UJoshuwa 8
1 INkosi yasisithi kuJoshuwa: Ungesabi, ungatshaywa luvalo; thatha kanye lawe bonke abantu bempi, usukume wenyukele eAyi; bona, nginikele esandleni sakho inkosi yeAyi, labantu bayo, lomuzi wayo, lelizwe layo.
Then the Lord said to Joshua, Have no fear and do not be troubled: take with you all the fighting-men and go up against Ai: for I have given into your hands the king of Ai and his people and his town and his land:
2 Uzakwenza-ke eAyi lenkosini yayo njengokwenza kwakho eJeriko lenkosini yayo. Kuphela impango yayo lezifuyo zayo lizaziphangela. Uzibekele abacathameli ngasemzini emva kwawo.
And you are to do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king: but their goods and their cattle you may take for yourselves: let a secret force be stationed to make a surprise attack on the town from the back.
3 UJoshuwa wasesukuma labo bonke abantu bempi ukwenyukela eAyi; uJoshuwa wasekhetha amaqhawe alamandla ayizinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amathathu, wawathuma ebusuku.
So Joshua and the fighting-men got ready to go up against Ai; and Joshua took thirty thousand men of war, and sent them out by night.
4 Wawalaya esithi: Bonani, lizawucathamela umuzi ngemva komuzi. Lingabi khatshana kakhulu lomuzi, kodwa lungani lonke.
And he gave them their orders, saying, Go and take up your position secretly at the back of the town: do not go very far away, and let all of you be ready:
5 Mina-ke labo bonke abantu abalami sizasondela emzini. Kuzakuthi-ke lapho bephuma ukumelana lathi njengakuqala sibaleke phambi kwabo.
And I and all the people with me will come near the town, and when they come out against us as they did before, we will go in flight from them;
6 Njalo bazaphuma emva kwethu size sibadonse basuke emzini. Ngoba bazakuthi: Bayabaleka phambi kwethu njengakuqala. Ngakho sizabaleka phambi kwabo.
And they will come out after us, till we have got them away from the town; for they will say, They have gone in flight from us as before; so we will go in flight before them;
7 Lina-ke lizasukuma ekucathameni, liwuthumbe umuzi; ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu izawunikela esandleni senu.
Then you will get up from your secret position and take the town, for the Lord your God will give it up into your hands.
8 Kuzakuthi-ke seliwuthumbile umuzi, liwutshise umuzi ngomlilo, lizakwenza njengokwelizwi leNkosi. Bonani, ngililayile.
And when you have taken the town, put fire to it, as the Lord has said: see, I have given you your orders.
9 UJoshuwa wasebathuma, baya ekucathameni, bahlala phakathi kweBhetheli leAyi, entshonalanga kweAyi, kodwa uJoshuwa walala phakathi kwabantu ngalobobusuku.
So Joshua sent them out: and they took up a secret position between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua kept with the people that night.
10 UJoshuwa wasevuka ekuseni kakhulu, wabala abantu, wenyuka, yena labadala bakoIsrayeli, phambi kwabantu, waya eAyi.
And early in the morning Joshua got up, and put the people in order, and he and the chiefs of Israel went up before the people to Ai.
11 Labo bonke abantu bempi ababelaye benyuka, basondela, beza maqondana lomuzi, bamisa inkamba enyakatho kweAyi. Njalo kwakulesihotsha phakathi kwabo leAyi.
And all the fighting-men who were with him went up and came near the town, and took up a position on the north side of Ai facing the town, with a valley between him and the town.
12 Wasethatha phose amadoda azinkulungwane ezinhlanu, wawacathamisa phakathi kweBhetheli leAyi entshonalanga komuzi.
And taking about five thousand men, he put them in position for a surprise attack on the west side of Ai, between Beth-el and Ai.
13 Lapho sebemisa abantu, lonke ibutho elalisenyakatho komuzi, labacathami ngasentshonalanga komuzi, uJoshuwa waya phakathi kwesihotsha ngalobobusuku.
