Siosiua 22

1 Pea naʻe fekau ʻe Siosiua ke haʻu ʻae faʻahinga ʻo Lupeni mo e faʻahinga ʻo Kata, mo hono vaeuaʻanga ʻoe faʻahinga ʻo Manase,

Joshua then summoned the leaders of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh.

2 Pea pehē ʻe ia kiate kinautolu, “Kuo mou fai ʻaia kotoa pē naʻe fekau ʻe Mōsese ko e tamaioʻeiki ʻa Sihova kiate kimoutolu, pea kuo mou fai talangofua kiate au ʻi he ngaahi meʻa kotoa pē naʻaku fekau kiate kimoutolu:

He said to them, “You have done everything that Moses, who served Yahweh [well], told you to do. You have also done what I told you to do.

3 Naʻe ʻikai te mou liʻaki homou kāinga ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho lahi ʻo aʻu ki he ʻaho ni, ka kuo mou tauhi ʻae enginaki ʻoe fekau ʻa Sihova ko homou ʻOtua.

For a long time you have helped the other tribes [to defeat their enemies]. You have obeyed everything that Yahweh your God commanded you to do.

4 Pea ko eni, kuo foaki ʻe Sihova ko homou ʻOtua ʻae mālōlō ki homou kāinga ʻo hangē ko ʻene talaʻofa kiate kinautolu; ko ia ke mou liu atu ni, ʻo ʻalu ki homou ngaahi fale fehikitaki, pea ki he fonua ʻo homou tofiʻa, ʻaia naʻe foaki ʻe Mōsese ko e tamaioʻeiki ʻa Sihova kiate kimoutolu ʻi he kauvai ʻe taha ʻo Sioatani.

He promised to give peace to us Israelis, and he has done what he promised. So now you may go back to your homes, to the land that Moses gave to you, on the east side of the Jordan [River].

5 Ka mou faʻa vakai ʻo fai ki he fekau mo e fono, ʻaia naʻe fakapapau ʻe Mōsese ko e tamaioʻeiki ʻa Sihova kiate kimoutolu, ke mou ʻofa kia Sihova ko homou ʻOtua, pea ke ʻaʻeva ʻi hono ngaahi hala, pea ke tauhi ʻene ngaahi fekau, pea ke mou pikitai kiate ia, pea ke mou tauhi ia ʻaki homou loto kotoa, pea mo homou laumālie kotoa.”

Moses also commanded you to love Yahweh your God and to obey his commands, and to continue to worship him and serve him by everything that you think and everything that you do.”

6 Naʻe pehē ʻae tāpuakiʻi ʻakinautolu ʻe Siosiua, ʻo ne fekau ʻakinautolu ke ʻalu: pea naʻa nau ʻalu ki honau ngaahi fale fehikitaki.

Then Joshua blessed them and said goodbye to them, and they [prepared to] leave and return to their homes [on the east side of the Jordan River].

7 Pea naʻe foaki ʻe Mōsese ki hono vaeuaʻanga ʻe taha ʻoe faʻahinga ʻo Manase ʻae tofiʻa ʻi Pesani; ka ki hono vaeuaʻanga ʻe taha naʻe foaki ʻe Siosiua fakataha mo honau kāinga ʻi he kauvai ni ʻo Sioatani ki he potu lulunga. Pea ʻi he fekau ʻakinautolu ʻe Siosiua ke ʻalu foki ki honau ngaahi fale fehikitaki, naʻa ne toki tāpuakiʻi ʻakinautolu,

Moses had given the Bashan region to half the tribe of Manasseh, and land on the west side of the Jordan [River] to the other half of the tribe. Before they left, he [asked God to] bless them.

8 Pea lea ʻe ia kiate kinautolu, ʻo pehē, Toe ʻalu mo e koloa lahi ki homou ngaahi fale fehikitaki, mo e fanga manu lahi, mo e siliva, mo e koula, mo e palasa, mo e ʻaione, pea mo e ngaahi kofu lahi: mou vahevahe ʻae vete ʻo homou ngaahi fili ki homou kāinga.

