約書亞記 8
1 耶和華對約書亞說：「不要懼怕，也不要驚惶。你起來，率領一切兵丁上艾城去，我已經把艾城的王和他的民、他的城，並他的地，都交在你手裏。
Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. See, I have delivered into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.
2 你怎樣待耶利哥和耶利哥的王，也當照樣待艾城和艾城的王。只是城內所奪的財物和牲畜，你們可以取為自己的掠物。你要在城後設下伏兵。」
And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush behind the city.”
3 於是，約書亞和一切兵丁都起來，要上艾城去。約書亞選了三萬大能的勇士，夜間打發他們前往，
So Joshua and the whole army set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out at night
4 吩咐他們說：「你們要在城後埋伏，不可離城太遠，都要各自準備。
with these orders: “Pay attention. You are to lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it. All of you must be ready.
5 我與我所帶領的眾民要向城前往。城裏的人像初次出來攻擊我們的時候，我們就在他們面前逃跑，
Then I and all the troops with me will advance on the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them.
6 他們必出來追趕我們，直到我們引誘他們離開城；因為他們必說：『這些人像初次在我們面前逃跑。』所以我們要在他們面前逃跑，
They will pursue us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘The Israelites are running away from us as they did before.’ So as we flee from them,
7 你們就從埋伏的地方起來，奪取那城，因為耶和華－你們的上帝必把城交在你們手裏。
you are to rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.
8 你們奪了城以後，就放火燒城，要照耶和華的話行。這是我吩咐你們的。」
And when you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do as the LORD has commanded! See, I have given you orders.”
9 約書亞打發他們前往，他們就上埋伏的地方去，住在伯特利和艾城的中間，就是在艾城的西邊。這夜約書亞卻在民中住宿。
So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But Joshua spent that night among the people.
10 約書亞清早起來，點齊百姓，他和以色列的長老在百姓前面上艾城去。
Joshua got up early the next morning and mobilized his men, and he and the elders of Israel marched before them up to Ai.
11 眾民，就是他所帶領的兵丁，都上去，向前直往，來到城前，在艾城北邊安營。在約書亞和艾城中間有一山谷。
Then all the troops who were with him marched up and approached the city. They arrived in front of Ai and camped to the north of it, with the valley between them and the city.
12 他挑了約有五千人，使他們埋伏在伯特利和艾城的中間，就是在艾城的西邊，
Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
13 於是安置了百姓，就是城北的全軍和城西的伏兵。這夜約書亞進入山谷之中。
So the forces were stationed with the main camp to the north of the city and the rear guard to the west of the city. And that night Joshua went into the valley.
14 艾城的王看見這景況，就和全城的人，清早急忙起來，按所定的時候，出到亞拉巴前，要與以色列人交戰；王卻不知道在城後有伏兵。
When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, he hurried out early in the morning with the men of the city to engage them in battle at an appointed place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set up against him behind the city.
15 約書亞和以色列眾人在他們面前裝敗，往那通曠野的路逃跑。
Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness.
16 城內的眾民都被招聚，追趕他們；艾城人追趕的時候，就被引誘離開城。
Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
17 艾城和伯特利城沒有一人不出來追趕以色列人的，撇了敞開的城門，去追趕以色列人。
Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city wide open while they pursued Israel.
18 耶和華吩咐約書亞說：「你向艾城伸出手裏的短槍，因為我要將城交在你手裏。」約書亞就向城伸出手裏的短槍。
Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Hold out your battle lance toward Ai, for into your hand I will deliver the city.” So Joshua held out his battle lance toward Ai,
19 他一伸手，伏兵就從埋伏的地方急忙起來，奪了城，跑進城去，放火焚燒。
and as soon as he did so, the men in ambush rose quickly from their position. They rushed forward, entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire.
20 艾城的人回頭一看，不料，城中煙氣沖天，他們就無力向左向右逃跑。那往曠野逃跑的百姓便轉身攻擊追趕他們的人。
When the men of Ai turned and looked back, the smoke of the city was rising into the sky. They could not escape in any direction, and the troops who had fled to the wilderness now became the pursuers.
21 約書亞和以色列眾人見伏兵已經奪了城，城中煙氣飛騰，就轉身回去，擊殺艾城的人。
When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that smoke was rising from it, they turned around and struck down the men of Ai.
22 伏兵也出城迎擊艾城人，艾城人就困在以色列人中間，前後都是以色列人。於是以色列人擊殺他們，沒有留下一個，也沒有一個逃脫的，
Meanwhile, those in the ambush came out of the city against them, and the men of Ai were trapped between the Israelite forces on both sides. So Israel struck them down until no survivor or fugitive remained.
23 生擒了艾城的王，將他解到約書亞那裏。
But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
24 以色列人在田間和曠野殺盡所追趕一切艾城的居民。艾城人倒在刀下，直到滅盡；以色列眾人就回到艾城，用刀殺了城中的人。
When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai who had pursued them into the field and wilderness, and when every last one of them had fallen by the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and put it to the sword as well.
25 當日殺斃的人，連男帶女共有一萬二千，就是艾城所有的人。
A total of twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai.
26 約書亞沒有收回手裏所伸出來的短槍，直到把艾城的一切居民盡行殺滅。
Joshua did not draw back the hand that held his battle lance until he had devoted to destruction all who lived in Ai.
27 惟獨城中的牲畜和財物，以色列人都取為自己的掠物，是照耶和華所吩咐約書亞的話。
Israel took for themselves only the cattle and plunder of that city, as the LORD had commanded Joshua.
28 約書亞將艾城焚燒，使城永為高堆、荒場，直到今日；
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.
29 又將艾城王掛在樹上，直到晚上。日落的時候，約書亞吩咐人把屍首從樹上取下來，丟在城門口，在屍首上堆成一大堆石頭，直存到今日。
He hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take down the body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And over it they raised a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day.
30 那時，約書亞在以巴路山上為耶和華－以色列的上帝築一座壇，
At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel,
31 是用沒有動過鐵器的整石頭築的，照着耶和華僕人摩西所吩咐以色列人的話，正如摩西律法書上所寫的。眾人在這壇上給耶和華奉獻燔祭和平安祭。
just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used.” And on it they offered burnt offerings to the LORD, and they sacrificed peace offerings.
32 約書亞在那裏，當着以色列人面前，將摩西所寫的律法抄寫在石頭上。
And there in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.
33 以色列眾人，無論是本地人、是寄居的，和長老、官長，並審判官，都站在約櫃兩旁，在抬耶和華約櫃的祭司利未人面前，一半對着基利心山，一半對着以巴路山，為以色列民祝福，正如耶和華僕人摩西先前所吩咐的。
All Israel, foreigners and citizens alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded earlier, to bless the people of Israel.
34 隨後，約書亞將律法上祝福、咒詛的話，照着律法書上一切所寫的，都宣讀了一遍。
Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.
35 摩西所吩咐的一切話，約書亞在以色列全會眾和婦女、孩子，並他們中間寄居的外人面前，沒有一句不宣讀的。
There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua failed to read before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, the little ones, and the foreigners who lived among them.
