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約書亞記 10

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1 耶路撒冷王亞多尼洗德見約書亞奪了艾城,盡行毀滅,怎樣待耶利哥耶利哥的王,也照樣待艾城和艾城的王,又基遍居民以色列人立了和約,在他們中間,

2 就甚懼;因為基遍城,如都城般,比艾城更,並且城內的人都是勇士。

3 所以耶路撒冷王亞多尼洗德打發人去見希伯崙王何咸、耶末王毘蘭、拉吉王雅非亞,和伊磯倫王底璧,說:

4 求你們上來幫助我,我們好攻打基遍,因為他們與約書亞和以色列人立了和約。

5 於是五個亞摩利,就是耶路撒冷、希伯崙、耶末、拉吉、伊磯倫,大家聚集,率領他們的眾軍上去,對著基遍,攻打基遍

6 基遍人就打發人往吉甲中去見約書亞,:你不要袖不顧你的僕人,求你速速上來拯我們,幫助我們,因為地亞摩利人的諸都聚集攻擊我們

7 於是約書亞和他一切兵丁,並大能的勇士,都從吉甲上去。

8 耶和華對約書亞:不要他們;因為我已將他們交在你裡,他們無一能在你面前站立得住。

9 約書亞就終夜從吉甲上去,猛然臨到他們那裡。

10 耶和華使他們在以色列人面前潰亂。約書亞在基遍的殺敗他們,追趕他們,在伯和崙的上坡擊殺他們,直到亞西加和瑪基

11 他們在以色列人面前逃跑,正在伯和崙下坡的時候,耶和華上降冰雹在他們身上,(冰雹原文作石頭)直降到亞西加,打他們。被冰雹的,比以色列人用刀殺的還多。

12 耶和華將亞摩利人交付以色列人的日子,約書亞就禱告耶和華,在以色列人眼前:日頭阿,你要停在基遍月亮阿,你要止在亞雅崙

13 於是日頭停留,月亮止住,直等國民向敵人報仇。這事豈不是在雅煞珥上麼?日頭在當中停住,不急速下落,約有一日之久。

14 在這日以前,這日以耶和華的禱告,沒有像這日的,是因耶和華以色列爭戰。

15 約書亞和以色列眾人回到吉甲中。

16 那五逃跑,藏在瑪基大洞裡。

17 有人告訴約書亞說:那五已經到了,都藏在瑪基大洞裡。

18 約書亞:你們把幾塊石頭輥到洞,派人看守,

19 你們卻不可耽延,要追趕你們的仇敵,擊殺他們儘邊的人,不容他們進自己的城邑,因為耶和華─你們的已經把他們交在你們裡。

20 約書亞和以色列人殺敗他們,直到將他們滅盡;其中剩下的人都進了堅固的城。

21 眾百姓就安然回瑪基大中,到約書亞那裡。沒有一敢向以色列人

22 約書亞打開,將那五從洞裡帶出來,領到我面前。

23 眾人就這樣行,將那五,就是耶路撒冷、希伯崙、耶末、拉吉、伊磯倫,從洞裡帶出來,領到約書亞面前。

24 帶出那五到約書亞面前的時候,約書亞就召了以色列來,對那些和他同去的軍長:你們近前來,把踏在這些的頸項上。他們就近前來,把踏在這些的頸項上。

25 約書亞對他們:你們不要懼,也不要驚惶。應當剛強壯膽,因為耶和華必這樣待你們所要攻打的一切仇敵。

26 約書亞將這五王殺死,在五棵上。他們就在上直晚上

27 日頭要落的時候,約書亞一吩咐,人就把屍首從上取,丟在他們藏過的洞裡,把幾塊石頭放在洞,直存到今日。

28 當日,約書亞奪了瑪基大,用刀擊殺城中的人和王;將其中一切人盡行殺滅,沒有留下一個。他待瑪基大王,像從前待耶利哥王一樣。

29 約書亞和以色列眾人從瑪基大往立拿去,攻打立拿。

30 耶和華將立拿和立拿的王也交在以色列人裡。約書亞攻打這城,用刀擊殺了城中的一切人,沒有留下一個。他待立拿王,像從前待耶利哥王一樣。

31 約書亞和以色列眾人從立拿往拉吉去,對著拉吉安營,攻打這城。

32 耶和華將拉吉交在以色列人裡。第二約書亞就奪了拉吉,用刀擊殺了城中的一切人,是照他向立拿一切所行的。

33 那時基色王荷蘭上來幫助拉吉,約書亞就把他和他的民都擊殺了,沒有留下一個。

34 約書亞和以色列眾人從拉吉往伊磯倫去,對著伊磯倫安營,攻打這城。

35 當日就奪了城,用刀擊殺了城中的人。那日,約書亞將城中的一切人盡行殺滅,是照他向拉吉一切所行的。

36 約書亞和以色列眾人從伊磯倫上希伯崙去,攻打這城,

37 就奪了希伯崙和屬希伯崙的諸城邑,用刀將城中的人與王,並那些城邑中的人,都擊殺了,沒有留下一個,是照他向伊磯倫所行的,把城中的一切人盡行殺滅。

38 約書亞和以色列眾人回到底璧,攻打這城,

39 就奪了底璧和屬底璧的城邑,又擒獲底璧的,用刀將這些城中的人盡行殺滅,沒有留下一個。他待底璧和底璧,像從前待希伯崙和立拿與立拿一樣。

40 這樣,約書亞擊殺全的人,就是、高原、坡的人,和那些的諸,沒有留下一個。將凡有氣息的盡行殺滅,正如耶和華以色列的所吩咐的。

41 約書亞從加低斯巴尼亞攻擊到迦薩,又攻擊歌珊,直到基遍

42 約書亞時殺敗了這些,並奪了他們的,因為耶和華以色列的以色列爭戰。

43 於是約書亞和以色列眾人回到吉甲中。

   

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Exploring the Meaning of Joshua 10

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Joshua 10: The five kings and how the sun stood still.

After hearing that Gibeon - a sizeable city - had made a peace treaty with Israel, the king of Jerusalem called on four other Canaanite kings to join him in attacking Gibeon. The Gibeonites asked Joshua to remember his promise to keep them safe, and Israel did so, coming to their defense. A great battle ensued at Gilgal. With the Lord’s help, the Israelites defeated the five Canaanite kings. As the Canaanites were fleeing, the Lord sent large hailstones raining down on them, killing more soldiers than had died in the battle. Then, Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still until the enemy was defeated, and it stopped moving across the sky for one whole day.

The defeated kings fled, and hid in a cave at Makkeda. Joshua commanded his men to roll stones over the cave entrance, and to attack the rest of their fleeing enemies. After returning to the cave, Joshua’s men brought the kings out of hiding and stood on their necks, to demonstrate that the Lord would vanquish all of Israel’s enemies. Joshua hanged them, put them back in the cave, and once again sealed the entrance with stones. The rest of the chapter chronicles Israel’s defeat of many other Canaanite cities and kings.

This story shows us that life is amazingly connected and full of consequences. Spiritual life has its share of unforeseen consequences too. When we affirm our wish to follow the Lord, evil spirits will try to fill our minds with distressing thoughts to pull us away from Him. Sometimes this can lead us to rise up and resist our decision to follow the Lord (See Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 1683).

