< 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 people of Israel asked Yahweh, saying, “Who first will attack the Canaanites for us, to fight against them?”
2 UThixo waphendula wathi, “NguJuda ozahamba; ilizwe sengilinikele ezandleni zabo.”
Yahweh said, “Judah will attack. See, I have given them control of this land.”
3 Lapho-ke abantu bakoJuda bathi kwabakoSimiyoni abafowabo, “Hambani lathi elizweni esalabelwayo, ukuyakulwa lamaKhenani. Lathi sizakwenanisa ngokuhamba lani kwelenu.” Ngakho abakoSimiyoni ahamba labo.
The men of Judah said to men of Simeon, their brothers, “Come up with us into our territory that was assigned to us that together we may fight against the Canaanites. We will likewise go with you to the territory that was assigned to you.” So the tribe of Simeon went with them.
4 Kwathi uJuda esehlasele, uThixo wanikela amaKhenani lamaPherizi ezandleni zabo, wabulala abantu abazinkulungwane ezilitshumi eBhezekhi.
The men of Judah attacked, and Yahweh gave them victory over the Canaanites and the Perizzites. They killed ten thousand of them at Bezek.
5 Kukhonapho abafica khona u-Adoni-Bhezekhi balwa laye, baqothula amaKhenani kanye lamaPherizi.
They found Adoni-Bezek at Bezek, and they fought against him and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
6 U-Adoni-Bhezekhi wabaleka, kodwa baxotshana laye baze bambamba, bamquma izithupha zakhe lamazwane amakhulu.
But Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued him and caught him, and they cut off his thumbs and his big toes.
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.
Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, who had their thumbs and their big toes cut off, gathered their food from under my table. As I have done, even so God has done to me.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8 Abantu bakoJuda bahlasela leJerusalema bayithumba. Bahlasela idolobho ngezinkemba balithungela ngomlilo.
The men of Judah fought against the city of Jerusalem and took it. They attacked it with the edge of the sword and they set the city on fire.
9 Emva kwalokho, abantu bakoJuda bahamba bayakulwa lamaKhenani ayehlala elizweni lezintaba, iNegebi kanye lamawatha ezintaba angasentshonalanga.
After that, the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negev, and the western foothills.
10 Baqhubeka bayahlasela amaKhenani ayehlala eHebhroni (kuqala eyayithiwa yiKhiriyathi Aribha) banqoba uSheshayi, u-Ahimani kanye loThalimayi.
Judah advanced against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (the name of Hebron was previously Kiriath Arba), and they defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
11 Besuka lapho baqhubeka bayahlasela abantu ababehlala eDebhiri (kuqala eyayithiwa yiKhiriyathi-Sefa).
From there the men of Judah advanced against the inhabitants of Debir (the name of Debir was previously Kiriath Sepher).
12 UKhalebi wathi, “Ngizakwendisela indodakazi yami u-Akhisa endodeni ezahlasela ithumbe iKhiriyathi-Sefa.”
Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kiriath Sepher and takes it, I will give him Aksah, my daughter, to be his wife.”
13 U-Othiniyeli, indodana kaKhenazi, umnawakhe kaKhalebi, wayithumba; ngakho uKhalebi wendisela indodakazi yakhe u-Akhisa kuye.
Othniel, son of Kenaz (Caleb's younger brother) captured Debir, so Caleb gave him Aksah, his daughter, to be his wife.
14 Ngelinye ilanga u-Akhisa wafika ku-Othiniyeli wamkhuthaza ukuthi acele insimu kuyise. Lapho esehlile kubabhemi wakhe uKhalebi wambuza wathi, “Kuyini engingakwenzela khona?”
Soon Aksah came to Othniel, and she urged him to ask her father to give her a field. As she was getting off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?”
15 Waphendula wathi, “Ngicela ungenzele umusa obalulekileyo. Njengoba unginike umhlaba eNegebi, ngicela unginike lemithombo yamanzi.” Ngakho uKhalebi wamnika imithombo eyayingaphezulu leyayingaphansi.
She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me the land of the Negev, also give me springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
16 Abayinzalo kayisezala kaMosi, amaKheni, bahamba labantu bakoJuda besuka edolobheni laMalala besiyahlala phakathi kwabantu basenkangala yakoJuda eNegebi eduze le-Aradi.
The descendants of Moses' father-in-law the Kenite went up from the City of Palms with the people of Judah, into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the Negev, to live with the people of Judah near Arad.
17 Emva kwalokho abantu bakoJuda bahamba labakoSimiyoni abafowabo bahlasela amaKhenani ayehlala eZefathi, idolobho basebelichitha ngokupheleleyo. Ngakho lathiwa yiHoma.
