God said to Joshua:

"I will be with you, as I was with Moses.
I will not leave you or abandon you.

Be strong and stand firm
and be careful to keep all the Law 
which my servant Moses laid on you.

Never swerve from this to right or left,
and then you will be happy in all you do.

Have the book of this Law always on your lips.
Meditate on it day and night,
so that you may carefully keep 
everything that is written in it.

Be fearless, be confident,
for wherever you go
I the Lord your God am with you."

Then Joshua said to the people:
"Get ready, for in 3 days you will cross the Jordan River
and take possession of the land 
which God is giving to you."

第 1 章

神对若苏厄说：

“我会与你同在，如我与梅瑟同在。
我不会离开你，或舍弃你。

坚强，立场坚定，并小心谨守所有法律
那些我的仆人梅瑟所吩咐你的。

永不偏离右左，
然后你对你所做的一切将会满意。

这法律书常在你口中。 日夜对它深思，
让你可小心谨守其中所记载的一切。

不畏惧，有信心，
因为无论你去哪里，我主你的神与你同在。”

然后若苏厄对百姓说：
“准备好，因为还有三天你将横渡约但河
并占领这土地，那块神赐给你的土地。”

Dear God,  thank you for the courage and confidence
that  you give us

亲爱的神，感谢你给我们的勇气和信心

Joshua sent two men as spies to explore the Jericho area.
In Jericho they went to the house of Rahab the prostitute.

The king of Jericho was told about this 
and he sent men to capture the two Israelites.

But Rahab hid the men
and told the king that they had already gone.

Rahab said to the men in their hiding place on her roof:

"I know that the Lord has given you this land.
My people are afraid of you

We have heard how the Lord dried up the sea for your crossing
out of Egypt. We have heard how you defeated the 2 kings Sihon and Og.

Since I have shown you kindness
I now ask you to show kindness to my family
and spare their lives when you attack this city."

The men agreed and told Rahab
to tie a scarlet cord to her window
so the Israelites would know  her family  were inside.

Rahab helped the men go down from the window by a rope.
The men stayed in the nearby hills for 3 days until it was safe to leave.

The men returned to Joshua and told how the people of Jericho
were already trembling at the thought of an Israelite attack.

第 2 章  

若苏厄派出两人作间谍探查耶里哥地区。
在耶里哥，他们到妓女辣哈布的家。

耶里哥的君王被告知此事
于是他派人去拘捕两名以色列人。

但是，辣哈布将两男子暗藏，并告诉君王，他们已经走了。

辣哈布在她屋顶之藏身处告知两男子：

“我知道主巳将这块土地给你。
这里的居民都害怕你们。

我们听说主如何干涸红海，为使你们渡过逃出埃及。我们听到你们如何打败那两个君王息红和敖格。

既然我恩待你们，我现在请求你恩待我的家人
并饶他们一命当你攻击这个城市时。”

两男子同意，并告诉辣哈布，系一根红绳在她的窗口，
如此，以色列人知道她的家人在里面。

辣哈布用绳子帮助两男子从窗口缒下去。 
两男子住在附近的山丘三天，直到安全才离开。

两男子回到若苏厄，并告知耶里哥的居民怎样一想到以色列人的攻击就颤抖。    

Lord, please bless all women and girls caught up in prostitution

　主，请祝福所有卷入卖淫的妇女和女

Chapter 3

Instructed by the Lord,
Joshua told the people to go to the bank of the Jordan River.

He told the priests carrying the Sacred Chest
to stand in the river on the edge of the water.

As soon as the feet of the priests touched the water,
the river stopped flowing.

The people then went across the dry river bed towards Jericho.

第 3 章

被主吩咐，
若苏厄告诉百姓去约但河畔。

他吩咐司祭枱着圣柜
站在河水边。

当司祭的脚触及河水不久，
河流停止流动。

百姓然后向着耶里哥渡过干涸的河床。  

Dear God, please help me
 to cross rivers of difficulty, doubt, conflict etc

　亲爱的神，请帮助我
渡过困难，疑惑，矛盾等巨流

After the Israelites crossed the Jordan River,
Joshua selected 12 men, one from each tribe,
and told them to get 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan.

The 12 stones were set up at Gilgal, east of Jericho, 
as a reminder of how God had helped the Israelites
cross the river.

When children in the future asked 
"What do these stones mean?"
parents were to answer:

"The waters of the Jordan separated and stopped flowing
when the Lord's Sacred Chest entered the river.
These 12 stones are a permanent reminder of this."

As soon as  the Israelites had finished crossing the Jordan,
its waters immediately started flowing again.

