Joshua 22
1 Joshua then summoned the leaders of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh.
UJoshuwa wamema abakoRubheni, abakoGadi lengxenye yesizwe sikaManase
2 He said to them, “You have done everything that Moses, who served Yahweh [well], told you to do. You have also done what I told you to do.
wathi kubo, “Selenze konke uMosi inceku kaThixo eyakulayayo, njalo lingilalele kukho konke engililaye ngakho.
3 For a long time you have helped the other tribes [to defeat their enemies]. You have obeyed everything that Yahweh your God commanded you to do.
Okwesikhathi eside khathesi, kuze kube lamuhla, kalizange lihlamukele abafowenu kodwa lenze umsebenzi lowo uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu alinike wona.
4 He promised to give peace to us Israelis, and he has done what he promised. So now you may go back to your homes, to the land that Moses gave to you, on the east side of the Jordan [River].
Njengoba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu wanika abafowenu ukuphumula njengokuthembisa kwakhe, buyelani emakhaya enu elizweni uMosi inceku kaThixo alinika lona ngaphetsheya kweJodani.
5 Moses also commanded you to love Yahweh your God and to obey his commands, and to continue to worship him and serve him by everything that you think and everything that you do.”
Kodwa linanzelele kakhulu ukuthi lilondoloza umlayo lomthetho uMosi inceku kaThixo alinika wona: Ukuthanda uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu, ukuhamba ezindleleni zakhe zonke, ukulalela imilayo yakhe, ukubambelela kuye lokumsebenzela ngenhliziyo yenu yonke lomphefumulo wenu wonke.”
6 Then Joshua blessed them and said goodbye to them, and they [prepared to] leave and return to their homes [on the east side of the Jordan River].
UJoshuwa wasebabusisa wathi kabahambe; yikho basebesiya emizini yabo.
7 Moses had given the Bashan region to half the tribe of Manasseh, and land on the west side of the Jordan [River] to the other half of the tribe. Before they left, he [asked God to] bless them.
Ingxenye yesizwana sakoManase uMosi wayeyinike ilizwe eBhashani, kwathi eyinye ingxenye yesizwana uJoshuwa wayeyinike indawo lapho okwakwakhele abafowabo eJodani. Kwathi uJoshuwa esethe kabahambe emakhaya, wababusisa
8 He said, “Go back to your homes and to all the things that you have taken from your enemies—the many animals and silver and gold and [things made of] bronze and iron, and many beautiful clothes. But you should share some of those things with other people of your tribe.”
wathi, “Buyelani emakhaya enu lenotho yenu enengi, lilemihlambi emikhulu yezifuyo, lilesiliva, igolide ithusi lensimbi, lamalembu amanengi, beselisabelana labafowenu lokho elakuthumba ezitheni zenu.”
9 So the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh left the other Israelis at Shiloh in Canaan land, to return to their homes in the Gilead region. That was the area that belonged to them. It had been allotted to them by Moses as Yahweh had commanded.
Ngakho abakoRubheni, abakoGadi lengxenye yesizwana sakoManase batshiya abako-Israyeli eShilo eseKhenani babuyela eGiliyadi, ilizwe labo, ababelizuze kulandela umlayo kaThixo awethula ngoMosi.
10 The people from those three tribes arrived near the western side of the Jordan River, at a town called Geliloth. There they built a large altar. [Then they crossed the Jordan River to the Gilead region].
Bathi sebefike eGelithothi eduzane leJodani elizweni leKhenani, abakoRubheni, abakoGadi lengxenye yesizwana sakoManase bakha i-alithari elikhulu eduzane leJodani.
11 But the other Israelis who were still at Shiloh heard about the altar that those men had built.
Kwathi abako-Israyeli sebezwe ukuthi sebakhe i-alithari emngceleni weKhenani eGelithothi duzane leJodani eceleni lako-Israyeli,
12 They became very angry with the men of those tribes, so they decided to fight them.
umphakathi wonke wako-Israyeli wabuthana eShilo ukulungiselela ukulwa labo empini.
13 The Israelis sent Phinehas, who was the son of Eleazar the Supreme Priest, to [talk with] the people of those three tribes.
Ngakho abako-Israyeli bathuma uFinehasi indodana ka-Eliyazari, umphristi elizweni leGiliyadi kuRubheni, uGadi lengxenye yesizwana sakoManase.