The men of Judah went with the men of Simeon their brothers and they attacked the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath and they completely destroyed it. The name of the city was called Hormah.
18 Abantu bakoJuda bathumba njalo iGaza, i-Ashikheloni kanye le-Ekroni, idolobho linye ngalinye kanye lelizwe lalo.
The people of Judah also captured Gaza and the land around it, Ashkelon and the land around it, and Ekron and the land around it.
19 UThixo wayelabantu bakoJuda. Bathumba ilizwe lezintaba, kodwa behluleka ukuxotsha abantu ababesemagcekeni ngoba babelezinqola zempi ezenzwe ngensimbi.
Yahweh was with the people of Judah and they took possession of the hill country, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains because they had iron chariots.
20 Njengokuthembisa kukaMosi, iHebhroni yaphiwa uKhalebi, owaxotsha kuyo amadodana amathathu ka-Anakhi.
Hebron was given to Caleb (like Moses had said), and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak.
21 Kodwa abakoBhenjamini behluleka ukususa amaJebusi ayehlala eJerusalema; lalamhlanje amaJebusi ahlala khona labakoBhenjamini.
But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem. So the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
22 Ngalesosikhathi abendlu kaJosefa bahlasela iBhetheli, njalo uThixo wayelabo.
The house of Joseph prepared to attack Bethel, and Yahweh was with them.
23 Ekuthumeni kwabo abantu ukuba bayehlola iBhetheli (kuqala idolobho lelo lalithiwa yiLuzi),
They sent out men to spy on Bethel (the city that was formerly called Luz).
24 inhloli zabona umuntu ephuma edolobheni zasezisithi kuye, “Sitshengise ukuthi singangena njani edolobheni, thina-ke sizabona ukuthi uphatheka kuhle.”
The spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Show us, please, how to get into the city, and we will be kind to you.”
25 Ngakho wazitshengisa, zasezihlasela idolobho ngenkemba kodwa umuntu lowo zamyekela kanye labendlu yakhe bonke.
He showed them a way into the city, and so they attacked the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family get away.
26 Ngakho-ke waya elizweni lamaHithi, lapho akha khona idolobho alibiza ngokuthi yiLuzi, okulokhe kuyilo ibizo lalo lalamhlanje.
Then the man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this 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.
The people of Manasseh did not drive out the people living in the cities of Beth Shan and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or those who lived in Dor and its villages, or those who lived in Ibleam and its villages, or those who lived in Megiddo and its villages, because the Canaanites were determined to live in that land.
28 Kwathi abako-Israyeli sebelamandla bawabamba ngamandla amaKhenani ukuba abasebenzele kodwa kabazange bawaxotshe wonke.
When Israel became strong, they forced the Canaanites to serve them with hard labor, but they never drove them out completely.
29 Labako-Efrayimi kabawaxotshanga amaKhenani ayehlala eGezeri, kodwa amaKhenani aqhubeka ehlala khona labo.
Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites continued to live in Gezer among them.
30 LabakoZebhuluni kabawaxotshanga amaKhenani ayehlala eKhithironi kanye laseNahaloli, asala ephakathi kwabo; kodwa bawabamba ngamandla ukuba abasebenzele.
Zebulun did not drive out the people living in Kitron, or the people living in Nahalol, and so the Canaanites continued to live among them, but Zebulun forced the Canaanites to serve them with hard labor.
31 Labako-Asheri kababaxotshanga labo ababehlala e-Akho, kumbe eSidoni, kumbe e-Ahilabi loba e-Akhizibhi kumbe eHelibha loba e-Afekhi kumbe eRehobhi,
Asher did not drive out the people living in Akko, or the people living in Sidon, or those living in Ahlab, Akzib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob.
32 njalo ngenxa yalokhu abantu bako-Asheri bahlala lamaKhenani ayeyakhe elizweni.
So the tribe of Asher lived among the Canaanites (those who lived in the land), because they did not drive them out.
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.
The tribe of Naphtali did not drive out those who were living in Beth Shemesh, or those living in Beth Anath. So the tribe of Naphtali lived among the Canaanites (the people who were living in that land). However, the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced into hard labor for Naphthali.
34 Ama-Amori ancindezela abakoDani ukuba bahlale elizweni lezintaba, angabavumeli ukuba behlele phansi emagcekeni.
The Amorites forced the tribe of Dan to live in the hill country, not allowing them to come down to the plain.
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.
So the Amorites lived at Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the military might of the house of Joseph conquered them, and they were forced to serve them with hard labor.
36 Umngcele wama-Amori wawusekela uMkhandlu weNkume usiya eSela kanye langaphetsheya.
The border of the Amorites ran from the hill of Akrabbim at Sela up into the hill country.