Joshua 8
1 The Lord said to Joshua, “Don't be afraid or downhearted! Take all the fighting men with you and attack Ai, for I'm handing over to you the king of Ai, his people, his town, and his land.
INkosi yasisithi kuJoshuwa: Ungesabi, ungatshaywa luvalo; thatha kanye lawe bonke abantu bempi, usukume wenyukele eAyi; bona, nginikele esandleni sakho inkosi yeAyi, labantu bayo, lomuzi wayo, lelizwe layo.
2 You will do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king. However, this time you may keep for yourselves the plunder and the livestock. Set up an ambush behind the town.”
Uzakwenza-ke eAyi lenkosini yayo njengokwenza kwakho eJeriko lenkosini yayo. Kuphela impango yayo lezifuyo zayo lizaziphangela. Uzibekele abacathameli ngasemzini emva kwawo.
3 So Joshua and all the people got ready to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night.
UJoshuwa wasesukuma labo bonke abantu bempi ukwenyukela eAyi; uJoshuwa wasekhetha amaqhawe alamandla ayizinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amathathu, wawathuma ebusuku.
4 He ordered them, “You lie in ambush behind the town, not far away. All of you need to be ready.
Wawalaya esithi: Bonani, lizawucathamela umuzi ngemva komuzi. Lingabi khatshana kakhulu lomuzi, kodwa lungani lonke.
5 When I and the rest of the men with me approach the town, the defenders will run out to attack us just like before, and we'll run away from them.
Mina-ke labo bonke abantu abalami sizasondela emzini. Kuzakuthi-ke lapho bephuma ukumelana lathi njengakuqala sibaleke phambi kwabo.
6 They'll chase after us as we draw them away from the town, because they'll say to each other, ‘They're running away from us just like before.’
Njalo bazaphuma emva kwethu size sibadonse basuke emzini. Ngoba bazakuthi: Bayabaleka phambi kwethu njengakuqala. Ngakho sizabaleka phambi kwabo.
7 While we're running away from them, you will get up from your ambush positions and take the town for the Lord God will hand it over to you.
Lina-ke lizasukuma ekucathameni, liwuthumbe umuzi; ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu izawunikela esandleni senu.
8 Once you've captured the town, set it on fire, as the Lord has instructed. Now follow your orders.”
Kuzakuthi-ke seliwuthumbile umuzi, liwutshise umuzi ngomlilo, lizakwenza njengokwelizwi leNkosi. Bonani, ngililayile.
9 Joshua sent them out, and they went to lie in ambush between Bethel and the west side of Ai. But that night Joshua stayed with the people in the camp.
UJoshuwa wasebathuma, baya ekucathameni, bahlala phakathi kweBhetheli leAyi, entshonalanga kweAyi, kodwa uJoshuwa walala phakathi kwabantu ngalobobusuku.
10 Early the next morning Joshua got up early and gathered the people and went up to attack Ai, accompanied by the elders of Israel.
UJoshuwa wasevuka ekuseni kakhulu, wabala abantu, wenyuka, yena labadala bakoIsrayeli, phambi kwabantu, waya eAyi.
11 All the fighting men who were with him approached the front of the town, and camped there on the north side, with a valley between them and Ai.
Labo bonke abantu bempi ababelaye benyuka, basondela, beza maqondana lomuzi, bamisa inkamba enyakatho kweAyi. Njalo kwakulesihotsha phakathi kwabo leAyi.
12 He took about five thousand men and had them lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the town.
Wasethatha phose amadoda azinkulungwane ezinhlanu, wawacathamisa phakathi kweBhetheli leAyi entshonalanga komuzi.
13 So the army took up their positions—the main army to the north of the town, and the ambush to the west. Joshua went that night to the valley.
Lapho sebemisa abantu, lonke ibutho elalisenyakatho komuzi, labacathami ngasentshonalanga komuzi, uJoshuwa waya phakathi kwesihotsha ngalobobusuku.
