Joshua 9
1 There were several kings [who ruled in lands that are] on the west side of the Jordan River. They were the kings of the Heth people-group, the Amor people-group, the Canaan people-group, the Periz people-group, the Hiv people-group, and the Jebus people-group. They lived in the hilly area, in the foothills further west, and [on the plains] along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They heard [about what happened at Ai].
約旦河西，住在山地和平原並沿大海一帶直到黎巴嫩山上的眾王子，即赫特人、阿摩黎人、客納罕人、堷黎齊人、希威人和耶步斯人，聽見了這些事，
2 So they all gathered [their armies] to fight Joshua and the Israeli army.
聯合起來，同心協力對抗若蘇厄和以色人。
3 When the people who lived in Gibeon [city] heard that Joshua’s army had defeated the people of Jericho and Ai,
基貝紅居民聽說若蘇厄對耶利哥和哈依所行的事，
4 they decided to trick the Israelis. They gathered some old sacks and some old leather wine bags that had been mended after they were cracked, and they put these on the backs of their donkeys.
便設詭許帶著行糧上路將一些舊布袋和破裂縫補的舊酒囊馱在驢上；
5 They put on old sandals that had been patched, and wore old ragged clothes. And they took along bread that was dry and moldy.
腳上穿著補過的破鞋，身上穿著襤褸的衣服；所帶的食物，又乾又碎，
6 They traveled to where Joshua [and the other Israelis] had set up their tents near Gilgal. They said to Joshua and the other Israeli leaders, “We have traveled from a distant land. We want you to make a peace agreement with us.”
來到基耳加耳營中見若蘇厄；對他和以色列人說：「我們是遠方來的，現在請你們與我們立約。」
7 The Israeli leaders said to those men from [Gilead who were from] the Hiv people-group, “[We do not know if you truly live far from us]. If you live near us, we cannot [RHQ] make a peace agreement with you, [because God has commanded us to get rid of the people that are living near us].”
以色列對這些希威人說：「你們也許是我們附近的居民，我們怎能同你們立約﹖」
8 They replied to Joshua, “[If you make a peace agreement with us], we will be your servants.” But Joshua answered, “What people-group are you? Where do you come from?”
他們回答若蘇厄說：「我們是你的僕人。」若蘇厄問他們說：「你們是什麼人﹖是從那裏來的﹖」
9 The men from Gibeon answered, “[We want to be] your [. We] have come here from a distant land, because we have heard about the great things that your god has done. We have heard about everything that he did in Egypt [to help you].
他們答說：「你的僕人是因為聽了上主你們天主的名聲，由極遠的地方來的，因為我們聽見人 談及衪的聲望，和衪在埃及所行的一切，
10 We have heard that he [enabled you to] defeat [the armies of] two kings of the Amor people-group, on the east side of the Jordan River—Sihon, the king who ruled in Heshbon [city], and Og, the king who ruled in Ashtaroth in the Bashan [area].
以及衪對住在約旦河東的的兩阿摩黎王：即赫市朋王息紅和阿市塔洛特的巴商王敖格所行的一切。
11 So our leaders and the rest of our people said to us, ‘Take some food and go to talk with the Israelis. Tell them, “We want to be your servants. So make a peace agreement with us.”’
為此，我們的長老和我們本地的居民，對我們說：你們手中拿些路用的食物，去迎接以色列人；對他們說：我們是你們的僕人，現在請你們與我們立約。
12 Look at our bread. It was fresh and warm [from having been baked] on the day that we left our area, but now it is dry and moldy.
看，這是我們的食物，我們從家中帶出來，要到你們這裏來的那天還熱，看，現在又乾又碎；
13 Look at our leather wine bags. They were new when we filled them with wine [before we left], but now they are cracked and old. Our clothes and our sandals are worn out from traveling [on the long road] to come here.”
這就是我們的酒囊，才盛酒的時候還新，看，現在都破裂了；這是我們的衣服和鞋，為了路途遙遠，都穿爛了。」
14 The Israeli leaders tasted the bread, but they did not ask Yahweh what to do.
以色列的首領便取了他們的行糧，並沒有請求上主的諭示；
15 So Joshua agreed to make a peace agreement with the men from Gibeon to not kill them. All the Israeli leaders vowed to do what Joshua said in the agreement. [Then the men from Gibeon returned home].
若蘇厄便與他們修好，與他們立了約，讓他們生存，會眾的首領也向他們起了誓。
16 Three days later the Israelis found out that the men from Gibeon lived nearby.
但是，與他們立約後才過了三天，以色列人就聽說，他們是住在自己附近的居民。
17 So they went to where the men from Gibeon lived. After traveling [only] three days, they came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-Jearim.
以色列子民於是動身，第三天便到了他們的城市：就是基貝紅、革非辣、貝洛特和克黎雅特耶阿陵。
18 But the Israelis did not attack the people of those cities, because they had promised [to live peacefully with them], and Yahweh had heard them promise [to do that]. All the Israeli people grumbled against their leaders [for doing that].
但以色列子民沒有擊殺他們，因為會眾的首領指著上主，以色列的天主，對他們起過誓；但全會眾對他們的首領不滿。
19 But the leaders answered, “We promised to [live peacefully with them], and Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], heard us promise [to do that]. So now we cannot attack [EUP] them.
眾首領對全會眾說：「我們既已指著上主以色列的天主對他們起誓，那麼我們決不能加害他們，
20 This is what we will do: We will not kill them. If we kill them, God will be very angry with us [and punish us] because of not doing what we promised to do.
只有這樣做，就是讓他們生存下去，免得因我們對他們所起的誓，為我們招來上主的義怒。」
21 So we must allow them to live. But they will cut wood for us, and they will carry water for us.” So the Israeli leaders did what they had promised.
首領又對民眾說：「讓他們生存下去，但他們應為全會眾劈柴挑水。」全會眾便遵照首領的話而行。
22 Then Joshua summoned the men from Gibeon and asked them, “Why did you lie to us? Your land was near to where we had set up our tents, but you told us that you were from a distant land!
若蘇厄將基貝紅人召來，對他們說：「你們為什麼欺騙我們說：我們離你們很遠，其實你們就住在我們附近﹖
23 So now you will become our slaves. You will always be forced to cut wood and carry water for [us Israeli people who worship in] the temple of our God.”
從此你們應受詛咒，你們中間，決不斷有人在我天主的殿內，做劈柴挑水的勞役。」
24 The men from Gibeon replied, “We lied to you because we were afraid that you would kill us. We heard that Yahweh, your God, declared to his servant Moses that he would enable you to conquer all the people in this land and to kill all the people who lived in it.
他們回答若蘇厄說：「你的僕人確實聽說：上主你的天主，曾吩咐衪的僕人梅瑟，要把這整塊土地賜給你們，並在你們面前，將這地方上的一切居民消滅；我們見你們前來，我們實在為我們的生命擔憂，所以才做了這事。
25 So now you can decide what you will do with us. Do what you think is right.”
現在，我們都在你手裏，你以為怎樣好，怎樣對，就怎樣對待我們吧! 」
26 So Joshua saved the lives of the people of Gibeon by not allowing the Israelis to kill them.
若蘇厄就這樣對待了他們：將他們由以色列人手中救出，不讓人加害他們。
27 Instead, he forced them to become the Israelis’ slaves. They cut wood and carried water for the Israelis. They also brought the wood and water [that was needed for] the sacred altar of Yahweh, to whatever place Yahweh decided that they should build one. And the people of Gibeon are still doing that.
當天就派定他們在上主選定的地方，為會眾，為上主的祭壇，劈柴挑水，直到今日。
