Yoshua 8
1 Ndipo Bwana akamwambia Yoshua, “Usiogope, wala usivunjike moyo. Chukua jeshi lote la vita uende pamoja nalo kuishambulia Ai. Kwa kuwa nimeshamweka mikononi mwako mfalme wa Ai, pamoja na watu wake, mji wake na nchi yake.
Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged [because of what happened at] Ai. Lead all of your soldiers and go there again. I will help you to defeat the king of Ai, his people, and his city, and [enable you to take] his land.
2 Utafanya Ai na mfalme wake kama ulivyofanya kwa mji wa Yeriko na mfalme wake, isipokuwa mnaweza kuchukua mateka wake na mifugo wake, kwa ajili yenu. Weka waviziaji upande wa nyuma ya mji.”
Your army will do to the people of Ai and their king like what you did to the people of Jericho and their king. But this time [I will permit you to] take all their possessions and keep them for yourselves. But first, tell some of your soldiers to [hide behind] the city [and] prepare to suddenly attack it.”
3 Basi Yoshua na jeshi lote wakainuka kushambulia Ai. Akachagua watu mashujaa elfu thelathini walio bora miongoni mwa wapiganaji wake, akawapeleka wakati wa usiku
So Joshua led all his army toward Ai. He chose 30,000 of his best fighters/warriors and prepared to send them out during the night.
4 akiwaagiza: “Sikilizeni kwa makini. Mtavizia nyuma ya mji. Msiende mbali sana na mji. Wote kuweni macho.
He said to them, “Listen carefully. Some of you must hide on the other side of the city. Do not go far from the city. Just be ready [to attack].
5 Mimi na watu walio pamoja nami, tutaukabili mji, kisha itakuwa hapo watu watakapotoka nje kupigana nasi, kama walivyofanya hapo kwanza, sisi tutawakimbia.
I and the men who are with me will march toward the city [in the morning]. The men in the city will come out to fight us, like they did before. Then we will turn around and start to run away from them.
6 Watatufuatilia mpaka tutakapokuwa tumewavuta mbali na mji kwa kuwa watasema, ‘Wanatukimbia, kama walivyofanya hapo awali.’ Hivyo tutakapowakimbia,
They will think that we are running away from them like we did before. So they will chase us away from the city. While we are running away,
7 ninyi inawapasa mwinuke mtoke huko mafichoni na kuuteka mji. Bwana Mungu wenu atautia mkononi mwenu.
[those of you who are hiding come out and] rush into the city and capture it. Yahweh your God will enable you to conquer it.
8 Mtakapokuwa mmeuteka mji, uteketezeni kwa moto. Fanyeni kama vile Bwana alivyoamuru. Angalieni, nimewaagiza.”
After you capture the city, burn it. Do what Yahweh has commanded us to do. Those are the orders I am giving to you.”
9 Ndipo Yoshua akawatuma watu, nao wakaenda mahali pa kujificha, wakawa wanavizia kati ya Betheli na Ai, kuelekea upande wa magharibi wa Ai, lakini Yoshua akalala miongoni mwa watu usiku huo.
Then Joshua [prepared to] send some of them to [hide and] wait between Ai and Bethel, which was west of Ai. But Joshua stayed with his other soldiers that night.
10 Asubuhi na mapema siku iliyofuatia, Yoshua akawakutanisha watu wake, na yeye na viongozi wa Israeli wakawa mbele ya watu kwenda Ai.
Early the next morning, Joshua gathered his soldiers together. Then he and the other Israeli leaders led them up to Ai.
11 Watu wote wa vita waliokuwa pamoja naye walipanda, wakakaribia na kufika mbele ya mji. Wakapiga kambi kaskazini mwa Ai, pakiwa na bonde kati yao na huo mji.
They all set up their tents close to Ai, just to the north of the city, where all the people of the city could see them. There was a valley between them and the city.
12 Yoshua alikuwa amewachukua watu wapatao elfu tano, akawaweka katika uavizi kati ya Betheli na Ai, upande wa magharibi wa mji.
Then Joshua chose about 5,000 men and told them to go and hide just west of the city, between Ai and Bethel.
13 Wakawaweka askari katika maeneo yao: wale wote waliokuwa kambini wakawa kaskazini ya mji na wale waliokuwa wakivizia wakawa upande wa magharibi. Usiku huo Yoshua akaenda katika lile bonde.
