Joshua 8
1 Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged [because of what happened at] Ai. Lead all of your soldiers and go there again. I will help you to defeat the king of Ai, his people, and his city, and [enable you to take] his land.
| وَقَالَ الرَّبُّ لِيَشُوعَ: «لا تَجْزَعْ وَلا تَثْبُطْ هِمَّتُكَ. خُذْ جَيْشَكَ بِرُمَّتِهِ وَحَاصِرْ عَايَ لأَنِّي قَدْ أَسْلَمْتُكَ مَلِكَ عَايَ وَشَعْبَهُ وَمَدِينَتَهُ وَأَرْضَهُ. | ١ |
2 Your army will do to the people of Ai and their king like what you did to the people of Jericho and their king. But this time [I will permit you to] take all their possessions and keep them for yourselves. But first, tell some of your soldiers to [hide behind] the city [and] prepare to suddenly attack it.”
| فَتُجْرِي عَلَى عَايَ وَمَلِكِهَا مَا أَجْرَيْتَهُ عَلَى أَرِيحَا وَمَلِكِهَا، غَيْرَ أَنَّكُمْ تَنْهَبُونَ لأَنْفُسِكُمْ غَنِيمَتَهَا وَبَهَائِمَهَا. انْصُبْ كَمِيناً خَلْفَ الْمَدِينَةِ». | ٢ |
3 So Joshua led all his army toward Ai. He chose 30,000 of his best fighters/warriors and prepared to send them out during the night.
| فَهَبَّ يَشُوعُ وَجَمِيعُ الْمُحَارِبِينَ وَتَوَجَّهُوا لِمُهَاجَمَةِ عَايَ. وَاخْتَارَ يَشُوعُ ثَلاثِينَ أَلْفَ رَجُلٍ مِنْ مُحَارِبِيهِ الأَشِدَّاءِ، وَأَرْسَلَهُمْ لَيْلاً، بَعْدَ أَنْ أَوْصَاهُمْ قَائِلاً: | ٣ |
4 He said to them, “Listen carefully. Some of you must hide on the other side of the city. Do not go far from the city. Just be ready [to attack].
| «اذْهَبُوا وَاكْمُنُوا خَلْفَ الْمَدِينَةِ. لَا تَبْتَعِدُوا عَنْهَا كَثِيراً وَتَأَهَّبُوا جَمِيعُكُمْ لِلْقِتَالِ. | ٤ |
5 I and the men who are with me will march toward the city [in the morning]. The men in the city will come out to fight us, like they did before. Then we will turn around and start to run away from them.
| أَمَّا أَنَا وَبَقِيَّةُ الْمُحَارِبِينَ الَّذِينَ مَعِي فَنَقْتَرِبُ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ. فَمَا إِنْ يَخْرُجُوا لِلِقَائِنَا، كَمَا حَدَثَ سَابِقاً، حَتَّى نَتَظَاهَرَ بِالْهَرَبِ أَمَامَهُمْ، | ٥ |
6 They will think that we are running away from them like we did before. So they will chase us away from the city. While we are running away,
| فَيَتَعَقَّبُونَا، وَبِذَلِكَ نَجْذِبُهُمْ بَعِيداً عَنِ الْمَدِينَةِ، ظَنّاً مِنْهُمْ أَنَّنَا هَارِبُونَ أَمَامَهُمْ كَمَا جَرَى فِي الْمَرَّةِ الْمَاضِيَةِ، | ٦ |
7 [those of you who are hiding come out and] rush into the city and capture it. Yahweh your God will enable you to conquer it.
