< Mpitsara 2 >

1 Ary Ilay Anjelin’ i Jehovah niakatra avy tany Gilgala ka nankany Bokima, dia nanao hoe: Nitondra anareo niakatra avy tany Egypta Aho ka nampiditra anareo eto amin’ ny tany izay nianianako tamin’ ny razanareo homena azy, ka hoy Izaho: Tsy hanatsoaka ny fanekeko taminareo Aho mandrakizay;
Yahweh [appeared in the form of] an angel [and] went up from Gilgal to [a place that was later called] Bokim. He said [to the Israeli people], “I brought your [ancestors] up here from Egypt. I led them into this land that I solemnly promised to give to your ancestors. I said to them, ‘The agreement that I made with you, as for me, I will never (break it/say that it is ended).
2 koa aza manao fanekena amin’ ny tompon-tany ianareo, fa ravao ny alitarany; kanefa tsy nihaino ny feoko ianareo; koa inona moa izao nataonareo izao?
But as for you, you must never make a peace agreement with the people who live in this land. You must tear down the altars [where they make sacrifices to idols].’ But you have not obeyed me.
3 Ary hoy Izaho indray: Tsy handroaka azy eo anoloanareo Aho; fa ho tsilo eo amin’ ny tehezanareo sy ho fandrika aminareo ny andriamaniny.
So now, I am telling you that I will not expel [your enemies] as you advance. They will be like thorns in your sides. And [they] will try to trap you [by making you worship] their idols.”
4 Ary nony niteny izany teny izany tamin’ ny Zanak’ Isiraely rehetra Ilay Anjelin’ i Jehovah, dia nanandratra ny feony ny vahoaka ka nitomany.
After he told that to all the Israelis, the people cried loudly.
5 Ary ny anaran’ izany tany izany dia nataony hoe Bokima; ary namono zavatra teo izy hatao fanatitra ho an’ i Jehovah.
They called that place Bokim, [which means ‘weeping’]. There they offered sacrifices to Yahweh.
6 Ary rehefa nampodin’ i Josoa ny vahoaka, dia nandeha ho any amin’ ny lovany avy ny Zanak’ Isiraely rehetra handova ny tany.
After Joshua sent the Israeli people away, each group went to possess the land that had been allotted to them.
7 Ary nanompo an’ i Jehovah ny vahoaka tamin’ ny andro rehetra niainan’ i Josoa sy tamin’ ny andro rehetra niainan’ ny loholona izay velona taorian’ i Josoa, dia ireo izay efa nahita ny asa lehibe rehetra nataon’ i Jehovah ho an’ ny Isiraely.
They served Yahweh as long as Joshua was alive, and as long as the elders, those who had seen all the great things that Yahweh had done for Israel, were alive.
8 Ary maty Josoa, zanak’ i Nona, mpanompon’ i Jehovah, rehefa folo amby zato taona ny androny.
Then Yahweh’s servant Joshua died. He was 110 years old when he died.
9 Dia nalevina tao anatin’ ny fari-tanin’ ny lovany izy, dia tao Timnata-heresa, any amin’ ny tany havoan’ i Efraima, avaratry ny tendrombohitra Gasa.
They buried his body in the area he had received [from Moses], at Timnath-Serah, in the area where the descendants of Ephraim lived, north of Gaash Mountain.
10 Ary izany taranaka rehetra izany koa dia voangona any amin’ ny razany; ary taranaka hafa, izay tsy nahalala an’ i Jehovah na ny asa efa nataony ho an’ ny Isiraely, no nitsangana nandimby azy.
After all the people died who lived at the same time as Joshua [EUP], a group of people grew up who did not know Yahweh, and did not know what great things he had done for the Israeli people.
11 Ary nanao izay ratsy eo imason’ i Jehovah ny Zanak’ Isiraely, fa nanompo ireo Bala
They did things that Yahweh said were very evil. They worshiped [idols that represented the god] Baal and the goddess Astarte. They worshiped [DOU] the various gods that the people-groups around them worshiped. They stopped worshiping Yahweh, the God their ancestors worshiped, the one who had brought their ancestors out of Egypt. That caused Yahweh to be very angry.
12 ka nahafoy an’ i Jehovah, Andriamanitry ny razany, Izay nitondra azy nivoaka avy tany amin’ ny tany Egypta, ka nanaraka andriamani-kafa amin’ ny andriamanitry ny firenena manodidina azy, dia niankohoka teo anatrehany ka nampahatezitra an’ i Jehovah.
