.People speak different languages, and it is difficult to communicate their feelings, and it is difficult to unify their thoughts. It is inevitable that there will be mutual suspicion, disagreement, and quarrels.This is the beginning of misunderstanding among human beings. Of course, this is also destined to add a redundant profession-translation. The construction work was stopped due to language disputes, and Babel finally fell by the wayside.People split up, formed many tribes according to different languages, and scattered all over the world. God has confused the language of the people here. The word "confusion" is pronounced "Babylon" in Hebrew.Therefore, in the future, people will call that city Babylon City, and call that abandoned tower the Tower of Babylon. (Genesis 31:1-31:9) rich man of ur Noah's three sons established separate kingdoms, and among the descendants of Shem was a rich man named Terah. Tara lived in the ancient city of U'er in Sumer (the ruins are now called Talgainar).The city of Ur was first established by the ancient Sumerians around 4000 BC, and it became the capital of Sumeria 1000 years later.Our story happened around this time in Ur. At that time, Ur was extremely prosperous.The winding streets and alleys of the city are always bustling and lively.The wide streets are crowded.A caravan of donkeys or the king's guard struggled through the crowd now and then, choking.Only when the priest in white cassock walked over solemnly, did people walk along the road respectfully.In the center of Ur stands a well-known round pyramid, on top of which is a temple dedicated to the moon god Nannasin. At that time the suburbs of Ur looked like a garden in full bloom.The water from the Euphrates River flows slowly in the artificial canals, large and small.The canal is the city's automatic water supply system, and the whole city lives by drinking this water.Barley and vegetables are lush in the "well"-shaped fields, and olive trees, date palms, and fertile grasslands are bathed in warm sunshine.Everywhere you can see farmers and slaves with their dark upper bodies working in the fields.Large wooden boats full of goods sailed on the Euphrates River.Merchants and shepherds who were tired from the long journey nestled in twos and threes by the gate and the city wall to rest. Terah lived in such an environment, and when he was 70 years old, he had three sons: Abram, Nahor, and Haran.Harlan died young, leaving Lot an orphan. At that time, the Tera family did not believe in the God of God in the Bible, the Hehua, and their interpersonal relationships were not like what they are today. Brothers and sisters, uncles and nephews can all be united.Abram and Nahor each had wives, both of whom were relatives.Abram's wife, Sarai, was his half-sister, 10 years younger than him.Nahor's wife was called Milcah, Haran's daughter and his niece. Terah was very rich. He lived in a magnificent house, had a large number of servants, raised thousands of sheep, and had a treasury full of gold and silver.His sons helped him with the housework and the slaves who tended his cattle.Terah had long since given up her nomadic life and started a business.He was also a respected and famous patriarch in Ur. Terah's house was built in the free folk area of ​​the city, close to the city wall.It was a two-story building, built with bricks and painted with whitewash, which looked solemn and solemn, just like its owner.There