UJoshuwa 8
1 UThixo wathi kuJoshuwa, “Ungesabi, ungalahli ithemba. Thatha ibutho lonke uhambe uyehlasela i-Ayi, ngoba senginikele inkosi yase-Ayi, abantu bayo, idolobho layo lelizwe layo ezandleni zakho.
And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou discouraged: take with thee all the people of war, and arise, go up to 'Ai; see, I have given into thy hand the king of 'Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land.
2 Khonale uzakwenza owakwenza eJerikho lenkosini yakhona, kodwa lingazithathela impahla zonke eliyabe lizithumbile lezifuyo kube ngokwenu. Cathamani ngemva kwedolobho.”
And thou shalt do to 'Ai and to its king as thou hast done unto Jericho and its king; only its spoil and its cattle shall ye take for booty unto yourselves; but lay thee an ambush for the city in its rear.
3 Ngakho uJoshuwa lebutho lonke baphuma bayahlasela i-Ayi. Wakhetha amabutho azinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amathathu ayezingcitshi ukwedlula amanye ekulweni, wasewathuma ebusuku.
So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against 'Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valor, and sent them away by night.
4 Wawalaya wathi, “Lalelisisani, kumele licathame ngemva kwedolobho. Lingaze laya khatshana lalo. Lonke kumele lihlale liqaphele.
And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, in the rear of the city; go not very far from the city; and be ye all ready;
5 Mina lalabo engizabe ngilabo sizaqhubeka siqonde edolobheni, kuthi nxa amadoda ephuma ukusihlasela njengalokho akwenza kuqala, sizawabalekela.
And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city; and it shall come to pass that, when they come out against us, as at the first time, we will flee before them;
6 Bazaxotshana lathi size sibahugele khatshana ledolobho, ngoba bazakuthi, ‘Bayasibalekela njengalokhu abakwenza kuqala.’ Ngakho nxa sesibabalekela,
And they will come out after us, till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee from us as at the first time: and we will flee before them.
7 lina lizavuka lapho eliyabe licathame khona beselithumba idolobho. UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzalinikela ezandleni zenu.
And then shall ye rise up from the ambush, and take possession of the city; and the Lord your God will deliver it in into your hand.
8 Nxa selilithumbile idolobho, lithungeleni ngomlilo. Yenzani lokho okulaywe nguThixo. Wobani leqiniso lokuthi lilandela iziqondiso zami.”
And it shall be, that as soon as ye have seized the city, ye shall set the city on fire; according to the word of the Lord shall ye do: see, I have commanded you.
9 UJoshuwa wasebalaya ukuthi bahambe, basebesiya endaweni okwakumele bacathame kuyo phakathi kweBhetheli le-Ayi, entshonalanga ye-Ayi kodwa uJoshuwa waqeda ubusuku lobo elabantu.
And Joshua sent them off: and they went to lie in ambush, and remained between Beth-el and 'Ai, on the west side of 'Ai; but Joshua lodged that night among the people.
10 Ekuseni ngelanga elilandelayo uJoshuwa waqoqa amabutho akhe, kwathi yena labadala bako-Israyeli bahamba phambi kwabo besiya e-Ayi.
And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people, toward 'Ai.
11 Iviyo lonke lalabo ayelabo lahamba laya edolobheni lafika lema phambi kwabo. Bamisa izihonqo enyakatho ye-Ayi, isigodi siphakathi kwabo ledolobho.
And all the people of war that were with him went up, and drew nigh, and came opposite the city, and encamped on the north side of 'Ai; and the valley was between them and 'Ai.
12 UJoshuwa wayethethe amadoda aphosa afike kunkulungwane ezinhlanu wawacathamisa phakathi kweBhetheli le-Ayi entshonalanga yedolobho.
And he took about five thousand men, and set them as an ambush between Beth-el and 'Ai, on the west side of 'Ai.