| فَتَنْقَضُّونَ أَنْتُمْ مِنَ الْمَكْمَنِ وَتَسْتَوْلُونَ عَلَى الْمَدِينَةِ الَّتِي يُخْضِعُهَا الرَّبُّ إِلَهُكُمْ لَكُمْ. | ٧ |
8 After you capture the city, burn it. Do what Yahweh has commanded us to do. Those are the orders I am giving to you.”
| وَلَدَى اسْتِيلائِكُمْ عَلَى الْمَدِينَةِ تُضْرِمُونَ فِيهَا النَّارَ كَأَمْرِ الرَّبِّ، فَافْعَلُوا وَنَفِّذُوا مَا أَوْصَيْتُكُمْ بِهِ». | ٨ |
9 Then Joshua [prepared to] send some of them to [hide and] wait between Ai and Bethel, which was west of Ai. But Joshua stayed with his other soldiers that night.
| وَأَطْلَقَهُمْ يَشُوعُ فَتَوَجَّهُوا إِلَى الْمَكْمَنِ، حَيْثُ تَرَبَّصُوا بِالْمَدِينَةِ مَا بَيْنَ بَيْتِ إِيلَ وَغَرْبِيِّ عَايَ. وَقَضَى يَشُوعُ لَيْلَتَهُ تِلْكَ فِي وَسَطِ الشَّعْبِ. | ٩ |
10 Early the next morning, Joshua gathered his soldiers together. Then he and the other Israeli leaders led them up to Ai.
| وَفِي الصَّبَاحِ التَّالِي نَهَضَ يَشُوعُ مُبَكِّراً، وَأَحْصَى الْجَيْشَ وَسَارَ هُوَ وَشُيُوخُ إِسْرَائِيلَ فِي طَلِيعَتِهِمْ نَحْوَ عَايَ. | ١٠ |
11 They all set up their tents close to Ai, just to the north of the city, where all the people of the city could see them. There was a valley between them and the city.
| وَتَقَدَّمَتْ مَعَهُ قُوَّاتُهُ كُلُّهَا حَتَّى أَتَوْا إِلَى مُقَابِلِ الْمَدِينَةِ، حَيْثُ نَزَلُوا شِمَالِيَّهَا، لَا يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ عَايَ سِوَى الْوَادِي. | ١١ |
12 Then Joshua chose about 5,000 men and told them to go and hide just west of the city, between Ai and Bethel.
| وَأَرْسَلَ يَشُوعُ قُوَّةَ دَعْمٍ أُخْرَى مُؤَلَّفَةً مِنْ خَمْسَةِ آلافِ مُحَارِبٍ لِتَكْمُنَ بَيْنَ بَيْتِ إِيلَ وَعَايَ غَرْبِيَّ الْمَدِينَةِ. | ١٢ |
13 So those men did that. The main group of soldiers was north of the city, and the others were hiding west of the city. That night Joshua went down into the valley.
| وَتَمَرْكَزَ الْجَيْشُ الرَّئِيسِيُّ فِي شِمَالِيِّ الْمَدِينَةِ، فِي حِينِ تَرَبَّصَ الْكَمِينُ فِي غَرْبِيِّهَا، أَمَّا يَشُوعُ فَقَدْ قَضَى تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةَ فِي وَسَطِ الْوَادِي. | ١٣ |
14 When the king of Ai saw the Israeli army, he and his soldiers got up early the next morning and quickly went out of the city to fight them. They went to a place east of the city, but they did not know that some Israeli soldiers were hiding behind the city.
| وَلَمَّا رَأَى مَلِكُ عَايَ مَا يَجْرِي، خَرَجَ بِجَيْشِهِ مُبَكِّراً لِلِقَاءِ إِسْرَائِيلَ وَمُحَارَبَتِهِ فِي السَّهْلِ، وَهُوَ لَا يَدْرِي أَنَّ هُنَاكَ كَمِيناً يَتَحَفَّزُ لِلْهُجُومِ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ خَلْفِ الْمَدِينَةِ. | ١٤ |
15 Joshua and the Israeli soldiers [who were with him] allowed the army of Ai to push them back. They ran toward the desert.
| فَتَظَاهَرَ يَشُوعُ وَبَقِيَّةُ الْجَيْشِ بِالانْكِسَارِ أَمَامَهُمْ، وَلاذُوا بِالْفِرَارِ فِي طَرِيقِ الصَّحْرَاءِ. | ١٥ |
16 The men in Ai were ordered to chase after Joshua and his men. So they left the city and started to pursue the Israelis.
