< UJoshuwa 6 >
1 IJeriko yayivaliwe-ke ngci ngenxa yabantwana bakoIsrayeli. Kakho owaphumayo, njalo kakho owangenayo.
Meanwhile, the guards of Jericho shut the gates of the city tightly, because [they were afraid] of the Israeli [army]. No one was allowed to go into the city or go out of it.
2 INkosi yasisithi kuJoshuwa: Bona, nginikele esandleni sakho iJeriko lenkosi yayo lamaqhawe alamandla.
Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “Listen [to what I say]! I am going to enable your army [SYN] to capture/conquer [MTY] Jericho and its king and its soldiers.
3 Lizawubhoda-ke umuzi, wonke amadoda empi, awubhode umuzi kanye. Uzakwenza njalo insuku eziyisithupha.
So your army must march around the city for six days, once each day.
4 Labapristi abayisikhombisa bazathwala impondo zenqama eziyisikhombisa phambi komtshokotsho; kuthi ngosuku lwesikhombisa lizawubhoda umuzi kasikhombisa, labapristi bevuthela impondo.
Tell seven priests to march around with them. Each priest must carry a trumpet. Four other priests must carry the sacred chest, and they must walk behind the priests who are carrying the trumpets. On the seventh day, the army must march around the city seven times, and the priests must be blowing the trumpets while they march.
5 Kuzakuthi-ke lapho bekhalisa uphondo lwenqama isikhathi eside, nxa lisizwa ukukhala kophondo, abantu bonke bazamemeza ngokuklabalala okukhulu, lomduli womuzi uzadilikela phansi; labantu bazakwenyuka, ngulowo lalowo maqondana laye.
[After they have all marched around the city seven times], the priests must blow their trumpets [once], very loudly. When the Israeli people/soldiers hear that, they must shout loudly. Then the wall of the city will collapse, and all the Israeli people/soldiers will go straight into the city.”
6 Ngakho uJoshuwa indodana kaNuni wabiza abapristi wathi kibo: Thwalani umtshokotsho wesivumelwano, labapristi abayisikhombisa bathwale impondo zezinqama eziyisikhombisa phambi komtshokotsho weNkosi.
So Joshua summoned the priests and said to them, “Tell four priests to carry the chest [that contains] the Ten Commandments that Yahweh [gave to us]. [Tell] seven [other] priests to carry trumpets and walk in front of them.”
7 Wasesithi ebantwini: Dlulani liwuzingelezele umuzi, lohlomileyo kadlule phambi komtshokotsho weNkosi.
And Joshua told the soldiers, “Start marching! March around the city, with several soldiers with weapons marching in front. Behind them will march the seven priests with trumpets, and behind them will march the four priests carrying Yahweh’s [sacred] chest.”
8 Kwasekusithi uJoshuwa esekhulume ebantwini, abapristi abayisikhombisa bethwele impondo eziyisikhombisa zenqama bakhokhela phambi kweNkosi, bavuthela impondo, lomtshokotsho wesivumelwano seNkosi wabalandela.
After Joshua told that to the army, the seven priests, each carrying a sacred trumpet, started marching, blowing their trumpets. The four priests who were carrying Yahweh’s sacred chest followed them.
9 Abahlomileyo basebehamba phambi kwabapristi ababevuthela izimpondo, lesigaba sasemuva salandela umtshokotsho, bahamba bevuthela izimpondo.
The group of soldiers carrying weapons marched in front of the priests who were blowing their trumpets, and the rest of the soldiers followed [the four men carrying] the chest. While [they were all marching], [the seven priests] were blowing their trumpets.
10 UJoshuwa wayelaye-ke abantu esithi: Lingamemezi, loba lizwakalise ilizwi lenu; kungaphumi lizwi emlonyeni wenu kuze kube lusuku engizalitshela ngalo ukuthi limemeze; beselimemeza.
But [the rest of] the people [were silent, because] Joshua had commanded them, “Do not make a war cry. Do not yell or say anything until the day when I tell you to shout. On that day, you must shout [loudly]!”
11 Ngakho umtshokotsho weNkosi wawubhoda umuzi, uzingelezela kanye; basebesiza enkambeni, balala enkambeni ebusuku.
So the men carrying Yahweh’s sacred chest and all the others did what Joshua told them to do. They marched around the city once. Then they all returned to their camp and stayed there that night.
12 UJoshuwa wasevuka ekuseni kakhulu, labapristi bathwala umtshokotsho weNkosi.
The next morning, Joshua and the priests got up early, and the four priests carried Yahweh’s sacred chest [again].
13 Labapristi abayisikhombisa bephethe impondo zezinqama eziyisikhombisa phambi komtshokotsho weNkosi baqhubeka behamba, bevuthela izimpondo, labahlomileyo bahamba phambi kwabo, lesigaba sasemuva salandela umtshokotsho weNkosi, bahamba bevuthela izimpondo.
The seven priests who were carrying trumpets went in front of [the men carrying] the chest. The seven priests were blowing their trumpets as they marched. The group of soldiers carrying weapons went in front of all the others, and the rest of the army followed all the others. All the time, the seven priests were blowing their trumpets.
