< Jozue 2 >

1 Wuta na Shitimi, Jozue, mwana mobali ya Nuni, atindaki na nkuku banongi mibale; alobaki na bango: — Bokende kononga mokili, mingi-mingi Jeriko. Boye, bakendeki mpe bakotaki na ndako ya mwasi moko ya ndumba, Raabi, mpe bavandaki kuna.
Then Joshua [chose] two men from [their camp at] Acacia. He told them, “Go [across the Jordan River] and secretly find out all that you can about the land on that side of the river, especially about Jericho [city].” So the two men crossed [the river and entered Jericho]. They entered the house of a prostitute, whose name was Rahab. They stayed in her house [that night].
2 Bayebisaki mokonzi ya Jeriko: — Tala, bato moko kati na bana ya Isalaele bayaki awa na butu mpo na kononga mokili.
But someone [saw them and] told the king of Jericho, “Some Israeli men have come here tonight to spy out the land!”
3 Boye, mokonzi ya Jeriko atindaki maloba oyo epai ya Raabi: — Bimisa mibali oyo bayaki epai na yo mpe bakotaki na ndako na yo, pamba te bayei nde mpo na kononga mokili mobimba.
So the king sent some messengers to tell Rahab, “Bring out the men who came and entered your house, [so that we can kill them], because they have come [here] to (spy out/find out all they can about) this land!”
4 Kasi mwasi yango akamataki mibali wana mibale mpe abombaki bango. Alobaki: — Solo, mibali bayaki epai na ngai, kasi nayebaki te esika bango bawutaki.
She told them that the two men had gone to her house. But she had hidden the two men there. So when the messengers came to her house, she told them, “Two men came here, but I did not know where they had come from.
5 Bakendeki na pokwa na tango oyo bakangaka ekuke ya engumba. Nayebi mpe te soki bakendeki na nzela nini. Bolanda bango noki. Bokoki solo kokanga bango.
At dusk, just before (guards closed the city gate/the city gates were closed), the two men left. I do not know where they went. So, go quickly and search for them! Perhaps you may catch them!”
6 Nzokande amatisaki bango likolo ya mwanza ya ndako mpe abombaki bango na se ya matiti oyo basalelaka bilamba ya lino, oyo atiaki likolo ya mwanza.
But [she was lying, ] she had taken the two men up to the [flat] roof of her house and had hidden them under the piles of flax that she had laid on the roof.
7 Bongo, batindami ya mokonzi babimaki mpo na kolanda banongi na nzela oyo ekenda kino na esika oyo bakatiselaka ebale Yordani na makolo. Tango kaka batindami yango babimaki na engumba, bakangaki mpe mbala moko ekuke.
The messengers went out of the city to search for the two men. Immediately, the guards shut the city gate. The messengers went along the road that leads down to the place where people can walk across the Jordan [River], [but they did not find the two men].
8 Na butu, liboso ete banongi balala, Raabi amataki likolo ya mwanza
Before the two men lay down [to sleep] that night, Rahab went up to the roof
9 mpe alobaki na bango: — Nayebi ete Yawe apesi mokili oyo na maboko na bino. Tozali na somo makasi mpo na bino mpe bavandi nyonso ya engumba oyo bazali kolenga na somo likolo na bino.
and said to them, “We know that Yahweh [is about to] give this land to you Israelis, and as a result all the people living in this land are terrified because of you.
10 Toyokaki ndenge nini Yawe akawusaki Ebale monene ya Barozo liboso na bino tango bobimaki na Ejipito, mpe makambo oyo bosalaki Sikoni mpe Ogi, bakonzi mibale ya bato ya Amori, oyo bobomaki penza na ngambo ya este ya Yordani.
We have heard about how Yahweh dried up the water of the Red Sea for you to cross it when you left Egypt. And we have heard how you killed Sihon and Og, the two kings of the tribe of Amor who lived east of the Jordan [River]. You [Israelis] totally destroyed everyone [and everything in their kingdom].
11 Tango toyokaki sango yango, mitema na biso ebukanaki mpe makasi ya moko na moko kati na biso esilaki likolo na bino, pamba te Yawe, Nzambe na bino, azali Nzambe ya likolo, kuna penza na lola, mpe Nzambe ya se, awa na mabele.
When we heard about those things, we were very dismayed. We no longer have enough courage to fight against you, because we know that Yahweh, the God whom you [worship], is helping you. [And we know that] he rules everything in heaven and here on earth.
12 Boye sik’oyo, bolapa ndayi liboso na ngai na Kombo na Yawe ete bokosalela libota na ngai bolamu ndenge ngai nasaleli bino. Bopesa ngai elembo ya solo;
So now [I want you to] solemnly promise me, and ask Yahweh to punish you if you do not do what you promise. Solemnly promise me that you will act kindly to me and my family, because I have acted kindly to you.