is a pool in the hallway behind the door, and guests can wash their hands and feet when they come.The yard is paved with stones, neat and spacious, with plenty of air and sunlight.A stone staircase leads to the upper floor, where there are several bedrooms connected by an outdoor corridor supported by four pillars.The outdoor corridor is covered with a sloping cover, and the rainwater flows into the courtyard along the sloping cover, and then flows into the street along the canal in the courtyard.Behind the ladder rails were ceramic washrooms, as well as kitchens, storehouses, and mills where slave girls grind flour. On the first floor of the house, there is a prayer room with statues of household gods, and under the stone slabs of the prayer room are clay coffins of the dead in the family. Terah managed the whole family business, he arranged the labor, kept the accounts, and handled the business of buying and selling. Every morning and evening, he worships the god of the family, and on festivals, he goes to the base of the pyramid and prays devoutly to the moon god.He was old and had earned a fortune, and it seemed that he would live the rest of his life in abundance and peace.But suddenly one day Terah decided to give up the comfortable life in Ur, close his house, leave the old city of Ur, and migrate to Haran, which is far away on the upper reaches of the Euphrates River. (Genesis 11:10-11:30; biblical archaeological materials) Relocated to Mall Harran In ancient times, herdsmen were the earliest travelers and also the intermediaries (brokers) of trade. Nomads drove their livestock from one pasture to another, often traveling a long distance.In the beginning, they simply exchanged their own products—skins, woolen goods, fat, goat's milk—for what they did not produce themselves.Over time they discovered that they could buy something from one place and sell it on another for a profit.Herdsmen migrate continuously throughout the year, and urban and rural residents are happy to do business with them, thus promoting the development of this trade. That's how Terah earned his fortune.Later, he felt that he should give up his nomadic life and settle in Ur, where it would be more profitable to be a broker between nomadic tribes and citizens.The gossip of the nomads and nomad traders told Terah many interesting stories about Haran and its suburbs.Harran was one of the busiest trading centers at that time, and it was the place where caravans from the Persian Gulf must pass.After arriving in Haran, these caravans made a big circle to the southwest, passed through Kadesh and Damascus (Damascus), followed the Mediterranean coast, crossed the south, and finally reached the border of Egypt.It's a long detour.Why did businessmen who value practicality not go directly to Canaan from the city of Ur, but make a detour of hundreds of miles?It turned out they had to, because if they took the straight road, they would have to pass through the waterless and forbidding Syrian desert.Only camel caravans can take this risk, but at that time people had not learned to tame camels (camels were used as pack animals in the 7th century BC. Around the 7th and 8th centuries BC, the remote and mysterious Arabia China stepped onto the stage of history, where the Bedouin people first tamed camels to carry things). Haran must be very fertile, Terah thought, since people were running to Haran.The shepherds and merchants told him