The Book of Joshua

⭑ Catholic Public Domain :: Allioli - Arndt Bibel ⭑

- Kapitel 5 -

Therefore, after all the kings of the Amorites, who were living across the Jordan toward the western region, and all the kings of Canaan, who possessed the places beside the great sea, had heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel, until they crossed over it, their heart was broken, and there remained in them no spirit, out of fear at the entrance of the sons of Israel.

So at that time, the Lord said to Joshua: “Make for yourself knives of stone, and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.”(a)

He did what the Lord had commanded, and he circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

Now this is the reason for the second circumcision: All the people who departed from Egypt of the male gender, all the men fit for war, died in the desert during the very long wandering way;

all these had been circumcised. But the people who were born in the desert,

throughout the forty years of the journey in the very broad wilderness, were uncircumcised, until the ones who had not listened to the voice of the Lord were consumed. For he had sworn to them before, that he would not reveal to them the land flowing with milk and honey.

The sons of these ones succeeded to the place of their fathers, and they were circumcised by Joshua. For they were uncircumcised, just as they had been born, and no one had circumcised them along the way.

Then, after they were all circumcised, they remained in the same place of the camp until they were healed.

And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have taken away from you the disgrace of Egypt.” And the name of that place was called Gilgal, even to the present day.

And the sons of Israel stayed at Gilgal, and they kept the Passover, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, in the plains of Jericho.

And on the following day, they ate unleavened bread from the grain of the land, and cooked grain, of the same year.(b)

And the manna ceased after they ate from the grain of the land. And the sons of Israel no longer made use of that food. Instead, they ate from the grain of the present year, from the land of Canaan.

The Commander of the LORD’s Army

And when Joshua was in the field of the city of Jericho, he lifted up his eyes, and he saw a man standing opposite him, holding a drawn sword. And he went to him and said, “Are you one of ours, or one of our adversaries?”

And he responded: “Not at all. Instead, I am a prince of the host of the Lord, and now I have arrived.”(c)

Joshua fell prone on the ground. And reverencing, he said, “What does my lord say to his servant?”(d)

He said: “Remove your shoes from your feet. For the place on which you stand is holy.” And Joshua did just as he had been commanded.

Fußnoten

(a)5:2 The second time:Not that such as had been circumcised before were to be circumcised again; but that they were now to renew, and take up again the practice of circumcision; which had been omitted during their forty years’ sojourning in the wilderness; by reason of their being always uncertain when they should be obliged to march.(Challoner)

(b)5:11 The ‘polentam’ is grain cooked and eaten as grain, i.e. not ground into flour and made into bread. The text says that it was grain of the same year, meaning that this was grain harvested that sacred calendar year (the first month of which is called Nisan, in the springtime). The Passover celebration includes an offering to God of the first cut grain from the grain fields. The grain cannot be eaten until after it is offered to God.(Conte)

(c)5:14 Prince of the host of the Lord, etc:St. Michael, who is called prince of the people of Israel, Dan. 10:21.(Challoner)

(d)5:15 Worshipping:Not with divine honour, but with a religious veneration of an inferior kind, suitable to the dignity of his person.(Challoner)

Die Beschneidung der zweiten Generation

Als nun alle Könige der Amorrhiter, welche jenseits des Jordans auf seiner Westseite wohnten, und alle Könige der Chananiter, welche die Ortschaften nahe am großen Meere innehatten, hörten, dass der Herr das Wasser des Jordans vor den Söhnen Israels hatte austrocknen lassen, bis sie hinübergezogen waren, wurde ihr Herz verzagt und sie ließen den Mut sinken; denn sie fürchteten sich vor dem Einzuge der Söhne Israels.

Zu dieser Zeit sprach der Herr zu Josue: Mache dir steinerne Messer und beschneide die Söhne Israels zum zweiten Male.

Da tat er, was der Herr geboten hatte, und beschnitt die Söhne Israels am Hügel der Vorhäute.

Dies aber ist die Ursache der zweiten Beschneidung: Das ganze Volk, das aus Ägypten auszog, soweit es männlichen Geschlechtes war, alle streitbaren Männer waren in der Wüste auf den langen Umwegen des Zuges gestorben;

diese waren alle beschnitten gewesen. Dagegen das Volk, welches in der Wüste geboren ward,

war die vierzig Jahre hindurch auf dem Wege durch die weite Wüste unbeschnitten geblieben, bis jene umkamen, welche der Stimme des Herrn nicht gehorcht hatten und denen es vordem zugeschworen, er werde sie das Land nicht sehen lassen, welches von Milch und Honig fließt.

Ihre Söhne waren an die Stelle der Väter getreten und wurden von Josue beschnitten; denn wie sie geboren waren, so waren sie in der Vorhaut geblieben, und niemand hatte sie auf dem Wege beschnitten.

Nachdem nun alle beschnitten waren, bleiben sie an demselben Lagerorte, bis sie geheilt waren.

Da sprach der Herr zu Josue: Heute habe ich die Schmach Ägyptens von euch hinweggenommen. Und jener Ort ward Galgala genannt, bis auf den gegenwärtigen Tag.

Während nun die Söhne Israels in Galgala blieben, feierten sie am vierzehnten Tage, des Monats am Abend, in den Ebenen Jerichos, das Phase,

und am andern Tag aßen sie von den Früchten des Landes, ungesäuertes Brot, und Geröstetes von demselben Jahre.

Das Manna aber hörte auf, nachdem sie von den Früchten des Landes gegessen hatten, und die Söhne Israels genossen hinfort diese Speise nicht mehr, sondern aßen von den Früchten desselben Jahres aus dem Lande Chanaan.

Der Befehlshaber des Heeres des HERRN

Als aber Josue auf dem Gefilde der Stadt Jericho war, erhob er seine Augen und sah sich gegenüber einen Mann stehen, der ein gezücktes Schwert in seiner Hand hielt. Da ging er auf ihn zu und sprach: Gehörst du zu uns oder zu den Feinden?

Er antwortete: Das nicht, vielmehr bin ich der Führer des Heeres des Herrn, und komme soeben.

Da fiel Josue auf sein Angesicht zur Erde, betete an und sprach: Was hat mein Herr seinem Knechte zu sagen?

Er sprach: Ziehe deine Schuhe von deinen Füßen; denn der Ort, an dem du stehest, ist heilig. Da tat Josue, wie ihm geboten war.