He said, “Go back to your homes and to all the things that you have taken from your enemies—the many animals and silver and gold and [things made of] bronze and iron, and many beautiful clothes. But you should share some of those things with other people of your tribe.”

9 Pea naʻe ʻalu ʻae fānau ʻa Lupeni mo e fānau ʻa Kata mo hono vaeuaʻanga ʻoe faʻahinga ʻo Manase, ʻonau ʻalu mei he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli ʻi Sailo, ʻaia ʻoku ʻi he fonua ko Kēnani, kenau ʻalu ki he fonua ʻo Kiliati, ki he fonua ʻo honau tofiʻa, ʻaia naʻa nau maʻu, ʻo fakatatau ki he folofola ʻa Sihova ʻi he nima ʻo Mōsese.

So the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh left the other Israelis at Shiloh in Canaan land, to return to their homes in the Gilead region. That was the area that belonged to them. It had been allotted to them by Moses as Yahweh had commanded.

10 Pea ʻi heʻenau hoko ki he veʻe Sioatani, ʻaia ʻoku ʻi he fonua ko Kēnani, naʻe fokotuʻu ʻi ai ʻe he fānau ʻa Lupeni mo e fānau ʻa Kata mo hono vaeuaʻanga ʻoe faʻahinga ʻo Manase ʻae ʻesifeilaulau ofi ki Sioatani, ʻae ʻesifeilaulau lahi ke vakai ki ai.

The people from those three tribes arrived near the western side of the Jordan River, at a town called Geliloth. There they built a large altar. [Then they crossed the Jordan River to the Gilead region].

11 Pea naʻe fanongo ʻe he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli ki he lau, “Vakai, kuo langa ʻae feilaulauʻanga ʻe he fānau ʻa Lupeni mo e fānau ʻa Kata mo hono vaeuaʻanga ʻoe faʻahinga ʻo Manase ʻo hanga atu ki he fonua ko Kēnani, ʻi he veʻe Sioatani, ʻi he aʻaʻanga ʻoe fānau ʻa ʻIsileli.”

But the other Israelis who were still at Shiloh heard about the altar that those men had built.

12 Pea ʻi he fanongo ki ai ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli, naʻe fakataha ʻae fānau kotoa pē ʻa ʻIsileli ʻi Sailo, koeʻuhi kenau ʻalu ʻo tauʻi ʻakinautolu.

They became very angry with the men of those tribes, so they decided to fight them.

13 Pea naʻe fekau ʻe he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli ki he fānau ʻa Lupeni, mo e fānau ʻa Kata, pea ki he vaeuaʻanga ʻoe faʻahinga ʻo Manase, ʻi he fonua ko Kiliati, ʻa Finiasi ko e foha ʻo ʻEliesa ko e taulaʻeiki,

The Israelis sent Phinehas, who was the son of Eleazar the Supreme Priest, to [talk with] the people of those three tribes.

14 Pea naʻe ʻalu mo ia ʻae ʻeiki ʻe toko hongofulu, ʻae ʻeiki ʻe taha ʻi he fale ʻeiki taki taha ʻi he ngaahi faʻahinga ʻo ʻIsileli; pea naʻa nau taki taha ʻeiki ia ʻi he fale ʻo ʻenau ngaahi tamai ʻi he ngaahi toko afe ʻo ʻIsileli.

They also sent one leader from each of the ten tribes that were still at Shiloh. Each of them was a leader of his clan.

