Abahluleli 1
1 Kwasekusithi emva kokufa kukaJoshuwa abantwana bakoIsrayeli babuza iNkosi besithi: Ngubani ozasenyukelela ukuyamelana lamaKhanani kuqala ukulwa emelene labo?
After Joshua died, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Which tribe from among us should go first and attack the Canaanites?”
2 INkosi yasisithi: UJuda uzakwenyuka; khangelani, ngilinikele ilizwe esandleni sakhe.
“Judah is to go first,” the Lord replied. “I have handed the land over to them.”
3 UJuda wasesithi kuSimeyoni umfowabo: Yenyuka lami enkathweni yami ukuze silwe simelene lamaKhanani; lami-ke ngizahamba lawe enkathweni yakho. USimeyoni wasehamba laye.
The men of Judah said to their relatives of the tribe of Simeon, “Come with us to the land that has been allotted to us, and fight together with us against the Canaanites. Then we'll do the same for you and your allotted land.” So the tribe of Simeon joined with them.
4 UJuda wasesenyuka, njalo iNkosi yanikela amaKhanani lamaPerizi esandleni sabo; bawatshaya eBezeki, amadoda azinkulungwane ezilitshumi.
The men of Judah attacked the Canaanites and Perizzites, and the Lord handed them over in defeat. They killed ten thousand of the enemy at the town of Bezek.
5 Basebefica uAdoni-Bezeki eBezeki, balwa bemelene laye, bawatshaya amaKhanani lamaPerizi.
There they confronted Adoni-bezek and fought with him, defeating the Canaanites and Perizzites.
6 Kodwa uAdoni-Bezeki wabaleka, baxotshana laye, bambamba, baquma izithupha zezandla zakhe lamazwane akhe amakhulu.
Adoni-bezek ran away, but they chased after him and captured him, and then cut off his thumbs and big toes.
7 UAdoni-Bezeki wasesithi: Amakhosi angamatshumi ayisikhombisa aqunywe izithupha zezandla zawo lezenyawo zawo ayedobha ngaphansi kwetafula lami. Njengokwenza kwami, ngokunjalo uNkulunkulu ungiphindisele. Basebemusa eJerusalema, wafela khona.
Adoni-bezek said, “I had seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off picking up left-overs from under my table. Now God has paid me back in the same way what I did to them.” They took him to Jerusalem where he died.
8 Abantwana bakoJuda balwa-ke bemelene leJerusalema, bayithumba, bayitshaya ngobukhali benkemba, lomuzi bawuthungela ngomlilo.
The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and conquered it. They killed the inhabitants with the sword and burned the town down.
9 Emva kwalokho-ke abantwana bakoJuda behla ukuyakulwa bemelene lamaKhanani ayehlala entabeni leningizimu lesihotsheni.
After this the men of Judah went to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, in the Negev, and in the foothills of the lowlands.
10 UJuda wasehamba wamelana lamaKhanani ayehlala eHebroni; lebizo leHebroni kuqala kwakuyiKiriyathi-Arba; batshaya uSheshayi loAhimani loTalimayi.
They attacked the Canaanites who lived Hebron (previously known as Kiriath Arba) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
11 Basuka lapho baya bamelana labahlali beDebiri. Lebizo leDebiri kuqala kwakuyiKiriyathi-Seferi.
From there they went on to attack the people living in Debir (previously known as Kiriath Sepher).
12 UKalebi wasesithi: Ozatshaya iKiriyathi-Seferi, ayithumbe, ngizamnika uAkisa indodakazi yami ibe ngumkakhe.
Caleb announced, “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to whoever attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.”
13 UOthiniyeli indodana kaKenazi umfowabo kaKalebi, owayemncane kulaye, waseyithumba; wasemnika uAkisa indodakazi yakhe ukuba ngumkakhe.
Othniel, son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, was the one captured it, so he gave him his daughter Acsah in marriage.
14 Kwasekusithi ekufikeni kwakhe wamkhuthaza ukuthi acele kuyise insimu; wasesehla kubabhemi, uKalebi wasesithi kuye: Ulani?
When Acsah came to Othniel, she encouraged him to ask her father for a field. As she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want?”
15 Wasesithi kuye: Ngipha isibusiso. Njengoba ungiphe ilizwe leningizimu, ngipha njalo imithombo yamanzi. UKalebi wasemnika imithombo engaphezulu lemithombo engaphansi.
“Please give me a blessing,” she replied. “You gave me land that's like the desert, so please give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.
16 Abantwana bomKeni, uyisezala kaMozisi, basebesenyuka besuka emzini wamalala, belabantwana bakoJuda, baya enkangala yakoJuda, eseningizimu kweAradi; baya bahlala phakathi kwabantu.
The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenite, went with the people of Judah from the city of palms to the wilderness of Judah in the Negev near Arad where they settled among the people.
17 UJuda wasehamba loSimeyoni umfowabo, bawatshaya amaKhanani ayehlala eZefathi, bayitshabalalisa. Ngakho ibizo lomuzi lathiwa yiHorma.
Then Judah joined Simeon and defeated the Canaanites living in Zephath. They completely destroyed the town, so they named it Hormah.
