Joshua 7
1 Yahweh had commanded that all the things [that they had captured in Jericho] should be [destroyed to show that they belong] to him. But there was a man from the tribe of Judah named Achan. He was the son of Carmi and grandson of Zabdi and great-grandson of Zerah. He disobeyed [what] Yahweh [had commanded] and took for himself some of those things. So Yahweh was very angry with the Israelis.
Kodwa abantwana bakoIsrayeli baphambuka ngesiphambeko ngokuqalekisiweyo. Ngoba uAkani indodana kaKarmi indodana kaZabidi indodana kaZera owesizwe sakoJuda wathatha kokuqalekisiweyo; ulaka lweNkosi lwaselubavuthela abantwana bakoIsrayeli.
2 Joshua told some of his men to go from Jericho to Ai [town], which was east of Bethel [city] and near Beth-Aven [town]. He said to them, “Go to Ai and (spy out the area/see what the area is like).” So the men went.
UJoshuwa wasethuma abantu besuka eJeriko besiya eAyi eliseduze leBeti-Aveni empumalanga kweBhetheli, wakhuluma kibo esithi: Yenyukani liyehlola ilizwe. Abantu basebesenyuka bayihlola iAyi.
3 When they returned to Joshua they said, “There are only a few people in Ai. So we do not need to send all of our soldiers to defeat them. Send 2.000 or 3,000 men to attack them. That will be enough.”
Basebebuyela kuJoshuwa bathi kuye: Kakungenyuki bonke abantu; kakwenyuke phose amadoda azinkulungwane ezimbili loba phose amadoda azinkulungwane ezintathu ukutshaya iAyi. Ungadinisi bonke abantu ngokuya khona, ngoba balutshwana.
4 So about 3,000 Israeli men went [to attack Ai]. But the men of Ai defeated them badly.
Kwasekusenyukela khona abavela ebantwini amadoda aphosa abe zinkulungwane ezintathu; abaleka phambi kwamadoda eAyi.
5 They killed about 36 Israelis and chased the rest of Israeli men from the city gate to the bottom of the hill. When the other Israelis saw that this had happened, they became very discouraged.
Lamadoda eAyi atshaya phose amadoda angamatshumi amathathu lesithupha, axotshana lawo phambi kwesango aze afika eShebarimi, awatshayela ekwehleni. Ngakho inhliziyo yabantu yancibilika yaba ngamanzi.
6 Joshua and the other Israeli leaders tore their clothes [because they were very sad about being defeated]. They prostrated themselves on the ground in front of [the Sacred Tent in which was] the sacred chest. They stayed there until that evening. They also threw dirt on their heads [to show that they were very sad about what had happened].
UJoshuwa wasedabula izigqoko zakhe, wathi mbo ngobuso emhlabathini phambi komtshokotsho weNkosi kwaze kwahlwa, yena labadala bakoIsrayeli, bathela uthuli emakhanda abo.
7 Then Joshua prayed and said, “Lord God, you brought us Israelis [safely] across the Jordan River. So why are you now allowing the Amor people-group to defeat us [RHQ]? [This would not have happened] if we had stayed on the other side of the Jordan River!
UJoshuwa wasesithi: Maye Nkosi Jehova! Ubachaphiseleni lokubachaphisa lababantu iJordani ukusinikela esandleni samaAmori ukusibhubhisa? Kungathi ngabe seneliswa sahlala ngaphetsheya kweJordani!
8 Lord, we Israelis have been defeated by our enemies, so I do not know what to say now [RHQ].
O Nkosi, ngizakuthini, emva kokuthi uIsrayeli esephendule intamo ezitheni zakhe?
9 The Canaan people-group and all the other people who are living in this land will hear about this. Then they will surround us and kill all of us! Then what will you do (to defend your reputation [MTY]/to show that you are a powerful God)?”
Ngoba amaKhanani labo bonke abakhileyo elizweni bazakuzwa, basihanqe, baliqume ibizo lethu lisuke emhlabeni. Pho, uzalenzelani ibizo lakho elikhulu?
10 But Yahweh said to Joshua, “Stand up! Stop lying there with your face on the ground [RHQ]!
INkosi yasisithi kuJoshuwa: Sukuma wena, uweleni kanje ngobuso bakho?
11 You Israelis have sinned! You have disobeyed the commands that I told you to obey. [One of] your men has taken some of the things that I told you to destroy. He has stolen them and taken them for himself and lied [about it].
UIsrayeli wonile; njalo baseqile isivumelwano sami engabalaya sona, bathethe futhi kokuqalekisiweyo, njalo bebile, baqamba amanga futhi, yebo bakubekile empahleni zabo.
12 That is why you Israelis have been unable to be strong when you went to attack your enemies. That is why you have run away from them. And now you yourselves may be destroyed. If you do not do as I commanded you and destroy everything [that you captured in Jericho] I will not help you any more!”
Ngalokho abantwana bakoIsrayeli babengelakuma phambi kwezitha zabo, baphendula umhlana phambi kwezitha zabo, ngoba beqalekisiwe. Kangisayikuba lani uba lingabhubhisi okuqalekisiweyo phakathi kwenu.
13 “Now go and tell this to the people: ‘Tomorrow you must [perform the rituals that will] cause yourselves to become acceptable to Yahweh again. Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], says that one of you has kept things that he told you to destroy. You will never defeat your enemies until you get rid of those things.
Sukuma, ngcwelisa abantu, uthi: Zingcweliseleleni ikusasa; ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Kukhona okuqalekisiweyo phakathi kwakho, Israyeli; ungeke ume phambi kwezitha zakho lize likhuphe okuqalekisiweyo phakathi kwenu.