第 4 章  

以色列人渡过约但河后，
若苏厄挑选十二人，每支派一人，
并告诉他们到约但河中取十二块石头。

十二块石头立在基耳加耳，耶里哥东，
作为提醒神怎样帮助以色列人过河。

当子孙今后问：
“这些石头是什么意思？”

父老回答：“约但河之水分离并停止流动
当主的圣柜进入河流。
这十二块石头是一个永久的提示。”

以色列人结束横渡约但河不久，
河水立即开始再次流动。  

Dear Lord, please don't let me ever forget
the many times you have helped me cross "Jordan" rivers

亲爱的主，请不要让我忘记你多次帮助我跨越“约旦”河

The kings  of the Jordan area
heard that the Lord had dried up the Jordan's waters
to let the Israelites cross over.
The kings became very afraid of the Israelites.

At Gilgal near the Jordan
the Lord instructed Joshua
that all un-circumcised men should be circumcised.

It was at Gilgal that the Israelites kept the Passover Feast
and tasted the produce of the land.

As soon as the Israelites tasted the produce of the land,
the manna stopped falling.

第 5 章

约但河地区的君王们
听说主干涸了约但河的水
让以色列人渡过。
君王们变得非常害怕以色列人。

在基耳加耳靠近约但河，主吩咐若苏厄
所有未行割礼的男子应受割礼。

以色列人在基耳加耳守逾越节
并品尝当地的出产。

当以色列人吃过当地的出产，玛纳停止降下。

Dear God, thank you for all you did for the Israelites

亲爱的神，感谢你为以色列人所做的一切

The Lord said to Joshua:
"I am delivering Jericho and its king into your hands.

Get your soldiers to march around Jericho.
Do this for 6 days,
marching with the Sacred Chest 
with 7 trumpets in front of it.

On the 7th day, march around the city 7 times,
and then let the whole people give a mighty war cry."

The soldiers and people did this,
and when the war cry was made,
the walls of Jericho fell down.

The Israelites then entered the town and captured it.
They spared the lives of Rahab the prostitute and her family

第 6 章

主对若苏厄说：
“我把耶里哥和它的君王送交你手中。

要你的士兵围绕耶里哥走一周。
这样做六天，与圣柜同行，
带七个羊角号在它前面。

在第七天，绕城七次，然后让所有百姓发出吶喊。”

士兵们和百姓这样做，而当吶喊声起，
耶里哥的城墙倒下。

以色列人然后进入城镇并占领它。
他们饶了妓女辣哈布和她家人的性命。  

Dear Lord, long ago you caused the walls of Jericho to fall.
Please in our day cause walls of prejudice and corruption to fall 

亲爱的主，很久以前你令耶里哥的城墙倒下。
请使在我们这个时代的偏见和腐败之墙倒下

The Lord had told the Israelites 
not to keep anything for themselves
when they captured Jericho.

But one man disobeyed the Lord
and secretly kept some of the spoils.

As a result of that man's disobedience,
the Israelites were defeated in battle 
when they attacked the town of Ai.

The disobedient man's  identity was found by drawing of the lot:

- of the 12 tribes, one was chosen, the tribe of Judah.
- of the tribe of Judah, one clan was chosen, that of Zerah.
- of the families of Zerah, one was chosen, that of Zabdi.
- of the men of Zabdi, one was chosen, Achan.

Achan admitted his guilt.
He and his whole family were then stoned to death
and a great cairn built over them.

All of Achan's possessions were burnt.

第 7 章

主告诉以色列人
不要为他们自己保留任何东西
当他们占领耶里哥。

但是一人不听从主
秘密保留一些战利品。

由于那人不听从，
以色列人在战斗中被打败
当他们进攻哈依城。

以抽签找出不听从的人的身份：

- 于十二支派，犹大支派被选中。
- 于犹大支派，则辣黑宗族被选中。
- 于则辣黑宗族，匝贝狄家室被选中。
- 于匝贝狄的男丁，阿干被选中。

阿干承认他的罪。
然后他和他的全家被石头砸死
并把一大堆石头堆在他们之上。

阿干的所有财产被烧毁。　 

Dear Lord, please don't let me disobey you

Chapter 8

Once again the Israelites attacked the town of Ai,
this time with a special strategy:

5,000 men went by night to the back of the town 
and hid themselves in the nearby hills.

In the morning Joshua and the rest of the people
marched towards the front of Ai.

When the king of Ai saw them coming, 
he led his people out for battle.

In chasing the Israelites,
the king of Ai left his town undefended.

Then the 5,000 Israelites attacked
Ai from the rear and set it on fire.

When the men of Ai looked back and saw their town on fire,
they realized they were caught in a trap.

The Israelites easily won the battle
and captured Ai.

