YuēShūyàjì 8

1 Yēhéhuá duì Yuēshūyà shuō , búyào jùpà , yĕ búyào jīng huáng . nǐ qǐlai , shuaìlǐng yīqiè bīng dīng shàng Aì chéng qù , wǒ yǐjing bǎ Aì chéng de wáng hé tāde mín , tāde chéng , bìng tāde dì , dōu jiāo zaì nǐ shǒu lǐ .

2 Nǐ zĕnyàng daì Yēlìgē hé Yēlìgē de wáng , yĕ dàng zhàoyàng daì Aì chéng hé Aì chéng de wáng . zhǐshì chéng neì suǒ duó de cáiwù hé shēngchù , nǐmen kĕyǐ qǔ wéi zìjǐ de lue wù . nǐ yào zaì chéng hòu shè xià fú bīng .

3 Yúshì , Yuēshūyà hé yīqiè bīng dīng dōu qǐlai , yào shàng Aì chéng qù . Yuēshūyà xuǎn le sān wàn dà néng de yǒng shì , yè jiàn dǎfa tāmen qián wǎng ,

4 Fēnfu tāmen shuō , nǐmen yào zaì chéng hòu máifu , bùkĕ lí chéng taì yuǎn , dōu yào gèzì zhúnbeì .

5 Wǒ yǔ wǒ suǒ daìlǐng de zhòng mín yào xiàng chéng qián wǎng . chéng lǐ de rén xiàng chū cì chūlai gōngjī wǒmen de shíhou , wǒmen jiù zaì tāmen miànqián taópǎo ,

6 Tāmen bì chūlai zhuīgǎn wǒmen , zhídào wǒmen yǐnyòu tāmen líkāi chéng . yīnwei tāmen bì shuō , zhèxie rén xiàng chū cì zaì wǒmen miànqián taópǎo . suǒyǐ wǒmen yào zaì tāmen miànqián taópǎo ,

7 Nǐmen jiù cóng máifu de dìfang qǐlai , duó qǔ nà chéng . yīnwei Yēhéhuá nǐmen de shén , bì bǎ chéng jiāo zaì nǐmen shǒu lǐ .

8 Nǐmen duó le chéng yǐhòu , jiù fàng huǒshào chéng , yào zhào Yēhéhuá de huà xíng . zhè shì wǒ fēnfu nǐmen de .

9 Yuēshūyà dǎfa tāmen qián wǎng , tāmen jiù shàng máifu de dìfang qù , zhù zaì Bótèlì hé Aì chéng de zhōngjiān , jiù shì zaì Aì chéng de xībiān . zhè yè Yuēshūyà què zaì mín zhōng zhù sù .

10 Yuēshūyà qīngzǎo qǐlai , diǎn qí bǎixìng , tā hé Yǐsèliè de zhǎnglǎo zaì bǎixìng qiánmian shàng Aì chéng qù .

11 Zhòng mín , jiù shì tā suǒ daìlǐng de bīng dīng , dōu shàng qù , xiàng qián zhí wǎng , lái dào chéng qián , zaì Aì chéng bĕibiān ān yíng . zaì Yuēshūyà hé Aì chéng zhōngjiān yǒu yī shān gǔ .

12 Tā tiǎo le yuē yǒu wǔ qiā rén , shǐ tāmen máifu zaì Bótèlì hé Aì chéng de zhōngjiān , jiù shì zaì Aì chéng de xībiān ,

13 Yúshì ānzhì le bǎixìng , jiù shì chéng bĕi de quán jūn hé chéng xī de fú bīng . zhè yè Yuēshūyà jìnrù shān gǔ zhī zhōng .

14 Aì chéng de wáng kànjian zhè jǐngkuàng , jiù hé quán chéng de rén , qīngzǎo jímáng qǐlai , àn suǒ déng de shíhou , chū dào Yàlābā qián , yào yǔ Yǐsèliè rén jiāo zhàn . wáng què bú zhīdào zaì chéng hòu yǒu fú bīng .

15 Yuēshūyà hé Yǐsèliè zhòngrén zaì tāmen miànqián zhuāng baì , wǎng nà tōng kuàngyĕ de lù taópǎo .

16 Chéng neì de zhòng mín dōu beì zhāo jù , zhuīgǎn tāmen . Aì chéng rén zhuīgǎn de shíhou , jiù beì yǐnyòu líkāi chéng .