So all the people were in their places, the army on the north side of the town and the secret force on the west; and that night Joshua went down into the valley.
14 Kwasekusithi inkosi yeAyi ikubona, aphangisa avuka ngovivi; lamadoda omuzi aphuma impi emelane loIsrayeli, yona labantu bayo bonke, ngesikhathi esimisiweyo, phambi kwamagceke; kodwa yona yayingazi ukuthi kukhona abayicathameleyo emva komuzi.
Now when the king of Ai saw it, he got up quickly and went out to war against Israel, he and all his people, to the slope going down to the valley; but he had no idea that a secret force was waiting at the back of the town.
15 UJoshuwa loIsrayeli basebetshaywa phambi kwawo, babaleka ngendlela yenkangala.
Then Joshua and all Israel, acting as if they were overcome before them, went in flight by way of the waste land.
16 Kwasekubizwa bonke abantu ababesemzini ukuxotshana labo. Nxa bexotshana loJoshuwa badonswa basuka emzini.
And all the people in Ai came together to go after them; and they went after Joshua, moving away from the town.
17 Njalo kakusalanga muntu eAyi kumbe eBhetheli, abangaphumanga ukulandela uIsrayeli; bawutshiya umuzi ukhamisile, baxotshana loIsrayeli.
There was not a man in Ai and Beth-el who did not go out after Israel; and the town was open and unwatched while they went after Israel.
18 INkosi yasisithi kuJoshuwa: Yelulela umkhonto osesandleni sakho eAyi, ngoba ngizayinikela esandleni sakho. UJoshuwa waseselulela umkhonto osesandleni sakhe emzini.
And the Lord said to Joshua, Let your spear be stretched out against Ai; for I will give it into your hands. So Joshua took up his spear, stretching it out in the direction of the town.
19 Abacathemeyo basebesukuma masinyane endaweni yabo; bagijima esanda ukwelula isandla sakhe, bangena emzini, bawuthumba, baphangisa, bawutshisa umuzi ngomlilo.
Then the secret force came quickly from their place, and running forward when they saw his hand stretched out, went into the town and took it, and put fire to it straight away.
20 Kwathi lapho amadoda eAyi enyemukula abona, khangela-ke, intuthu yomuzi yenyukela emazulwini, njalo ayengelandawo yokubalekela ngapha langapha, ngoba abantu ababebalekele enkangala baphendukela ababaxotshayo.
Then the men of Ai, looking back, saw the smoke of the town going up to heaven, and were unable to go this way or that: and the people who had gone in flight to the waste land were turned back on those who were coming after them.
21 Kwathi uJoshuwa loIsrayeli wonke bebona ukuthi abacathemeyo sebewuthumbile umuzi lokuthi intuthu yomuzi yenyuka, baphenduka batshaya amadoda eAyi.
And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the town had been taken by the surprise attack, and that the smoke of the town had gone up, turning round they overcame the men of Ai.
22 Lalaba baphuma emzini ukumelana lawo, aze aba phakathi kukaIsrayeli, abanye ngapha labanye ngale; basebewatshaya, kakwaze kwasala muntu kuwo, owasilayo kumbe owaphunyukayo.
Then the other force came out of the town against them, so that they were being attacked on this side and on that: and Israel overcame them and let not one of them get away with his life.
23 Kodwa inkosi yeAyi bayibamba iphila, bayisondeza kuJoshuwa.
But the king of Ai they made prisoner, and took him to Joshua.
24 Kwasekusithi lapho uIsrayeli eseqedile ukubulala bonke abahlali beAyi egangeni, enkangala lapho ababebaxotshele khona, babewile bonke ngobukhali benkemba, baze baqedwa, uIsrayeli wonke wabuyela eAyi, bayitshaya ngobukhali benkemba.
Then, after the destruction of all the people of Ai in the field and in the waste land where they went after them, and when all the people had been put to death without mercy, all Israel went back to Ai, and put to death all who were in it without mercy.