15 Pea naʻa nau haʻu ki he fānau ʻa Lupeni, pea ki he fānau ʻa Kata, pea ki hono vaeuaʻanga ʻoe faʻahinga ʻo Manase, ki he fonua ko Kiliati, pea naʻa nau lea kiate kinautolu, ʻo pehē,

Those leaders went to the Gilead region to talk to the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. They said,

16 ‌ʻOku pehē mai ʻe he fakataha kotoa pē ʻa Sihova, “Ko e hā ʻae meʻa hala ni kuo mou fai ki he ʻOtua ʻo ʻIsileli, ke tafoki he ʻaho ni mei he muimui ʻia Sihova, ʻi hoʻomou langa kiate kimoutolu ha feilaulauʻanga, koeʻuhi ke mou fai angatuʻu he ʻaho ni kia Sihova?

“All the other Israelis are asking, ‘Why have you rebelled against the God whom we Israelis [worship] by building an altar for yourselves?

17 He kuo siʻi fau kiate kitautolu ʻae hia ʻa Peoli, (ʻaia ʻoku teʻeki fakamaʻa ʻakitautolu mei ai he ʻaho ni, ka ko e moʻoni naʻe ai ʻae mahaki lahi ʻi he fakataha ʻa Sihova, )

Have you forgotten what happened at Peor, [when some Israelis sinned by worshiping the god that the Moab people-group worship]? Many Israelis became very sick and died because of that sin, and we are still suffering because of their sin.

18 Kuo mou tafoki ai ʻakimoutolu he ʻaho ni mei he muimui ʻia Sihova? Pea ʻe pehē, ʻi hoʻomou angatuʻu he ʻaho ni kia Sihova, ʻe houhau ia ʻapongipongi ki he kakai fakataha kotoa pē ʻo ʻIsileli.

Are you now turning away from obeying Yahweh and refusing to do what he wants? If you do not stop rebelling against Yahweh today, he will be angry with all of us Israelis tomorrow.’

19 Ka koeʻuhi, kapau ʻoku taʻemaʻa ʻae fonua ʻo homou tofiʻa, pea mou hiki mai ki he fonua ki he tofiʻa ʻo Sihova, ʻaia ʻoku tuʻu ai ʻae fale fehikitaki ʻo Sihova, pea maʻu ʻae tofiʻa fakataha mo kimautolu: kaeʻoua te mou angatuʻu kia Sihova, pea angatuʻu kiate kimautolu, ʻi he fokotuʻu ʻae feilaulauʻanga moʻomoutolu, kae tuku ʻae feilaulauʻanga ʻo Sihova ko hotau ʻOtua.

“If [you think that Yahweh considers] that your land here is not suitable for worshiping him, come back to our land where Yahweh’s Sacred Tent is. We can share our land with you. But do not rebel against Yahweh and against us by building another altar for Yahweh our God.

20 ‌ʻIkai naʻe fai hala ʻe ʻAkani ko e foha ʻo Sela ʻi he meʻa fakamalaʻia, pea naʻe tō ai ʻae houhau ki he kakai fakataha kotoa pē ʻo ʻIsileli? Pea naʻe ʻikai malaʻia tokotaha pe ʻae tangata ko ia ʻi heʻene hia.”

Do you remember what happened when Zerah’s son Achan refused to obey [Yahweh’s command to destroy everything in Jericho]? That one man disobeyed God’s command, but many [HYP] other Israelis were punished. Achan died because of his sin, but other Israelis also died.”

21 Pea naʻe lea ai ʻae fānau ʻa Lupeni mo e fānau ʻa Kata mo hono vaeuaʻanga ʻoe faʻahinga ʻo Manase, ʻo tali, ʻonau pehē ki he ngaahi ʻeiki ʻoe ngaahi toko afe ʻo ʻIsileli,

The [leaders of the] tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh replied,

22 “Ko Sihova ko e ʻOtua ʻoe ngaahi ʻotua, ko Sihova ko e ʻOtua ʻoe ngaahi ʻotua, ʻoku ne ʻafioʻi, pea ʻe ʻilo ia mo ʻIsileli foki; kapau kuo fai eni ʻi he angatuʻu, pea kapau ʻoku fai ʻi he talangataʻa kia Sihova, (ʻoua naʻa fakamoʻui ʻakimautolu he ʻaho ni, )

“Yahweh, the Almighty God, knows [why we did that], and we want you to know, too. If we have done something wrong [against Yahweh], you may kill us.

