Torati 9
1 Sikiliza, ee Israeli. Sasa mnakaribia kuvuka Yordani mwingie na kuwafukuza mataifa makubwa na yenye nguvu kuliko ninyi pamoja na miji mikubwa yenye kuta zilizofika juu angani.
“You people of Israel, listen to me! You will soon [HYP] cross the Jordan [River]. In the land that you will enter, there are large cities that have very high walls [around them] that [seem to] [HYP] extend up to the sky. There are people-groups in that land that are more numerous and more powerful than you are.
2 Watu ni wenye nguvu na warefu, ni wana wa Waanaki! Mnafahamu habari zao na mmesikia inavyosemekana: “Ni nani awezaye kusimama dhidi ya Waanaki?”
Those people are very tall and strong. [Some of them] are giants who are descendants of Anak. You know about them, and you have heard people say that no one [RHQ] can defeat the descendants of Anak.
3 Kuweni na hakika leo kwamba Bwana Mungu wenu ndiye atakayetangulia kuvuka mbele yenu kama moto uteketezao. Atawaangamiza; atawatiisha mbele yenu. Nanyi mtawafukuza na kuwaangamiza mara moja, kama Bwana alivyowaahidi.
But I want you to know that Yahweh our God will go ahead of you. He will be like a raging/roaring fire. While you advance, he will defeat and destroy them. As a result, you will quickly be able to expel some of them and kill the others, which is what Yahweh promised that you would do.
4 Baada ya Bwana Mungu wenu kuwafukuza mbele yenu, msiseme mioyoni mwenu, “Bwana ametuleta hapa kuimiliki nchi hii kwa sababu ya haki yetu.” La, ni kwa sababu ya uovu wa mataifa haya ndiyo Bwana anawafukuza mbele yenu.
“After Yahweh our God has expelled them for you, do not say to yourselves, ‘It is because we are righteous that Yahweh has enabled us to capture this land.’ The truth is that it is because the people in that land are wicked that Yahweh will expel them as you advance.
5 Si kwa sababu ya haki yenu wala uadilifu wenu kwamba mtaimiliki nchi yao; lakini kwa sababu ya uovu wa mataifa haya, Bwana Mungu wenu atawafukuza mbele yenu, ili kutimiza lile alilowaapia baba zenu Abrahamu, Isaki na Yakobo.
[I say again that] it is not because you are righteous or because you do things that are righteous that you will enter and capture that land. It is because those people-groups are very wicked that Yahweh our God will expel them as you advance, and because he intends to do what he vowed to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would do.
6 Basi mjue, si kwa sababu ya haki yenu Bwana Mungu wenu anawapa nchi hii nzuri kuimiliki, kwa kuwa ninyi ni taifa lenye shingo ngumu.
I want you to know that it is not because you are righteous that Yahweh our God is giving you this good/fertile land. I say that because [you are not righteous]; you are a very stubborn [IDM] people.”
7 Kumbukeni hili, kamwe msisahau jinsi mlivyomkasirisha Bwana Mungu wenu kwa hasira huko jangwani. Tangu siku mlipotoka Misri mpaka mlipofika hapa, mmekuwa waasi dhidi ya Bwana.
“Never forget what your ancestors did in the desert that caused Yahweh our God to become angry. From the day that we left Egypt until the day that we arrived here, you and your ancestors have continually rebelled against him.
8 Kule Horebu mliamsha ghadhabu ya Bwana, kwa hiyo alikasirika vya kutosha hata akataka kuwaangamiza.
Even at Sinai [Mountain] your ancestors caused Yahweh to become angry. Because he was very angry, he was ready to get rid of [all of] them.
9 Nilipopanda mlimani kupokea mbao za mawe, mbao za Agano lile Bwana alilofanya nanyi, nilikaa mlimani siku arobaini usiku na mchana, sikula mkate wala sikunywa maji.
When I climbed the mountain to receive from him the stone tablets on which he had written the Ten Commandments that he was giving to them, I stayed there 40 days and nights, and [during that time] I did not eat or drink anything.
10 Bwana alinipa mbao mbili za mawe zilizoandikwa kwa kidole cha Mungu. Juu ya mbao hizo kulikuwepo amri zote ambazo Bwana aliwatangazia kule mlimani kwa njia ya moto, siku ya kusanyiko.
Yahweh gave me the two stone tablets on which he had written [the commandments] with his own fingers. They were the words/commandments that he had spoken to your ancestors from the fire on that mountain, when they were gathered together [at the bottom of the mountain].
11 Mwisho wa siku arobaini usiku na mchana, Bwana alinipa mbao mbili za mawe, mbao za Agano.
“At the end of those 40 days and nights, Yahweh gave me those two stone tablets on which he had written those commandments.
12 Kisha Bwana akaniambia, “Shuka chini mara moja, kwa sababu watu wako ambao umewatoa katika nchi ya Misri wamepotoka. Wamegeukia mbali haraka kutoka lile nililowaagiza, wamejitengenezea sanamu ya kusubu.”
But then he said to me, ‘Go down the mountain immediately, because [the people whom you are leading], the people whom you led out of Egypt, have committed a terrible sin! They have very quickly done what I commanded them not to do. They have made for themselves a metal statue [of a calf to worship].’
13 Naye Bwana akaniambia, “Nimewaona watu hawa nao ni watu wenye shingo ngumu sana!
Then Yahweh said to me, ‘I have been watching these people, and I see that they are very stubborn.
14 Niache, ili nipate kuwaangamiza na kufuta jina lao kutoka chini ya mbingu. Nami nitakufanya kuwa taifa lenye nguvu zaidi na kuwa wengi kuliko wao.”
