約書亞記 24
1 若蘇厄又聚集以色列眾支派來到舍根，也召集了以色列長老、首領，和官長，叫他們立在官長面前，
[Many years later], Joshua summoned representatives of all the tribes of Israel. He gathered together the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the other officials at Shechem [city]. He told them to listen to what God wanted to tell them.
2 若蘇厄對全民眾說：「上主以色列的天主這樣說：從前你們的祖先亞巴郎和納曷爾的父親特辣黑，住在大河那邊，事奉別的神明。
Joshua said to all of them, “This is what Yahweh, the God we Israeli people worship, is saying: ‘Long ago, your ancestors, including Abraham’s father Terah and Abraham’s younger brother Nahor, lived on the east side of the Euphrates River.
3 我將你們的祖先亞巴郎從大河那邊召來，領他們走遍客納罕全地，使他的後裔繁多，賜給了他依撒格。
But I took your ancestor Abraham from that land east of the Euphrates River, and I led him as he lived in various places in this land of Canaan, and I enabled him to have many descendants. First, I enabled him to have a son, Isaac.
4 我又將雅各伯和厄撒烏賜給了依撒格；將色依爾山區賜給了厄撒烏作產業；雅各伯卻和他的兒子下到了埃及。
When Isaac grew up, I enabled him to have twin sons, Jacob and Esau. I enabled Esau to live in the hilly area in Seir region, but many years later Jacob and his sons and their families went down to live in Egypt.
5 以後，我派遺了梅瑟和亞郎，在埃及行奇跡，打擊了埃及，然後將你們領了出來。
“[Many years later], I sent Moses and his older brother Aaron to help your people, and I caused [the people of] Egypt to suffer very much because of what I did there. Then I enabled your ancestors to leave Egypt.
6 當我領你們的祖先離開埃及來到海邊時，埃及人率領車輛兵馬，追趕你們的祖先直到紅海。
When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, they came to the Red Sea. The Egyptian army pursued them, some riding in chariots and others on horses, and they also arrived at the Red Sea.
7 當他們呼求上主時，上主便在你們和埃及人之間突降濃霧，仗海水流回淹沒了他們。我在埃及所行的，你們都親眼見過。以後你們在曠野住了很久。
Then [your ancestors] pleaded with me to help them. So he caused (darkness/a very dark cloud) to come between your ancestors and the Egyptian army, so that the Egyptian army could not see your ancestors. I separated the water in the Red Sea so that your ancestors could cross it, but when the Egyptian army tried to cross in the same way to pursue them, I caused the water to come back and cover them, and the Egyptian soldiers all drowned, as your ancestors watched and were amazed [IDM]. But after that, you lived in the desert for many years.
8 當我領你們到了住在約旦河東阿摩黎人的地域時，你們曾攻擊過你們，但我將你們交在你們手中，使你們佔領他們的地方，由你們面前消滅了他們。
“Then I brought your [ancestors] to the area where the groups who were descendants of Amor lived, east of the Jordan River. They fought against you, but I enabled you to defeat them [IDM]. I [enabled you to] destroy them so that you could live in their land [IDM].
9 那時摩阿布王，漆頗爾的兒子巴拉克起來攻擊以色列，並派人叫貝敖爾的兒子巴郎來詛咒你們。
Then, Zippor’s son Balak, the King of Moab, (decided that his army would fight against/opposed) the Israelis. He summoned Beor’s son Balaam and asked him to curse you.
10 但是我不想俯聽巴郎，他反而祝福了你們。這樣，我從他手中救了你們。
But I would not do what Balaam asked, so he (blessed/said that I would do great things for) you four times, and I did not enable the army of Moab to defeat you [IDM].
11 以後你們渡過約旦河來到耶利哥，耶利哥的居民同你們作，以後有阿摩黎人、培黎齊人、客納罕人。赫特人、基爾加士人、希威人和耶步斯人，都同你們作過戰，但我將他們都交在你們手中。
“Then you all crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho prepared to fight against you, [and the armies of] the descendants of Amor, Periz, Canaan, Heth, Girgash, Hiv, and Jebus [all prepared to do the same thing] but I enabled you to defeat [IDM] them all.
12 我並派黃蜂在你們前，將阿摩黎人的兩個王子，從你們面前趕走，並未用你們的劍，也未用你們的弓。
I am the one who caused them to panic as you advanced and enabled you to defeat them, as I had enabled you to do earlier to the two kings of the groups who were descendants of Amor. You did not defeat them by using your own bows and arrows and swords; [it was I who defeated them].
13 這樣，我把未經你們開墾的地，賜給了你們；把未經你們建築的城，賜給了你們居住；將未經你們種植的葡萄園和橄欖樹林，賜給了你們作食物。
So I gave you a land that you had not tilled/planted, and I gave you cities that you did not build. [Now] you live in those [cities] and you eat the grapes from the grapevines that you did not plant, and you eat olives from trees that you did not plant.’”
14 所以你們應該敬畏上主，誠心敬地事奉衪，拋棄你們祖先在大河那邊和埃及所事奉的神，惟獨事奉上主。
[Then Joshua said to the people], “[Because of all that] Yahweh [has done for you], revere him, and serve/worship him very faithfully. Throw away the idols that your ancestors worshiped on the east/other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve only Yahweh.
15 若是你們不樂意事奉上主，那麼今天就揀選你們所願事奉的，或是你們祖先在大河那邊所事奉的神，或是你們現住地的阿摩黎人的神；至於我和我的家族，我們一定要事奉上主。」
But if you do not want to serve/worship Yahweh, you should decide today what [gods] you will serve/worship. You should decide whether you will serve/worship the gods that your ancestors who lived on the other/east side of the Euphrates River served, or whether you will serve/worship the gods that the descendants of Amor, who previously lived in the land where you are now living, [serve/worship]. But as for me and my family [MTY], we will serve/worship Yahweh!”