So those men did that. The main group of soldiers was north of the city, and the others were hiding west of the city. That night Joshua went down into the valley.
14 Mfalme wa Ai alipoona jambo hili, yeye pamoja na watu wote wa mji wakatoka kwa haraka asubuhi na mapema, ili kukutana na Israeli katika vita mahali fulani panapotazamana na Araba. Lakini hakujua kwamba kulikuwa kumewekwa waviziaji dhidi yake nyuma ya mji.
When the king of Ai saw the Israeli army, he and his soldiers got up early the next morning and quickly went out of the city to fight them. They went to a place east of the city, but they did not know that some Israeli soldiers were hiding behind the city.
15 Yoshua na Israeli wote wakaruhusu kurudishwa nyuma mbele yao, na kuelekea jangwani.
Joshua and the Israeli soldiers [who were with him] allowed the army of Ai to push them back. They ran toward the desert.
16 Watu wote wa Ai wakaitwa ili kuwafuatia, nao wakavutwa kumfuatia Yoshua mbali na mji.
The men in Ai were ordered to chase after Joshua and his men. So they left the city and started to pursue the Israelis.
17 Hakuna hata mwanaume mmoja aliyebakia Ai wala Betheli ambaye hakufuatia Israeli. Wakauacha mji wazi na kuwafuatia Israeli.
All the men of Ai and the men of Bethel pursued the Israeli army. They did not leave even one man in Ai to defend it. The [gates of the] city were left wide open.
18 Ndipo Bwana akamwambia Yoshua, “Inua huo mkuki ulio mkononi mwako kuuelekeza Ai, kwa kuwa nitautia huo mji mkononi mwako.” Hivyo Yoshua akauelekeza mkuki wake Ai.
Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “[Lift up] your spear [and] point it toward Ai, because I am going to enable your soldiers to capture it!” So Joshua pointed [his spear] toward Ai.
19 Mara tu alipofanya hivi, wale watu waliokuwa mavizioni wakaondoka upesi kutoka mahali pao na kukimbilia mbele. Wakaingia ndani ya mji, wakauteka na kuutia moto kwa haraka.
When the Israeli men who were hiding saw that, they rushed out from the places where they were hiding and ran into the city. They quickly captured it and set it on fire.
20 Watu wa Ai wakaangalia nyuma, wakauona moshi wa huo mji ukielekea angani lakini hawakuwa na nafasi ya kutoroka kwa upande wowote, kwa kuwa wale Waisraeli waliokuwa wanawakimbia kuelekea jangwani walikuwa wamegeuka nyuma kuwakabili wakimbizaji wao.
When the men of Ai looked back, they saw smoke rising from their city. But they could not escape, because the Israeli troops stopped running away.
21 Basi Yoshua na Israeli wote walipoona kwamba waviziaji wameshauteka mji na moshi ulikuwa unapaa juu kutoka kwenye mji, wakawageukia watu wa Ai na kuwashambulia.
Joshua and his men saw that the men who had been hiding had captured the city and were burning it, and they saw the smoke rising. So they turned around and started to attack the men of Ai.
22 Wale waviziaji nao pia wakatoka nje ya mji dhidi yao, hivi kwamba wakashikiwa katikati, Waisraeli wakiwa pande zote mbili. Israeli wakawaua, bila kuwaachia yeyote aliyenusurika wala aliyetoroka.
Meanwhile, the soldiers who had captured the city came out [and attacked them from the rear]. So the men of Ai were caught between the two groups of Israeli soldiers. None of the men of Ai escaped. The Israelis fought until they killed all of them. Only the king of Ai was still alive.
23 Lakini wakamchukua mfalme wa Ai akiwa hai na kumleta kwa Yoshua.
Then they seized the king of Ai and brought him to Joshua.
24 Israeli ilipomaliza kuwaua wanaume wote wa Ai katika mashamba na jangwani walipokuwa wamewafukuzia, na baada ya kila mmoja wao kuuawa kwa upanga, Waisraeli wote wakarudi Ai na kuwaua wale waliokuwa wamebakia mjini.
While they were fighting, the Israeli army pursued the men of Ai into the fields and into the desert, and killed all of them. Then they went to Ai and killed everyone who was there.
25 Watu kumi na mbili elfu, waume kwa wake, waliangamia siku ile, yaani watu wote wa Ai.
They killed 12,000 men and women.