14 As soon as the king of Ai saw the situation, he and all his men rushed out early in the morning to attack the Israelites where they had before, at a place overlooking the Jordan valley. He didn't know about the ambush waiting on the other side of the town.
Kwasekusithi inkosi yeAyi ikubona, aphangisa avuka ngovivi; lamadoda omuzi aphuma impi emelane loIsrayeli, yona labantu bayo bonke, ngesikhathi esimisiweyo, phambi kwamagceke; kodwa yona yayingazi ukuthi kukhona abayicathameleyo emva komuzi.
15 Joshua and the Israelites allowed themselves to be driven back, and ran away in the direction of the wilderness.
UJoshuwa loIsrayeli basebetshaywa phambi kwawo, babaleka ngendlela yenkangala.
16 All the men of the town were called out to chase after them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn father from the town.
Kwasekubizwa bonke abantu ababesemzini ukuxotshana labo. Nxa bexotshana loJoshuwa badonswa basuka emzini.
17 There wasn't a man left in Ai and Bethel who didn't go out to chase the Israelites. They left the town wide open as they pursued the Israelites.
Njalo kakusalanga muntu eAyi kumbe eBhetheli, abangaphumanga ukulandela uIsrayeli; bawutshiya umuzi ukhamisile, baxotshana loIsrayeli.
18 Then the Lord told Joshua, “Hold up the spear in your hand and point it at Ai, because I'm giving it to you.” So Joshua held up the spear in his hand and pointed it at the town.
INkosi yasisithi kuJoshuwa: Yelulela umkhonto osesandleni sakho eAyi, ngoba ngizayinikela esandleni sakho. UJoshuwa waseselulela umkhonto osesandleni sakhe emzini.
19 As soon as they saw this signal the men lying in ambush got up and rushed into the town. They captured it, and quickly set it on fire.
Abacathemeyo basebesukuma masinyane endaweni yabo; bagijima esanda ukwelula isandla sakhe, bangena emzini, bawuthumba, baphangisa, bawutshisa umuzi ngomlilo.
20 When the men of Ai looked back they saw the smoke rising up into the sky from the town. They had nowhere to run to, because the Israelites who had been running away towards the wilderness now turned on their pursuers.
Kwathi lapho amadoda eAyi enyemukula abona, khangela-ke, intuthu yomuzi yenyukela emazulwini, njalo ayengelandawo yokubalekela ngapha langapha, ngoba abantu ababebalekele enkangala baphendukela ababaxotshayo.
21 For when Joshua and the Israelites saw that the ambush group had captured the town, and that smoke was rising from it, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai.
Kwathi uJoshuwa loIsrayeli wonke bebona ukuthi abacathemeyo sebewuthumbile umuzi lokuthi intuthu yomuzi yenyuka, baphenduka batshaya amadoda eAyi.
22 The men from the ambush also came from the town and attacked them, so they were caught on the middle, with the Israelites on both sides. The Israelites cut them down—not a single man survived or got away.
Lalaba baphuma emzini ukumelana lawo, aze aba phakathi kukaIsrayeli, abanye ngapha labanye ngale; basebewatshaya, kakwaze kwasala muntu kuwo, owasilayo kumbe owaphunyukayo.
23 Only the king of Ai was captured alive, and he was brought before Joshua.
Kodwa inkosi yeAyi bayibamba iphila, bayisondeza kuJoshuwa.
24 When the Israelites had finished killing the men of Ai who had chased them towards the wilderness—once they had all been cut down by the sword—the whole Israelite army returned to the town and killed everyone living there.
Kwasekusithi lapho uIsrayeli eseqedile ukubulala bonke abahlali beAyi egangeni, enkangala lapho ababebaxotshele khona, babewile bonke ngobukhali benkemba, baze baqedwa, uIsrayeli wonke wabuyela eAyi, bayitshaya ngobukhali benkemba.