23 ‌ʻEmau langa homau feilaulauʻanga ke tafoki mei heʻemau muimui ʻia Sihova, pea kapau ko e meʻa ke fai ki ai ʻemau ngaahi feilaulau tutu, pe ko e feilaulau meʻakai, pea ke ʻatu ʻi ai ʻae ngaahi feilaulau fakalelei, tuku ke totongi ia ʻe Sihova pe;

If we have disobeyed one of Yahweh’s laws, we request that he should punish us. We did not build that new altar to completely burn animals as sacrifices to Yahweh, or to offer on it sacrifices of grain or sacrifices to maintain fellowship with God.

24 Pea kapau naʻe ʻikai te mau fai ia ko e manavahē ki he meʻa ni, ʻo pehē, ʻe lea nai ʻe hoʻomou fānau ʻamui ki heʻemau fānau, ʻo pehē, ‘Ko e hā ʻoku mou kau ai ʻakimoutolu kia Sihova ko e ʻOtua ʻo ʻIsileli?

“This is the reason that we built that altar: We were afraid/worried that some day your descendants would say that our descendants are not true Israelis. We were afraid that then they would say, ‘You are not allowed to worship Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship].

25 He kuo ngaohi ʻe Sihova ʻa Sioatani ko e ngataʻanga vahevahe ʻiate kimautolu mo kimoutolu, ʻakimoutolu ʻae fānau ʻa Lupeni mo e fānau ʻa Kata; ʻoku ʻikai hamou tofiʻa ʻia Sihova;’ ko ia ʻe fai ʻe hoʻomou fānau ke taʻofi ʻemau fānau ʻi heʻenau manavahē kia Sihova.

Yahweh caused the Jordan River to be a boundary between us and you people of the tribes of Reuben and Gad. So you are not allowed to worship Yahweh.’ We were worried that your descendants would force our descendants to stop worshiping Yahweh.

26 Ko ia naʻa mau alea ai, ʻo pehē, ‘Ke tau tokonaki ʻo langa haʻatau feilaulauʻanga, ʻoku ʻikai ki he feilaulau tutu, pe ki he feilaulau:

“That is the reason that we decided to build that [new] altar. But it is not an altar for completely burning sacrifices of animals and [burning other] sacrifices.

27 Ka koeʻuhi ke hoko ko e fakamoʻoni ia kiate kimautolu mo kimoutolu, pea ki hotau ngaahi toʻutangata kimui ʻiate kitautolu, koeʻuhi ke mau fai ʻae ngāue ʻa Sihova ʻi hono ʻao ʻaki ʻemau ngaahi feilaulau tutu, mo ʻemau ngaahi feilaulau, mo ʻemau ngaahi feilaulau fakalelei; ke ʻoua naʻa lau ʻe hoʻomou fānau ki heʻemau fānau ʻamui, ʻOku ʻikai te mou kau kia Sihova.’

We built that new altar to prove/show to you and to us and to all of our descendants that we worship Yahweh by completely burning animal sacrifices and offerings of grain and offerings to maintain fellowship with Yahweh [only at the place Yahweh chooses]. We do not want your descendants to say to our descendants, ‘You do not belong to Yahweh.’

28 Ko ia naʻa mau pehē, ʻe hoko ʻo pehē, ‘Kapau tenau lau kiate kimautolu, pe ki homau toʻutangata kimui, pea te mau tali, ʻo pehē, Vakai ki hono fakatātā ʻoe feilaulauʻanga ʻo Sihova, ʻaia naʻe ngaohi ʻe heʻemau ngaahi tamai, naʻe ʻikai ki he feilaulau tutu, pe ki he ngaahi feilaulau: ka ko e meʻa fakamoʻoni kiate kimautolu mo kimoutolu.’

