Numeri 21
1 Mambo weAradhi muKenani aigara kuNegevhi, akati anzwa kuti vaIsraeri vakanga vachiuya nenzira inoenda kuAtarimi, akarwisa vaIsraeri akatapa vamwe vavo.
The king of Arad [city] lived in the area where the Canaan people-group lived, in the desert in the southern part of the land. He heard a report that the Israelis were approaching on the road to Atharim [village]. So his army attacked the Israelis and captured some of them.
2 Ipapo vaIsraeri vakaita mhiko iyi kuna Jehovha, vakati: “Kana mukaisa vanhu ava mumaoko edu, tichaparadza maguta avo zvachose.”
Then the Israelis solemnly vowed: “Yahweh, if you will help us to defeat these people, we will completely destroy all their towns.”
3 Jehovha akateerera chikumbiro chavaIsraeri akapa vaKenani kwavari. Vakavaparadza zvachose ivo namaguta avo; naizvozvo nzvimbo iyo ikatumidzwa kunzi Homa.
Yahweh heard what they requested, and he enabled them to defeat the army of the Canaan people-group. The Israeli soldiers killed all the people and destroyed their towns. [Ever since that time], that place has been called Hormah [which means ‘destruction’].
4 Vakafamba vachibva nokuGomo reHori vachitevedza nzira yaienda nokuGungwa Dzvuku, kuti vapoterere Edhomu. Asi vanhu vakaora mwoyo panzira;
Then the Israelis left Hor Mountain and traveled on the road towards the Red Sea, in order to go around [the land of] Edom. But the people became impatient along the way,
5 vakapopotera Mwari naMozisi, vachiti, “Makatibudisireiko muIjipiti kuti tizofira murenje? Chingwa hapana! Mvura hapana! Uye hatidi zvokudya zvokungotamburira izvi!”
and they began to grumble/complain against God and against Moses/me. They said, “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in this desert [RHQ]? There is nothing to eat here, and nothing to drink. And we detest this lousy [manna] food!”
6 Ipapo Jehovha akatuma nyoka dzino uturu pakati pavo, dzikaruma vanhu uye vaIsraeri vazhinji vakafa.
So Yahweh sent poisonous snakes among them. Many of the people were bitten by the snakes and died.
7 Vanhu vakauya kuna Mozisi vakati, “Takatadza, patakapopotera Jehovha nemi. Nyengeterai kuti Jehovha atibvisire nyoka idzi pakati pedu.” Saka Mozisi akanyengeterera vanhu.
Then the people came to Moses/me and cried out, saying, “We [now know that we] have sinned against Yahweh and against you. Pray to Yahweh, asking that he will take away the snakes!” So Moses/I prayed for the people.
8 Jehovha akati kuna Mozisi, “Gadzira nyoka ino uturu ugoiturika padanda; ani naani anorumwa, akatarira kwairi achararama.”
Then Yahweh told him/me, “Make a model/image of a poisonous snake, and attach it to the top of a pole. If those who are bitten by the snakes look at that model, they will (recover/get well).”
9 Saka Mozisi akagadzira nyoka yendarira akaiturika padanda. Ipapo vaiti kana ani naani akange arumwa nenyoka, akatarisa panyoka yendarira, airarama.
So Moses/I made a snake from bronze and attached it to the top of a pole. Then, when those who had been bitten by a snake looked at the bronze snake, they recovered!
10 VaIsraeri vakaramba vachifamba vakandodzika musasa paObhoti.
Then the Israelis traveled to Oboth and (camped/set up their tents) there.
11 Ipapo vakasimuka kubva paObhoti vakandodzika musasa paIye Abharimi, mugwenga rakatarisana neMoabhu kwakanangana nokumabudazuva.
Then they left there, and went to Iye-Abarim, in the desert on the eastern border of Moab.
12 Kubva ipapo vakaenderera mberi vakandodzika musasa muMupata weZeredhi.
From there they traveled to the valley where the Zered riverbed is, and camped there.
13 Vakasimuka vakabvapo vakandodzika musasa mujinga meAnoni, riri murenje rinosvika kunyika yavaAmori. Anoni ndiwo muganhu weMoabhu, pakati peMoabhu navaAmori.
Then they traveled to the north side of the Arnon [River]. That area is in the desert next to the land where the Amor people-group lived. The Arnon [River] is the boundary between Moab and where the Amor people-group lived.
14 Ndokusaka Bhuku reHondo dzaJehovha richiti: “Wahebhi muSufa nehova, Anoni
That is why in the book called ‘The Book of the Wars of Yahweh’ it tells about “Waheb [town] in the Suphah area, and the ravines there; and the Arnon [River]
15 nemateru ehova dzinonanga kunzvimbo yeAri uye dzinowanikwa pamuganhu weMoabhu.”
and the ravines there, which extend as far as Ar [village] on the border of Moab.”
16 Kubva ipapo vakapfuurira mberi vachienda vakasvika kuBheeri, patsime apo pakanzi naJehovha kuna Mozisi, “Unganidza vanhu pamwe chete uye ini ndichavapa mvura.”
From there, the Israelis traveled to Beer. There was a well there, where Yahweh previously had said to Moses/me, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.”
17 Ipapo vaIsraeri vakaimba rwiyo urwu: “Tubuka, iwe tsime! Imbai pamusoro paro,
There the Israelis sang this song: “O well, give us water! Sing about this well!
18 pamusoro petsime rakacherwa namachinda, rakacherwa namakurukota avanhu, makurukota akanga ane tsvimbo dzoushe nemidonzvo.” Ipapo vakabva murenje vakaenda kuMatana,
Sing about this well which our leaders dug; they dug out [the dirt] with their royal scepters and their walking sticks.” Then the Israelis left that desert and went through Mattanah,
19 vachibva kuMatana vakaenda kuNaharieri, vachibva kuNaharieri vakaenda kuBhamoti,
Nahaliel, and Bamoth [villages].