14 Langosuku lwesibili bawuzingelezela umuzi kanye, babuyela enkambeni. Benza njalo insuku eziyisithupha.
So on that second day they again marched around the city once and then returned to their camp. They did the same thing for six days.
15 Kwasekusithi ngosuku lwesikhombisa bavuka ngovivi emadabukakusa, bawubhoda umuzi kasikhombisa ngendlela efananayo. Kuphela ngalolosuku bawubhoda umuzi kasikhombisa.
On the seventh day, they got up at dawn, and they all marched around the city the same way that they had done before, but this time they marched around the city seven times.
16 Kwasekusithi ngesikhathi sesikhombisa, abapristi bavuthela impondo, uJoshuwa wasesithi ebantwini: Memezani, ngoba iNkosi ilinikile umuzi.
As they were marching around the seventh time, when the priests were about to blow the long/loud blast on their trumpets, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout, because Yahweh will enable you to capture the city!
17 Kodwa umuzi wona lakho konke okukuwo kuzakwehlukaniselwa eNkosini; nguRahabi iwule kuphela ozaphila, yena labo bonke alabo endlini yakhe, ngoba wafihla izithunywa esazithumayo.
Yahweh has declared that you must destroy [IDM] the city and everything in it [to show that it belongs to him]. You must spare only Rahab the prostitute and the others who are in her house, because she hid the spies whom we sent there.
18 Kodwa lina sibili zigcineni kokuqalekisiweyo, hlezi lizenze abaqalekisiweyo nxa lithatha kokuqalekisiweyo, lenze inkamba yakoIsrayeli ibe yinto eqalekisiweyo, liyihluphe.
And because Yahweh has declared that everything must be destroyed [IDM], you must not take [EUP] any of the things in the city. If you take anything, you will cause Yahweh to destroy our own camp and cause terrible things to happen to us.
19 Kodwa sonke isiliva legolide, lezitsha zethusi lezensimbi, kungcwele eNkosini. Kuzakuza endlini yokuligugu kweNkosi.
But all the silver and gold and articles made from iron and bronze that you find, you must set apart for Yahweh. You must put those things in his treasury.”
20 Abantu basebememeza, kwavuthelwa izimpondo. Kwasekusithi abantu besizwa ukukhala kwempondo, abantu bamemeza ngokuklabalala okukhulu, umduli wadilikela phansi, labantu benyukela emzini, ngulowo lalowo maqondana laye, bawuthumba umuzi.
So they did what Joshua told them to do. When the priests blew a long blast on their trumpets, the people/army shouted loudly, and the wall of the city collapsed! Then the Israeli soldiers rushed in and captured the city.
21 Batshabalalisa konke okusemzini, kusukela kowesilisa kusiya kowesifazana, kusukela komutsha kusiya komdala, kuze kube senkabini lemvini lobabhemi, ngobukhali benkemba.
They killed [IDM] every living thing in the city—men and women, young people and old people, even cattle and sheep and donkeys.
22 Lakulawomadoda amabili ayeyehlola ilizwe uJoshuwa wathi: Ngenani endlini yowesifazana oliwule, likhuphe kuyo owesifazana lakho konke alakho, njengokufunga kwenu kuye.
Then Joshua said to the two men (who had spied on/whom he had sent to learn all they could about) the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house. Bring her out, along with all her family, just as you promised to her.”
23 Lamajaha izinhloli angena akhupha uRahabi loyise lonina labanewabo lakho konke ayelakho; akhupha zonke izihlobo zakhe, azibeka ngaphandle kwenkamba yakoIsrayeli.
So those two spies/men went into Rahab’s house and brought her out. They also brought out her father and mother and her brothers, and all the rest of her family. Joshua’s men spared Rahab the prostitute. They also did not kill all her relatives, because she had hidden and protected the spies/men whom Joshua had sent to Jericho. The two men brought them all out and put them in a place outside the camp of the Israelis. Rahab still lives among us Israeli people. Then the soldiers gathered the articles made from silver, gold, bronze, and iron that they found and they put them all into Yahweh’s treasury. But they burned everything else that was in the city.
24 Basebewutshisa umuzi ngomlilo lakho konke okwakukiwo; kuphela isiliva legolide lezitsha zethusi lezensimbi bakufaka kokuligugu kwendlu yeNkosi.
25 Ngakho uRahabi iwule, lendlu kayise, labo bonke ayelabo, uJoshuwa wabayekela bephila; wahlala phakathi koIsrayeli kuze kube lamuhla, ngoba wafihla izithunywa uJoshuwa ayezithume ukuhlola iJeriko.
26 UJoshuwa wabafungisa esithi: Uqalekisiwe umuntu phambi kweNkosi osukuma akhe lumuzi iJeriko. Uzawusekela ngezibulo lakhe, amise amasango awo ngecinathunjana lakhe.
At that time, Joshua warned the people, “Yahweh will curse/punish anyone who tries to rebuild this city, Jericho. When that person lays/builds its foundation, his oldest son will die. And when he finishes building the city wall and sets up its gates, his youngest son will die.”
27 Ngokunjalo iNkosi yaba loJoshuwa, lodumo lwakhe lwaba selizweni lonke.
Because of what happened that day, it was clear that Yahweh was with/helped Joshua, and Joshua became famous throughout the land.