"Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, "Don't be afraid, for you have another son. As she breathed her last --for she was dying --she named her son Ben-oni. But his father named him Benjamin. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel's tomb"(Gen. 35,16-19).

Bethlehem is first mentioned in the Scriptures in connection with the death of Rachel. It is also the backdrop for the idyll of Ruth, the Moabite:

"When Naomi realised that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, "Can this be Naomi?" "Don't call me Naomi, " she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me." So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. Now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side, from the clan of Elimelech, a man of standing, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favour." Naomi said to her, "Go ahead, my daughter." So she went out and began to glean in the fields behind the harvesters......." (Ruth 1,18 ff.).

聖經首次被提到白冷，是關於辣黑耳過逝的報導：

「他們由貝特耳起程出發，離厄弗辣大還有一段路程時，辣黑耳要生產，感覺難產。正當難產之際，收生婆對她說：『不要怕，你這次還是生個男孩。』辣黑耳將要斷氣快死的時候，給他起名叫本敖尼；但他的父親卻叫他本雅明。辣黑耳死了，葬在去厄弗辣大，即白冷的路旁。雅各伯在她墳上立了一塊碑；這塊辣黑耳墳上的碑，至今尚存。」（創三五16-20）

在摩阿布女子盧德的傳記中也提到白冷：

納敖米見她（盧德）執意要與自己同去，就不再勸阻她了。於是二人同行，來到了白冷。她們一到了白冷，全城的人都為她們所驚動。婦女們驚問說：「這不是納敖米嗎？』她向她們說：「你們不要叫我納敖米，應叫我瑪辣，因為全能者待我好苦！我去時富足，如今上主卻使我空空而回。上主責罰了我，全能者降禍於我，你們為什麼還叫我納敖米呢？」納敖米同她的兒媳摩阿布女子盧德回來了，是從摩阿布鄉間回來的。她們來到白冷，正是開始收大麥的時候。納敖米的丈夫厄里默肋客家族中有個親人，是有錢有勢的人，名叫波阿次。摩阿布女子盧德對納敖米說：「讓我到田地裡去，我在誰眼中蒙恩，就在誰後面拾麥穗。」納敖米答應她說：『我女，你去罷！』她就去了，來到田間，在收割的人後面拾麥穗。（盧一18-二3）

In the bible it is called "Bethlehem of Judah" (belonging to the tribe of Judah) to distinguish it from the other Bethlehem which was in the North, in the territory of Zebulon (today Beth-Lehem 12km from Nazareth). It was also the birthplace of King David. When King Saul was rejected by God Samuel went to Bethlehem where he anointed David as king of Israel:

這是聖經中所謂的「猶大的白冷」（屬於猶大支派），跟另外一個在北方則步隆地區的白冷（今日距納匝肋12公里的Beth-Lehem）不同。猶大的白冷也是達味王的出生地，當撒烏耳王被天主拒絕後，撒慕爾先知來到白冷，在那兒為達味傅油，立他為以色列的國王：

Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?" Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the LORD." But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The Lord has not chosen this one either." Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, "Nor has the Lord chosen this one." Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The Lord has not chosen these." So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives." So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah." (1Sam 16,4-13).

撒慕爾遂依照上主吩咐他的作了。及至到了白冷，城內的長老都戰慄前來迎接他說：「你駕臨這裡平安嗎？」他回答說：「平安，我是為祭獻上主而來的，你們應聖潔自己，來同我一起獻祭。」他聖潔了葉瑟和他的兒子，請他們來參與祭獻。他們一來到，他見了厄里雅布，心裡想：這一定是立在上主前的受傅者。但上主對撒慕爾說：「你不要注意他的容貌和他高大的身材，我拒絕要他，因為天主的看法與人不同：人看外貌，上主卻看人心。」葉瑟叫阿彼納達布來，領他到撒慕爾面前；但是他說：「這也不是上主所揀選的。」葉瑟就叫沙瑪來；他又說：「這也不是上主所揀選的。」葉瑟就叫他的七個兒子都到撒慕爾面前來，撒慕爾對葉瑟說：「上主沒有揀選這些人。」撒慕爾於是問葉瑟說：「孩子們全到了嗎？」他回答說：「還有一個最小的，他正在放羊。」撒慕爾對葉瑟說：「快派人帶他來，因為他不來，我們決不入席。」他於是派人把他帶來，他是一個有血色，眉清目秀，外貌英俊的少年。上主說：「起來，給他傅油，就是這一位。」撒慕爾拿起油角來，在他兄弟們中給他傅了油。從那天起，上主的神便降臨於達味。事後，撒慕爾起身回了辣瑪。（撒上十六4-13）

On the death of Saul, David was acknowledged king by the tribe of Judah, and when Isobeth, the last of the sons of Saul died, all Israel tendered him their allegiance. David had continued the war against the Philistines, and for seven and a half years with Hebron as his capital he was the champion of Israelite unity. Bethlehem itself was garrisoned by the Philistines, as we know from the episode in 2Sam 23, when David wished to drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem:

"At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, "Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!" So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord."