17 Aì chéng hé Bótèlì chéng méiyǒu yī rén bú chūlai zhuīgǎn Yǐsèliè rén de , piĕ le chǎngkāi de chéng mén , qù zhuīgǎn Yǐsèliè rén .

18 Yēhéhuá fēnfu Yuēshūyà shuō , nǐ xiàng Aì chéng shēn chū shǒu lǐ de duǎn qiāng , yīnwei wǒ yào jiāng chéng jiāo zaì nǐ shǒu lǐ . Yuēshūyà jiù xiàng chéng shēn chū shǒu lǐ de duǎn qiāng .

19 Tā yī shēnshǒu , fú bīng jiù cóng máifu de dìfang jímáng qǐlai , duó le chéng , pǎo jìn chéng qù , fàng huǒ fùnshāo .

20 Aì chéng de rén huí tóu yī kàn , búliào , chéng zhōng yān qì chōng tiān , tāmen jiù wúlì xiàng zuǒ xiàng yòu taópǎo . nà wǎng kuàngyĕ taópǎo de bǎixìng biàn zhuǎn shēn gōngjī zhuīgǎn tāmende rén .

21 Yuēshūyà hé Yǐsèliè zhòngrén jiàn fú bīng yǐjing duó le chéng , chéng zhōng yān qì fēi téng , jiù zhuǎn shēn huí qù , jī shā Aì chéng de rén .

22 Fú bīng yĕ chū chéng yíng jī Aì chéng rén , Aì chéng rén jiù kùn zaì Yǐsèliè rén zhōngjiān , qián hòu dōu shì Yǐsèliè rén . yúshì Yǐsèliè rén jī shā tāmen , méiyǒu liú xià yī gè , yĕ méiyǒu yī gè taótuō de ,

23 Shēng qín le Aì chéng de wáng , jiāng tā jiĕ dào Yuēshūyà nàli .

24 Yǐsèliè rén zaì tiánjiān hé kuàngyĕ shā jìn suǒ zhuīgǎn yīqiè Aì chéng de jūmín . Aì chéng rén dǎo zaì dāo xià , zhídào miè jìn . Yǐsèliè zhòngrén jiù huí dào Aì chéng , yòng dāo shā le chéng zhōng de rén .

25 Dàng rì shā bì de rén , lián nán daì nǚ gōng yǒu yī wàn èr qiā , jiù shì Aì chéng suǒyǒude rén .

26 Yuēshūyà méiyǒu shōu huí shǒu lǐ suǒ shēn chūlai de duǎn qiāng , zhídào bǎ Aì chéng de yīqiè jūmín jìn xíng shā miè .

27 Wéidú chéng zhōng de shēngchù hé cáiwù , Yǐsèliè rén dōu qǔ wéi zìjǐ de lue wù , shì zhào Yēhéhuá suǒ fēnfu Yuēshūyà de huà .

28 Yuēshūyà jiāng Aì chéng fùnshāo , shǐ chéng yǒng wéi gāo duī , huāng cháng, zhídào jīnrì .

29 Yòu jiāng Aì chéng wáng guà zaì shù shàng , zhídào wǎnshang . rìluò de shíhou , Yuēshūyà fēnfu rén bǎ shī shǒu cóng shù shàng qǔ xià lái , diū zaì chéng ménkǒu , zaì shī shǒu shàng duī chéng yī dà duī shítou , zhí cún dào jīnrì .

30 Nàshí , Yuēshūyà zaì Yìbālù shān shàng wéi Yēhéhuá Yǐsèliè de shén zhú yī zuò tán ,

31 Shì yòng méiyǒu dòng guō tiĕ qì de zhĕng shítou zhú de , zhào zhe Yēhéhuá púrén Móxī suǒ fēnfu Yǐsèliè rén de huà , zhèng rú Móxī lǜfǎ shū shàng suǒ xiĕ de . zhòngrén zaì zhè tán shàng gĕi Yēhéhuá fèng xiàn Fánjì hépíng ān jì .