The part of the chapter about the sun standing still represents our need to remain focused on the Lord during our struggles with temptation and regeneration. The Lord is our sun, and normally our awareness of the Lord rises and sets. This brings times when we feel the Lord’s presence strongly, and also times when we feel it is up to us to act as we wish. This is our normal rhythm, and it is right for us to have this cycle.

When we are involved in a spiritual crisis, we need to ensure that our mind’s focus stays with the Lord until we have made it through. This is like our sense of the Lord’s presence standing still ‘for a day’ in our mind’s sky, so that we will not lose our direction. This enabled Joshua and Israel to be victorious, just as it will with us (See Swedenborg’s work, Divine Love and Wisdom 105).

When the Lord sent hailstones - frozen water - on the Canaanites, it represents the way in which false ideas from evil intentions backfire on the attacker of good, because evil is notoriously self-destructive. One lie leads to more another, until the wrongdoer is exposed and judged (See Swedenborg’s Heaven and Hell 457).

The cave of Makkedah, where the five kings hid, also holds spiritual significance because of its name, which means ‘the excellent place of shepherds.’ Shepherding represents the Lord’s care for us and our care for each other. Evil may hide behind a semblance of good but it can’t last. Joshua and his men later brought the kings out of the cave and hanged them, signifying that all true life comes from the Lord and His goodness, and He will bring an end to every evil and false way (Divine Love and Wisdom 363).

Israel’s subsequent conquest of other Canaanite cities depicts the follow-through that takes place after an important point in our regeneration: a decision, a refusal, an admission, a prayer to God. This results in a period of witnessing the Lord’s blessings, which naturally follow once we have affirmed our intention to be with the Lord in our life. The chapter ends, “All these kings Joshua took at one time because the Lord God fought for Israel.”

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Arcana Coelestia # 1683

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1683. That 'they drew up for battle with them' means that they made an attack is clear from the meaning of 'drawing up for battle' as making an assault, for in verses 3-4 above it is said that they rebelled. The same is also evident from the consideration that evil spirits are the ones who attack. For the truth of the matter is that the Lord never began the conflict with any hell, but that the hells attacked Him, as is also the case with everyone who undergoes temptation, that is, is engaged in conflict with evil spirits. Never in man's case do the angels make the attack, but it is always and constantly the evil or hellish spirits who do so. The angels merely ward off and defend. This disposition comes from the Lord, who never wishes to afflict anyone with evil or thrust him down into hell, not even if he were the worst and bitterest enemy of all. It is the person who afflicts himself with evil and so rushes into hell. This also follows from the very nature of evil and the very nature of good. The inherent nature of evil is to wish to injure everyone, but the inherent nature of good is to injure none. The evil are acting in conformity with their own life when they are attacking, for their constant desire is to destroy. The good are acting in conformity with their own life when they attack nobody, and when they can be of use in defending others from evils.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.