< Abahluleli 1 >

1 Emva kokufa kukaJoshuwa, abako-Israyeli babuza uThixo bathi, “Pho ngubani ozahamba kuqala ukuba ayesilwela lamaKhenani na?”
After the death of Joshua, the sons of Israel consulted the Lord, saying, “Who will ascend before us, against the Canaanite, and who will be the commander of the war?”
2 UThixo waphendula wathi, “NguJuda ozahamba; ilizwe sengilinikele ezandleni zabo.”
And the Lord said: “Judah shall ascend. Behold, I have delivered the land into his hands.”
3 Lapho-ke abantu bakoJuda bathi kwabakoSimiyoni abafowabo, “Hambani lathi elizweni esalabelwayo, ukuyakulwa lamaKhenani. Lathi sizakwenanisa ngokuhamba lani kwelenu.” Ngakho abakoSimiyoni ahamba labo.
And Judah said to his brother Simeon, “Go up with me to my lot, and fight against the Canaanite, so that I also may go forth with you to your lot.” And Simeon went with him.
4 Kwathi uJuda esehlasele, uThixo wanikela amaKhenani lamaPherizi ezandleni zabo, wabulala abantu abazinkulungwane ezilitshumi eBhezekhi.
And Judah went up, and the Lord delivered the Canaanite, as well as the Perizzite, into their hands. And they struck down ten thousand of the men at Bezek.
5 Kukhonapho abafica khona u-Adoni-Bhezekhi balwa laye, baqothula amaKhenani kanye lamaPherizi.
And they found Adonibezek at Bezek, and they fought against him, and they struck down the Canaanite and the Perizzite.
6 U-Adoni-Bhezekhi wabaleka, kodwa baxotshana laye baze bambamba, bamquma izithupha zakhe lamazwane amakhulu.
Then Adonibezek fled. And they pursued him and captured him, and they cut off the ends of his hands and feet.
7 U-Adoni-Bhezekhi wasesithi, “Amakhosi angamatshumi ayisikhombisa ayequnywe izithupha zawo lamazwane amakhulu ayedobha imvuthuluka ngaphansi kwetafula yami. Khathesi uNkulunkulu usephindisele kimi ngalokho engakwenza kuwo.” Bamusa eJerusalema lapho afela khona.
And Adonibezek said: “Seventy kings, with the ends of their hands and feet amputated, have been gathering the remnants of food under my table. Just as I have done, so has God repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8 Abantu bakoJuda bahlasela leJerusalema bayithumba. Bahlasela idolobho ngezinkemba balithungela ngomlilo.
Then the sons of Judah, besieging Jerusalem, seized it. And they struck it with edge of the sword, delivering the entire city to be burned.
9 Emva kwalokho, abantu bakoJuda bahamba bayakulwa lamaKhenani ayehlala elizweni lezintaba, iNegebi kanye lamawatha ezintaba angasentshonalanga.
And afterward, descending, they fought against the Canaanites who were living in the mountains, and in the south, and in the plains.
10 Baqhubeka bayahlasela amaKhenani ayehlala eHebhroni (kuqala eyayithiwa yiKhiriyathi Aribha) banqoba uSheshayi, u-Ahimani kanye loThalimayi.
And Judah, going forth against the Canaanites who were living at Hebron, (the name of which from antiquity was Kiriath-Arba) struck down Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.
11 Besuka lapho baqhubeka bayahlasela abantu ababehlala eDebhiri (kuqala eyayithiwa yiKhiriyathi-Sefa).
And continuing on from there, he went to the inhabitants of Debir, the old name of which was Kiriath-Sepher, that is, the City of Letters.
12 UKhalebi wathi, “Ngizakwendisela indodakazi yami u-Akhisa endodeni ezahlasela ithumbe iKhiriyathi-Sefa.”
And Caleb said, “Whoever will strike Kiriath-Sepher, and will lay waste to it, I will give to him my daughter Achsah as wife.”
