UJoshuwa 6
1 IJerikho yayivalwe ngci ngenxa yabako-Israyeli. Akulamuntu owayephuma loba owayengena.
Meanwhile, the guards of Jericho shut the gates of the city tightly, because [they were afraid] of the Israeli [army]. No one was allowed to go into the city or go out of it.
2 Ngakho uThixo wathi kuJoshuwa, “Khangela, senginikele iJerikho, inkosi yayo kanye lamabutho ayo ezandleni zakho.
Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “Listen [to what I say]! I am going to enable your army [SYN] to capture/conquer [MTY] Jericho and its king and its soldiers.
3 Hambani libhode idolobho kanye lamadoda wonke ahlomileyo. Kwenzeni lokhu okwensuku eziyisithupha.
So your army must march around the city for six days, once each day.
4 Abaphristi abayisikhombisa kabathwale amacilongo enziwe ngempondo zenqama phambi komtshokotsho wesivumelwano. Ngosuku lwesikhombisa libhode idolobho kasikhombisa, abaphristi bevuthela amacilongo.
Tell seven priests to march around with them. Each priest must carry a trumpet. Four other priests must carry the sacred chest, and they must walk behind the priests who are carrying the trumpets. On the seventh day, the army must march around the city seven times, and the priests must be blowing the trumpets while they march.
5 Nxa lingabezwa sebetshaya amacilongo bedonsa, abantu bonke kabahlabe umkhosi; umduli wedolobho uzadilika abantu bahle bangene, yilowo lalowo aqonde phambili.”
[After they have all marched around the city seven times], the priests must blow their trumpets [once], very loudly. When the Israeli people/soldiers hear that, they must shout loudly. Then the wall of the city will collapse, and all the Israeli people/soldiers will go straight into the city.”
6 Ngakho uJoshuwa indodana kaNuni wabiza abaphristi wathi kubo, “Thathani umtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaThixo kuthi abaphristi abayisikhombisa bahambe phambi kwawo bethwele amacilongo.”
So Joshua summoned the priests and said to them, “Tell four priests to carry the chest [that contains] the Ten Commandments that Yahweh [gave to us]. [Tell] seven [other] priests to carry trumpets and walk in front of them.”
7 Waselaya abantu esithi, “Akuhanjwe! Hambani libhode idolobho, amabutho ahlomileyo ehamba phambi komtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaThixo.”
And Joshua told the soldiers, “Start marching! March around the city, with several soldiers with weapons marching in front. Behind them will march the seven priests with trumpets, and behind them will march the four priests carrying Yahweh’s [sacred] chest.”
8 Kwathi uJoshuwa esekhulume labantu, abaphristi abayisikhombisa ababethwele amacilongo ayisikhombisa phambi kukaThixo bahamba phambili bevuthela amacilongo, njalo umtshokotsho wesivumelwano ubalandela.
After Joshua told that to the army, the seven priests, each carrying a sacred trumpet, started marching, blowing their trumpets. The four priests who were carrying Yahweh’s sacred chest followed them.
9 Amabutho ayehlomile ahamba phambi kwabaphristi ababevuthela amacilongo, njalo amabutho angemuva ayelandela umtshokotsho. Ngasosonke lesisikhathi amacilongo ayekhala.
The group of soldiers carrying weapons marched in front of the priests who were blowing their trumpets, and the rest of the soldiers followed [the four men carrying] the chest. While [they were all marching], [the seven priests] were blowing their trumpets.
10 Kodwa uJoshuwa wayelaye abantu wathi, “Lingaze lahlaba umkhosi wempini, lingakhwezi amazwi enu, lingakhulumi lutho kuze kufike isikhathi engizalitshela ngaso ukuthi limemeze. Beselihlaba-ke umkhosi.”
But [the rest of] the people [were silent, because] Joshua had commanded them, “Do not make a war cry. Do not yell or say anything until the day when I tell you to shout. On that day, you must shout [loudly]!”
11 Ngakho umtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaThixo bawuthwala babhoda lawo idolobho kanye. Abantu babuyela ezihonqweni bayalala.
So the men carrying Yahweh’s sacred chest and all the others did what Joshua told them to do. They marched around the city once. Then they all returned to their camp and stayed there that night.
12 UJoshuwa wavuka kusesele ngelanga elilandelayo njalo abaphristi bathwala umtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaThixo.
The next morning, Joshua and the priests got up early, and the four priests carried Yahweh’s sacred chest [again].
13 Abaphristi abayisikhombisa ababethwele amacilongo ayisikhombisa bahamba phambili bekhokhele umtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaThixo, bevuthela amacilongo. Amadoda ayehlomile ayehamba phambi kwabo njalo amabutho angemuva ayelandela umtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaThixo, kukanti-ke amacilongo aqhubeka ekhala.
The seven priests who were carrying trumpets went in front of [the men carrying] the chest. The seven priests were blowing their trumpets as they marched. The group of soldiers carrying weapons went in front of all the others, and the rest of the army followed all the others. All the time, the seven priests were blowing their trumpets.
14 Ngosuku lwesibili babhoda idolobho kanye basebebuyela ezihonqweni. Bakwenza lokhu okwensuku eziyisithupha.
So on that second day they again marched around the city once and then returned to their camp. They did the same thing for six days.