14 They also sent one leader from each of the ten tribes that were still at Shiloh. Each of them was a leader of his clan.
Waphelekezelwa zinduna ezilitshumi, inye ngayinye ivela phakathi kwezizwe zonke zako-Israyeli njalo iyinhloko yesigaba semuli yensendo zako-Israyeli.
15 Those leaders went to the Gilead region to talk to the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. They said,
Ekuyeni kwabo eGiliyadi, kuRubheni loGadi lengxenye yesizwana sakoManase bathi kubo:
16 “All the other Israelis are asking, ‘Why have you rebelled against the God whom we Israelis [worship] by building an altar for yourselves?
“Umphakathi wonke kaThixo uthi: ‘Kungani lisuke langathembeki kuNkulunkulu wako-Israyeli ngale indlela? Kungani lilahle uNkulunkulu lizakhela i-alithari njengokumhlamukela khathesi.
17 Have you forgotten what happened at Peor, [when some Israelis sinned by worshiping the god that the Moab people-group worship]? Many Israelis became very sick and died because of that sin, and we are still suffering because of their sin.
Kambe ukona kukaPheyori kakwanelanga kithi na? Kuze kube lamhla kasikazihlambululi esonweni leso, lanxa umkhuhlane wake wahlasela isizwe sikaThixo!
18 Are you now turning away from obeying Yahweh and refusing to do what he wants? If you do not stop rebelling against Yahweh today, he will be angry with all of us Israelis tomorrow.’
Selibalekela uThixo na? Nxa lingahlamukela uThixo lamhla, kusasa uzazondela isizwe sonke sako-Israyeli:
19 “If [you think that Yahweh considers] that your land here is not suitable for worshiping him, come back to our land where Yahweh’s Sacred Tent is. We can share our land with you. But do not rebel against Yahweh and against us by building another altar for Yahweh our God.
Nxa umhlaba elilawo ungcolisiwe wozani emhlabeni kaThixo lapho ithabanikeli likaThixo elimi khona beselisabelana umhlaba lathi. Kodwa lingahlamukeli uThixo kumbe thina ngokuzakhela i-alithari lenu, ngaphandle kwe-alithari likaThixo uNkulunkulu wethu.
20 Do you remember what happened when Zerah’s son Achan refused to obey [Yahweh’s command to destroy everything in Jericho]? That one man disobeyed God’s command, but many [HYP] other Israelis were punished. Achan died because of his sin, but other Israelis also died.”
Lapho u-Akhani indodana kaZera aze angathembeki ezintweni ezingcwelisiweyo, isijeziso kasehlelanga isizwe sonke sako-Israyeli yini? Kayisuye yedwa owafela isono sakhe.’”
21 The [leaders of the] tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh replied,
Ngakho uRubheni, uGadi lengxenye yesizwe sakoManase baphendula abakhokheli bezinsendo zako-Israyeli bathi:
22 “Yahweh, the Almighty God, knows [why we did that], and we want you to know, too. If we have done something wrong [against Yahweh], you may kill us.
“USomandla, uNkulunkulu uThixo! USomandla uNkulunkulu uThixo! Uyazi! Njalo u-Israyeli kabe lolwazi! Nxa lokhu bekuyikuhlamukela kumbe ukuqholozela uThixo, lingasisindisi lamhlanje.
23 If we have disobeyed one of Yahweh’s laws, we request that he should punish us. We did not build that new altar to completely burn animals as sacrifices to Yahweh, or to offer on it sacrifices of grain or sacrifices to maintain fellowship with God.
Nxa sazakhela i-alithari lethu ukwenzela ukubalekela uThixo lokunikela ngeminikelo yokutshiswa leminikelo yamabele, kumbe ukunikela ngeminikelo yokuthula kulo, uThixo ngokwakhe kasijezise.
24 “This is the reason that we built that altar: We were afraid/worried that some day your descendants would say that our descendants are not true Israelis. We were afraid that then they would say, ‘You are not allowed to worship Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship].
Hatshi! Sakwenza sisesaba ukuthi kwelinye ilanga izizukulwane zenu zingathi kwezethu, ‘Lilani loThixo, uNkulunkulu wako-Israyeli?
25 Yahweh caused the Jordan River to be a boundary between us and you people of the tribes of Reuben and Gad. So you are not allowed to worship Yahweh.’ We were worried that your descendants would force our descendants to stop worshiping Yahweh.