13 U-Othiniyeli, indodana kaKhenazi, umnawakhe kaKhalebi, wayithumba; ngakho uKhalebi wendisela indodakazi yakhe u-Akhisa kuye.
And when Othniel, the son of Kenaz, a younger brother of Caleb, had seized it, he gave his daughter Achsah to him in marriage.
14 Ngelinye ilanga u-Akhisa wafika ku-Othiniyeli wamkhuthaza ukuthi acele insimu kuyise. Lapho esehlile kubabhemi wakhe uKhalebi wambuza wathi, “Kuyini engingakwenzela khona?”
And as she was traveling on a journey, her husband admonished her, so that she would request a field from her father. And since she had sighed while sitting on her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What is it?”
15 Waphendula wathi, “Ngicela ungenzele umusa obalulekileyo. Njengoba unginike umhlaba eNegebi, ngicela unginike lemithombo yamanzi.” Ngakho uKhalebi wamnika imithombo eyayingaphezulu leyayingaphansi.
But she responded: “Give a blessing to me. For you have given me a dry land. Also give a watered land.” Therefore, Caleb gave to her the upper watered land and the lower watered land.
16 Abayinzalo kayisezala kaMosi, amaKheni, bahamba labantu bakoJuda besuka edolobheni laMalala besiyahlala phakathi kwabantu basenkangala yakoJuda eNegebi eduze le-Aradi.
Now the sons of the Kenite, the relative of Moses, ascended from the City of Palms, with the sons of Judah, into the wilderness of his lot, which is toward the south of Arad. And they lived with him.
17 Emva kwalokho abantu bakoJuda bahamba labakoSimiyoni abafowabo bahlasela amaKhenani ayehlala eZefathi, idolobho basebelichitha ngokupheleleyo. Ngakho lathiwa yiHoma.
Then Judah went out with his brother Simeon, and together they struck the Canaanites who were living at Zephath, and they put them to death. And the name of the city was called Hormah, that is, Anathema.
18 Abantu bakoJuda bathumba njalo iGaza, i-Ashikheloni kanye le-Ekroni, idolobho linye ngalinye kanye lelizwe lalo.
And Judah seized Gaza, with its parts, and Ashkelon as well as Ekron, with their borders.
19 UThixo wayelabantu bakoJuda. Bathumba ilizwe lezintaba, kodwa behluleka ukuxotsha abantu ababesemagcekeni ngoba babelezinqola zempi ezenzwe ngensimbi.
And the Lord was with Judah, and he possessed the mountains. But he was not able to wipe out the inhabitants of the valley. For they abounded with chariots armed with scythes.
20 Njengokuthembisa kukaMosi, iHebhroni yaphiwa uKhalebi, owaxotsha kuyo amadodana amathathu ka-Anakhi.
And just as Moses had said, they gave Hebron to Caleb, who destroyed out of it the three sons of Anak.
21 Kodwa abakoBhenjamini behluleka ukususa amaJebusi ayehlala eJerusalema; lalamhlanje amaJebusi ahlala khona labakoBhenjamini.
But the sons of Benjamin did not wipe out the Jebusite inhabitants of Jerusalem. And the Jebusite has lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem, even to the present day.
22 Ngalesosikhathi abendlu kaJosefa bahlasela iBhetheli, njalo uThixo wayelabo.
The house of Joseph also ascended against Bethel, and the Lord was with them.
23 Ekuthumeni kwabo abantu ukuba bayehlola iBhetheli (kuqala idolobho lelo lalithiwa yiLuzi),
For when they were besieging the city, which was previously called Luz,
24 inhloli zabona umuntu ephuma edolobheni zasezisithi kuye, “Sitshengise ukuthi singangena njani edolobheni, thina-ke sizabona ukuthi uphatheka kuhle.”
they saw a man departing from the city, and they said to him, “Reveal to us the entrance to the city, and we will act with mercy toward you.”