13 Benza ukuthi amabutho aye ezikhundleni zawo zonke ezaziphakathi kwezihonqo enyakatho yedolobho lendaweni yokucathamela eyayisentshonalanga yalo. Ngalobobusuku uJoshuwa waya esigodini.
And the people, all the camp that was on the north of the city, and its ambush on the west of the city got ready; and Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.
14 Inkosi yase-Ayi yathi ibona lokhu yona lawo wonke amadoda akulelodolobho aphanga aphuma kusesele ekuseni ukuze ayehlangana lo-Israyeli empini kweyinye indawo ekhangelane le-Arabha. Kodwa yayingazi ukuthi kwakulamabutho ayeyicathamele ngemva kwedolobho.
And it came to pass, when the king of 'Ai saw this, the men of the city hastened and rose up early, and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at the time appointed, before the plain; but he knew not that there was an ambush against him in the rear of the city.
15 UJoshuwa labantu bonke bako-Israyeli bathambela ukubuyiselwa emuva, babalekela enkangala.
And Joshua and Israel feigned themselves beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
16 Wonke amadoda e-Ayi atshelwa ukuthi abaxotshe, basebexotshana loJoshuwa badonselwa khatshana ledolobho.
And all the people that were in 'Ai were called together to pursue after them; and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
17 Kakukho lendoda eyodwa eyasala e-Ayi kumbe eBhetheli engazanga ixotshane labako-Israyeli.
And there was not a man left in 'Ai or Beth-el, that went not out after Israel; and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.
18 UThixo wasesithi kuJoshuwa, “Phakamisa umkhonto osesandleni ukhombe e-Ayi, ngenxa yokuthi idolobho leli ngizalinikela ezandleni zakho.” Ngakho uJoshuwa wakhombela e-Ayi ngomkhonto wakhe.
And the Lord said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward 'Ai; for into thy hand will I give it. And Joshua stretched out the spear which was in his hand toward the city.
19 Wathi esanda kwenza lokhu, amadoda ayecathamele ukuhlasela aphakama masinyane ezindaweni ayekuzo agijimela phambili. Angena edolobheni alithumba, aphanga alithungela ngomlilo.
And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he stretched out his hand; and they entered into the city, and took possession of it, and hastened and set the city on fire.
20 Amadoda e-Ayi anyemukula abona intuthu eyayisuka edolobheni iqonga emayezini kodwa aswela ukuthi azabalekela ngaphi ngoba abako-Israyeli ababebalekele enkangala basebephendukele labo ababebaxotsha.
And the men of 'Ai turned [and looked] behind them, and they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven; and they had no power to flee this way or that way; and the people that had fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.
21 Kwathi uJoshuwa labako-Israyeli bonke bebona ukuthi labo ababecatheme basebethumbe idolobho lokuthi intuthu yayiqonga emayezini ivela edolobheni, batshibilika baqalisa ukuhlasela amadoda ase-Ayi.
For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had seized the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended: they turned back, and smote the men of 'Ai.
22 Amadoda ayecatheme lawo aphuma edolobheni abahlasela, okwenza ukuthi babe phakathi laphakathi, inxa zombili zilabako-Israyeli. Abako-Israyeli babatshaya bababhuqa akwaze kwasala muntu owaphunyukayo.
And the others issued out of the city against them; so that the Israelites had them in the middle, some on this side, and some on that side; and they smote them, until there was not left of them one that remained or escaped.
23 Kodwa bathatha inkosi yase-Ayi iphila basebeyiletha kuJoshuwa.
And the king of 'Ai they caught alive, and brought him to Joshua.
24 Kwathi abako-Israyeli sebeqedile ukubulala wonke amadoda ase-Ayi emagcekeni enkangala lapho ababewaxotshele khona, njalo wonke esegwazwe ngenkemba, bonke abako-Israyeli babuyela e-Ayi babulala abantu bonke abakulelo dolobho.
