< Joshua 24 >

1 And Joshua gathered all the tribe of Israel to Selo, and convoked their elders, and their officers, and their judges, and set them before God.
Kisha Yoshua aliyakusanya pamoja makabila yote ya Israeli huko Shekemu na aliwaita wazee wa Israeli, viongozi, waamuzi na maafisa wao, nao wakajihudhurisha mbele za Mungu.
2 And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers at first sojourned beyond the river, [even] Thara, the father of Abraam and the father of Nachor; and they served other gods.
Yoshua akawaambia watu wote, “Hiki ndicho Yahweh, Mungu wa Israeli anachokisema, 'Mababu zenu kwa miaka mingi iliyopita waliishi ng'ambo ya mto Frati - Tera, baba wa Ibrahimu na baba wa Nahori - nao waliabudu miungu mingine.
3 And I took your father Abraam from the other side of the river, and I guided him through all the land, and I multiplied his seed;
Lakini nilimchukua baba yenu kutoka ng'ambo ya Frati na nikamwongoza mpaka katika nchi ya Kanaani, na nilimpa watoto wengi kupitia kwa Isaka mwanaye.
4 and I gave to him Isaac, and to Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave to Esau mount Seir for him to inherit: and Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt, and became there a great and populous and mighty nation: and the Egyptians afflicted them.
Na Isaka nikampa Yakobo na Esau. Nilimpa Esau nchi ya milima ya Seiri ili aimiliki, lakini Yakobo na watoto wake walishuka kwenda Misri.
5 And I struck Egypt with the wonders that I wrought among them.
Nilimtuma Musa na Haruni, na niliwapiga Wamisri kwa mapigo. Baada ya hapo, niliwatoa ninyi.
6 And afterwards [God] brought out our fathers from Egypt, and you entered into the Red Sea; and the Egyptians pursued after our fathers with chariots and horses into the Red Sea.
Niliwatoa baba zenu nje ya nchi ya Misri, nanyi mkafika hata katika bahari. Wamisri waliwafuata kwa magari na wapanda farasi hata katika bahari ya matete.
7 And we cried aloud to the Lord; and he put a cloud and darkness between us and the Egyptians, and he brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in the land of Egypt; and you were in the wilderness many days.
Na baba zenu walipomwita Yahweh, aliweka giza kati yenu na Wamisri. Aliileta bahari ije juu yao na kuwafunika. Mliona yale niliyoyakifanya huko Misri. Kisha mliishi jangwaani kwa muda mrefu.
8 And he brought us into the land of the Amorites that lived beyond Jordan, and the Lord delivered them into our hands; and you inherited their land, and utterly destroyed them from before you.
Niliwaleta katika nchi wa Waamori, ambao waliishi katika upande mwingine mwa Yordani. Walipigana nanyi, nami niliwatia katika mkono wenu. Mliimiliki nchi yao, nami niliwaangamiza mbele yenu.
9 And Balac, king of Moab, son of Sepphor, rose up, and made war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam to curse us.
Kisha Balaki mwana wa Zipori, mfalme wa Moabu, aliinuka na kuishambulia Israeli. Alimwita na kumtuma Baalamu mwana wa Beori, ili kuwalaani ninyi.
10 But the Lord your God would not destroy you; and he greatly blessed us, and rescued us out of their hands, and delivered them [to us].
Lakini sikumsikiliza Balaamu. Kwa hakika, aliwabarikia ninyi. Basi, niliwaokoa na mkono wake.
11 And you crossed over Jordan, and came to Jericho; and the inhabitants of Jericho fought against us, the Amorite, and the Chananite, and the Pherezite, and the Evite, and the Jebusite, and the Chettite, and the Gergesite, and the Lord delivered them into our hands.
Mlivuka Yordani na mkafika Yeriko. Viongozi wa Yeriko waliinuka wapigane nanyi, pamoja na Waamori, Waperizi, Wakanaani, Wahiti, Wagirgashi, Wahivi na Wayebusi. Niliwapa ninyi ushindi dhidi yao na niliwaweka chini ya mamlaka yenu.
12 And he sent forth the hornet before you; and he drove them out from before you, [even] twelve kings of the Amorites, not with your sword, nor with your bow.
Nilituma manyingu mbele yenu, ambayo yaliwafukuzia mbali na wafalme wawili wa Waamori watoke mbele yenu. Haikutokea kwa sababu ya upanga wenu wala kwa upinde wenu.
13 And he gave you a land on which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you were settled in them; and you eat [of] vineyards and olive yards which you did not plant.
Niliwapeni ninyi nchi ambayo hamkuifanyia kazi na miji ambayo hamkuijenga, na sasa mnaishi ndani yake. Mnakula matunda ya mizabibu na na mashamba ya mizeituni ambayo hamkuyapanda'.
14 And now fear the Lord, and serve him in righteousness and justice; and remove the strange gods, which our fathers served beyond the river, and in Egypt; and serve the Lord.
Basi sasa mcheni Yahweh na kumwabudu yeye kwa uadilifu na uaminifu wote; jitengeni na miungu ambayo baba zenu waliiabudu ng'ambo ya Frati na katika Misri, na mkamwabudu Yahweh.