18 UJuda wasethumba iGaza lomngcele wayo, leAshikeloni lomngcele wayo, leEkhironi lomngcele wayo.
Judah also captured the towns of Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron, each with its surrounding territory.
19 INkosi yasisiba loJuda, wadla ilifa lezintaba, kodwa wayengelakubaxotsha elifeni abahlali besigodi, ngoba babelezinqola zensimbi.
The Lord was with Judah, and they took over the hill country, but they could not drive out the people living on the plain because they had iron chariots.
20 Basebenika uKalebi iHebroni, njengokutsho kukaMozisi; wasexotsha elifeni esuka lapho amadodana amathathu kaAnaki.
As Moses had stipulated, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove out from it the descendants of three sons of Anak.
21 Kodwa abantwana bakoBhenjamini kabawaxotshanga elifeni amaJebusi ayehlala eJerusalema; ngakho amaJebusi ahlala labantwana bakoBhenjamini eJerusalema kuze kube lamuhla.
However, Benjamin could not drive out the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live among the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this very day.
22 Lendlu kaJosefa, labo benyukela eBhetheli; njalo iNkosi yayilabo.
The descendants of Joseph went and attacked the town of Bethel, and the Lord was with them.
23 Indlu kaJosefa yasithuma inhloli eBhetheli; lebizo lomuzi kuqala laliyiLuzi.
They sent spies to investigate Bethel, which was previously known as Luz.
24 Abalindi basebebona umuntu ephuma emzini, bathi kuye: Akusitshengise indlela yokungena emzini, besesikwenzela umusa.
The spies saw a man leaving the town and told him, “Please show us how to get into town, and we will treat you well.”
25 Esebatshengise indlela yokungena emzini, bawutshaya umuzi ngobukhali benkemba, kodwa lowomuntu losapho lwakhe lonke babayekela bahamba.
The man showed them the way into the town, and they killed all the inhabitants except the man and his family, whom they let go.
26 Lowomuntu wasesiya elizweni lamaHethi, wakha umuzi, wabiza ibizo lawo ngokuthi yiLuzi; yilelo ibizo lawo kuze kube lamuhla.
The man moved to the country of the Hittites, and built a town there and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.
27 UManase kaxotshanga-ke iBeti-Sheyani lemizana yayo, leThahanakhi lemizana yayo, labahlali beDori lemizana yayo, labahlali beIbileyamu lemizana yayo, labahlali beMegido lemizana yayo; kodwa amaKhanani afuna ukuhlala kulelolizwe.
However, Manasseh didn't drive out the people living in the towns of Beth Shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo and their surrounding villages because the Canaanites insisted on living in the land.
28 Kwasekusithi uIsrayeli eselamandla wawamisa amaKhanani kusibhalo, kodwa kawaxotshanga lokuwaxotsha elifeni.
When the Israelites grew stronger, they made the Canaanites do forced labor, but they never completely drove them out.
29 UEfrayimi kawaxotshanga-ke elifeni amaKhanani ayehlala eGezeri, kodwa amaKhanani ahlala eGezeri phakathi kwabo.
Ephraim didn't drive out the Canaanites living in the town of Gezer, so the Canaanites went on living there among them.
30 UZebuluni kabaxotshanga elifeni abahlali beKitroni labahlali beNahaloli, kodwa amaKhanani ahlala phakathi kwabo, aba yizibhalwa.
Zebulun didn't drive out the people living in the towns of Kitron and Nahalol, so the Canaanites went on living there among them. However, the Canaanites were made to do forced labor for the people of Zebulun.
31 UAsheri kabaxotshanga elifeni abahlali beAko labahlali beSidoni leAhilabi leAkizibi leHeliba leAfiki leRehobi;
Asher didn't drive out the people living in the towns of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob,
32 kodwa abakoAsheri bahlala phakathi kwamaKhanani abahlali belizwe, ngoba kabawaxotshanga elifeni.
so the people of Asher went on living there among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land because they hadn't driven them out.
33 UNafithali kabaxotshanga elifeni abahlali beBeti-Shemeshi labahlali beBeti-Anathi, kodwa wahlala phakathi kwamaKhanani, abahlali belizwe; kodwa abahlali beBeti-Shemeshi labeBeti-Anathi baba yizibhalwa kubo.
Naphtali didn't drive out the people living in the towns of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. So the people of Asher went on living there among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land because they hadn't driven them out. However, the people of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were made to do forced labor for the people of Naphtali.
34 AmaAmori asebafuqela abantwana bakoDani entabeni, ngoba kawabavumelanga ukwehlela esigodini.
The Amorites pushed the people of Dan back into the hill country—they did not let them come down into the lowlands.
35 Kodwa amaAmori ayefuna ukuhlala entabeni yeHeresi eAjaloni leShahalibimi, kodwa isandla sendlu kaJosefa saba nzima, aba yizibhalwa.
The Amorites insisted on remaining in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim, but when the tribes of Joseph grew stronger, the Amorites were made to do forced labor.
36 Umngcele wamaAmori wawusukela emqansweni weAkirabimi, uvela edwaleni usiya phezulu.
The border with the Amorites ran from Scorpion Pass through Sela and on up from there.