that there were many orchards in Haranna, a lot of arable land and vast pastures.He learned that Haranna has sufficient water, and the Euphrates and Namali rivers can guarantee water for farmland all year round.The most important point is that Harran became a prosperous international trade market, and merchants from Mesopotamia and Egypt all came to Harran to exchange goods.Terah thought that in Haran he could run a big business and at the same time take care of their family's traditional livestock business. Besides, the situation in Ur at that time became more and more complicated.The famous king of Babylon, the great legislator Khan Murabi forced the conquered peoples to accept a unified state religion, and he demanded that the entire Mesopotamia believe in his tribal gods.All city-states and tribes that did not listen to him were brutally suppressed, and the people were reduced to slaves.Devout believers of the moon god like Terah's family had no choice but to move to a place where the iron hand of King Kham Rabi had not yet reached, in order to get what they wanted.Therefore, it is natural that many immigrants from all over Mesopotamia gathered in the city of Haran.These immigrants built a majestic temple in Haran, so Haran became the second center of worshiping the moon god after Ur. Many relatives and friends of Terah lived in the city of Haran.In this way, it is not surprising that He pulls his heart to yearn for the stranger Harlan. (Genesis 11:31-12:3: biblical archaeological materials) Harlan enlightened The Terah family moved to Haran smoothly, and their life is still good.The head of the family, Terah, continued to run the business, and he handed over the livestock to his sons to graze on the meadows on the outskirts of the city.Harran is such a beautiful and rich place.There are persimmon trees with domed houses in the city, and green grass and flowers blooming outside the city.No matter day or night, the stream is constantly gurgling.On the west side of the city under the sun, at a glance, Antittapur Mountain can be seen faintly. Berland often spent the night by the campfire with the shepherds.The temperature is cool and pleasant, and the night is elegant and quiet, which makes people feel refreshed.Abram often stared at the starry sky for a long time, and felt that the universe was infinitely vast, great, beautiful, and harmonious. The more he thought about it, the more he lost faith in the moon god.Once he suddenly realized: there must be an invisible but omnipresent, infinitely powerful, merciful but hateful unified God who created the universe, created the sun, moon and stars.This idea eventually became a belief of Abram, which he publicized in the city of Haran. The prophet and religious inventor gradually gained a loyal following.Abram's wife Sarai, nephew Lot and his servants all became believers in monotheism.But those who believed in the moon god in the city of Haran cut off contact with Abram.Small new religious groups took on a life of their own.They had a strict, puritanical canon, respected the austere way of life of their nomadic ancestors, and worshiped gods they didn't quite understand and didn't quite define.The worshipers of the moon god are very hostile to this new sect.Even Sarai and Nahor gradually became dissatisfied with Abram, and only Lot firmly believed in the Protestantism preached by Abram.However, the ancient people had a very strong family concept. During Tera's lifetime, there was no discord in the family, and everyone still lived together. 