< 約書亞記 5 >
1 住在約旦河西岸所有的阿摩黎人的王子,和所有靠近海濱的客納罕人的王子,一聽見上主使約旦河水在以色列子民面前乾涸了,直到他們都過了河,無不膽戰心驚,面對以色列子民,個個嚇得魂不附體。
All the kings of the people-groups to the west of the Jordan River and all the kings of the groups who were descendants of Canaan and who lived close to the [Mediterranean] Sea heard about how Yahweh had dried up the water of the Jordan [River] until all we Israeli people had crossed over. So they became very dismayed. They no longer were courageous enough to fight us.
2 那時上主對若蘇厄說:「你應製造火石刀,再給以色列子民行割損。」
While [they were camped at Gilgal], Yahweh said to Joshua, “[The Israeli males who lived in Egypt were circumcised before they left there. Now] make knives from flint stones and circumcise all the Israeli males [who have been born since then].”
3 若蘇厄就製造了火石刀,在阿辣羅特山丘給以色列子民行了割損。
So Joshua [made knives and] circumcised the Israeli males at a place that is now called ‘Circumcision Hill’.
4 若蘇厄行割損的原因,是因為由埃及出來的眾,所有能作戰的男子,出埃及後,都死在曠野的路上。
[The reason they did that is that all the men who left Egypt], those who were old enough to be soldiers, died in the desert after they left Egypt.
5 出離埃及的百姓,都受過割損,但在離開埃及以後,生於曠野路途的百姓,都沒有受過割損。
They had been circumcised in Egypt, but the baby boys who had been born while their parents were camping in the desert after they left Egypt had not been circumcised.
6 以色列百姓在曠野裏漂泊了四十年,直到全民眾,即出離埃及能作的男子都去了世,因為他們沒有聽從上主的話,所以上主曾向他們起誓,決不讓他們看到上主向他們的祖先起誓,要賜給我們的那流奶流蜜的地方。
Our Israeli ancestors traveled around in the desert for 40 years, and all the men who were old enough to be soldiers had died. [The women had also died]. They had not obeyed Yahweh, so Yahweh said that they would not arrive at the land that he had promised to our ancestors that he would give to us, a land that was very fertile [MTY].
7 但為接替他們,上主興起了他們的子孫,就給他們行了割損,──他們仍有包皮,因為他們在路沒有受過割損。
The sons of those who had disobeyed Yahweh were the ones whom Joshua circumcised at Gilgal. They were circumcised because they had not been circumcised [while they were traveling in the desert].
After all the Israeli males had been circumcised, they remained in the camp and rested until their wounds were healed.
9 上主於是對若蘇厄說:「今天我由你們割去了埃及的羞恥。」於是,那地方直到今天叫作基耳加耳。
Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “[Because your forefathers were slaves in Egypt], the Egyptians felt a revulsion toward you. But today I have removed the revulsion the Egyptians have had toward you.” Because of that, the people called the place ‘Gilgal’, [which sounds like the Hebrew word ‘removed’, ] and it still has that name.
10 以色列子民在基耳加耳紮了營;正月十四日晚上,在耶利哥平原舉行了逾越節。
In the evening of the fourteenth day of that month, while the Israeli people were camped at Gilgal, on the plain near Jericho [city], they celebrated the Passover [Festival].
11 逾越節次日,他們吃了當地的出產,即在那一天,吃了無酵餅和烤的麥子。
The next day, they found some barley grain in the fields in that area. So they took that and roasted it and ate it with bread that was made without yeast.
12 他們吃了當地出產的次日,「瑪納」就停止了。以色列子民既沒有了「瑪納」,那年就以客納罕地的出產為生。
The next day, [God] stopped [sending] manna for the Israeli people to eat. After that, they ate food that was grown in Canaan.
13 當若蘇厄走近耶利哥時,舉目一望,看見一個人立在他前面,手拿脫鞘的刀。若蘇厄走近那人面前問他說:「你是我們的人,還是我們仇敵的人﹖」
One day when Joshua came near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him. The man was holding a sword in his hand. Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you [going to fight] for us or against us?”
14 那人回答說:「不,我是上主軍旅的元帥,剛來到這裏。」若蘇厄便俯伏在地,向他下拜說:「我主有什麼事要指示自己的僕人呢﹖」
The man replied, “I am not [planning to fight with you] or [against you]. Instead, I am the commander of Yahweh’s army [in heaven], and I have come [down from there to assure you that Yahweh will help you].” Then Joshua bowed down with his face on the ground (to show his respect for/to worship) the man, and said to him, “Tell me what [you want me to do].”
15 上主軍旅的元帥對若蘇厄說:「將你腳上鞋脫下,因為你站的地方是聖地。」若蘇厄便照著做了。
The commander of Yahweh’s army replied, “Take off your sandals! [I am Yahweh, and] the ground on which you are standing is holy because I am here.” So Joshua took off his sandals.