< Joshua 7 >

1 But the sons of Israel committed a trespass in what was set apart. For Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took from what was set apart, and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the sons of Israel.
Kodwa abako-Israyeli bephula umthetho ngokuphathelane lengcebo eyayehlukaniselwe uThixo; u-Akhani indodana kaKhami, indodana kaZabhidi, indodana kaZera, owesizwana sakoJuda, wathatha ezinye zakhona. Ngakho ulaka lukaThixo lwavutha kwabako-Israyeli.
2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, Go up and spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out Ai.
UJoshuwa wasethumela amadoda esuka eJerikho esiya e-Ayi eseduzane leBhethi-Aveni ngempumalanga yeBhetheli wathi kubo: “Hambani liyehlola lelolizwe.” Ngakho amadoda aphuma ayalihlola ilizwe.
3 And they returned to Joshua, and said to him, Let not all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai. Do not make all the people to toil there, for they are but few.
Bathi bephindela kuJoshuwa bafika bathi, “Akudingeki ukuthi lonke ibutho liyelwisana le-Ayi. Thumela amadoda azinkulungwane ezimbili kumbe ezintathu nje ukuze ayoyithumba njalo ungaze wadinisa ibutho lonke, ngenxa yokuthi lelodolobho lilabantu abalutshwana.”
4 So there went up there of the people about three thousand men. And they fled before the men of Ai.
Amadoda angaba zinkulungwane ezintathu asuka ahamba kodwa ehlulwa ngamadoda e-Ayi, wona
5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty-six men. And they chased them from before the gate even to Shebarim, and smote them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
abulala amadoda angamatshumi amathathu lesithupha. Baxotsha abako-Israyeli besuka esangweni ledolobho baze bayabatshiya enkwalini bababulalela ekwehleni. Bathi besizwa lokhu abantu baba lokwesaba okukhulu, baphelelwa ngamandla.
6 And Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of Jehovah until the evening, he and the elders of Israel, and they put dust upon their heads.
UJoshuwa wadabula izigqoko zakhe wathi mbo phansi ngobuso phambi komtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaThixo, wala elokhu enjalo kwaze kwahlwa. Abadala bako-Israyeli labo benza njalo, basebezithela ngothuli emakhanda abo.
7 And Joshua said, Alas, O lord Jehovah, why have thou at all brought this people over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish? Would that we had been content and dwelt beyond the Jordan!
UJoshuwa wasesithi, “Maye, Thixo Wobukhosi, wabachaphiselani iJodani lababantu ukuzabanikela ezandleni zama-Amori ukuze asibhubhise? Ngabe sasuthiseka ngokuzihlalela kwelinye iphetsheya leJodani!
8 Oh, Lord, what shall I say after Israel has turned their backs before their enemies!
Maye, Thixo kuyini engingakutsho, njengoba u-Israyeli esebhuqwe yizitha zakhe?
9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will encompass us around, and cut off our name from the earth, and what will thou do for thy great name?
AmaKhenani labanye abantu belizwe bazakuzwa ngalokhu besebesihanqa besule ibizo lethu emhlabeni. Pho kuyini ozakwenzela ibizo lakho elikhulu kangaka na?”
10 And Jehovah said to Joshua, Get thee up. Why are thou thus fallen upon thy face?
UThixo wathi kuJoshuwa, “Sukuma. Kuyini okwenzayo uthe mbo ngobuso bakho?
11 Israel has sinned. Yes, they have even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them. Yes, they have even taken from what was set apart, and have also stolen, and also dissembled. And they have even put it among their own stuff.
Abako-Israyeli bonile; bephule isivumelwano sami engabalaya ukuthi basigcine. Sebethethe ezinye izinto ezahlukaniselwe mina; bebile, baqamba amanga, sebezifake empangweni yabo.
12 Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies because they have become accursed. I will not be with you any more unless ye destroy what was set apart from among you.
Yikho abako-Israyeli bengeke bamelana lezitha zabo; bayabafulathela bebaleka ngoba sebeyinto efanele ukubhujiswa. Kangisoze ngibe lani ngaphandle kokuthi lichithe lokho okwakwehlukaniselwe ukubhujiswa.
13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow. For thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel, There is what has been set apart in the midst of thee, O Israel. Thou cannot stand before thine enemies until ye take away the devoted thing from among you.