15 Ngelanga lesikhombisa bavuka emadabukakusa babhoda idolobho kasikhombisa ngendlela efanayo, ngaphandle kokuthi ngalelolanga babhoda kasikhombisa.
On the seventh day, they got up at dawn, and they all marched around the city the same way that they had done before, but this time they marched around the city seven times.
16 Ngokwesikhombisa, kwathi abaphristi bekhalisa amacilongo, uJoshuwa walaya abantu wathi, “Memezani! Ngoba uThixo useliphile idolobho.
As they were marching around the seventh time, when the priests were about to blow the long/loud blast on their trumpets, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout, because Yahweh will enable you to capture the city!
17 Idolobho lakho konke okukulo kuzakwahlukaniselwa uThixo. URahabi isifebe lalabo ahlala labo endlini yakhe yibo abazasindiswa ngenxa yokuthi wafihla inhloli esazithumayo.
Yahweh has declared that you must destroy [IDM] the city and everything in it [to show that it belongs to him]. You must spare only Rahab the prostitute and the others who are in her house, because she hid the spies whom we sent there.
18 Kodwa xwayani izinto ezahlukaniselwe ukubhujiswa, ukwenzela ukuthi lingazehliseli ukubhujiswa ngokuthatha okunye kwalezozinto. Lokho kungenza ukuthi izihonqo zako-Israyeli zehlelwe luhlupho njalo zitshabalaliswe.
And because Yahweh has declared that everything must be destroyed [IDM], you must not take [EUP] any of the things in the city. If you take anything, you will cause Yahweh to destroy our own camp and cause terrible things to happen to us.
19 Sonke isiliva, igolide lezinto zonke ezenziwe ngethusi langensimbi ezingcwele ziletheni kuThixo njalo kumele zifakwe esiphaleni sakhe sengcebo.”
But all the silver and gold and articles made from iron and bronze that you find, you must set apart for Yahweh. You must put those things in his treasury.”
20 Kwathi amacilongo ekhala abantu bahlaba umkhosi; ekukhaleni kwecilongo, abantu sebehlaba umkhosi omkhulu, umduli wabhidlika, ngakho wonke umuntu wangena phakathi balithatha idolobho.
So they did what Joshua told them to do. When the priests blew a long blast on their trumpets, the people/army shouted loudly, and the wall of the city collapsed! Then the Israeli soldiers rushed in and captured the city.
21 Idolobho balehlukanisela uThixo basebecakaza ngenkemba yonke into ephilayo eyayihlala kulo, amadoda labesifazane, abatsha labadala, inkomo, izimvu labobabhemi.
They killed [IDM] every living thing in the city—men and women, young people and old people, even cattle and sheep and donkeys.
22 UJoshuwa wakhuluma emadodeni amabili ayeke athunywa njengezinhloli zelizwe wathi, “Yanini endlini yesifebe liyesikhupha lezihlobo zaso zonke ligcwalise isifungo elasenza kuso.”
Then Joshua said to the two men (who had spied on/whom he had sent to learn all they could about) the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house. Bring her out, along with all her family, just as you promised to her.”
23 Ngakho amadoda ayahambe ukuyahlola angena akhupha uRahabi, uyise lonina labanewabo lazozonke izihlobo zakhe. Bakhupha imuli yonke bayifaka endaweni eyayingaphandle kwezihonqo zako-Israyeli.
So those two spies/men went into Rahab’s house and brought her out. They also brought out her father and mother and her brothers, and all the rest of her family. Joshua’s men spared Rahab the prostitute. They also did not kill all her relatives, because she had hidden and protected the spies/men whom Joshua had sent to Jericho. The two men brought them all out and put them in a place outside the camp of the Israelis. Rahab still lives among us Israeli people. Then the soldiers gathered the articles made from silver, gold, bronze, and iron that they found and they put them all into Yahweh’s treasury. But they burned everything else that was in the city.
24 Basebetshisa idolobho lonke lakho konke okwakuphakathi kwalo, kodwa befake isiliva legolide lezinto ezilungiswe ngethusi lensimbi esiphaleni sengcebo yendlu kaThixo.
25 Kodwa uJoshuwa waphephisa uRahabi isifebe lemuli yakhe labo bonke abangabakhe ngenxa yokuthi wafihla amadoda ayethunywe nguJoshuwa ukuba zinhloli eJerikho, futhi ulokhu ehlala phakathi kwabako-Israyeli kuze kube lamhlanje.
26 Ngalesosikhathi uJoshuwa wenza isifungo esiqinileyo esithi, “Iqalekisiwe phambi kukaThixo indoda ezimisela ukwakha kutsha lelidolobho laseJerikho: Ngempilo yezibulo lakhe lendodana uzakwenza izisekelo; ngempilo yecinathunjana uzalungisa amasango alo.”
At that time, Joshua warned the people, “Yahweh will curse/punish anyone who tries to rebuild this city, Jericho. When that person lays/builds its foundation, his oldest son will die. And when he finishes building the city wall and sets up its gates, his youngest son will die.”
27 UThixo wayeloJoshuwa, udumo lwakhe lwanda elizweni lonke.
Because of what happened that day, it was clear that Yahweh was with/helped Joshua, and Joshua became famous throughout the land.