“In the future, if your descendants say that, our descendants can say, ‘Look at the altar that our ancestors made! It is exactly like Yahweh’s altar [that our ancestors built], but we do not burn sacrifices on it. It only shows that we are Israelis!’

29 Ke taʻofi ʻe he ʻOtua ke ʻoua ʻaupito naʻa mau angatuʻu kia Sihova, ʻo tafoki he ʻaho ni mei he muimui ʻia Sihova, ke langa ʻae feilaulauʻanga ki he ngaahi feilaulau tutu, pe ki he ngaahi feilaulau meʻakai, pe ki he ngaahi feilaulau, kae tuku ʻae feilaulauʻanga ʻo Sihova ko hotau ʻOtua ʻaia ʻoku ʻi he mata fale fehikitaki ʻoʻona.”

We certainly do not want to rebel against Yahweh or stop doing what he desires, by building an altar for completely burning some sacrifices and burning grain offerings and making [other] sacrifices. [We know that] there is only one true altar for Yahweh our God, and it is in front of the Sacred Tent [at Shiloh].”

30 Pea ʻi he fanongo ʻe Finiasi ko e taulaʻeiki, mo e ngaahi ʻeiki ʻoe kakai fakataha, mo e ʻeiki ʻoe ngaahi toko afe ʻo ʻIsileli ʻaia naʻe ʻiate ia, ki he ngaahi lea naʻe lea ʻaki ʻe he fānau ʻa Lupeni mo e fānau ʻa Kata, mo e fānau ʻa Manase, naʻa nau fiemālie ai.

When Phinehas the priest and the other [ten] leaders heard what they said, they were pleased.

31 Pea naʻe lea ʻa Finiasi ko e foha ʻo ʻEliesa ko e taulaʻeiki ki he fānau ʻa Lupeni, pea ki he fānau ʻa Kata, pea ki he fānau ʻa Manase, “ʻOku mau mamata he ʻaho ni ʻoku ʻiate kitautolu ʻa Sihova, koeʻuhi ʻoku ʻikai te mou fai ʻae meʻa hala ni kia Sihova; ko eni kuo mou fakamoʻui ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli mei he nima ʻo Sihova.”

So Phinehas said to them, “Now we know that Yahweh is with all of us Israelis, and that you were not rebelling against him [when you built that altar]. And we know that Yahweh will not punish us Israelis [because of your having done that].”

32 Pea naʻe liu mai ʻa Finiasi ko e foha ʻo ʻEliesa ko e taulaʻeiki, mo e ngaahi ʻeiki, mei he fānau ʻa Lupeni, pea mei he fānau ʻa Kata, mei he fonua ko Kiliati, ki he fonua ko Kēnani, ki he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli, ʻonau ʻomi ʻae ongoongo kiate kinautolu.

Then Phinehas and the Israeli leaders left the people of the tribes of Reuben and Gad in the Gilead region, and returned to Canaan. There they told the other Israelis what had happened.

33 Pea naʻe fiemālie ai ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli; pea naʻe fakafetaʻi ki he ʻOtua ʻe he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli, pea naʻe ʻikai tenau loto ke ʻalu ke tauʻi ʻakinautolu, ke fakaʻauha ʻae fonua naʻe nofo ai ʻae fānau ʻa Lupeni, mo Kata.

They were pleased, and they thanked God. And they did not talk any more about fighting against the people of the tribes of Reuben and Gad and destroying everything in their land.

34 Pea naʻe ui ʻe he fānau ʻa Lupeni mo e fānau ʻa Kata ʻae feilaulauʻanga, “Ko e fakamoʻoni eni ʻiate kitaua ko Sihova ko e ʻOtua.”

The people of the tribes of Reuben and Gad named their new altar ‘A reminder to us all that Yahweh is God’.