撒烏耳死後，猶大支派認達味為王。當撒烏耳的最後一個兒子依市巴耳死後，全以色列也對他效忠。達味持續對抗培肋舍特人，並以赫貝龍為首都七年半，他為以色列一致擁護。如同我們從撒慕爾紀下二三章所知，當達味想要喝白冷城牆邊的水時，白冷當時被培肋舍特人佔領、駐軍：

達味恰在山砦內，而培肋舍特人當時在白冷駐防。達味渴望著說：「誰能從白冷城門旁的井中，給我打一點水來喝？」那三位勇士就衝過培肋舍特人的營幕，從白冷城門旁的井裡打了水，將水取來，帶到達味前，但他不肯喝，反而將水奠於上主前。（撒下二三14-16）

After the success of the revolt and his recognition by all the tribes as their King, David looked for a capital. He could well have chosen his town Bethlehem. But cunningly and wittingly he did not want to in order to avoid further division between the tribes. This is when he opted for the city of the Jebusites, Jerusalem, which, although it was in the territory of Judah, did not belong to any of the twelve tribes of Israel.

在弭平反抗並被所有支派推舉為王之後，達味尋找一個首都。他本可以選擇他的城：白冷，但為了避免未來各支派間的分裂，他非常聰明而刻意地放棄了白冷，而選擇了耶步斯人的城市：耶路撒冷。雖然她在猶大地區，但並不屬於以色列的十二支派。

When David was beyond the Jordan, at the time of the revolt of Absalom, Barzellai, a petty chief of Gilead, had rendered him numerous services. In testimony of his gratitude David brought his son, Chamaan, to Jerusalem, showered benefits upon him and probably gave him part of the land of his native town (2Sam 19,37). To shelter his flocks Chamaan caused an immense caravanserai to be erected, near Bethlehem, and the building was named after him. It was also to serve as an ordinary station for caravans on their way to Egypt. The prophet Jeremiah, in fact, relates that the Jews, having decided to fly for safety to the banks of the Nile after the murder of Godolias, "assembled in the Khan of Chamaan near Bethlehem" (Jer. 41, 17).

當阿貝沙龍叛亂，達味逃到約旦地區時，一個基肋阿得的酋長巴爾齊來多次幫助了他，為了表達他的感激，達味帶著他的兒子基默罕到耶路撒冷，給他許多賞賜，或許也給他封地（撒下十九37）。為了容納他的群眾，基默罕在白冷附近建築了一間以他為名的旅館，並服務往來埃及的商旅。確實，耶肋米亞先知書記載，當謀殺革達里啞的事件發生後，猶太遺民決定逃往安全的尼羅河流域時，「在靠近白冷的格魯特基默罕住下」（耶四一17）。

In Bethlehem also were born Joab, Abisai and Asael, the three sons of Sarvia, David's sister. Joab was the first to scale the walls of Jebus, for which he was made captain-in-chief of the king's army. Abisai, the inseparable companion of David, once saved the king's life by slaying the Philistine giant Jesbibenot, "the iron of whose spear weighed 300 ounces". Asael, the swiftest runner among David's "valiant men", lost his life in one of the exploits near Gabaon. His companions in arms bore his corpse to Bethlehem to give it honourable sepulchre in the tomb of his ancestors.

達味的姊妹責魯雅的三個兒子 ─ 約阿布、阿比瑟和阿撒耳 ─ 也誕生在白冷。約阿布是第一個攻上耶步斯城牆的，因此而成了王的元帥。阿比瑟是達味的貼身侍從，他曾救達味脫離培肋舍特巨人Jesbibenot「他所持的矛的銅有三百協刻耳重」（撒下二一16）的殺害。阿撒耳是達味的勇士中跑得最快的，他在基貝紅附近的一次戰爭中喪生，同伴將他的遺體帶回白冷與祖先們光榮的葬在一起。

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. " Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labour gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace. (Mic 5,2-5)

「厄弗辣大白冷！你在猶大郡邑中雖是最小的，但是，將由你為我出生一位統治以色列的人，他的來歷源於亙古，遠自永遠的時代。因此，上主必將遺棄他們，直到孕婦生產之時，那時他弟兄中的遺民必將歸來，與以色列子民團聚。他必卓然屹立，以上主的能力及上主他的天主之名的威權，牧放自己的羊群。他們將獲得安居，因為他必大有權勢，直達地極。他本人將是和平！」（米五1-4）

（word校稿文字檔下載）

白冷首頁

其他朝聖地