Hamba ungcwelise abantu. Ubatshele uthi, ‘Zingcweliseni ukulungiselela kusasa; ngoba lokhu yikho okutshiwo nguThixo, uNkulunkulu wako-Israyeli ukuthi: Lokho okwahlukaniselwe uThixo kuphakathi kwenu, lina bako-Israyeli. Kalingeke limelane lezitha zenu ngaphandle kokuba selikukhuphile.
14 In the morning therefore ye shall be brought near by your tribes, and it shall be, that the tribe which Jehovah takes shall come near by families, and the family which Jehovah shall take shall come near by households, and the household which Jehovah shall take shall come near man by man.
Ekuseni kumele lisondeze isizwana ngesizwana. Isizwana esikhethwa nguThixo kuzamele sisondele phambili usendo ngosendo; usendo oluzakhethwa nguThixo luzasondela imuli ngemuli; imuli ezakhethwa nguThixo izasondela umuntu ngamunye.
15 And it shall be, that he who is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of Jehovah, and because he has wrought folly in Israel.
Lowo ozafunyanwa elezinto ezahlukaniselwe uThixo uzatshiswa ngomlilo, lakho konke alakho. Wephule isivumelwano sikaThixo njalo wenze into elihlazo phakathi kuka-Israyeli.’”
16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel near by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken.
Kusesele ngelanga elilandelayo uJoshuwa wenza u-Israyeli wasondela ngezizwana, inkatho yadla koJuda.
17 And he brought near the family of Judah, and he took the family of the Zerahites. And he brought near the family of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken.
Insendo zakoJuda zasondela, inkatho yadla abakoZera. Wasondeza insendo zakoZera ngezimuli. Inkatho yadla uZabhidi.
18 And he brought near his household man by man, and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
UJoshuwa wasondeza imuli kaZabhidi indoda yinye ngayinye, inkatho yadla u-Akhani indodana kaKhami, indodana kaZabhidi, indodana kaZera owesizwana sakoJuda.
19 And Joshua said to Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to Jehovah, the God of Israel, and make confession to him, and tell me now what thou have done. Hide it not from me.
UJoshuwa wathi ku-Akhani, “Ndodana yami, dumisa uThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, umuphe udumo. Ngitshela lokho okwenzileyo, ungaze wangifihlela.”
20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Of a truth I have sinned against Jehovah, the God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
U-Akhani waphendula wathi, “Liqiniso! Ngonile phambi kukaThixo, uNkulunkulu wako-Israyeli. Nanku engikwenzileyo:
21 When I saw among the spoil a goodly Babylonian mantle, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them. And, behold, they are hid in the ground in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
Ngathi ngibona phakathi kwempango ingubo enhle yaseBhabhiloni, lamashekeli esiliva angamakhulu amabili lomgqala wegolide olesisindo samashekeli angamatshumi amahlanu ngakuhawukela, ngakuthatha. Ngakumbela phansi ethenteni lami, isiliva singaphansi.”
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent. And, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
UJoshuwa wathuma izithunywa, zagijima zaya ethenteni lakhe, zakufumana kufihlilwe ethenteni lakhe, isiliva singaphansi.
23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the sons of Israel, and they laid them down before Jehovah.
Bathatha izinto ezazisethenteni, baziletha kuJoshuwa lebantwini bonke bako-Israyeli, bazichaya phambi kukaThixo.
24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the mantle, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his donkeys, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them up to the valley of Achor.
UJoshuwa labo bonke abako-Israyeli bathatha u-Akhani indodana kaZera lesiliva, ingubo, lomgqala wegolide, lamadodana lamadodakazi akhe, lenkomo zakhe, obabhemi kanye lezimvu, ithente lakhe lakho konke ayelakho bakusa esiHotsheni se-Akhori.
25 And Joshua said, Why have thou troubled us? Jehovah shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and they burned them with fire, and stoned them with stones.
UJoshuwa wathi, “Kungani usilethele uhlupho olungaka? UThixo uzakwehlisela uhlupho lamhlanje.” Bonke abako-Israyeli bamkhanda ngamatshe, njalo bathi sebeqedile ukukhanda labanye ngamatshe babatshisa.
26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones, to this day, and Jehovah turned from the fierceness of his anger. Therefore the name of that place was called the valley of Achor to this day.
Babuthelela inqwaba yamatshe amakhulu phezu kuka-Akhani alokhu ekhona lalamhlanje. Ukuvutha kolaka lukaThixo kwahle kwaphela. Ngakho leyondawo lalamhlanje ilokhu isabizwa ngokuthi yisiGodi sika-Akhori.

< Joshua 7 >