So do not try to stop me. I am going to destroy all of them, with the result that no one anywhere will remember (their names [MTY]/that they ever existed). Then I will enable you to become [the ancestor of] a nation that will be more numerous and more powerful than they are.’
15 Kwa hiyo niligeuka na kuteremka kutoka mlimani kwani mlima ulikuwa ukiwaka moto. Pia vibao vile viwili vya Agano vilikuwa mikononi mwangu.
So I turned and went down the mountain, carrying in my hands the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were [written]. Fire was burning all over the mountain.
16 Nilipotazama, niliona kuwa mmefanya dhambi dhidi ya Bwana Mungu wenu; mmejifanyia sanamu ya kusubu katika umbo la ndama. Mmegeuka upesi kutoka njia ile Bwana aliyowaagiza.
I looked, and I was shocked to see that your ancestors had committed a [great] sin against Yahweh. They very quickly had begun to do what Yahweh our God had commanded them not to do. They had [requested Aaron to] make for them [a metal image of] a calf [to worship].
17 Kwa hiyo nilichukua vibao vile viwili nikavitupa na kuvipasua vipande vipande mbele ya macho yenu.
So while they were watching, I lifted up those two stone tablets and threw them [on the ground], and they broke into pieces.
18 Ndipo tena nikasujudu mbele za Bwana kwa siku arobaini usiku na mchana. Sikula mkate wala sikunywa maji, kwa sababu ya dhambi yote mliyoifanya, mkifanya lile lililo ovu mbele za Bwana na kumkasirisha.
Then I (prostrated myself/lay) on the ground in Yahweh’s presence as I had done before, and I did not eat or drink anything for 40 days and nights. I did that because your ancestors had sinned against Yahweh and caused him to become very angry.
19 Niliogopa hasira na ghadhabu ya Bwana, kwa kuwa aliwakasirikia vya kutosha na kutaka kuwaangamiza. Lakini Bwana alinisikiliza tena.
I was afraid/worried that because Yahweh was very angry with them, he would get rid of all of them. [But again I prayed that he would not do that], and again he listened to me [and answered my prayer].
20 Bali yeye alimkasirikia Aroni kiasi cha kutaka kumwangamiza, nami wakati huo nilimwombea Aroni pia.
Yahweh was also very angry with Aaron [for making that golden calf] and was ready to kill Aaron. But at the same time I prayed for Aaron also, [and Yahweh answered my prayer].
21 Kisha nikachukua ile sanamu ya ndama mliyoitengeneza na kuichoma kwenye moto. Nikaiponda na kuisaga ikawa unga laini kama vumbi, nikatupa lile vumbi kwenye kijito kilichotiririka toka mlimani.
Your ancestors had sinned by [requesting Aaron to] make [a metal statue of] a calf. So I took that statue and [I melted it] in a fire and crushed it and ground it into very tiny pieces [HYP]. Then I threw those tiny pieces into the stream that flowed down the mountain.
22 Pia mlimkasirisha Bwana huko Tabera, Masa na Kibroth-Hataava.
Your ancestors also caused Yahweh to become very angry [by what they did] at [places which they named] Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth-Hattaavah.
23 Vilevile wakati Bwana alipowatuma kutoka Kadesh-Barnea, alisema, “Kweeni, mkaimiliki nchi ambayo nimewapa.” Lakini mliasi dhidi ya agizo la Bwana Mungu wenu. Hamkumtegemea wala kumtii.
And when we were at Kadesh-Barnea, Yahweh said to your ancestors, ‘Go up and capture the land that I am about to give to you!’ But they rebelled against him. They did not trust him, and they did not obey what he told [MTY] them to do.
24 Mmekuwa waasi dhidi ya Bwana tangu nilipowajua ninyi.
Your ancestors rebelled against Yahweh from the first day that I knew them, [in Egypt].
25 Nilianguka kifudifudi mbele za Bwana kwa zile siku arobaini usiku na mchana kwa sababu Bwana alikuwa amesema angewaangamiza ninyi.
So, [as I said], I lay on the ground in Yahweh’s presence for 40 days and nights, because Yahweh had said that he would get rid of your ancestors.
26 Nilimwomba Bwana na kusema, “Ee Bwana Mwenyezi, usiangamize watu wako, urithi wako mwenyewe ule ulioukomboa kwa uweza wako mkuu na kuwatoa katika nchi ya Misri kwa mkono wenye nguvu.
And I prayed to Yahweh, saying, ‘Lord God, these people belong to you; do not destroy them. They are people whom you rescued and brought out of Egypt by your very great power. [DOU, MTY]
27 Wakumbuke watumishi wako Abrahamu, Isaki na Yakobo. Usiangalie ukaidi wa watu hawa, uovu wao wala dhambi yao.
Do not forget [what you promised to] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Please ignore these stubborn and wicked people and the sin that they have committed.
28 Watu wa nchi ile uliyotutoa sisi wasije wakasema, ‘Ni kwa sababu Bwana hakuweza kuwachukua mpaka nchi aliyokuwa amewaahidia, kwa sababu aliwachukia, akawaleta ili aje kuwaua jangwani.’
If you do not do that, [and if you get rid of them], the people of Egypt will [hear about it and] say that you were not able to bring them into the land that you promised to give to them. They will say that you took them into the desert only to kill them there because you hated them.
29 Bali wao ni watu wako, urithi wako ule ulioutoa Misri kwa uweza wako mkuu na kwa mkono wako ulionyooka.”
[Do not forget that] they are your people. [You chose them to] belong to you. You brought them out [from Egypt] by your very great power [DOU, MTY].’”
