UJoshuwa 5
1 Kwasekusithi lapho wonke amakhosi amaAmori ayenganeno kweJordani ngentshonalanga lawo wonke amakhosi amaKhanani ayengaselwandle esizwa ukuthi iNkosi yenza amanzi eJordani atsha ngaphambi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli saze sachapha, inhliziyo yawo yancibilika, kakusabanga khona moya kiwo, ngenxa yabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
All the kings of the people-groups to the west of the Jordan River and all the kings of the groups who were descendants of Canaan and who lived close to the [Mediterranean] Sea heard about how Yahweh had dried up the water of the Jordan [River] until all we Israeli people had crossed over. So they became very dismayed. They no longer were courageous enough to fight us.
2 Ngalesosikhathi iNkosi yathi kuJoshuwa: Zenzele ingqamu zensengetshe, ubasoke futhi abantwana bakoIsrayeli okwesibili.
While [they were camped at Gilgal], Yahweh said to Joshua, “[The Israeli males who lived in Egypt were circumcised before they left there. Now] make knives from flint stones and circumcise all the Israeli males [who have been born since then].”
3 UJoshuwa wasezenzela ingqamu zensengetshe, wabasoka abantwana bakoIsrayeli oqaqeni lwamajwabu aphambili.
So Joshua [made knives and] circumcised the Israeli males at a place that is now called ‘Circumcision Hill’.
4 Njalo yilesisizatho uJoshuwa abasokela sona; bonke abantu abaphuma eGibhithe, abesilisa, amadoda wonke empi, afela enkangala endleleni esephumile eGibhithe.
[The reason they did that is that all the men who left Egypt], those who were old enough to be soldiers, died in the desert after they left Egypt.
5 Ngoba bonke abantu abaphumayo babesokiwe, kodwa bonke abantu ababezalelwe enkangala endleleni sebephumile eGibhithe babengabasokanga.
They had been circumcised in Egypt, but the baby boys who had been born while their parents were camping in the desert after they left Egypt had not been circumcised.
6 Ngoba abantwana bakoIsrayeli bahamba enkangala iminyaka engamatshumi amane saze sabhubha isizwe sonke samadoda empi ayephume eGibhithe, ngoba engalilalelanga ilizwi leNkosi; iNkosi eyayifungile kuwo ukuthi kayiyikuwatshengisa ilizwe iNkosi eyayifungele oyise ukusinika lona, ilizwe eligeleza uchago loluju.
Our Israeli ancestors traveled around in the desert for 40 years, and all the men who were old enough to be soldiers had died. [The women had also died]. They had not obeyed Yahweh, so Yahweh said that they would not arrive at the land that he had promised to our ancestors that he would give to us, a land that was very fertile [MTY].
7 Labantwana bawo yabavusa esikhundleni sawo; bona uJoshuwa wabasoka, ngoba babengasokwanga, ngoba babengabasokanga endleleni.
The sons of those who had disobeyed Yahweh were the ones whom Joshua circumcised at Gilgal. They were circumcised because they had not been circumcised [while they were traveling in the desert].
8 Kwasekusithi sebeqedile ukusoka isizwe sonke, bahlala endaweni yabo enkambeni baze baphola.
After all the Israeli males had been circumcised, they remained in the camp and rested until their wounds were healed.
9 INkosi yasisithi kuJoshuwa: Lamuhla ngigiqile ngasusa kini ihlazo leGibhithe. Ngakho ibizo laleyondawo lathiwa yiGiligali kuze kube lamuhla.
Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “[Because your forefathers were slaves in Egypt], the Egyptians felt a revulsion toward you. But today I have removed the revulsion the Egyptians have had toward you.” Because of that, the people called the place ‘Gilgal’, [which sounds like the Hebrew word ‘removed’, ] and it still has that name.
10 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebemisa inkamba eGiligali, bagcina iphasika ngosuku lwetshumi lane lwenyanga kusihlwa emagcekeni eJeriko.
In the evening of the fourteenth day of that month, while the Israeli people were camped at Gilgal, on the plain near Jericho [city], they celebrated the Passover [Festival].
11 Basebesidla izithelo zelizwe, ngekuseni eyalandela iphasika, izinkwa ezingelamvubelo lamabele akhanzingiweyo, ngalona lolosuku.
The next day, they found some barley grain in the fields in that area. So they took that and roasted it and ate it with bread that was made without yeast.
12 Imana yacina ngelanga elalandela abadla ngalo izithelo zelizwe; labantwana bakoIsrayeli kabasabanga lemana, kodwa badla izithelo zelizwe leKhanani ngalowomnyaka.
The next day, [God] stopped [sending] manna for the Israeli people to eat. After that, they ate food that was grown in Canaan.
13 Kwasekusithi uJoshuwa eseJeriko, waphakamisa amehlo akhe wabona, khangela-ke, indoda imi maqondana laye ilenkemba yayo ehwatshiweyo isesandleni sayo. UJoshuwa wasesiya kuyo wathi kuyo: Ungowakithi yini, kumbe ungowezitha zethu?
One day when Joshua came near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him. The man was holding a sword in his hand. Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you [going to fight] for us or against us?”
14 Wasesithi: Hatshi; kodwa ngiyinduna yebutho leNkosi; sengibuyile. UJoshuwa wasesithi mbo ngobuso bakhe emhlabathini, wakhonza esithi kuye: INkosi yami ithini encekwini yayo?
The man replied, “I am not [planning to fight with you] or [against you]. Instead, I am the commander of Yahweh’s army [in heaven], and I have come [down from there to assure you that Yahweh will help you].” Then Joshua bowed down with his face on the ground (to show his respect for/to worship) the man, and said to him, “Tell me what [you want me to do].”
15 Induna yebutho leNkosi yasisithi kuJoshuwa: Khulula inyathela lakho enyaweni lwakho, ngoba indawo omi kiyo ingcwele. UJoshuwa wasesenza njalo.
The commander of Yahweh’s army replied, “Take off your sandals! [I am Yahweh, and] the ground on which you are standing is holy because I am here.” So Joshua took off his sandals.