| فَتَنَادَى جَمِيعُ الشَّعْبِ الَّذِينَ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ لِتَعَقُّبِ يَشُوعَ، فَجَدُّوا وَرَاءَهُمْ مُبْتَعِدِينَ عَنِ الْمَدِينَةِ. | ١٦ |
17 All the men of Ai and the men of Bethel pursued the Israeli army. They did not leave even one man in Ai to defend it. The [gates of the] city were left wide open.
| وَلَمْ يَبْقَ فِي عَايَ أَوْ فِي بَيْتِ إِيلَ رَجُلٌ لَمْ يَسْعَ فِي مُطَارَدَةِ الإِسْرَائِيلِيِّينَ، تَارِكِينَ الْمَدِينَةَ مَفْتُوحَةً لِلْكَمِينِ. | ١٧ |
18 Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “[Lift up] your spear [and] point it toward Ai, because I am going to enable your soldiers to capture it!” So Joshua pointed [his spear] toward Ai.
| فَقَالَ الرَّبُّ لِيَشُوعَ: «مُدَّ رُمْحَكَ نَحْوَ عَايَ لأَنَّنِي وَهَبْتُكَ الْمَدِينَةَ». فَمَدَّ يَشُوعُ الْحَرْبَةَ الَّتِي بِيَدِهِ نَحْوَ الْمَدِينَةِ، | ١٨ |
19 When the Israeli men who were hiding saw that, they rushed out from the places where they were hiding and ran into the city. They quickly captured it and set it on fire.
| فَانْدَفَعَ الْكَمِينُ مِنْ مَكَانِهِ بِسُرْعَةٍ عِنْدَمَا مَدَّ يَدَهُ بِالْحَرْبَةِ وَرَكَضُوا وَاقْتَحَمُوا الْمَدِينَةَ وَاسْتَوْلَوْا عَلَيْهَا وَأَحْرَقُوهَا بِالنَّارِ. | ١٩ |
20 When the men of Ai looked back, they saw smoke rising from their city. But they could not escape, because the Israeli troops stopped running away.
| فَالْتَفَتَ رِجَالُ عَايَ وَرَاءَهُمْ وَإِذْ بِهِمْ يُشَاهِدُونَ دُخَانَ الْمَدِينَةِ يَتَصَاعَدُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ، فَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ مِنْ مَهْرَبٍ، فَانْقَلَبَ الْجَيْشُ الْهَارِبُ إِلَى الصَّحْرَاءِ عَلَى مُطَارِدِيهِ. | ٢٠ |
21 Joshua and his men saw that the men who had been hiding had captured the city and were burning it, and they saw the smoke rising. So they turned around and started to attack the men of Ai.
| وَلَمَّا رَأَى يَشُوعُ وَمُحَارِبُوهُ أَنَّ الْكَمِينَ قَدِ اسْتَوْلَى عَلَى الْمَدِينَةِ، وَأَنَّ دُخَانَهَا قَدْ مَلأَ الْفَضَاءَ، شَرَعُوا فِي مُهَاجَمَةِ رِجَالِ عَايَ وَالْقَضَاءِ عَلَيْهِمْ. | ٢١ |
22 Meanwhile, the soldiers who had captured the city came out [and attacked them from the rear]. So the men of Ai were caught between the two groups of Israeli soldiers. None of the men of Ai escaped. The Israelis fought until they killed all of them. Only the king of Ai was still alive.