他拉终于去逝了，他活了205岁，他拉死后，亚伯兰和拿鹤分了家，这个家族分成了两支。从此亚伯兰没有什么牵扯了。上帝那和华的声音在他心灵深处回荡："你要离开本地、本族、父家，往我所要指示你的地方去。我必叫你成为大国，我必赐福给你，尊你的名为大，你也要叫别人得福。为你祝福的，我必赐福与他；那咒诅你的，我必咒诅他。地上的万族都要因你得福。" 他虽然已经75岁，仍决心离开哈兰，他厌弃舒适的城市生活，向往祖先的游牧生涯，向往广阔的天地，羊毛织的帐篷，新鲜的空气。在那里他可以全身心地奉把自己的神，向自己的人传教布道，使他们避开城市生活的诱惑，保持心灵的纯洁。 在一个天刚蒙蒙亮的早晨，亚伯兰带着妻子撤莱，按照上帝的指引向迎南进发。侄子罗得还有。家奴、仆人也追随着他。他们的驴背上载着在哈兰辛勤积累起来的财物。（创11：31一12：3） 迦南之路 他们一队人马押着畜牲，携着辎重，缓缓而行。亚伯兰和撒莱二人骑着两头强壮的大驴，走在最前头，后面跟着大批驴于，驮着粮食、水囊、帐篷、衣服稍予及家用什物。再往后是牧人赶着一大群山羊和绵羊。殿后的是罗得带领的卫队--几首名乎持弓箭的奴隶。那时候行路是不大安全的，沙漠里常有匪盗出没，任何一个商人或部落都不敢不带卫队就远行。 从哈兰到迎南要走1000多英里路程，但是旅行队并不感到寂寞枯燥。大路上很热闹，常常可以碰到从埃及回来的商队，留着大胡子的商人们讲述很多关于迎南和埃及王国的有趣的见闻。 此外，亚伯兰的队伍经常穿过村庄城镇，有一回还从当时名城卡代斯经过。 最后，经过几星期的跋涉，亚伯兰一行高兴地看到眼前是名城大马色（大马士革）。亚伯兰决定在大马色停下来，让人、牲畜好好休息一下。他吩咐家人在城门附近的田野里搭帐篷，他本人则携带礼物进城去见国王，请求给予方便。 大马色居民好奇地打量着亚伯兰一行人。黑色的帐篷旁，男人和女人们忙碌着，小孩子们奔跑着，嬉戏着；他们的服饰和大马色的贝都印人的完全不同。贝都印人披白色的带风帽的斗篷，而这些男人都穿红蓝两色的花裙子。内陆沙漠地区昼夜温差大。傍晚天凉的时候他们再穿上一件短袖衬衣，披上杂色的斗篷。这斗篷夜间就当被子盖。 这些女人最喜欢绿色，她们穿的衣服中以绿色的居多。她们贴身穿的是色泽光洁的白色长袖衬衫，外面披一件长披风。她们用长长的鲜艳的披中把头包起来，那披中的两端在背后耷拉着，和披风的下摆一般齐。这些女人戴着各种各样的饰物，打扮得很俊俏。她们用锑染头发，用弄成粉未的孔雀石和绿松石描眼圈，用红色上来涂嘴唇和脸颊。她们的脚脖子上和手腕上带着银锡，脖子上挂着用各色玻璃球串成的项链。当黄昏降临时，这些来自遥远的哈兰的人们，围坐在篝火旁，在小小的里拉琴的伴奏下，唱起悠扬的十分动听的歌曲，小孩子们在优美的歌声中，偎在母亲的怀里甜蜜地进入梦乡。 亚伯兰在大马色东奔西走，拼命地做生意，购买下一旅程所必需的东西。在做生意的过程中他结交了很多朋友。有一次他结识了一个机灵的大马色青年，这个青年叫以利以谢。他帮了亚伯兰很多忙。亚伯兰很欣赏这个小伙子，认他做义子，把家里最重要的事情交给他办。以利以谢成为忠实能干的仆人。亚伯兰家的事业有他的一份功劳。（创12：4一5；14：15；15：2；24：2） 乐土迦南 经过长时间的艰苦跋涉，他们终于到了迹南的示剑，在摩利橡树下安营扎寨。 与热闹繁华的大马色相反，迦南那时还是一个很不开化的、人烟稀少的地方。在宽阔的盆地里偶尔可以见到一些居民点，确切他说是一些要塞，那里住着当地的头人和保安队。其他居民住在要塞之外，住在帐篷和窝棚里，耕种土地或者栽培果园。只有当外界好战部族为掠夺财物来侵袭时他们才躲进要塞里去。 亚怕兰一行绕过盆地和大的居民点，选择荒凉的高地通行，那里虽然行进吃力，但可以自由自在地放牧。亚伯兰一家从出发到现在，没有遇到过什么障碍。上著居民对于四处迁徒寻找牧场的游牧部族早已习以为常。他们看到亚伯兰一行并没有歹意，便乐意地与他们做生意。何况他们知道亚伯兰有几百名精壮强悍的家丁，他们就更不愿惹事了。 一天，上帝向亚伯兰显现，说："我要把这地赐给你的后裔。" 亚伯兰马上跪下默祷，并在那里设坛献祭。 在示剑做了短暂的停留后，亚怕兰又把据点迁到怕特利东边的山上。这座山东边是伯特利，西边是艾。亚伯兰照样设坛为祭，感谢上帝的保佑之恩。直到那里的牧草吃光了，只好另寻他地。 不断地跋涉，不断地南移，最后到达了与埃及接壤的迦南南部的涅吉布。 传说中是流着牛奶与蜜的迦南实际上没有那么好。在他感到自由自在的高地上，土壤贫瘠，牧草稀疏，树木凋零，缺乏做饭的烧柴，连水都得到很远的地方去打。迎南还常常闹旱灾。亚怕兰在涅吉布时就遇上了饥荒，牧草全干死了，人和牲畜都面临饿死的危险。 濒于绝境的亚伯兰，只好进入埃及境内，请求法老的官吏收留他们。（创12：4一12：10） Overcoming rigidity with softness 埃及地处尼罗河三角洲，土地肥沃，灌溉方便，一般的旱灾不足以构成对农业、畜牧业的重大威胁。因此，遭受旱灾的游牧民族常常来这里逃荒。 埃及人可以向到来的难民们提供尼罗河口附近的辽阔草原作牧场。当然他们也知道用重兵、要塞和界墙去迎接烧杀抢掠的侵略者。 对于和平的游牧部落，埃及人通常会给予款待。当然，这得以某种方式的代价作为报酬。比如说，向客人勒索金银财宝；有时他们还会抢走牧人家的美丽女子，送给达官显贵甚至法老（埃及国王的称号）本人作妻妾或嫔妃。 亚泊兰的妻子撒莱生就一副闭月羞花之貌、沉鱼落雁之容。游牧民族以帐篷为宅，女人们总得在外抛头露面。在虎视眈眈的环境里，经验丰富的亚伯兰知道妻子的美貌难免会招惹是非。为了自身的安全，为了族人的生存，他把爱妻叫到跟前郑重他说："我知道你是个容貌俊美出众的妇人。埃及人看见你必说：这是他的妻子。他们就会杀了我，让你留下供他们玩乐。求你在外边说，你是我的妹子，使我因你得平安，我的性命也因你得保全。" 撒莱是个温顺的女人。于是到埃及后，亚伯兰和撒莱便恢复以兄妹相称。 到埃及没有多少时间，撒莱的美丽便出了名。法老的臣宰（宰相）借故招见亚伯兰兄妹，要亲自考查一番。他一见撒莱就惊得话都说不清楚了。这臣宰如此这般地向法老夸耀一番，撤莱就被带进宫去，果然深得法老宠爱。 作了国舅的亚伯兰因为撤莱得宠，得到了许多赏赐，他失去了妻子却增加了许多牛羊、骆驼、公驴、母驴和仆婢。 然而埃及法老因夺人之妻受到上帝的惩罚。埃及突然遭到可怕的天灾。法老招集群臣商议，才知道是他把一位部族首领的妻子纳入后宫，从而激怒了希伯来人的神。他召见亚伯兰说："你这是玩的什么把戏呀？你为什么不对我说，她是你的妻子呢？" 亚伯兰竭尽所能地辩解，但不管怎么说，这仍然是一桩欺君罪。不过法老害怕再一次得罪希伯来人的神，就放亚伯兰全家出埃及，回迦南去了。（创12：11一12：20） 叔侄分家 亚伯兰带着家人和罗得回泊特利去，在伯特利和艾中间，也就是他们最早在迦南筑坛的地方，又象从前那样支起帐篷，铺开营盘。然后向那和华祷告。 罗得已经结婚，且有许多牛羊、奴隶和仆人。罗得和亚泊兰都在伯特利，另外还有土著居民，所以显得很拥挤。两家的牧人常常因为争水争草发生争执，亚伯兰就对罗得说："你我不可相争，你的牧人和我的牧人也不可相争。因为我们是亲骨肉。整个大地不都在你眼前吗？你年龄不小，已经成家立业。请你离开我独立地生活吧。你可以先选择。你如果向左，我就向右；你如果向右，我就向左。" 罗得也不谦让，他举目四望，看中约但河谷平原，直到琐珥。 那里土地肥沃滋润，好象上帝的伊甸园。唯一让人失望的是那里住着臭名昭著的所多玛人。罗得的帐篷渐渐地接近所多玛，而此时上帝已经决定要惩罚罪大恶极的所多玛人了。 罗得离别亚伯兰后，那和华对亚伯兰说："从你所在的地方，你举目向东西南北观看，凡你所看见的所有地面，我都要赐给你和你的后裔，直到永远。我也要使你的后裔如同地上的尘沙那样多；人若能数算地上的尘沙，才能数算你的后裔。你起来，纵横走遍这地面，因为我要把它赐给你。"亚伯兰就搬了帐篷，来到希伯仑附近的慢利。他在茂密的橡树荫下支开帐篷，给上帝筑了一座新的祭坛。亚伯兰是个虔敬谦卑的人。（创13：l一13：38）