14 ‘Tomorrow morning you must present yourselves before Yahweh, tribe by tribe. Then Yahweh will indicate to which tribe [the man who took those things belongs]. Then Yahweh will indicate to which clan from that tribe [the guilty man belongs]. Then Yahweh will indicate to which family he belongs. And then he will indicate which person [in that family took those things].
Ngakho ekuseni lizasondezwa ngezizwe zenu; kuzakuthi-ke isizwe iNkosi ezasibamba sizasondela ngensendo, losendo iNkosi ezalubamba luzasondela ngezindlu, lendlu iNkosi ezayibamba izasondela ngabantu.
15 Then the one who has taken some of the things that should have been destroyed will be destroyed in a fire. And everything he owns will be destroyed with him, because he has disobeyed the command that Yahweh gave us and has done something that is disgraceful to us Israeli people.’”
Kuzakuthi-ke lowo ozabanjwa lokuqalekisiweyo uzatshiswa ngomlilo, yena lakho konke alakho, ngoba eqe isivumelwano seNkosi, langoba enze ubuphukuphuku koIsrayeli.
16 Early the next morning, Joshua told all the Israeli people to stand before the Sacred Tent, tribe by tribe. [When they did that], Yahweh indicated that a man from the tribe of Judah [was the one who had taken the things].
UJoshuwa wasevuka ekuseni kakhulu, wenza uIsrayeli wasondela ngezizwe zakhe; lesizwe sakoJuda sabanjwa;
17 Then the clans of Judah presented themselves, and Yahweh indicated that someone from the clan of Zerah was the guilty one. Then the families of Zerah’s clan presented themselves, and Yahweh indicated that someone from the family of Zabdi [was the guilty one].
wasesenza usendo lwakoJuda lusondele, wabamba usendo lwakoZera; wenza usendo lwakoZera lusondele ngabantu; uZabidi wasebanjwa;
18 Then Joshua told the men from that family to present themselves. And Yahweh indicated that Achan was guilty.
wasesenza indlu yakhe isondele ngabantu; uAkani, indodana kaKarmi, indodana kaZabidi, indodana kaZera, owesizwe sakoJuda, wasebanjwa.
19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “Son, tell the truth [IDM]. Confess to Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship, what you have done]. And tell me what you did, and do not try to (conceal anything/prevent me from knowing what you did).”
UJoshuwa wasesithi kuAkani: Ndodana yami, ake unike iNkosi udumo, uNkulunkulu wakoIsrayeli, uvume kuye; ake ungitshele lokho okwenzileyo, ungangifihleli.
20 Achan replied, “It is true. I have sinned against Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship].
UAkani wasephendula uJoshuwa wathi: Isibili mina ngonile eNkosini, uNkulunkulu wakoIsrayeli. Ngokunje langokunje ngikwenzile.
21 Among the things [in Jericho] that I saw was a beautiful coat from Babylonia. I also saw 200 pieces of silver and some gold that weighed as much as 50 pieces of silver. I wanted those things very much for myself, so I took them. I buried them all in the ground under my tent. You will find them there. The silver is buried under the other things.”
Kwathi ngibona phakathi kwempango isembatho seBhabhiloni esihle esisodwa, lamashekeli esiliva angamakhulu amabili, lolimi lwegolide olulodwa osisindo salo singamashekeli angamatshumi amahlanu, ngakuhawukela, ngakuthatha, khangela-ke, kuthukuziwe emhlabathini phakathi kwethente lami, lesiliva singaphansi kwakho.
22 So Joshua sent some men [to find those things]. They ran to Achan’s tent and found all the things hidden there.
UJoshuwa wasethuma izithunywa, zagijima zaya ethenteni, khangela-ke, kwakufihliwe ethenteni lakhe, lesiliva singaphansi kwakho.
23 The men brought them all out of the tent and took them to Joshua and the rest of the Israeli people. Then they spread/laid them out on the ground, where Yahweh could see them.
Bakukhupha phakathi kwethente, bakuletha kuJoshuwa lebantwaneni bonke bakoIsrayeli, bakuthululela phambi kweNkosi.
24 Then Joshua and the rest of the people led Achan down to the valley. They also took down there the silver, the coat, the gold, Achan’s [wife and] sons and daughters, and his cattle and donkeys and sheep, and his tent, and everything else that he owned.
UJoshuwa loIsrayeli wonke ekanye laye basebemthatha uAkani indodana kaZera, lesiliva, lesembatho, lolimi lwegolide, lamadodana akhe, lamadodakazi akhe, lenkabi zakhe, labobabhemi bakhe, lezimvu zakhe, lethente lakhe, lakho konke ayelakho, bakwenyusela esihotsheni seAkori.
25 Joshua said, “(I do not know why you caused so much trouble for us/You have caused a lot of trouble for us) [RHQ], but now Yahweh will cause trouble for you.” Then all the people threw stones at Achan and his family until they all died. Then the people burned their corpses.
UJoshuwa wasesithi: Usihlupheleni? INkosi izakuhlupha lamuhla. LoIsrayeli wonke wamkhanda ngamatshe; babatshisa ngomlilo, babakhanda ngamatshe.
26 They piled rocks over [the ashes of] their [corpses], and those rocks are still there. That is why that valley is called Trouble Valley. After that, Yahweh was no longer angry [with the Israeli people].
Bamisa phezu kwakhe inqwaba enkulu yamatshe kuze kube lamuhla. Ngalokho iNkosi yaphenduka ekuvutheni kolaka lwayo. Ngakho ibizo laleyondawo labizwa ngokuthi yisihotsha seAkori, kuze kube lamuhla.