And it came to pass, that, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of 'Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they had pursued them, and when they were all fallen by the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, All the Israelites returned unto 'Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword.
25 Amadoda labesifazane abazinkulungwane ezilitshumi lambili bafa ngalelolanga, bonke kungabantu be-Ayi,
And [the number of] all that fell in that day, both of men and women, was twelve thousand, all the people of 'Ai.
26 ngoba uJoshuwa kazange ehlise isandla sakhe esiphethe umkhonto ngawo baze babhujiswa bonke abantu ababehlala e-Ayi.
And Joshua drew not back his hand, wherewith he had stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of 'Ai.
27 Kodwa abako-Israyeli bathatha zonke izifuyo lempango yonke eyayithunjwe kulelodolobho njengokulaywa kukaJoshuwa nguThixo.
Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took as booty unto themselves, according to the word of the Lord which he had commanded Joshua.
28 UJoshuwa watshisa i-Ayi wayenza yaba lunxiwa oluyinqwaba, indawo engelakuhlalwa muntu kuze kube lamhlanje.
And Joshua burnt 'Ai, and made it a ruinous heap of desolation for ever, even unto this day,
29 Walengisa inkosi yase-Ayi esigodweni wayitshiya kwaze kwaba ntambama. Ekutshoneni kwelanga uJoshuwa walaya ukuthi bethule isidumbu sayo basiphosele esangweni ledolobho. Babuthelela inqumbi yamatshe phezu kwaso, njalo lokhu kunjalo kuze kube lamhlanje.
And the king of 'Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide; and at the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded, and they took his carcass down from the tree and cast it at the entrance of the city gate, and they raised over him a great heap of stones, [which is] even unto this day.
30 UJoshuwa wasesakhela uThixo, uNkulunkulu wako-Israyeli i-alithari e-Ebhali.
Then did Joshua build an altar unto the Lord, the God of Israel on mount 'Ebal,
31 Njengokulaya okwenziwa nguMosi inceku kaThixo kwabako-Israyeli, walakha njengokulaywa okulotshwe eNcwadini yoMthetho kaMosi i-alithari lamatshe angabazwanga, okungazanga kusetshenziswe nsimbi phezu kwawo. Kulo banikela kuThixo iminikelo yokutshiswa leminikelo yokuthula.
As Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no one had lifted up any iron tool; and they offered thereon burnt-offerings unto the Lord, and sacrificed peace-offerings.
32 Lapho, phambi kwabako-Israyeli uJoshuwa waloba ematsheni umthetho kaMosi ayewubhalile.
And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.
33 Bonke abako-Israyeli, abezizweni labayinzalo yalelolizwe, labadala babo, iziphathamandla labahluleli babemi emaceleni womabili omtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaThixo bekhangelane lalabo ababelithwele, abaphristi, ababengabaLevi. Ingxenye yabantu yema phambi kwentaba yeGerizimu kwathi eyinye ingxenye yema phambi kwentaba ye-Ebhali, njengokulaya kukaMosi inceku kaThixo owayelaye ukuthi kubusiswe abantu bako-Israyeli.
And all Israel, and their elders, and the officers, and their judges, stood on this side and on that side of the ark, opposite the priests the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger no less than the native born: half of them turned toward mount Gerizzim, and the other half of them turned toward mount 'Ebal; as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded, to bless the people of Israel at first.
34 Emva kwalokho uJoshuwa wafunda wonke amazwi omthetho, izibusiso leziqalekiso, njengokulotshwa okwenziwe eNcwadini yeMithetho.
And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, all, just as it is written in the book of the law.
35 Kakulalizwi elalaywa nguMosi elingazanga lifundwe nguJoshuwa phambi kombuthano wonke wako-Israyeli kugoqela abesifazane labantwana labezizweni ababehlala phakathi kwabo.
There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded, which Joshua did not read before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the stranger that walked in the midst of them.