| كَذَلِكَ خَرَجَ الْكَمِينُ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ لِقَطْعِ طَرِيقِ الْهَرَبِ عَلَيْهِمْ. فَوَجَدَ أَهْلُ عَايَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ مَحْصُورِينَ بَيْنَ الإِسْرَائِيلِيِّينَ مِنَ الأَمَامِ وَمِنَ الْخَلْفِ، فَفَتَكَ بِهِمِ الإِسْرَائِيلِيُّونَ، فَلَمْ يَنْجُ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدٌ. | ٢٢ |
23 Then they seized the king of Ai and brought him to Joshua.
| أَمَّا مَلِكُ عَايَ فَقَدْ وَقَعَ فِي الأَسْرِ فَتَسَلَّمَهُ يَشُوعُ. | ٢٣ |
24 While they were fighting, the Israeli army pursued the men of Ai into the fields and into the desert, and killed all of them. Then they went to Ai and killed everyone who was there.
| وَعِنْدَمَا تَمَّ الْقَضَاءُ عَلَى جَيْشِ عَايَ فِي الصَّحْرَاءِ حَيْثُ تَعَقَّبُوا الإِسْرَائِيلِيِّينَ، وَفَنُوا جَمِيعُهُمْ بِحَدِّ السَّيْفِ، رَجَعَ الْمُحَارِبُونَ الإِسْرَائِيلِيُّونَ إِلَى عَايَ وَقَتَلُوا كُلَّ مَنْ فِيهَا. | ٢٤ |
25 They killed 12,000 men and women.
| فَكَانَ جَمِيعُ مَنْ قُتِلَ فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ مِنْ رِجَالٍ وَنِسَاءٍ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ أَلْفاً، وَهُمْ جَمِيعُ أَهْلِ عَايَ. | ٢٥ |
26 Joshua continued to point his spear [LIT] toward Ai, until all the people in Ai had been killed.
| وَظَلَّ يَشُوعُ مَادّاً يَدَهُ بِالْحَرْبَةِ نَحْوَ الْمَدِينَةِ حَتَّى تَمَّ الْقَضَاءُ عَلَى جَمِيعِ أَهْلِ عَايَ. | ٢٦ |
27 The Israeli soldiers took for themselves the animals and the other things that had belonged to the people of Ai, just like Yahweh had told Joshua that they should do.
| أَمَّا الْبَهَائِمُ وَغَنَائِمُ الْمَدِينَةِ فَقَدْ نَهَبَهَا الإِسْرَائِيلِيُّونَ لأَنْفُسِهِمْ، بِمُقْتَضَى أَمْرِ الرَّبِّ الَّذِي أَصْدَرَهُ إِلَى يَشُوعَ. | ٢٧ |
28 Joshua and his soldiers burned Ai city and caused it to become a pile of ruins. It is still like that today.
| وَهَكَذَا أَحْرَقَ يَشُوعُ عَايَ وَحَوَّلَهَا إِلَى تَلِّ خَرَابٍ أَبَدِيٍّ إِلَى هَذَا الْيَوْمِ. | ٢٨ |
29 Joshua hanged the king of Ai on a tree and left his corpse hanging there until the evening. At sunset Joshua told his men to take the king’s corpse down from the tree and to throw it on the ground at the city gate. [After they did that], they piled a lot of rocks on top of the corpse, and that pile of rocks is still there.
| وَشَنَقَ مَلِكَ عَايَ عَلَى شَجَرَةٍ إِلَى وَقْتِ الْمَسَاءِ، وَعِنْدَ غُرُوبِ الشَّمْسِ أَمَرَ يَشُوعُ فَأَنْزَلُوا جُثَّتَهُ عَنِ الشَّجَرَةِ وَطَرَحُوهَا عِنْدَ مَدْخَلِ بَوَّابَةِ الْمَدِينَةِ وهَالُوا عَلَيْهَا كَوْمَةَ حِجَارَةٍ عَظِيمَةً إِلَى هَذَا الْيَوْمِ. | ٢٩ |
30 Joshua [told his men to] build on Ebal Mountain an altar for Yahweh, the God [who is worshiped by] the Israeli people.