13 elembo oyo ekolakisa ete bokobikisa bomoi ya tata mpe ya mama na ngai, ya bandeko na ngai ya mibali mpe ya basi mpe ya bato nyonso oyo bavandaka elongo na bango, mpe lisusu ete bokobikisa biso na kufa.
Do something to prove that you will (spare the lives of/not kill) my father and my mother, my brothers and sisters, and all of their families. Promise me that you [Israelis] will not kill us [when you destroy this city].”
14 Banongi bayebisaki ye: — Solo, tolapi ndayi, tokondima kokufa mpo na bino soki olobi te makambo oyo tozali kosala. Tokosalela bino bolamu mpe ngolu tango Yawe akopesa biso mokili oyo.
The two men replied, “We desire that God will cause us to die if we do not do as we say! If you do not tell others what we [are planning to] do, we will act kindly toward you all when Yahweh enables us to possess the land.”
15 Boye, Raabi abimisaki bango na lininisa mpe akitisaki bango na singa, pamba te ndako oyo azalaki kovanda ezalaki ya kokangama na eteni ya mir ya engumba.
[One of] the outside walls of the house where Rahab lived was part of the wall [that was around] the city. So she fastened a rope outside the window [that was in that wall], by which the men could climb down the wall.
16 Alobaki na bango: — Bokende na nzela ya bangomba ya mikuse mpo ete bato oyo bazali kolanda bino bamona bino te. Bobombama kuna mikolo misato kino tango bakozonga, bongo nde bokoki kokoba nzela na bino.
Then she said to them, “When you leave the city, go up into the hills so that the men who are searching for you will not find you. Hide in caves in the hills for three days, until the men who are searching for you return to the city. Then you can return safely to your camp.”
17 Banongi balobaki na ye: — Tokozala na ngambo te na ndayi oyo olapisi biso
The two men [gave her a red cord, and] said to her, “This is what you must do; if you do not do this, we will not be required to do what we have vowed to do.
18 soki, tango tokokota na mokili, okokangisa singa oyo ya motane na lininisa oyo okitiseli biso mpe okosangisa, kati na ndako na yo, tata mpe mama na yo, bandeko mpe bato nyonso ya libota na yo.
You must tie this red cord in the window that has the rope by which we will climb down. You must let the cord hang there. And you must bring your father and your mother and your brothers and all the others in your family inside the house. Then, when our army enters your land, we will see the cord, and we will not kill the people in your house.
19 Soki moto moko abimi libanda ya ndako na yo mpe akei na balabala, makila na ye ekotangama na moto na ye moko; ekozala ngambo na biso te. Kasi soki babomi moto moko kati na bato oyo bakozala kati na ndako na yo, wana makila na ye ekotangama na mito na biso.
If anyone in your family goes outside this house into the street, [our soldiers] will kill them, and we will not be guilty [MTY] for doing that. But if anyone who is in this house with you is injured, we will be guilty for causing that.
20 Soki mpe olobi makambo oyo biso tozali kosala, tokozala na ngambo te liboso ya ndayi oyo olapisi biso.
But if you tell anyone what we [are planning to] do, we are not required to do what we have vowed to do.”
21 Raabi azongisaki: — Boye, tika ete esalema ndenge bolobi. Atikaki bango kokende, mpe bakabwanaki. Bongo na sima, akangisaki singa ya motane na lininisa.
Rahab said, “I agree to do what you say.” So they climbed down the rope and left. And she left the red cord tied in the window.
22 Sima na bango kokabwana, bakendeki na bangomba mikuse mpe bavandaki kuna mikolo misato kino tango bato oyo bazalaki kolanda bango balembaki koluka bango na nzela nyonso. Lokola bamonaki bango te, bazongaki na bango.
When the two men left the city, they went up into the hills. They stayed there for three days, while the men [who had been sent by the king] continued to search for them. They searched all along the road, but they did not find the two men. So they returned to the city.
23 Banongi oyo mibale bazongelaki nzela na bango, babimaki na bangomba mikuse, bakatisaki ebale mpe bakomaki kino epai ya Jozue, mwana mobali ya Nuni. Bayebisaki ye makambo nyonso oyo ekomelaki bango.
Then the two men started back toward their camp. They went down from the hills, went down to the river, crossed it at the place where people can walk across it, and returned to their camp. They told Joshua everything that had happened to them.
24 Balobaki na Jozue: — Solo, Yawe apesi mokili oyo nyonso na maboko na biso; bato nyonso bazali kolenga liboso na biso.
They said to Joshua, “We are sure that Yahweh is going to enable us to possess everything that is in that land. The people there are terrified [IDM] because of us.”

< Jozue 2 >