Joshua 24
1 And Joshua gathered all the tribe of Israel to Selo, and convoked their elders, and their officers, and their judges, and set them before God.
Ngakho uJoshuwa wabuthanisa zonke izizwana zako-Israyeli eShekhemu. Wamema bonke abadala, abakhokheli, abahluleli leziphathamandla zako-Israyeli, njalo bazethula phambi kukaNkulunkulu.
2 And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers at first sojourned beyond the river, [even] Thara, the father of Abraam and the father of Nachor; and they served other gods.
UJoshuwa wathi ebantwini bonke, “UThixo, uNkulunkulu wako-Israyeli uthi: ‘Kudala okhokho benu, okugoqela uThera uyise ka-Abhrahama loNahori, babehlala ngaphetsheya koMfula njalo bekhonza abanye onkulunkulu.
3 And I took your father Abraam from the other side of the river, and I guided him through all the land, and I multiplied his seed;
Kodwa ngathatha uyihlo u-Abhrahama elizweni elingaphetsheya koMfula ngamkhokhelela eKhenani ngamnika izizukulwane ezinengi. Ngamnika u-Isaka,
4 and I gave to him Isaac, and to Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave to Esau mount Seir for him to inherit: and Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt, and became there a great and populous and mighty nation: and the Egyptians afflicted them.
njalo u-Isaka ngamnika uJakhobe lo-Esawu. Nganika ilizwe lonke elilamaqaqa eleSeyiri ku-Esawu, kodwa uJakhobe lamadodana akhe baya eGibhithe.
5 And I struck Egypt with the wonders that I wrought among them.
Ngasengithuma uMosi lo-Aroni, njalo ngajezisa amaGibhithe ngalokho engakwenza khonale ngasengilikhupha khona.
6 And afterwards [God] brought out our fathers from Egypt, and you entered into the Red Sea; and the Egyptians pursued after our fathers with chariots and horses into the Red Sea.
Ekukhupheni kwami okhokho benu eGibhithe, beza olwandle njalo amaGibhithe axotshana labo ngezinqola lamabhiza baze bayafika eLwandle Olubomvu.
7 And we cried aloud to the Lord; and he put a cloud and darkness between us and the Egyptians, and he brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in the land of Egypt; and you were in the wilderness many days.
Kodwa bakhala kuThixo befuna uncedo yena waseletha umnyama phakathi kwenu lamaGibhithe; waletha ulwandle phezu kwabo wabembesa ngalo. Lazibonela ngamehlo enu lokho engakwenza kumaGibhithe. Laselihlala enkangala okwesikhathi eside.
8 And he brought us into the land of the Amorites that lived beyond Jordan, and the Lord delivered them into our hands; and you inherited their land, and utterly destroyed them from before you.
Ngaliletha elizweni lama-Amori ayehlala empumalanga yeJodani. Balwisana lani, kodwa mina ngabanikela ezandleni zenu. Ngababhubhisa phambi kwenu njalo laselithatha ilizwe labo.
9 And Balac, king of Moab, son of Sepphor, rose up, and made war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam to curse us.
Lapho uBhalaki indodana kaZiphori inkosi yaseMowabi, alungiselela ukulwisana lo-Israyeli, wathumela uBhalamu indodana kaBheyori ukuthi aliqalekise.
10 But the Lord your God would not destroy you; and he greatly blessed us, and rescued us out of their hands, and delivered them [to us].
Kodwa ngala ukulalela uBhalamu, ngakho walibusisa njalonjalo mina ngasengilihlenga esandleni sakhe.
11 And you crossed over Jordan, and came to Jericho; and the inhabitants of Jericho fought against us, the Amorite, and the Chananite, and the Pherezite, and the Evite, and the Jebusite, and the Chettite, and the Gergesite, and the Lord delivered them into our hands.
Laselichapha uJodani leza eJerikho. Izakhamizi zeJerikho zalwisana lani njengalokho okwenziwa ngama-Amori, amaPherizi, amaKhenani, amaHithi, amaGigashi, amaHivi lamaJebusi, kodwa ngabanikela ezandleni zenu.
12 And he sent forth the hornet before you; and he drove them out from before you, [even] twelve kings of the Amorites, not with your sword, nor with your bow.
Ngathumela olonyovu phambi kwenu, olwabaxotsha phambi kwenu kanye lamakhosi amabili ama-Amori. Kalizange likwenze ngenkemba yenu langedandili lenu.
13 And he gave you a land on which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you were settled in them; and you eat [of] vineyards and olive yards which you did not plant.
Ngakho ngalinika ilizwe elingazanga liliginqele lamadolobho elingazange liwakhe; njalo lihlala phakathi kwawo njalo lisidla ezivinini zama-oliva elingazihlanyelanga.’
14 And now fear the Lord, and serve him in righteousness and justice; and remove the strange gods, which our fathers served beyond the river, and in Egypt; and serve the Lord.
Ngakho mesabeni uThixo limkhonze ngokuthembeka konke. Lahlani onkulunkulu ababekhonzwa ngokhokho benu ngaphetsheya koMfula laseGibhithe, likhonze uThixo.
15 But if it seem not good to you to serve the Lord, choose to yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of your fathers that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, among whom you dwell upon their land: but I and my house will serve the Lord, for he is holy.
Kodwa nxa ukukhonza uThixo kukhanya kungathandeki kini, khethani phakathi kwenu namhlanje lowo elizamkhonza, kumbe ngonkulunkulu okhokho benu ababebakhonza ngaphetsheya koMfula kumbe onkulunkulu bama-Amori, lawo elihlala elizweni lawo. Kodwa mina lendlu yami sizakhonza uThixo.”