13 Eny, nahafoy an’ i Jehovah izy ka nanampo an’ i Bala sy Astarta.
14 Dia nirehitra tamin’ ny Isiraely ny fahatezeran’ i Jehovah, ka natolony teo an-tànan’ ny mpamabo izay namabo azy izy, ary namidiny ho eo an-tànan’ ny fahavalony manodidina azy ka tsy nahajanona teo anoloan’ ny fahavalony intsony.
So he allowed people from other groups to raid them and steal their crops and animals. They were no longer able to resist their enemies, and Yahweh allowed all their enemies around them to defeat them.
15 Na taiza na taiza nivoahany, dia namely azy ny tanan’ i Jehovah ka nampahory azy, araka izay efa nolazain’ i Jehovah sy araka izay efa nianianany taminy; ka dia ory indrindra izy.
Whenever the Israelis went to fight [their enemies], Yahweh [MTY] was opposing them, and allowed their enemies to defeat them, just as he had promised he would do. So the Israelis were greatly distressed.
16 Kanefa Jehovah nanangana mpitsara izay namonjy azy tamin’ ny tànan’ ireo namabo azy.
Then Yahweh gave leaders to them. These leaders rescued the Israelis from the people who were raiding them.
17 Fa na dia ny mpitsara azy aza dia tsy mba nohenoiny, fa nandeha nijangajanga nanaraka andriamani-kafa izy ka niankohoka teo anatrehany; nivily faingana niala tamin’ ny lalana izay nandehanan’ ny razany nanaraka ny didin’ i Jehovah izy, fa tsy mba nanaraka izany.
But the Israelis still would not pay attention to their leaders. Instead, they went to the idols, [acting like] prostitutes [who gave themselves to men who were not their husbands] [MET], and they worshiped those idols. They were not like their ancestors. Their ancestors obeyed what Yahweh commanded, but their descendants quickly stopped behaving as their ancestors had behaved.
18 Ary rehefa nanangana mpitsara ho azy Jehovah, dia nomba izany mpitsara izany Izy ka namonjy ny olona tamin’ ny tanan’ ny fahavalony tamin’ ny andro rehetra niainan’ izany mpitsara izany; fa nalahelo azy Jehovah amin’ ny fitarainany noho ireo nampahory sy nampalahelo azy.
Whenever Yahweh gave a leader to them, he helped that leader and enabled him to rescue the people from their enemies. He helped them like that as long as that leader was alive. Yahweh pitied them as they groaned because they were being oppressed and caused to suffer.
19 Kanjo nony maty ilay mpitsara, dia nanao ratsy indray izy mihoatra noho ny nataon’ ny razany, fa nanaraka andriamani-kafa sy nanompo azy ary niankohoka teo anatrehany izy; tsy nitsahatra tàmin’ ny fanaony na tamin’ ny lalana nanaovany ditra izy.
But after that leader died, the people went back to behaving in ways even more evil than their ancestors had behaved. They worshiped other gods and bowed down to them and did all [LIT] the things that they thought those gods wanted them to do.
20 Dia nirehitra tamin’ ny Isiraely ny fahatezeran’ i Jehovah, ka hoy Izy: Satria nivadika ny fanekeko izay nandidiako ny razany ity firenena ity ka tsy nihaino ny feoko,
So Yahweh was very angry with the Israeli people. He said, “These people have disobeyed the agreement I made with their ancestors. They have not done what I told them to do.
21 dia tsy handroaka olona eo anoloany intsony Aho amin’ ny firenena izay tsy mbola resy hatramin’ ny andro nahafatesan’ i Josoa,
So I will no longer expel the people-groups that Joshua left in this land when he died.
22 mba hizahako toetra ny Isiraely amin’ ireny, na hitandrina ny lalan’ i Jehovah ka handeha amin’ izany araka izay nitandreman’ ny razany izany izy, na tsia.
I will use them to test the Israeli people to see whether they will do what I want them to do, as their ancestors did.”
23 Dia navelan’ i Jehovah ireny firenena ireny ka tsy noroahiny faingana; sady tsy voatolony teo an-tànan’ i Josoa ireny.
Yahweh had allowed those people-groups to stay in that land. He did not expel them by allowing Joshua [and his men] to defeat them.

< Mpitsara 2 >