20 uye vachibva kuBhamoti vakaenda kumupata uri muMoabhu pamusoro pegomo rePisiga rinotarira pasi kurenje.
Then they went to the valley in Moab where Pisgah [Mountain] rises above the desert.
21 VaIsraeri vakatuma nhume kundoti kuna Sihoni mambo wavaAmori:
Then the Israelis sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amor people-group. This was the message [that they/we gave him]:
22 “Titendereiwo kupfuura nomunyika yenyu. Hatingatsaukiri muminda yenyu kana minda yemizambiringa, kana kunwa mvura kubva patsime ripi zvaro. Tichangofamba hedu nomunzira huru yamambo kusvikira tapfuura munyika yenyu.”
“Allow us to travel through your country. We will stay on the king’s highway, [the main road that goes from the south to the north], until we have finished traveling through your land. We will not walk through any field or vineyard, or drink water from your wells.”
23 Asi Sihoni haana kutendera vaIsraeri kupfuura nomunyika yake. Akaunganidza hondo yake yose vakafamba vachienda kurenje kundorwisa vaIsraeri. Akati asvika paJahazi, vakarwa navaIsraeri.
But King Sihon refused. He would not allow them to walk through his land. Instead, he sent his whole army to attack the Israelis in the desert. They attacked the Israelis at Jahaz [village].
24 Kunyange zvakadaro, vaIsraeri vakamukunda nomunondo vakamutorera nyika yake kubva paAnoni kusvikira kuJabhoki, asi kusvikira kuvaAmoni bedzi, nokuti muganhu wavo wakanga wakasimba.
But the Israelis completely defeated them and occupied their land, from the Arnon [River in the south] to the Jabbok [River in the north]. They stopped at the border of the land where the Ammon people-group lived, because [the Ammon army was defending] the border strongly.
25 VaIsraeri vakatapa maguta ose avaAmori vakagaramo, pamwe chete neHeshibhoni nenzvimbo dzaro dzose dzokugara.
So the Israelis occupied all the cities and towns where the Amor people-group lived, and some of the Israelis began to live in them. They occupied Heshbon [city] and the nearby villages.
26 Heshibhoni rakanga riri guta raSihoni mambo wavaAmori, akanga arwa namambo akanga ari weMoabhu kare akamutorera nyika yake yose kundosvika kuAnoni.
Heshbon was the capital of the country. It was the city where King Sihon ruled. His army had previously defeated the army of the king of Moab, and then his people had begun to live in all of the land of Moab as far as the Arnon [River in the south].
27 Ndokusaka vadetembi vachiti: “Uyai kuHeshibhoni uye ngarivakwezve; guta raSihoni ngaridzorerwezve.
For that reason, one of the poets wrote long ago, “Come to Heshbon, the city where King Sihon [ruled]. We want the city to be restored/rebuilt.
28 “Moto wakabuda muHeshibhoni, iwo murazvo kubva muguta raSihoni. Wakaparadza Ari reMoabhu, ivo vagari vokwakakwirira kweAnoni.
A fire blazed from Heshbon; it burned down Ar [city] in Moab, it destroyed [everything on] the hills along the Arnon [River].
29 Une nhamo, iwe Moabhu! Maparadzwa, imi vanhu veKemoshi! Akapa vanakomana vake savatizi navanasikana vake senhapwa kuna Sihoni mambo wavaAmori.
You people of Moab, terrible things have happened to you! You people who [worship your god] Chemosh have been (annihilated/wiped out)! The men who [worshiped] [MET] Chemosh have run away and are now refugees, and the women [who worshiped him] have been captured by [the army of] Sihon, the king of the Amor people-group.
30 “Asi takavakunda; Heshibhoni yakaparadzwa yose kusvikira kuDhibhoni. Takavaparadza kusvikira kuNofa, iyo inosvika kuMedhebha.”
But we have defeated [Sihon and] those descendants of Amor, all the way from Heshbon [in the north] to Dibon [city in the south]. We have completely obliterated/destroyed them as far as Nophah and Medeba [towns].”
31 Saka vaIsraeri vakagara munyika yavaAmori.
So the Israeli people began to live in the land where the Amor people-group lived.
32 Shure kwokunge Mozisi atuma vasori kuJazeri, vaIsraeri vakatapa nzvimbo dzaro dzakanga dzakaripoteredza uye vakadzinga vaAmori vakanga vageremo.
After Moses/I sent some men to explore the area near Jazer [city], Israeli people began to live in all the towns in that region and expelled the Amor people-group who lived there.
33 Ipapo vakadzoka vakakwidza nenzira inoenda nokuBhashani, uye Ogi mambo weBhashani nehondo yake yose akabuda kuti andosangana navo kuti arwe navo paEdhirei.
Then they turned [north] toward the Bashan region, but King Og of Bashan and all his army attacked them at Edrei [town].
34 Jehovha akati kuna Mozisi, “Usamutya, nokuti ndamupa kwauri, nehondo yake yose uye nenyika yake. Umuitire zvawakaitira Sihoni mambo wavaAmori, uyo aitonga muHeshibhoni.”
Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Do not be afraid of Og, because I am going to enable your men to defeat him and his army, and to take possession of all his land. You will do to him what you did to Sihon, the king of the Amor people-group, who ruled in Heshbon.”
35 Saka vakamuuraya, pamwe chete navanakomana vake nehondo yake yose, vakasiya pasina kana mupenyu. Uye vakatora nyika yake.
And that is what happened. We Israelis defeated Og’s army, and killed King Og and his sons and all his people. Not a person survived! And then we Israelis began to live in their land.