16 眾百姓回答說：「我們絕對不願背棄上主，去事奉其他的神!
The Israeli people answered, “We will never quit [serving/worshiping] Yahweh! We would never [think of] [IDM] serving/worshiping other gods!
17 因為上主是我們的天主，是衪領我們和我們的祖先出離了埃及地，為奴之家，在我們眼前行了絕大的神蹟，在我們所走的一切路上，在我們所經過的一切民族中，紿終保護了我們。
It was our God, Yahweh, who brought our parents and grandparents up out of Egypt. [He rescued them] from that land where they were slaves. As he rescued them, they saw him perform great miracles. He protected them all the time when they were traveling. He protected them from all the people-groups through whose territory they traveled.
18 上主更從我們面前，趕走了所有的異族，和住在這地的阿摩黎人。為此我們必要事奉上主，因為衪是我們的天主。」
As our forefathers advanced, Yahweh expelled the descendants of Amor and the other people-groups who lived in this land. Yahweh is our God, so [we are saying that] we also will serve/worship him.”
19 若蘇厄對百姓說：「你們不能事奉上主，因為衪是神聖不可侵犯的天主，是忌邪的天主，衪決不寬赦你們的過犯和罪惡，
Joshua replied to the people, “[I think that] you are not able to serve/worship Yahweh, because he is a holy God. He will not forgive your sinning and rebelling [against him]. He demands that you serve/worship only him [IDM].
20 如果你們背棄上主，去事奉外邦的神，在衪恩待你們之後，衪必轉而向你們降禍，消滅你們。
He has been good to you [in the past], but if you turn away from him and serve/worship foreign/other gods, he will turn [against you] and he will cause you to experience disasters. He will punish [IDM] you severely!”
21 百姓答覆若蘇厄說：「決不! 我們一定要事奉上主! 」
But the people replied to Joshua, “No, [we will not turn away from worshiping/serving Yahweh] We will serve/worship Yahweh!”
22 若蘇厄對百姓說：「這是你們自己對自己作證，要選擇事奉上主! 」他們答說：「我們自己作證。」
Then Joshua said, “You yourselves are saying that you have decided to serve/worship Yahweh.” They replied, “Yes, we are saying that.”
23 「那麼，你們應除掉你們中間的外邦神，一心歸向上主，以色列的天主。」
Then Joshua said, “Since [you have decided] that, you must throw away all the other gods/idols that you have among you. You must also promise that you will wholeheartedly give yourselves to Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [serve/worship].”
24 百姓答覆若蘇厄說：「我們決定事奉上主，我們的天主，必聽從衪的聲音。」
The people replied, “We will serve/worship Yahweh, our God, and obey him.”
25 當天若蘇厄便與百姓立約，在舍根為他們立定了誡命和典章。
That day, Joshua established an agreement between the people and Yahweh. He wrote for them all the laws that they were required to obey.
26 若蘇厄將這些話都寫在天主的法律書上；又取了一塊一石，立在上主聖所旁邊的篤耨樹下。
He wrote all those laws on a scroll. He called it ‘The laws of God’. Then he [told some men to] set up a large stone there at Shechem, under the [large] oak tree near the place where [they worshiped] Yahweh.
27 g寸全民眾說：「看! 這塊石頭將作我們的見證，因為這塊石頭聽見了上主對我們所說的一切話。這塊石頭也將作你們的見證，以免你們背棄你們的天主。」
He said to all the people, “Look! [It is as though] this stone has heard everything that Yahweh said to you [and that you promised Yahweh]. It will serve as a witness against you if you rebel against your God!”
28 此後，若蘇厄便打發百姓各回到的地業去了。
Then Joshua sent the people away, and all of them returned to their own areas/homes.
29 這事以後，上主的僕人，農的兒子若蘇厄便去了世，享年一百一十歲。
Some time after that, Nun’s son Joshua, the faithful servant of Yahweh, died. He was 110 years old when he died.
30 人將埋葬在阿士山北，厄弗辣因山區的提默納特色辣黑自己的產業內。
The Israeli people buried his body on his own property in Timnath-Serah [town] town. It is north of Gaash Mountain in the hilly area of the tribe who were descendants of Ephraim.
31 若蘇厄在世時以及在他死後，那些知道上主為以色列所行的一切事蹟的長老們在世時，以色列人常事奉了上主。
The Israeli people served/worshiped Yahweh as long as Joshua was alive. After Joshua died, they continued serving/worshiping Yahweh while the elders who had experienced everything that Yahweh had done for the Israeli people were still alive.
32 以色列子民也將從埃及抬回來的若瑟遺骸，埋葬在舍根的田裏。那塊地是雅各伯用一百銀錢，由舍根的父親，哈摩爾的子孫手中買來的；這塊地便成了若瑟子孫的產業。
Joseph’s bones, which the Israeli people had brought with them from Egypt, were also buried at Shechem. The people buried them in the piece of land that Jacob had bought long ago for 100 pieces of silver from Hamor, the father of Shechem. That piece of land was in the area that was given to the people who were descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s sons.
33 亞郎的兒子厄肋阿匝爾也死了。人將他埋葬在基貝亞，即他的兒子丕乃哈斯在厄弗辣因山地分得的城內。
Eleazar, the Supreme Priest, the son of Aaron, also died. They buried his body at Gibeah, in the area that had been given to Eleazar’s son Phinehas, in the hilly area that belonged to the people who were descendants of Ephraim.