UThixo sewenza iJodani ibe ngumngcele phakathi kwethu lani lina maRubheni lamaGadi! Kalilasabelo kuThixo.’ Ngakho izizukulwane zenu zingenza ukuthi ezethu ziyekele ukwesaba uThixo.
26 “That is the reason that we decided to build that [new] altar. But it is not an altar for completely burning sacrifices of animals and [burning other] sacrifices.
Yikho sathi, ‘Kasilungiseni sakhe i-alithari, kodwa hatshi eleminikelo yokutshiswa kumbe imihlatshelo.’
27 We built that new altar to prove/show to you and to us and to all of our descendants that we worship Yahweh by completely burning animal sacrifices and offerings of grain and offerings to maintain fellowship with Yahweh [only at the place Yahweh chooses]. We do not want your descendants to say to our descendants, ‘You do not belong to Yahweh.’
Ngeyinye indlela, kuzakuba yibufakazi phakathi kwethu lani lezizukulwane ezizalandela, ukuthi sizekhonza uThixo endlini yakhe engcwele ngeminikelo yokutshiswa, iminikelo yethu kanye leyokuthula. Ngakho kwelakusasa izizukulwane zenu kazisoze zithi kwezethu, ‘Kalilasabelo kuThixo.’
28 “In the future, if your descendants say that, our descendants can say, ‘Look at the altar that our ancestors made! It is exactly like Yahweh’s altar [that our ancestors built], but we do not burn sacrifices on it. It only shows that we are Israelis!’
Njalo sathi, ‘Bangavele batsho lokhu kithi kumbe kuzizukulwane zethu, sizaphendula sithi: Khangelani emfanekisweni we-alithari likaThixo, elakhiwa ngobaba, hatshi eleminikelo yokutshiswa lemihlatshelo, kodwa njengobufakazi phakathi kwethu lani.’
29 We certainly do not want to rebel against Yahweh or stop doing what he desires, by building an altar for completely burning some sacrifices and burning grain offerings and making [other] sacrifices. [We know that] there is only one true altar for Yahweh our God, and it is in front of the Sacred Tent [at Shiloh].”
Kukhatshana kithi ukuthi sihlamukele uThixo simfulathele lamhla ngokwakha i-alithari leminikelo yokutshiswa, iminikelo yamabele lemihlatshelo, ngaphandle kwe-alithari likaThixo uNkulunkulu wethu elimi phambi kwethabanikeli lakhe.”
30 When Phinehas the priest and the other [ten] leaders heard what they said, they were pleased.
Kwathi uFinehasi umphristi labakhokheli besizwe, abakhokheli bezinsendo zako-Israyeli, sebezwe okwakutshiwo nguRubheni, uGadi loManase bathokoza.
31 So Phinehas said to them, “Now we know that Yahweh is with all of us Israelis, and that you were not rebelling against him [when you built that altar]. And we know that Yahweh will not punish us Israelis [because of your having done that].”
UFinehasi indodana ka-Eliyazari, umphristi, wathi kuRubheni, uGadi loManase, “Lamhla siyazi ukuthi uThixo ulathi, ngenxa yokuthi kalizange liyekele ukwethembeka phambi kukaThixo kuloludaba. Khathesi selihlenge abako-Israyeli esandleni sikaThixo.”
32 Then Phinehas and the Israeli leaders left the people of the tribes of Reuben and Gad in the Gilead region, and returned to Canaan. There they told the other Israelis what had happened.
UFinehasi indodana ka-Eliyazari, umphristi, labakhokheli babuyela eKhenani bevela emhlanganweni wabo labakoRubheni labakoGadi eGiliyadi basebebika kwabako-Israyeli.
33 They were pleased, and they thanked God. And they did not talk any more about fighting against the people of the tribes of Reuben and Gad and destroying everything in their land.
Bathokoza ukuzwa umbiko basebedumisa uNkulunkulu. Kabasakhulumanga njalo ngokuya empini yokubalwisa ukwenzela ukutshabalalisa ilizwe lapho abakoRubheni labakoGadi ababehlala khona.
34 The people of the tribes of Reuben and Gad named their new altar ‘A reminder to us all that Yahweh is God’.
Njalo abakoRubheni labakoGadi banika i-alithari lelibizo: UBufakazi Phakathi Kwethu ukuthi uThixo unguNkulunkulu.