26 Kwa maana Yoshua hakuurudisha ule mkono wake uliokuwa umeuinua mkuki hadi alipomaliza kuwaangamiza wote walioishi Ai.
Joshua continued to point his spear [LIT] toward Ai, until all the people in Ai had been killed.
27 Lakini Israeli wakajichukulia mifugo na nyara za mji huu, kama vile Bwana alivyokuwa amemwagiza Yoshua.
The Israeli soldiers took for themselves the animals and the other things that had belonged to the people of Ai, just like Yahweh had told Joshua that they should do.
28 Kwa hiyo Yoshua akauchoma moto mji wa Ai na kuufanya kuwa lundo la magofu la kudumu, mahali pa ukiwa hadi leo.
Joshua and his soldiers burned Ai city and caused it to become a pile of ruins. It is still like that today.
29 Akamwangika mfalme wa Ai kwenye mti na kumwacha hapo mpaka jioni. Wakati wa jua kutua, Yoshua akawaamuru wautoe mwili wake kwenye mti na kuutupa kwenye ingilio la lango la mji. Kisha wakalundika mawe makubwa mengi juu yake, ambayo yamesalia mpaka leo.
Joshua hanged the king of Ai on a tree and left his corpse hanging there until the evening. At sunset Joshua told his men to take the king’s corpse down from the tree and to throw it on the ground at the city gate. [After they did that], they piled a lot of rocks on top of the corpse, and that pile of rocks is still there.
30 Kisha Yoshua akajenga madhabahu ya Bwana, Mungu wa Israeli, katika Mlima wa Ebali,
Joshua [told his men to] build on Ebal Mountain an altar for Yahweh, the God [who is worshiped by] the Israeli people.
31 kama Mose mtumishi wa Bwana alivyokuwa amewaamuru Waisraeli. Akaijenga sawasawa na ilivyoandikwa katika Kitabu cha Sheria ya Mose: madhabahu ya mawe yasiyochongwa, ambayo juu yake hakuna chombo cha chuma kilichotumika. Hapo juu yake wakamtolea Bwana sadaka za kuteketezwa na kutoa sadaka za amani.
They built it just like Moses, the man who served God [well], had written previously in the laws [that God had given to him]. They made it from stones that had not been cut using iron tools. The Israelis then offered sacrifices to Yahweh that were burned completely on the altar. They also offered sacrifices to restore fellowship with Yahweh.
32 Pale, mbele ya Waisraeli Yoshua akanakili juu ya hayo mawe sheria ya Mose, aliyokuwa ameiandika.
As the Israelis watched, Joshua wrote on stones the laws that [Yahweh had given] to Moses previously.
33 Israeli yote, wageni na wazawa sawasawa, wakiwa na wazee wao, maafisa na waamuzi, walikuwa wamesimama pande zote mbili za Sanduku la Agano la Bwana, wakiwaelekea wale waliokuwa wamelichukua, yaani makuhani, ambao ni Walawi. Nusu ya watu ilisimama mbele ya Mlima Gerizimu na nusu hiyo ingine ikasimama mbele ya Mlima Ebali, kama vile Mose mtumishi wa Bwana alivyokuwa ameamuru hapo mwanzo alipotoa maagizo ya kuwabariki watu wa Israeli.
The Israeli leaders, the officials, the judges, and other Israelis were there, standing nearby. Many people who were not Israelis were also there. Half of the people stood [on one side of the valley] below Ebal Mountain, and the other half of the people stood [on the other side of the valley] below Gerizim Mountain. The sacred chest was [in the valley] between the two groups. That was what Moses had previously commanded that the people should do when [Yahweh was about to] bless them.
34 Hatimaye, Yoshua akasoma maneno yote ya sheria, yaani baraka na laana, kama vile ilivyoandikwa katika Kitabu cha Sheria.
Then Joshua read [to the people] all that [Moses] had written previously. That included what Yahweh had taught them and the ways [that he promised] to bless them [if they obeyed his commands], or to curse them [if they disobeyed them].
35 Hakuna neno lolote katika yale yote ambayo Mose alikuwa ameamuru ambalo Yoshua hakulisomea kusanyiko lote la Israeli, ikiwa ni pamoja na wanawake na watoto, na wageni walioishi miongoni mwao.
All the Israelis gathered together [to listen]—the men, the women, and the children. The (foreigners/people who were not Israelis) who were living among them also listened, while Joshua read all the commands that Moses had written.
