约书亚记 8

Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)

艾城之战

8 耶和华对约书亚说：“不要害怕，也不用沮丧。只管率领全军去攻打艾城，我已经将艾城的王、他的人民、城池和土地都交在你手里了。 ²你怎样对待耶利哥和耶利哥王，也要照样对待艾城和艾城的王。不过你们可以拿去城中的财物和牲畜。你要在城后设下伏兵。”

³于是，约书亚率领全军前往艾城。他挑选了三万精兵，派他们在黑夜出发， ⁴并吩咐他们说：“你们要在城后埋伏，不可离城太远，要随时准备行动。 ⁵我会率领军队正面攻城，当敌人像上次那样出城应战时，我们便逃跑。 ⁶他们必定乘胜追击，我们便引他们离城，因为敌人一定会以为我们又像上次一样临阵逃跑。 ⁷那时，你们便从埋伏的地方冲出来攻占艾城，你们的上帝耶和华一定会把艾城交在你们手里。 ⁸你们攻陷艾城以后，要照耶和华的话放火焚城。这是我的命令。” ⁹于是，约书亚派遣他们出去。他们去埋伏在伯特利和艾城之间，就是艾城的西面。那一夜，约书亚住在民众当中。

¹⁰第二天清早，约书亚召集民众，与以色列的众首领率领全军前往艾城。 ¹¹他们来到城外，在城的北面扎营，与艾城相隔一个山谷。 ¹²约书亚选了五千人，让他们埋伏在艾城和伯特利之间，就是艾城的西面。 ¹³于是，城北的主力军队和城西的伏兵都部署好了。当晚，约书亚在山谷里过夜。 ¹⁴艾城的王见以色列人兵临城下，清早便急忙和全城的人起来出城迎战，在亚拉巴谷附近跟以色列军交锋，他不知道城后有伏兵。 ¹⁵约书亚带领以色列军诈败，沿着通往旷野的路逃跑。 ¹⁶艾城的人都被召去追赶以色列人，他们都被诱出城。 ¹⁷这样，伯特利和艾城的人倾巢而出，追杀以色列人，他们的城门大开。

¹⁸耶和华对约书亚说：“把你手中的矛指向艾城，因为我要将这城交在你手里。”约书亚就把手中的矛指向艾城。 ¹⁹他一伸手，城后的伏兵立即行动，迅速冲进城去，一举占领艾城，并放火烧城。 ²⁰艾城的人回头发现城内烟气冲天，却无路可逃，因为那些诈败的以色列人已掉头攻击他们。 ²¹约书亚和全军见伏兵已经占领艾城，城中浓烟滚滚，便掉头攻击艾城的人。 ²²伏兵也出城追击艾城的人。以色列军前后夹攻，把敌人围困在中间全部歼灭，无一漏网。 ²³他们生擒了艾城的王，将他押到约书亚那里。

²⁴以色列军在田间和旷野杀尽了追赶他们的艾城人后，又进城杀了留在城里的人， ²⁵当天被杀的艾城人男男女女共有一万二千人。 ²⁶一直到艾城所有的人都被杀光了，约书亚才收回手中的矛。 ²⁷以色列人照耶和华对约书亚的吩咐，只带走了城中的牲畜和财物。 ²⁸约书亚烧毁全城，使城永远成为一堆废墟，至今仍一片荒凉。 ²⁹约书亚又将艾城王的尸体挂在树上示众。黄昏时，他才吩咐人把尸体取下来丢在城门口，又在尸体上堆了一大堆石头。石堆至今还在。

重申律法

^30-31约书亚照耶和华的仆人摩西在律法书上吩咐以色列人的话，用未经铁器凿过的完整石头，在以巴路山上为以色列的上帝耶和华筑了一座祭坛。以色列人就在这坛上把燔祭和平安祭献给耶和华。 ³²约书亚又在众人面前，将摩西所写的律法刻在石头上。 ³³所有的以色列人，无论本族人、外族人、长老、官员或审判官，都站在耶和华的约柜两旁，面对着抬约柜的利未祭司。照耶和华的仆人摩西从前祝福他们时的吩咐，他们一半人站在基利心山前，一半人站在以巴路山前。 ³⁴随后，约书亚向民众宣读记在摩西律法书上的一切祝福和咒诅。 ³⁵他在全体会众，包括妇女、小孩以及住在他们中间的外族人面前，一字不漏地宣读摩西的一切吩咐。

Joshua 8

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

8 And the Lord said to Josue: Fear not, nor be thou dismayed: take with thee all the multitude of fighting men, arise and go up to the town of Hai. Behold I have delivered into thy hand the king thereof, and the people, and the city, and the land.