16 And the people answered and said, Far be it from us to forsake the Lord, so as to serve other gods.
Abantu basebephendula besithi, “Akube khatshana lathi ukuthi silahle uThixo ukuze sikhonze abanye onkulunkulu!
17 The Lord our God, he is God; he brought up us and our fathers from Egypt, and kept us in all the way wherein we walked, and among all the nations through whom we passed.
KwakunguThixo uNkulunkulu wethu ngokwakhe owasikhuphayo thina kanye labobaba eGibhithe sisuka elizweni lobugqili, wasesenza izimanga ezinkulu emehlweni ethu. Wasivikela kulolonke uhambo lwethu lakuzo zonke izizwe.
18 And the Lord cast out the Amorite, and all the nations that inhabited the land from before us: yes, we will serve the Lord, for he is our God.
Njalo uThixo wazixotsha phambi kwethu zonke izizwe, okugoqela ama-Amori ayehlala elizweni. Lathi sizamkhonza uThixo ngoba unguNkulunkulu wethu.”
19 And Joshua said to the people, Indeed you will not be able to serve the Lord, for God is holy; and he being jealous will not forgive your sins and your transgressions.
UJoshuwa wathi ebantwini, “Kalenelisi ukumkhonza uThixo. UnguNkulunkulu ongcwele; unguNkulunkulu olobukhwele. Kasoze alixolele ekuhlamukeni kwenu lezonweni zenu.
20 Whenever you shall forsake the Lord and serve other gods, then he shall come upon you and afflict you, and consume you, because he has done you good.
Nxa lingatshiya uThixo beselikhonza abanye onkulunkulu bezizweni uzaliphendukela alehlisele umonakalo aliqede du, yena ubelungile.”
21 And the people said to Joshua, Nay, but we will serve the Lord.
Kodwa abantu bathi kuJoshuwa, “Hatshi! Sizamkhonza uThixo.”
22 And Joshua said to the people, You [are] witnesses against yourselves, that you have chosen the Lord to serve him.
UJoshuwa wathi, “Yini elizifakazelayo ukuthi selikhethe ukukhonza uThixo.” Baphendula bathi, “Yebo singofakazi.”
23 And now take away the strange gods that are among you, and set your heart right toward the Lord God of Israel.
UJoshuwa wathi kubo, “Ngakho-ke lahlani bonke onkulunkulu bezizweni abaphakathi kwenu beselinikela inhliziyo zenu kuThixo, uNkulunkulu wako-Israyeli.”
24 And the people said to Joshua, We will serve the Lord, and we will listen to his voice.
Abantu bathi kuJoshuwa, “Sizamkhonza uThixo uNkulunkulu wethu simlalele.”
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people on that day, and gave them a law and an ordinance in Selo before the tabernacle of the God of Israel.
Ngalelolanga uJoshuwa wenzela abantu isivumelwano, njalo wabenzela imithetho lemilayo khonapho eShekhemu.
26 And he wrote these words in the book of the laws of God: and Joshua took a great stone, and set it up under the oak before the Lord.
UJoshuwa waloba konke lokhu oGwalweni lwemiThetho kaNkulunkulu. Wasethatha ilitshe elikhulu walimisa phansi kwesihlahla somʼOkhi eduzane lendawo engcwele kaThixo.
27 And Joshua said to the people, Behold, this stone shall be among you for a witness, for it has heard all the words that have been spoken to it by the Lord; for he has spoken to you this day; and this [stone] shall be among you for a witness in the last days, whenever you shall deal falsely with the Lord my God.
Wathi ebantwini bonke, “Khangelani! Ilitshe leli lizakuba yibufakazi kithi sonke. Selizwile wonke amazwi akhulunywe nguThixo kithi. Lizakuba ngofakazi wokulilahla nxa lingakhulumi iqiniso kuNkulunkulu.”
28 And Joshua dismissed the people, and they went every man to his place.
UJoshuwa wasetshela abantu ukuba bahambe, yilowo esiya elifeni lakhe.
29 And it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Naue the servant of the Lord died, [at the age] of a hundred and ten years.
Ngemva kwezinto lezi, uJoshuwa indodana kaNuni, inceku kaThixo wafa eseleminyaka elikhulu letshumi.
30 And they buried him by the borders of his inheritance in Thamnasarach in the mount of Ephraim, northward of the mount of Galaad.
Njalo bamngcwaba elizweni alizuza njengelifa, eThimnathi-Sera elizweni elilamaqaqa elako-Efrayimi enyakatho yentaba yeGashi.
31 And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that lived as long as Joshua, and all that knew all the works of the Lord which he wrought for Israel.
Abako-Israyeli bamkhonza uThixo ngezinsuku zokuphila kukaJoshuwa labadala kulaye ababesele bephila njalo bebone zonke izinto uThixo ayezenzele abako-Israyeli.
32 And the children of Israel brought up the bones of Joseph out of Egypt, and buried [them] in Sicima, in the portion of the land which Jacob bought of the Amorites who lived in Sicima for a hundred ewe-lambs; and he gave it to Joseph for a portion.
Njalo amathambo kaJosefa, abako-Israyeli ababesuke lawo eGibhithe, angcwatshelwa eShekhemu esiqintini somhlaba leso uJakhobe asithenga ngenhlamvu ezilikhulu zesiliva emadodaneni kaHamori, uyise kaShekhemu. Leli laba yilifa lezizukulwane zikaJosefa.
33 And it came to pass afterwards that Eleazar the high-priest the son of Aaron died, and was buried in Gabaar of Phinees his son, which he gave him in mount Ephraim.
U-Eliyazari indodana ka-Aroni wafa wasengcwatshelwa eGibhiya, eyayabelwe indodana yakhe uFinehasi elizweni lamaqaqa elako-Efrayimi.