32 Yuēshūyà zaì nàli , dàng zhe Yǐsèliè rén miànqián , jiāng Móxī suǒ xiĕ de lǜfǎ chāo xiĕ zaì shítou shàng .

33 Yǐsèliè zhòngrén , wúlùn shì bĕn dì rén , shì jìjū de , hé zhǎnglǎo , guān zhǎng , bìng shĕnpàn guān , dōu zhàn zaì yuē jǔ liǎng páng , zaì tái Yēhéhuá yuē jǔ de jìsī Lìwèi rén miànqián , yī bàn duì zhe Jīlìxīn shān , yī bàn duì zhe Yǐbālù shān , wéi Yǐsèliè mín zhùfú , zhēng rú Yēhéhuá púrén Móxī xiānqián suǒ fēnfu de .

34 Suíhòu , Yuēshūyà jiāng lǜfǎ shàng zhùfú , zhòuzǔ de huà , zhào zhe lǜfǎ shū shàng yīqiè suǒ xiĕ de , dōu xuān dú le yī biàn .

35 Móxī suǒ fēnfu de yīqiè huà , Yuēshūyà zaì Yǐsèliè quánhuì zhòng hé fùnǚ , háizi , bìng tāmen zhōngjiān jìjū de waìrén miànqián , méiyǒu yī jù bú xuān dú de .

YuēShūyàjì 8 Commentary

Chapter 8

God encourages Joshua. (1,2) The taking of Ai. (3-22) The destruction of Ai and its king. (23-29) The law read on Ebal and Gerizim. (30-35)

Verses 1-2 When we have faithfully put away sin, that accursed thing which separates between us and God, then, and not till then, we may look to hear from God to our comfort; and God's directing us how to go on in our Christian work and warfare, is a good evidence of his being reconciled to us. God encouraged Joshua to proceed. At Ai the spoil was not to be destroyed as at Jericho, therefore there was no danger of the people's committing such a trespass. Achan, who caught at forbidden spoil, lost that, and life, and all; but the rest of the people, who kept themselves from the accursed thing, were quickly rewarded for their obedience. The way to have the comfort of what God allows us, is, to keep from what he forbids us. No man shall lose by self-denial.

Verses 3-22 Observe Joshua's conduct and prudence. Those that would maintain their spiritual conflicts must not love their ease. Probably he went into the valley alone, to pray to God for a blessing, and he did not seek in vain. He never drew back till the work was done. Those that have stretched out their hands against their spiritual enemies, must never draw them back.

Verses 23-29 God, the righteous Judge, had sentenced the Canaanites for their wickedness; the Israelites only executed his doom. None of their conduct can be drawn into an example for others. Especial reason no doubt there was for this severity to the king of Ai; it is likely he had been notoriously wicked and vile, and a blasphemer of the God of Israel.

Verses 30-35 As soon as Joshua got to the mountains Ebal and Gerizim, without delay, and without caring for the unsettled state of Israel, or their enemies, he confirmed the covenant of the Lord with his people, as appointed, ( Deuteronomy 11 , Deuteronomy 27 ) . We must not think to defer covenanting with God till we are settled in the world; nor must any business put us from minding and pursuing the one thing needful. The way to prosper is to begin with God, ( Matthew 6:33 ) . They built an altar, and offered sacrifice to God, in token of their dedicating themselves to God, as living sacrifices to his honour, in and by a Mediator. By Christ's sacrifice of himself for us, we have peace with God. It is a great mercy to any people to have the law of God in writing, and it is fit that the written law should be in a known tongue, that it may be seen and read of all men.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 8

Joshua is encouraged to go up and take Ai, and is directed what method to make use of, Jos 8:1,2; accordingly he set an ambush on the west side of it, and, he and the rest of the army went up before it, Jos 8:3-13; which, when the king of Ai saw, he and all his forces came cut against them, and the Israelites making a feint as if they were beaten, drew on the men of Ai to pursue them, upon which the ambush arose and entered the city and set fire to it, Jos 8:14-19; the smoke of which being observed by Joshua and Israel, they turned back upon the pursuers, and the ambush sallying out of the city behind them, made an entire destruction of them, then slew all the inhabitants, took the spoil, burnt the city, and hanged the king of it, Jos 8:20-29; after this Joshua built an altar at Ebal, wrote the law on stones, and read the blessings and curses in it before all Israel, Jos 8:30-35.