Hesabu 21
1 Mfalme wa Kikanaani wa Aradi aliyeishi huko Negebu aliposikia kwamba Waisraeli walikuwa wanakuja kwa njia ya Atharimu, aliwashambulia Waisraeli na kuwateka baadhi yao.
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 Ndipo Israeli akaweka nadhiri hii kwa Bwana: “Ikiwa utawatia watu hawa mikononi mwetu, tutaiangamiza kabisa miji yao.”
Then the Israelis solemnly vowed: “Yahweh, if you will help us to defeat these people, we will completely destroy all their towns.”
3 Bwana akasikiliza ombi la Waisraeli, naye akawapa ushindi juu ya Wakanaani. Wakawaangamiza kabisa na miji yao; hivyo mahali pale pakaitwa Horma.
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 Waisraeli wakasafiri kutoka mlima Hori kupitia njia inayoelekea Bahari ya Shamu, kuizunguka Edomu. Lakini watu wakakosa uvumilivu njiani,
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 wakamnungʼunikia Mungu na Mose, wakisema, “Kwa nini umetupandisha kutoka Misri ili tufe jangwani? Hakuna mkate! Hakuna maji! Nasi tunachukia sana chakula hiki duni!”
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 Ndipo Bwana akapeleka nyoka wenye sumu katikati yao; wakawauma watu, nao Waisraeli wengi wakafa.
So Yahweh sent poisonous snakes among them. Many of the people were bitten by the snakes and died.
7 Watu wakamjia Mose na kusema, “Tumetenda dhambi wakati tuliponena dhidi ya Bwana na dhidi yako. Mwombe Bwana ili atuondolee hawa nyoka.” Hivyo Mose akawaombea hao watu.
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 Bwana akamwambia Mose, “Tengeneza nyoka wa shaba na umweke juu ya mti; yeyote aliyeumwa na nyoka anaweza kumtazama na akaishi tena.”
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 Kwa hiyo Mose akatengeneza nyoka wa shaba na kumweka juu ya mti. Kisha wakati mtu yeyote aliumwa na nyoka, naye akamtazama yule nyoka wa shaba, aliishi.
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 Waisraeli waliendelea na safari yao na wakapiga kambi huko Obothi.
Then the Israelis traveled to Oboth and (camped/set up their tents) there.
11 Kisha wakaondoka Obothi na kupiga kambi huko Iye-Abarimu, katika jangwa linalotazamana na Moabu kuelekea mawio ya jua.
Then they left there, and went to Iye-Abarim, in the desert on the eastern border of Moab.
12 Kutoka hapo waliendelea mbele wakapiga kambi kwenye Bonde la Zeredi.
From there they traveled to the valley where the Zered riverbed is, and camped there.
13 Wakasafiri kutoka hapo na kupiga kambi kando ya Mto Arnoni, ambao uko katika jangwa lililoenea hadi nchi ya Waamori. Arnoni ni mpaka wa Moabu, kati ya Moabu na Waamori.
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 Ndiyo sababu Kitabu cha Vita vya Bwana kinasema: “…Mji wa Wahebu nchini Seifa na mabonde ya Arnoni,
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 na miteremko ya mabonde inayofika hadi mji wa Ari na huelekea mpakani mwa Moabu.”
and the ravines there, which extend as far as Ar [village] on the border of Moab.”
16 Kutoka hapo waliendelea mbele hadi kisima cha Beeri; kwenye kisima ambacho Bwana alimwambia Mose, “Wakusanye watu pamoja, nami nitawapa maji.”
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 Kisha Israeli akaimba wimbo huu: “Bubujika, ee kisima! Imba kuhusu maji,
There the Israelis sang this song: “O well, give us water! Sing about this well!
18 kuhusu kisima ambacho kilichimbwa na wakuu, ambacho watu mashuhuri walikifukua, watu mashuhuri wakiwa na fimbo za utawala na bakora.” Kisha wakatoka jangwani kwenda Matana,
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 kutoka Matana wakafika Nahalieli, kutoka Nahalieli wakafika Bamothi,
Nahaliel, and Bamoth [villages].
20 na kutoka Bamothi wakafika kwenye bonde lililoko Moabu, mahali ambapo kilele cha Pisga kinatazamana na nyika.
Then they went to the valley in Moab where Pisgah [Mountain] rises above the desert.
21 Israeli akawatuma wajumbe kumwambia Sihoni mfalme wa Waamori:
Then the Israelis sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amor people-group. This was the message [that they/we gave him]:
22 “Uturuhusu tupite katika nchi yako. Hatutageuka kando kwenda katika mashamba au mashamba ya mizabibu, ama kunywa maji kutoka kisima chochote. Tutasafiri kwenye njia kuu ya mfalme hata tutakapokuwa tumekwisha kupita katika nchi yako.”
“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 Lakini Sihoni hakumruhusu Israeli apite katika nchi yake. Alilikutanisha jeshi lake lote, wakaondoka kwenda jangwani ili kupigana na Israeli. Alipofika huko Yahazi, akapigana na Israeli.
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 Hata hivyo, Israeli alimshinda kwa upanga na kuiteka ardhi yake kutoka Arnoni mpaka Yaboki, lakini ni hadi kufikia nchi ya Waamoni tu, kwa sababu mipaka yake ilikuwa imezungushwa ukuta.
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 Israeli akaiteka miji yote ya Waamori na kuikalia, pamoja na Heshboni na makazi yote yanayoizunguka.
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 Heshboni ulikuwa mji wa Sihoni mfalme wa Waamori, ambaye alikuwa amepigana dhidi ya mfalme wa Moabu aliyetangulia na akawa amechukua ardhi yake yote mpaka Arnoni.
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 Ndiyo sababu watunga mashairi husema: “Njoo Heshboni na ujengwe tena; mji wa Sihoni na ufanywe upya.
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 uliwaka kutoka Heshboni, mwali wa moto kutoka mji wa Sihoni. Uliteketeza Ari ya Moabu, raiya wa mahali pa Arnoni palipoinuka.
A fire blazed from Heshbon; it burned down Ar [city] in Moab, it destroyed [everything on] the hills along the Arnon [River].
29 Ole wako, ee Moabu! Umeharibiwa, enyi watu wa Kemoshi! Amewatoa wanawe kuwa wakimbizi, na binti zake kama mateka kwa Mfalme Sihoni wa Waamori.
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 “Lakini tumewashinda; Heshboni umeharibiwa hadi Diboni. Tumebomoa hadi kufikia Nofa, ulioenea hadi Medeba.”
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 Kwa hiyo Israeli akaishi katika nchi ya Waamori.
So the Israeli people began to live in the land where the Amor people-group lived.
32 Baada ya Mose kutuma wapelelezi kwenda mji wa Yazeri, Waisraeli waliteka viunga vya mji huo na kuwafukuza Waamori waliokuwa wanaishi huko.
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 Kisha wakageuka na kwenda katika njia inayoelekea Bashani, naye Ogu mfalme wa Bashani pamoja na jeshi lake lote wakatoka kupigana nao huko Edrei.
Then they turned [north] toward the Bashan region, but King Og of Bashan and all his army attacked them at Edrei [town].
34 Bwana akamwambia Mose, “Usimwogope Ogu, kwa sababu nimeshamkabidhi mikononi mwako, pamoja na jeshi lake lote na nchi yake. Mtendee kama ulivyomtendea Sihoni mfalme wa Waamori, ambaye alitawala huko Heshboni.”
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 Kwa hiyo wakamuua, pamoja na wanawe na jeshi lake lote, bila ya kumwacha hata mtu mmoja hai. Nao wakaimiliki nchi 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.