25 Ngakho wazitshengisa, zasezihlasela idolobho ngenkemba kodwa umuntu lowo zamyekela kanye labendlu yakhe bonke.
And when he had revealed it to them, they struck the city with the edge of the sword. But that man, and all his relatives, they released.
26 Ngakho-ke waya elizweni lamaHithi, lapho akha khona idolobho alibiza ngokuthi yiLuzi, okulokhe kuyilo ibizo lalo lalamhlanje.
And having been sent away, he went out to the land of the Hittites, and he built a city there, and he called it Luz. And so it is called, even to the present day.
27 Kodwa uManase kabaxotshanga abantu baseBhethi-Shani loba eThanakhi kumbe eDori loba e-Ibhiliyami kumbe eMegido kanye lasemizaneni yabo eseduzane, ngoba amaKhenani ayezimisele ukuhlala kulelolizwe.
Likewise, Manasseh did not destroy Bethshean and Taanach, with their villages, nor the inhabitants of Dor and Ibleam and Megiddo, with their villages. And the Canaanite began to live with them.
28 Kwathi abako-Israyeli sebelamandla bawabamba ngamandla amaKhenani ukuba abasebenzele kodwa kabazange bawaxotshe wonke.
Then, after Israel had grown strong, he made them tributaries, but he was not willing to destroy them.
29 Labako-Efrayimi kabawaxotshanga amaKhenani ayehlala eGezeri, kodwa amaKhenani aqhubeka ehlala khona labo.
And now Ephraim did not put to death the Canaanite, who was living at Gezer; instead, he lived with him.
30 LabakoZebhuluni kabawaxotshanga amaKhenani ayehlala eKhithironi kanye laseNahaloli, asala ephakathi kwabo; kodwa bawabamba ngamandla ukuba abasebenzele.
Zebulun did not wipe out the inhabitants of Kitron and of Nahalal. Instead, the Canaanite lived in their midst and became their tributary.
31 Labako-Asheri kababaxotshanga labo ababehlala e-Akho, kumbe eSidoni, kumbe e-Ahilabi loba e-Akhizibhi kumbe eHelibha loba e-Afekhi kumbe eRehobhi,
Likewise, Asher did not destroy the inhabitants of Acco and Sidon, Ahlab and Achzib, and Helbah, and Aphik, and Rehob.
32 njalo ngenxa yalokhu abantu bako-Asheri bahlala lamaKhenani ayeyakhe elizweni.
And he lived in the midst of the Canaanites, the inhabitants of that land, for he did not put them to death.
33 LabakoNafithali kababaxotshanga labo ababehlala eBhethi-Shemeshi kumbe eBhethi-Anathi; kodwa abakoNafithali labo bahlala lamaKhenani ayeyakhe elizweni, kwathi lawo ayehlala eBhethi-Shemeshi kanye leBhethi-Anathi abanjwa ngamandla ukuba abe yizisebenzi zabo.
Naphtali also did not wipe out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Bethanath. And he lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land. And the Beth-shemeshites and Bethanathites were tributaries to him.
34 Ama-Amori ancindezela abakoDani ukuba bahlale elizweni lezintaba, angabavumeli ukuba behlele phansi emagcekeni.
And the Amorite hemmed in the sons of Dan on the mountain, and did not give them a place, so that they might descend to the flatlands.
35 Njalo ama-Amori ayezimisele ukuhlala kokuphela eNtabeni iHeresi, le-Ayijaloni kanye leShalibhimi, kodwa kwathi amandla abendlu kaJosefa esemakhulu, lawo abanjwa ngamandla ukuba abe yizisebenzi.
And he lived on the mountain at Har-heres, which is translated as ‘resembling brick,’ and at Aijalon and Sha-alabbin. But the hand of the house of Joseph was very heavy, and he became a tributary to him.
36 Umngcele wama-Amori wawusekela uMkhandlu weNkume usiya eSela kanye langaphetsheya.
Now the border of the Amorite was from the Ascent of the Scorpion, to the Rock and the higher places.

< Abahluleli 1 >