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ヨシュア記 8

八

1 　それから、神様はヨシュアに命じました。　「恐れるな。　勇気を出せ。　全軍を率いて、アイを攻撃せよ。　勝利は目前だ。　わたしは、アイの王と全住民をおまえの手に渡した。　2 エリコとその王にしたとおり、アイとその王にもせよ。　ただし、今回は奪い取ったものや家畜を自分たちの戦利品としてもよい。　町の後方には伏兵を置け。」
3-4 本隊がアイに向かう前に、ヨシュアは三万の精兵をひそかに派遣し、いつでも行動を起こせるよう、アイの後方の、そう遠くない場所に、伏兵として忍ばせました。
5 　ヨシュアはこう説明しました。　「さて、作戦だが、まず本隊が攻撃をしかける。　アイの連中は前回同様、町から出て戦うだろう。　すると、こっちは逃げる。　6 連中が追いかけて来る。　町は空っぽになるというわけだ。　彼らは『イスラエル軍がまた逃げて行くぞ。この前のとおりじゃないか』と言うに決まっているからな。　7 そうしたら、隠れていたおまえたちが飛び出し、町に攻め入るのだ。　神様は町をおまえたちの手に渡してくださる。　8 ご命令どおり、火をかけろ。　いいな。」
9 　こうして三万の精兵は、夜中に本隊を離れ、アイの西端とベテルとの中間の地点に隠れました。　もちろん、ヨシュアの率いる本隊は、エリコの野営地にとどまって夜を過ごしたのです。　10 翌朝はやく、ヨシュアは将兵を起こし、長老たちを伴ってアイを目ざし、　11-13 アイの北にある谷を前にして陣を敷きました。　その夜、ヨシュアはさらに五千の兵を選んで、町の西方に隠れている別働隊に合流させ、自分は、その谷で夜を過ごしました。
14 　アイの王は、イスラエル軍が谷を渡って来るのを見ると、翌朝はやく、アラバの平原で迎え撃とうと町を出ました。　もちろん、町の後方に伏兵がいるなどとは、夢にも思いません。　15 ヨシュアの率いるイスラエル軍は、さんざん痛めつけられたように見せかけ、いっせいに荒野へ退却しました。　16 すると、町中の兵士が追跡に駆り出されたのです。　案の定、町は無防備になりました。　17 アイからもベテルからも、兵士は一人もいなくなり、町の門も開け放されたままです。
18 　その時、神様はヨシュアに命じました。　「手にしている投げ槍を、アイの方に差し伸べよ。　わたしがアイをおまえの手に渡すからだ。」　言われたとおりにすると、　19 その合図を待っていた伏兵が、いっせいに飛び出して町になだれ込み、火をつけたのです。　20-21 アイの人々が振り返ると、町から上る煙が空いっぱいにたちこめているではありませんか。　彼らは逃げ場を失いました。　ヨシュアとその全軍は、煙を見て、伏兵が町に侵入したことを知りました。　それで、追いかけて来た人々に向き直り、反撃に出ました。　22 町に侵入したイスラエル軍も出て来て、背後から敵に襲いかかります。　このようにアイの人々は罠にはまり、全滅しました。　生き残ったり、逃れたりした者は、一人もいません。　23 ただ、アイの王だけは捕虜とされ、ヨシュアのもとに連れて来られました。
24 　イスラエル軍は、町から出て来たアイの全軍を殺してしまうと、町へ取って返し、残っていた人々を次々に殺しました。　25 こうして、アイの全住民、一万二千人のいのちが、その日のうちに露と消えたのです。　26 ヨシュアは、最後の一人にとどめが刺されるまで、投げ槍をアイの方に差し伸べたままでいました。　27 ただし、家畜と分捕り品はそのまま残しておきました。　それはイスラエル軍のものだったからです。　あらかじめ、神様がヨシュアに、そうしてもよいと告げておかれたのです。　28 アイは荒れ果てた瓦礫の山と化し、現在に至っています。
29 　ヨシュアは、アイの王を夕方まで木に吊るしてさらしものとし、日が沈むと死体を降ろし、町の門の正面に投げ捨てました。　その上に石を山と積み上げたのですが、それは今も見ることができます。
30 　ついでヨシュアは、イスラエルの神様である主のために、エバル山に祭壇を築きました。　31 モーセの法律で命じているとおりにしたのです。　神様はエバル山について、「わたしのために、のみを当てたことのない石で祭壇を築け」と命じていたのです。　祭壇が築かれると、祭司たちはその上に、完全に焼き尽くすいけにえと和解のいけにえをささげました。　32 またヨシュアは、人々が見守る中で、祭壇の石に十戒を刻みつけました。
33 　それから、長老、将校、裁判官、在留外国人をも含むイスラエル人全員は、二組みに分けられ、一方はゲリジム山のふもとに、もう一方はエバル山のふもとに立ちました。　両者の真ん中には、神の箱をかつぐ祭司たちが、全員を祝福しようと待ちかまえていました。　以上はすべて、先にモーセが命じたとおりに行なわれたのです。　34 ヨシュアは、モーセが神様の法律の書に記した祝福とのろいのことばを、ことごとく読み上げました。　35 モーセの与えたすべての戒めが、女や子供、それにイスラエル人の中で暮らす外国人をも含む全会衆の前で、読み上げられたのです。

Joshua 8

1 And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai; see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land;2 And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: set thee an ambush for the city behind it.

3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up to Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand men, the mighty men of valor, and sent them forth by night.4 And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city; go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:5 and I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city. And it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them;6 and they will come out after us, till we have drawn them away from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: so we will flee before them;7 and ye shall rise up from the ambush, and take possession of the city: for Jehovah your God will deliver it into your hand.8 And it shall be, when ye have seized upon the city, that ye shall set the city on fire; according to the word of Jehovah shall ye do: see, I have commanded you.9 And Joshua sent them forth; and they went to the ambushment, and abode between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.

10 And Joshua arose up early in the morning, and mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.11 And all the people, even the men of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and encamped on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between him and Ai.12 And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city.13 So they set the people, even all the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers-in-wait that were on the west of the city; and Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.14 And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at the time appointed, before the Arabah; but he knew not that there was an ambush against him behind the city.15 And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.16 And all the people that were in the city were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.17 And there was not a man left in Ai or Beth-el, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.

18 And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Stretch out the javelin that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thy hand. And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city.19 And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and entered into the city, and took it; and they hasted and set the city on fire.20 And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.21 And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai.22 And the others came forth out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape.23 And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.

24 And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they pursued them, and they were all fallen by the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all Israel returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword.25 And all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.26 For Joshua drew not back his hand, wherewith he stretched out the javelin, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.27 Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for prey unto themselves, according unto the word of Jehovah which he commanded Joshua.28 So Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap for ever, even a desolation, unto this day.29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until the eventide: and at the going down of the sun Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree, and cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raised thereon a great heap of stones, unto this day.

30 Then Joshua built an altar unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, in mount Ebal,31 as Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of unhewn stones, upon which no man had lifted up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt-offerings unto Jehovah, and sacrificed peace-offerings.32 And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote, in the presence of the children of Israel.33 And all Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side of the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, as well the sojourner as the homeborn; half of them in front of mount Gerizim, and half of them in front of mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel.34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law.35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners that were among them.