第 8 章

以色列人再次攻击哈依城，
这次用特别战略：

五千人黑夜出发到城后面
然后埋伏在附近的山丘。

早上若苏厄和其他人 向着哈依进发。

当哈依王看到他们前来，他带领他的人民迎战。

在追赶以色列人时，哈依王留下他的城镇不设防。

然后，五千以色列人 从后进攻哈依并放火烧城。

当哈依人回头看见他们的城镇起火，
他们意识到他们堕入陷阱。

以色列人轻易地赢得了这场战斗 并占领了哈依。　

After hearing that the Israelites had captured Jericho and Ai,
other peoples of the region formed an alliance 
to fight against the Israelites.

But the people of Gibeon used another strategy:
they tricked the Israelites into thinking
they were not locals but  had come from far away.

So the Israelites made a treaty with them.

When the Israelites realized they had been tricked,
they kept their side of the bargain and did not attack Gibeon.

Instead the Gibeonites became wood-cutters and water-carriers
in the service of the Israelites.

第 9 章

听见以色列人已占领耶里哥和哈依后，
该地区的其他民众组成联盟
对抗以色列人。

但是，基贝红居民采用另一种战略：
他们欺骗以色列人以为
他们不是本地人，而是刚从远方来。

因此，以色列人与他们立约。

当以色列人知道他们受骗了，
他们遵守协议 并没有攻击基贝红。

相反，基贝红人成为劈柴和挑水的人
为以色列人服务。  

Five kings in the southern part of the land made war on Gibeon.
The Gibeonites appealed to Joshua for help.

Joshua and his soldiers marched through the night
and caught the armies of the 5 kings by surprise
and defeated them.

The Israelite army also attacked other southern towns
and captured them.

Joshua and his army were victorious in the south
because the Lord supported and helped them

第 10 章  

在南部地区的五位君王对基贝红开战。
基贝红人向若苏厄求助。

若苏厄和他的士兵整夜行军
然后突袭五位君王的军队，并击败他们。

以色列军队还攻击南部其它城镇，
和抓获他们。

若苏厄和他的军队在南部取得胜利，
因为主支持和帮助他们。

Dear God, please help me in the battles of life

亲爱的神，请在生活的战斗中帮助我

Eventually the whole country had rest from war,
and the land was divided up among the 11 tribes.

So it was that the Lord gave the Israelites all the land
he had sworn to give their ancestors.
They took possession of it and settled there.

The Lord granted them peace on all their frontiers
just as he had sworn to their ancestors.

Of all the promises that the Lord had made to the House of Israel,
not one failed.  All were fulfilled.

第11-21章  

一些在北方的君王联合攻打以色列人。
但主把他们交给以色列人掌管。  

最后全国结束战争，
然后土地分给十一支派。

就这样，主给了以色列人所有的土地
他曾经誓许给他们祖先的。
他们占领土地并在那里定居。

主给予他们四境安宁
正如他曾经向他们的祖先所誓许。

主对以色列家作出的所有承诺，
没有一个未履行。 全部应验。  

　亲爱的主，请给动乱的国家和平

The campaign to subdue the whole land had taken a long time.
Joshua especially thanked the tribes from across the Jordan
for their help.

These tribes - Reuben, Gad and Manasseh - had been
given land on the Eastern side of the Jordan, 
but still helped in the campaign to control the Western side.

Joshua said to them:
"Despite the fact that the campaign has lasted so long,
you have loyally helped your brothers.

Keep on loving the Lord your God, following his paths.
Be loyal to him and serve him with all your heart."

第 22 章  

征服整个土地的战役花了一段长时间。
若苏厄特别感谢横渡约但河来帮助的支派。

这些支派-勒乌本、加得和默纳协-已
获得约但河东的土地，
但在战役中仍然帮助镇压西边。

若苏厄对他们说：
“尽管该战役已经持续了这么长时间，
你们仍忠心地帮助你们的兄弟。

继续爱主你的神，跟随他的路。
对他忠心并全心事奉他。”　

Dear Lord, please help me to be loyal 
- to you, to my family and to my country

"Continue to observe everything written by Moses.
Do not mingle with the foreign peoples still among you.
Do not utter the names of their gods

Stay loyal to the Lord your God.
Love the Lord your God.

If you stay faithful, the Lord will bless you.
If you are unfaithful, everything will go wrong for you.

Choose today whom you will serve:
the Lord our God, or false gods.

As for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord."

第23、24章  

当若苏厄临终时，
他敦促以色列人继续對主忠心
虽然与许多外帮人一起生活：

“继续遵守梅瑟所写的一切。
不要与你们中间所余的异族交往。
不要说出他们的神名。

保持对主你的神忠心。
爱主你的神。

如果你保持忠心，主会保佑你。
如果你是不忠，一切将为你出错。

今天你选择将事奉谁：
主我们的神，或假神。

至于我和我的家族，
我们必定事奉主。”

Dear Lord,  may Joshua's dying words be true for me:
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord".

　亲爱的主，若苏厄的遗言对我是真实的：
“至于我和我的家族，我们必定事奉主。”