²And thou shalt do to the city of Hai, and to the king thereof, as thou hast done to Jericho, and to the king thereof: but the spoils and all the cattle you shall take for a prey to yourselves: lay an ambush for the city behind it.

³And Josue arose, and all the army of the fighting men with him, to go up against Hai: and he sent thirty thousand chosen valiant men in the night,

⁴And commanded them, saying: Lay an ambush behind the city: and go not very far from it: and be ye all ready.

⁵But I and the rest of the multitude which is with me; will approach on the contrary side against the city. And when they shall come out against us, we will flee, and turn our backs, as we did before:

⁶Till they pursuing us be drawn farther from the city: for they will think that we flee as before.

⁷And whilst we are fleeing, and they pursuing, you shall arise out of the ambush, and shall destroy the city: and the Lord your God will deliver it into our hands.

⁸And when you shall have taken it, set it on fire, and you shall do all things so as I have commanded.

⁹And he sent them away, and they went on to the place of the ambush, and abode between Bethel and Hai, on the west side of the city of Hai. But Josue stayed that night in the midst of the people,

¹⁰And rising early in the morning, he mustered his soldiers, and went up with the ancients in the front of the army environed with the aid of the fighting men.

¹¹And when they were come, and were gone up over against the city, they stood on the north side of the city, between which and them there was a valley in the midst.

¹²And he had chosen five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Hai, on the west side of the same city:

¹³But all the rest of the army went in battle array on the north side, so that the last of that multitude reached to the west side of the city. So Josue went that night, and stood in the midst of the valley.

¹⁴And when the king of Hai saw this, he made haste in the morning, and went out with all the army of the city, and set it in battle array toward the desert, not knowing that there lay an ambush behind his back.

¹⁵But Josue, and all Israel gave back, making as if they were afraid, and fleeing by the way of the wilderness.

¹⁶But they shouting together, and encouraging one another, pursued them. And when they were come from the city,

¹⁷And not one remained in the city of Hai and of Bethel, that did not pursue after Israel, leaving the towns open as they had rushed out,

¹⁸The Lord said to Josue: Lift up the shield that is in thy hand, towards the city of Hai, for I will deliver it to thee.

¹⁹And when he had lifted up his shield towards the city, the ambush that lay hid, rose up immediately: and going to the city, took it and set it on fire.

²⁰And the men of the city, that pursued after Josue, looking back and seeing the smoke of the city rise up to heaven, had no more power to flee this way or that way: especially as they that had counterfeited flight, and were going toward the wilderness, turned back most valiantly against them that pursued.

²¹So Josue and all Israel seeing that the city was taken, and that the smoke of the city rose up, returned and slew the men of Hai.

²²And they also that had taken and set the city on fire, issuing out of the city to meet their own men, began to cut off the enemies who were surrounded by them. So that the enemies being cut off on both sides, not one of so great a multitude was saved.

²³And they took the king of the city of Hai alive, and brought him to Josue.

²⁴So all being slain that had pursued after Israel in his flight to the wilderness, and tailing by the sword in the same place, the children of Israel returned and laid waste the city.

²⁵And the number of them that fell that day, both of men and women, was twelve thousand persons all of the city of Hai.

²⁶But Josue drew not back his hand, which he had stretched out on high, holding the shield, till all the inhabitants of Hai were slain.

²⁷And the children of Israel divided among them the cattle and the prey of the city, as the Lord had commanded Josue.

