UJoshuwa 24

1 UJoshuwa wasebuthanisa zonke izizwe zakoIsrayeli eShekema, wabiza abadala bakoIsrayeli lenhloko zabo labahluleli babo lenduna zabo, bazimisa phambi kukaNkulunkulu.

And Joshua gathered all the tribe of Israel to Selo, and convoked their elders, and their officers, and their judges, and set them before God.

2 UJoshuwa wasesithi kubo bonke abantu: Itsho njalo iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Endulo oyihlo babehlala ngaphetsheya komfula, uTera uyise kaAbrahama loyise kaNahori, babekhonza abanye onkulunkulu.

And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers at first sojourned beyond the river, [even] Thara, the father of Abraam and the father of Nachor; and they served other gods.

3 Ngasengimthatha uyihlo uAbrahama ngimsusa ngaphetsheya komfula, ngamhambisa wadabula elizweni lonke leKhanani, ngayandisa inzalo yakhe, ngamnika uIsaka.

And I took your father Abraam from the other side of the river, and I guided him through all the land, and I multiplied his seed;

4 LakuIsaka nganika uJakobe loEsawu. LakuEsawu nganika intaba yeSeyiri ukudla ilifa layo, kodwa uJakobe labantwana bakhe behlela eGibhithe.

and I gave to him Isaac, and to Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave to Esau mount Seir for him to inherit: and Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt, and became there a great and populous and mighty nation: and the Egyptians afflicted them.

5 Ngasengithuma uMozisi loAroni, ngatshaya iGibhithe, njengalokho engakwenzayo phakathi kwayo; lemva kwalokho ngalikhupha.

And I struck Egypt with the wonders that I wrought amongst them.

6 Ngasengibakhupha oyihlo eGibhithe, lafika elwandle, amaGibhithe asexotshana lani ngenqola langamabhiza aze afika eLwandle oluBomvu.

And afterwards [God] brought out our fathers from Egypt, and you entered into the Red Sea; and the Egyptians pursued after our fathers with chariots and horses into the Red Sea.

7 Kwathi bekhala eNkosini, yabeka umnyama phakathi kwenu lamaGibhithe, yaletha ulwandle phezu kwabo, yabasibekela. Lamehlo enu abona engakwenza eGibhithe. Lahlala enkangala insuku ezinengi.

And we cried aloud to the Lord; and he put a cloud and darkness between us and the Egyptians, and he brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in the land of Egypt; and you were in the wilderness many days.

8 Ngasengililetha elizweni lamaAmori ayehlala ngaphetsheya kweJordani, asesilwa lani, ngawanikela esandleni senu, lalidla ilifa lelizwe lawo, ngawachitha phambi kwenu.

And he brought us into the land of the Amorites that lived beyond Jordan, and the Lord delivered them into our hands; and you inherited their land, and utterly destroyed them from before you.

9 UBalaki indodana kaZipori inkosi yakoMowabi wasesukuma walwa loIsrayeli, wathuma wabiza uBalami indodana kaBeyori ukuthi aliqalekise.

And Balac, king of Moab, son of Sepphor, rose up, and made war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam to curse us.

10 Kodwa kangithandanga ukulalela uBalami; ngakho walibusisa lokulibusisa, ngasengilikhulula esandleni sakhe.

But the Lord your God would not destroy you; and he greatly blessed us, and rescued us out of their hands, and delivered them [to us].

11 Lachapha iJordani, lafika eJeriko, izakhamizi zeJeriko zalwa zimelene lani, amaAmori, lamaPerizi, lamaKhanani, lamaHethi, lamaGirigashi, amaHivi, lamaJebusi; ngawanikela esandleni senu.

And you crossed over Jordan, and came to Jericho; and the inhabitants of Jericho fought against us, the Amorite, and the Chananite, and the Pherezite, and the Evite, and the Jebusite, and the Chettite, and the Gergesite, and the Lord delivered them into our hands.

12 Ngathuma olonyovu phambi kwenu abawaxotsha phambi kwenu, amakhosi amabili amaAmori; hatshi ngenkemba yakho njalo hatshi ngedandili lakho.

And he sent forth the hornet before you; and he drove them out from before you, [even] twelve kings of the Amorites, not with your sword, nor with your bow.

13 Ngasengilinika ilizwe elingalisebenzelanga, lemizi elingayakhanga, lihlala kiyo. Lidla okwezivini lezivande zemihlwathi elingakuhlanyelanga.

And he gave you a land on which you did not labour, and cities which you did not build, and you were settled in them; and you eat [of] vineyards and olive yards which you did not plant.

14 Khathesi-ke yesabeni iNkosi, liyikhonze ngobuqotho langeqiniso, lisuse onkulunkulu oyihlo ababakhonza ngaphetsheya komfula leGibhithe, njalo likhonze iNkosi.

And now fear the Lord, and serve him in righteousness and justice; and remove the strange gods, which our fathers served beyond the river, and in Egypt; and serve the Lord.

15 Uba-ke kukubi emehlweni enu ukuyikhonza iNkosi, zikhetheleni lamuhla lowo elizamkhonza; kumbe onkulunkulu ababakhonzayo oyihlo ababengaphetsheya komfula, loba onkulunkulu bamaAmori elihlala elizweni lawo. Kodwa mina lendlu yami sizayikhonza iNkosi.

But if it seem not good to you to serve the Lord, choose to yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of your fathers that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, amongst whom you dwell upon their land: but I and my house will serve the Lord, for he is holy.

16 Basebephendula abantu besithi: Kakube khatshana lathi ukuthi sitshiye iNkosi, sikhonze abanye onkulunkulu.

And the people answered and said, Far be it from us to forsake the Lord, so as to serve other gods.

