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.
And the LORD said unto Joshua: 'Fear not, neither be thou dismayed; take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai; see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, 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 thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king; only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves; set thee an ambush for the city behind it.'
3 UJoshuwa wasesukuma labo bonke abantu bempi ukwenyukela eAyi; uJoshuwa wasekhetha amaqhawe alamandla ayizinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amathathu, wawathuma ebusuku.
So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up to Ai; and Joshua chose out thirty thousand men, the mighty men of valour, and sent them forth by night.
4 Wawalaya esithi: Bonani, lizawucathamela umuzi ngemva komuzi. Lingabi khatshana kakhulu lomuzi, kodwa lungani lonke.
And he commanded them, saying: 'Behold, ye shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city; go not very far from the city, but be ye all 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 that are with me, will approach unto the city; and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before 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 drawn them away from the city; for they will say: They flee before us, as at the first; so we will flee before them.
7 Lina-ke lizasukuma ekucathameni, liwuthumbe umuzi; ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu izawunikela esandleni senu.
And ye shall rise up from the ambush, and take possession of the city; for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.
8 Kuzakuthi-ke seliwuthumbile umuzi, liwutshise umuzi ngomlilo, lizakwenza njengokwelizwi leNkosi. Bonani, ngililayile.
And it shall be, when ye have seized upon the city, that ye shall set the city on fire; according to the word of the LORD shall ye do; see, I have commanded you.'
9 UJoshuwa wasebathuma, baya ekucathameni, bahlala phakathi kweBhetheli leAyi, entshonalanga kweAyi, kodwa uJoshuwa walala phakathi kwabantu ngalobobusuku.
And Joshua sent them forth; and they went to the ambushment, and abode between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua lodged that night among the people.
10 UJoshuwa wasevuka ekuseni kakhulu, wabala abantu, wenyuka, yena labadala bakoIsrayeli, phambi kwabantu, waya eAyi.
And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, 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 people, even the men of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai — now there was a valley between him and Ai.
12 Wasethatha phose amadoda azinkulungwane ezinhlanu, wawacathamisa phakathi kweBhetheli leAyi entshonalanga komuzi.
And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai.
13 Lapho sebemisa abantu, lonke ibutho elalisenyakatho komuzi, labacathami ngasentshonalanga komuzi, uJoshuwa waya phakathi kwesihotsha ngalobobusuku.
So the people set themselves in array, even all the host that was on the north of the city, their rear lying in wait on the west of the city; and Joshua went that night into the midst of the vale.
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.
And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hastened and rose up early and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at the time appointed, in front of the Arabah; but he knew not that there was an ambush against him behind the city.
15 UJoshuwa loIsrayeli basebetshaywa phambi kwawo, babaleka ngendlela yenkangala.
And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
16 Kwasekubizwa bonke abantu ababesemzini ukuxotshana labo. Nxa bexotshana loJoshuwa badonswa basuka emzini.
And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them; and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
17 Njalo kakusalanga muntu eAyi kumbe eBhetheli, abangaphumanga ukulandela uIsrayeli; bawutshiya umuzi ukhamisile, baxotshana loIsrayeli.
And there was not a man left in Ai or Beth-el, that went not out after Israel; and they left the city open, and pursued 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 unto Joshua: 'Stretch out the javelin that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thy hand.' And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city.
19 Abacathemeyo basebesukuma masinyane endaweni yabo; bagijima esanda ukwelula isandla sakhe, bangena emzini, bawuthumba, baphangisa, bawutshisa umuzi ngomlilo.
And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and entered into the city, and took it; and they hastened and set the city on fire.
20 Kwathi lapho amadoda eAyi enyemukula abona, khangela-ke, intuthu yomuzi yenyukela emazulwini, njalo ayengelandawo yokubalekela ngapha langapha, ngoba abantu ababebalekele enkangala baphendukela ababaxotshayo.
And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way; and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.
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 ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned back, and slew 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.
And the other came forth out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side; and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape.
23 Kodwa inkosi yeAyi bayibamba iphila, bayisondeza kuJoshuwa.
And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought 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.
And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, even in the wilderness wherein they pursued them, and they were all fallen by the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all Israel returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword.
25 Kwasekusithi, bonke abawayo mhlalokho, kusukela kwabesilisa kusiya kwabesifazana, babeyizinkulungwane ezilitshumi lambili, bonke abantu beAyi.
And all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.
26 Njalo uJoshuwa kasifinyezanga isandla sakhe ayelule umkhonto ngaso baze batshabalalisa bonke abahlali beAyi.
For Joshua drew not back his hand, wherewith he stretched out the javelin, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
27 Kuphela izifuyo lempango yalowomuzi uIsrayeli waziphangela, njengelizwi leNkosi eyalilaya uJoshuwa.
Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the LORD which He commanded Joshua.
28 UJoshuwa waseyitshisa iAyi, wayimisa yaba yinqwaba phakade, unxiwa, kuze kube lamuhla.
So Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap for ever, even a desolation, unto 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 the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until the eventide; and at the going down of the sun Joshua commanded, and they took his carcass down from the tree, and cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raised thereon a great heap of stones, unto this day.
30 Khona uJoshuwa wayakhela iNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli ilathi entabeni yeEbhali.
Then Joshua built an altar unto 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.
as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of unhewn stones, upon which no man had lifted up any iron; and they offered thereon burnt-offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace-offerings.
32 Wasebhala lapho ematsheni impinda yomlayo kaMozisi, ayibhala phambi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote before 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, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger as the home-born; half of them in front of mount Gerizim and half of them in front of mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel.
34 Langemva kwalokho wamemezela wonke amazwi omlayo, isibusiso lesiqalekiso, njengakho konke okubhaliweyo egwalweni lomlayo.
And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written 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.
There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that walked among them.