²⁸And he burned the city, and made it a heap for ever:

²⁹And he hung the king thereof on a gibbet until the evening and the going down of the sun. Then Josue commanded, and they took down his carcass from the gibbet: and threw it in the very entrance of the city, heaping upon it a great heap of stones, which remaineth until this present day.

³⁰Then Josue built an altar to the Lord the God of Israel in mount Hebal,

³¹As Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, and it is written in the book of the law of Moses: an altar of unhewn stones which iron had not touched: and he offered upon it holocausts to the Lord, and immolated victims of peace offerings.

³²And he wrote upon stones the Deuteronomy of the law of Moses, which he had ordered before the children of Israel.

³³And all the people, and the ancients, and the princes and judges stood on both sides of the ark, before the priests that carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, both the stranger and he that was born among them, half of them by mount Garizim, and half by mount Hebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. And first he blessed the people of Israel.

³⁴After this he read all the words of the blessing and the cursing and all things that were written in the hook of the law.

³⁵He left out nothing of those things which Moses had commanded, but he repeated all before all the people of Israel, with the women and children and strangers that dwelt among them.

Joshua 8

New King James Version

The Fall of Ai

8 Now the Lord said to Joshua: ^(A)“Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, ^(B)I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. ²And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to ^(C)Jericho and its king. Only ^(D)its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it.”

³So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by night. ⁴And he commanded them, saying: “Behold, ^(E)you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready. ⁵Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city; and it will come about, when they come out against us as at the first, that ^(F)we shall flee before them. ⁶For they will come out after us till we have drawn them from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing before us as at the first.’ Therefore we will flee before them. ⁷Then you shall rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand. ⁸And it will be, when you have taken the city, that you shall set the city on fire. According to the commandment of the Lord you shall do. ^(G)See, I have commanded you.”

⁹Joshua therefore sent them out; and they went to lie in ambush, and stayed between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua lodged that night among the people. ¹⁰Then Joshua rose up early in the morning and mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. ¹¹^(H)And all the people of war who were with him went up and drew near; and they came before the city and camped on the north side of Ai. Now a valley lay between them and Ai. ¹²So he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of ^[a]the city. ¹³And when they had set the people, all the army that was on the north of the city, and its rear guard on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.

¹⁴Now it happened, when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hurried and rose early and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at an appointed place before the plain. But he ^(I)did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. ¹⁵And Joshua and all Israel ^(J)made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. ¹⁶So all the people who were in Ai were called together to pursue them. And they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city. ¹⁷There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. So they left the city open and pursued Israel.

¹⁸Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Stretch out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out the spear that was in his hand toward the city. ¹⁹So those in ambush arose quickly out of their place; they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and they entered the city and took it, and hurried to set the city on fire. ²⁰And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and behold, the smoke of the city ascended to heaven. So they had no power to flee this way or that way, and the people who had fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers.

²¹Now when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that the smoke of the city ascended, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. ²²Then the others came out of the city against them; so they were caught in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side. And they struck them down, so that they ^(K)let none of them remain or escape. ²³But the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.

²⁴And it came to pass when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where they pursued them, and when they all had fallen by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword. ²⁵So it was that all who fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand—all the people of Ai. ²⁶For Joshua did not draw back his hand, with which he stretched out the spear, until he had ^(L)utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. ²⁷^(M)Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as booty for themselves, according to the word of the Lord which He had ^(N)commanded Joshua. ²⁸So Joshua burned Ai and made it ^(O)a heap forever, a desolation to this day. ²⁹^(P)And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening. ^(Q)And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and ^(R)raise over it a great heap of stones that remains to this day.

Joshua Renews the Covenant^(S)

³⁰Now Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel ^(T)in Mount Ebal, ³¹as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: ^(U)“an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And ^(V)they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings. ³²And there, in the presence of the children of Israel, ^(W)he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. ³³Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, ^(X)who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, ^(Y)the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, ^(Z)as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. ³⁴And afterward ^(AA)he read all the words of the law, ^(AB)the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the ^(AC)Book of the Law. ³⁵There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, ^(AD)with the women, the little ones, ^(AE)and the strangers who were living among them.