25 Those who were killed that day numbered twelve thousand, men and women—all the inhabitants of Ai.
Kwasekusithi, bonke abawayo mhlalokho, kusukela kwabesilisa kusiya kwabesifazana, babeyizinkulungwane ezilitshumi lambili, bonke abantu beAyi.
26 For Joshua had continued to hold up his spear until all the people of Ai had been destroyed.
Njalo uJoshuwa kasifinyezanga isandla sakhe ayelule umkhonto ngaso baze batshabalalisa bonke abahlali beAyi.
27 Only the livestock and plunder were taken from the town by the Israelites, as the Lord had instructed Joshua.
Kuphela izifuyo lempango yalowomuzi uIsrayeli waziphangela, njengelizwi leNkosi eyalilaya uJoshuwa.
28 So Joshua burned the town of Ai, making it permanently into a heap of ruins where no one lives to this very day.
UJoshuwa waseyitshisa iAyi, wayimisa yaba yinqwaba phakade, unxiwa, kuze kube lamuhla.
29 He killed the king of Ai and hung his body on a tree until evening. When the sun went down Joshua ordered the body taken down. They threw it down in front of the entrance to the town gate and piled a heap of rocks over it which is still there today.
Lenkosi yeAyi wayiphanyeka esihlahleni kwaze kwaba yisikhathi santambama. Lekutshoneni kwelanga uJoshuwa walaya ukuthi bethule isidumbu sayo esihlahleni, basiphosele emnyango wesango lomuzi, bamisa phezu kwaso inqwaba enkulu yamatshe, ekhona kuze kube lamuhla.
30 Then Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal for the Lord, the God of Israel.
Khona uJoshuwa wayakhela iNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli ilathi entabeni yeEbhali.
31 He did what Moses, the servant of the Lord, had told the Israelites to do, as recorded in the book of the Law of Moses: an altar of uncut stones which no one has worked with iron tools. On the altar they made burnt offerings and friendship offerings to the Lord.
Njengokulaya kukaMozisi inceku yeNkosi kubantwana bakoIsrayeli, njengalokhu kubhalwe egwalweni lomlayo kaMozisi, ilathi lamatshe apheleleyo, okungazange kusetshenziswe nsimbi phezu kwalo. Basebenikela phezu kwalo eNkosini iminikelo yokutshiswa, bahlaba iminikelo yokuthula.
32 There in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a copy of the Law of Moses.
Wasebhala lapho ematsheni impinda yomlayo kaMozisi, ayibhala phambi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
33 All the Israelites, the elders, the officers, and the judges stood in two groups facing each other with the priests, the Levites, and the Ark of the Lord's Agreement between them. (Included were the foreigners as well as the native born.) Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim, and half in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses had ordered, for the blessing of the people this first time.
UIsrayeli wonke-ke, labadala babo, lezinduna, labahluleli babo, bema ngapha langapha komtshokotsho, beqondene labapristi, amaLevi, abathwala umtshokotsho wesivumelwano seNkosi, owezizwe njengowokuzalwa. Ingxenye yabo imaqondana lentaba yeGerizimi, lengxenye yabo maqondana lentaba yeEbhali, njengokulaya kukaMozisi inceku yeNkosi, ukubusisa abantu bakoIsrayeli kuqala.
34 Then Joshua read out the whole Law—all the blessings and curses recorded in the book of the Law.
Langemva kwalokho wamemezela wonke amazwi omlayo, isibusiso lesiqalekiso, njengakho konke okubhaliweyo egwalweni lomlayo.
35 Joshua read out every word of Moses' instruction to the whole Israelite assembly, including the women, the children, and the foreigners who lived among them.
Akwabakho ilizwi kukho konke uMozisi akulayayo uJoshuwa angalimemezelanga phambi kwebandla lonke lakoIsrayeli labesifazana labantwanyana labezizweni ababehamba phakathi kwabo.