| حِينَئِذٍ بَنَى يَشُوعُ مَذْبَحاً لِلرَّبِّ إِلَهِ إِسْرَائِيلَ فِي جَبَلِ عِيبَالَ. | ٣٠ |
31 They built it just like Moses, the man who served God [well], had written previously in the laws [that God had given to him]. They made it from stones that had not been cut using iron tools. The Israelis then offered sacrifices to Yahweh that were burned completely on the altar. They also offered sacrifices to restore fellowship with Yahweh.
| كَمَا أَمَرَ مُوسَى عَبْدُ الرَّبِّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، بِحَسَبِ مَا هُوَ مُدَوَّنٌ فِي كِتَابِ تَوْرَاةِ مُوسَى، فَكَانَ الْمَذْبَحُ مَبْنِيًّا مِنْ حِجَارَةٍ صَحِيحَةٍ لَمْ يَنْحَتْهَا أَحَدٌ بِآلَةٍ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ، وَقَدَّمُوا عَلَيْهِ مُحْرَقَاتٍ، وَذَبَائِحَ سَلامٍ. | ٣١ |
32 As the Israelis watched, Joshua wrote on stones the laws that [Yahweh had given] to Moses previously.
| وَعَلَى مَرْأَى مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيَل نَقَشَ يَشُوعُ عَلَى حِجَارَةِ الْمَذْبَحِ نُسْخَةً مِنْ شَرِيعَةِ مُوسَى الَّتِي كَانَ مُوسَى قَدْ أَمْلاهَا عَلَيْهِ | ٣٢ |
33 The Israeli leaders, the officials, the judges, and other Israelis were there, standing nearby. Many people who were not Israelis were also there. Half of the people stood [on one side of the valley] below Ebal Mountain, and the other half of the people stood [on the other side of the valley] below Gerizim Mountain. The sacred chest was [in the valley] between the two groups. That was what Moses had previously commanded that the people should do when [Yahweh was about to] bless them.
| وَكَانَ جَمِيعُ الإِسْرَائِيلِيِّينَ، غُرَبَاءَ وَمُوَاطِنِينَ، مَعَ شُيُوخِهِمْ وَعُرَفَائِهِمْ وَقُضَاتِهِمْ يَقِفُونَ إِلَى جَانِبَيْ تَابُوتِ عَهْدِ الرَّبِّ فِي مُوَاجَهَةِ الْكَهَنَةِ اللّاوِيِّينَ حَامِلِي التَّابُوتِ. وَقَفَ نِصْفُهُمْ أَمَامَ جَبَلِ جِرِزِّيمَ، وَوَقَفَ النِّصْفُ الآخَرُ أَمَامَ جَبَلِ عِيبَالَ تَنْفِيذاً لِتَعْلِيمَاتِ مُوسَى عَبْدِ الرَّبِّ السَّابِقَةِ الَّتِي أَصْدَرَهَا بِشَأْنِ بَرَكَةِ الشَّعْبِ. | ٣٣ |
34 Then Joshua read [to the people] all that [Moses] had written previously. That included what Yahweh had taught them and the ways [that he promised] to bless them [if they obeyed his commands], or to curse them [if they disobeyed them].
| ثُمَّ تَلا يَشُوعُ جَمِيعَ عِبَارَاتِ التَّوْرَاةِ الْمُخْتَصَّةِ بِالْبَرَكَةِ وَاللَّعْنَةِ، كَمَا وَرَدَتْ فِي كِتَابِ الشَّرِيعَةِ. | ٣٤ |
35 All the Israelis gathered together [to listen]—the men, the women, and the children. The (foreigners/people who were not Israelis) who were living among them also listened, while Joshua read all the commands that Moses had written.
| لَمْ يَغْفَلْ يَشُوعُ كَلِمَةً مِنْ كُلِّ مَا أَمَرَ بِهِ مُوسَى، بَلْ قَرَأَهَا كُلَّهَا أَمَامَ جَمِيعِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، حَتَّى أَمَامَ النِّسَاءِ وَالأَطْفَالِ وَالْغُرَبَاءِ الْمُقِيمِينَ بَيْنَهُمْ. | ٣٥ |