25 Kwasekusithi, bonke abawayo mhlalokho, kusukela kwabesilisa kusiya kwabesifazana, babeyizinkulungwane ezilitshumi lambili, bonke abantu beAyi.
On that day twelve thousand were put to death, men and women, all the people of Ai.
26 Njalo uJoshuwa kasifinyezanga isandla sakhe ayelule umkhonto ngaso baze batshabalalisa bonke abahlali beAyi.
For Joshua did not take back his hand with the outstretched spear till the destruction of the people of Ai was complete.
27 Kuphela izifuyo lempango yalowomuzi uIsrayeli waziphangela, njengelizwi leNkosi eyalilaya uJoshuwa.
But the cattle and the goods from that town, Israel took for themselves, as the Lord had given orders to Joshua.
28 UJoshuwa waseyitshisa iAyi, wayimisa yaba yinqwaba phakade, unxiwa, kuze kube lamuhla.
So Joshua gave Ai to the flames, and made it a waste mass of stones for ever, as it is to this day.
29 Lenkosi yeAyi wayiphanyeka esihlahleni kwaze kwaba yisikhathi santambama. Lekutshoneni kwelanga uJoshuwa walaya ukuthi bethule isidumbu sayo esihlahleni, basiphosele emnyango wesango lomuzi, bamisa phezu kwaso inqwaba enkulu yamatshe, ekhona kuze kube lamuhla.
And he put the king of Ai to death, hanging him on a tree till evening: and when the sun went down, Joshua gave them orders to take his body down from the tree, and put it in the public place of the town, covering it with a great mass of stones, which is there to this day.
30 Khona uJoshuwa wayakhela iNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli ilathi entabeni yeEbhali.
Then Joshua put up an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, in Mount Ebal,
31 Njengokulaya kukaMozisi inceku yeNkosi kubantwana bakoIsrayeli, njengalokhu kubhalwe egwalweni lomlayo kaMozisi, ilathi lamatshe apheleleyo, okungazange kusetshenziswe nsimbi phezu kwalo. Basebenikela phezu kwalo eNkosini iminikelo yokutshiswa, bahlaba iminikelo yokuthula.
In the way ordered by Moses, the servant of the Lord, as it is recorded in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of uncut stones, untouched by any iron instrument: and on it they made burned offerings and peace-offerings to the Lord.
32 Wasebhala lapho ematsheni impinda yomlayo kaMozisi, ayibhala phambi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
And he made there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, writing it before the eyes of the children of Israel.
33 UIsrayeli wonke-ke, labadala babo, lezinduna, labahluleli babo, bema ngapha langapha komtshokotsho, beqondene labapristi, amaLevi, abathwala umtshokotsho wesivumelwano seNkosi, owezizwe njengowokuzalwa. Ingxenye yabo imaqondana lentaba yeGerizimi, lengxenye yabo maqondana lentaba yeEbhali, njengokulaya kukaMozisi inceku yeNkosi, ukubusisa abantu bakoIsrayeli kuqala.
And all Israel, those who were Israelites by birth, as well as the men from other lands living with them, and their responsible men and their overseers and judges, took their places round the ark, in front of the priests, the Levites, whose work it was to take up the ark of the Lord's agreement; half of them were stationed in front of Mount Gerizim and half in front of Mount Ebal, in agreement with the orders for the blessing of the children of Israel which Moses, the servant of the Lord, had given.
34 Langemva kwalokho wamemezela wonke amazwi omlayo, isibusiso lesiqalekiso, njengakho konke okubhaliweyo egwalweni lomlayo.
And after, he gave them all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, as it is all recorded in the book of the law;
35 Akwabakho ilizwi kukho konke uMozisi akulayayo uJoshuwa angalimemezelanga phambi kwebandla lonke lakoIsrayeli labesifazana labantwanyana labezizweni ababehamba phakathi kwabo.
Reading to all the meeting of Israel, with the women and the children and the men from other lands who were living among them, every word of the orders which Moses had given.