17 Ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu iyiyo eyasenyusayo labobaba sivela elizweni leGibhithe, endlini yobugqili, eyenza phambi kwamehlo ethu lezizibonakaliso ezinkulu, yasilondoloza endleleni yonke esahamba kiyo, laphakathi kwabo bonke abantu esedlule phakathi kwabo.

The Lord our God, he is God; he brought up us and our fathers from Egypt, and kept us in all the way wherein we walked, and amongst all the nations through whom we passed.

18 INkosi yasixotsha phambi kwethu zonke izizwe, lamaAmori ayehlala elizweni. Thina lathi sizayikhonza iNkosi, ngoba inguNkulunkulu wethu.

And the Lord cast out the Amorite, and all the nations that inhabited the land from before us: yes, we will serve the Lord, for he is our God.

19 UJoshuwa wasesithi ebantwini: Kalilakuyikhonza iNkosi, ngoba inguNkulunkulu ongcwele, inguNkulunkulu olobukhwele. Kayiyikuthethelela iziphambeko zenu lezono zenu.

And Joshua said to the people, Indeed you will not be able to serve the Lord, for God is holy; and he being jealous will not forgive your sins and your transgressions.

20 Uba liyitshiya iNkosi likhonze onkulunkulu abezizwe, izaphenduka yenze okubi kini, iliqede, emva kokuthi ilenzele okuhle.

Whenever you shall forsake the Lord and serve other gods, then he shall come upon you and afflict you, and consume you, because he has done you good.

21 Abantu basebesithi kuJoshuwa: Hatshi, kodwa sizayikhonza iNkosi.

And the people said to Joshua, Nay, but we will serve the Lord.

22 UJoshuwa wasesithi ebantwini: Lingabafakazi ngani ukuthi lina lizikhethele iNkosi ukuyikhonza. Basebesithi: Singabafakazi.

And Joshua said to the people, You [are] witnesses against yourselves, that you have chosen the Lord to serve him.

23 Khathesi-ke, susani onkulunkulu abezizwe abaphakathi kwenu, lithobele inhliziyo yenu eNkosini, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli.

And now take away the strange gods that are amongst you, and set your heart right towards the Lord God of Israel.

24 Abantu basebesithi kuJoshuwa: INkosi uNkulunkulu wethu sizayikhonza, lelizwi layo sililalele.

And the people said to Joshua, We will serve the Lord, and we will listen to his voice.

25 Ngakho uJoshuwa wasebenzela abantu isivumelwano ngalolosuku, wababekela isimiso lesimiselo eShekema.

So Joshua made a covenant with the people on that day, and gave them a law and an ordinance in Selo before the tabernacle of the God of Israel.

26 UJoshuwa wasebhala lawomazwi egwalweni lomlayo kaNkulunkulu; wathatha ilitshe elikhulu, walimisa lapho ngaphansi kwesihlahla se-okhi elingasendlini engcwele yeNkosi.

And he wrote these words in the book of the laws of God: and Joshua took a great stone, and set it up under the oak before the Lord.

27 UJoshuwa wasesithi ebantwini bonke: Khangelani, lelilitshe lizakuba yibufakazi ngathi, ngoba liwezwile wonke amazwi eNkosi eyawakhuluma kithi; ngakho lizakuba yibufakazi ngani, hlezi lenze inkohliso kuNkulunkulu wenu.

And Joshua said to the people, Behold, this stone shall be amongst you for a witness, for it has heard all the words that have been spoken to it by the Lord; for he has spoken to you this day; and this [stone] shall be amongst you for a witness in the last days, whenever you shall deal falsely with the Lord my God.

28 UJoshuwa wasebayekela abantu ukuthi bahambe, ngulowo lalowo waya elifeni lakhe.

And Joshua dismissed the people, and they went every man to his place.

29 Kwasekusithi emva kwalezizinto uJoshuwa indodana kaNuni, inceku yeNkosi, wafa eleminyaka elikhulu letshumi.

And it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Naue the servant of the Lord died, [at the age] of a hundred and ten years.

30 Basebemngcwabela emngceleni welifa lakhe eThiminathi-Sera esentabeni yakoEfrayimi enyakatho kwentaba iGahashi.

And they buried him by the borders of his inheritance in Thamnasarach in the mount of Ephraim, northward of the mount of Galaad.

31 Njalo uIsrayeli wayikhonza iNkosi zonke izinsuku zikaJoshuwa lazo zonke izinsuku zabadala abelula insuku emva kukaJoshuwa, njalo ababewazi wonke umsebenzi weNkosi eyawenzela uIsrayeli.

And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that lived as long as Joshua, and all that knew all the works of the Lord which he wrought for Israel.

32 Lamathambo kaJosefa abantwana bakoIsrayeli ababenyuke lawo bevela eGibhithe bawangcwaba eShekema, esiqintini sensimu uJakobe asithenga kubantwana bakaHamori uyise kaShekema ngenhlamvu zesiliva ezilikhulu; saba-ke yilifa labantwana bakoJosefa.

And the children of Israel brought up the bones of Joseph out of Egypt, and buried [them] in Sicima, in the portion of the land which Jacob bought of the Amorites who lived in Sicima for a hundred ewe-lambs; and he gave it to Joseph for a portion.

33 UEleyazare indodana kaAroni wasesifa, bamngcwaba eqaqeni lukaPhinehasi indodana yakhe, ayeluphiwe entabeni yakoEfrayimi.

And it came to pass afterwards that Eleazar the high-priest the son of Aaron died, and was buried in Gabaar of Phinees his son, which he gave him in mount Ephraim.