15 But if it seem not good to you to serve the Lord, choose to yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of your fathers that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, among whom you dwell upon their land: but I and my house will serve the Lord, for he is holy.
Na kama inaonekana kuwa ni vibaya machoni penu kumwabudu Yahweh, chagueni ninyi katika siku hii ya leo ni nani mtakayemtumikia, kama ni miungu ambayo baba zenu waliiabudu ng'ambo ya Frati, au miungu ya Waamori, ambao ninyi mnakaa ndani ya nchi yao. Lakini kwangu mimi na nyumba yangu, tutumwabudu Yahweh.”
16 And the people answered and said, Far be it from us to forsake the Lord, so as to serve other gods.
Watu walijibu na kusema, “Hatutaweza kumwacha Yahweh na kuitumikia miungu mingine,
17 The Lord our God, he is God; he brought up us and our fathers from Egypt, and kept us in all the way wherein we walked, and among all the nations through whom we passed.
kwa kuwa ni Yahweh Mungu wetu ambaye alitutoa sisi na baba zetu kutoka katika nchi ya Misri, katika nyumba ya utumwa, na ambaye alifanya hizo ishara kubwa mbele yetu, na ambaye alituhifadhi sisi katika njia zote ambazo sisi tuliziendea, na miongoni mwa mataifa yote ambayo tulipita kati kati yake,
18 And the Lord cast out the Amorite, and all the nations that inhabited the land from before us: yes, we will serve the Lord, for he is our God.
Na Yahweh aliwaondoa mbele yetu watu wote, na Waamori walioishi katika nchi hii. Hivyo, tutamwabudu Yahweh pia, kwa kuwa ni Mungu wetu”
19 And Joshua said to the people, Indeed you will not be able to serve the Lord, for God is holy; and he being jealous will not forgive your sins and your transgressions.
Lakini Yoshua akawaambia watu, “Hamwezi kumtumikia Yahweh, kwa kuwa ni Mungu mtakatifu; ni Mungu mwenye wivu; hatawasamehe makosa na dhambi zenu.
20 Whenever you shall forsake the Lord and serve other gods, then he shall come upon you and afflict you, and consume you, because he has done you good.
Kama mtamwacha Yahweh na kuabudu miungu ya kigeni, basi atageuka na kuwaharibu. Atawaangamizeni baada ya kuwa amewatendea mema.”
21 And the people said to Joshua, Nay, but we will serve the Lord.
Lakini watu walimwambia Yoshua, “Hapana, tutamwabudu Yahweh.”
22 And Joshua said to the people, You [are] witnesses against yourselves, that you have chosen the Lord to serve him.
Kisha Yoshua akawaambia watu, “Ninyi ni mashahidi dhidi yenu wenyewe kuwa mmemchagua Yahweh ninyi wenyewe, ili mmwabudu yeye.” Watu walijibu, “Sisi ni mashahidi.”
23 And now take away the strange gods that are among you, and set your heart right toward the Lord God of Israel.
“Sasa wekeni mbali miungu ya kigeni iliyoko kwenu, na geuzeni moyo wenu umwelekee Yahweh, Mungu wa Israeli.”
24 And the people said to Joshua, We will serve the Lord, and we will listen to his voice.
Watu wakamwambia Yoshua, “Tutamwabudu Yahweh Mungu wetu. Tutaisikiliza sauti yake.
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people on that day, and gave them a law and an ordinance in Selo before the tabernacle of the God of Israel.
Yoshua alifanya agano na watu siku hiyo. Aliziweka maagizo na sheria huko Shekemu.
26 And he wrote these words in the book of the laws of God: and Joshua took a great stone, and set it up under the oak before the Lord.
Yoshua aliyaandika maneno haya katika kitabu cha sheria za Mungu. Alichukua jiwe kubwa na kulisimamisha hapo chini ya mti wa mwaloni uliokuwa karibu na mahali pa takatifu pa Yahweh.
27 And Joshua said to the people, Behold, this stone shall be among you for a witness, for it has heard all the words that have been spoken to it by the Lord; for he has spoken to you this day; and this [stone] shall be among you for a witness in the last days, whenever you shall deal falsely with the Lord my God.
Yoshua akawaambia watu, “Tazama, jiwe hili litakuwa ushuhuda dhidi yenu. Limeyasikia maneno yote ambayo Yahweh alitwambia. Hivyo, litakuwa ni shahidi dhidi yenu, hamtakiwi kumkana Mungu wenu.”
28 And Joshua dismissed the people, and they went every man to his place.
Basi Yoshua aliwaacha watu waende zao, kila mmoja alienda kwenye urithi wake.
29 And it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Naue the servant of the Lord died, [at the age] of a hundred and ten years.
Baada ya mambo haya, Yoshua mwana wa Nuni, mtumishi wa Yahweh, alikufa akiwa na miaka 110.
30 And they buried him by the borders of his inheritance in Thamnasarach in the mount of Ephraim, northward of the mount of Galaad.
Walimzika katika mpaka wa urithi wake mwenyewe huko Timnathi Sera, ambayo iko kwenye nchi ya milima ya Efraimu, upande wa Mlima Gaashi.
31 And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that lived as long as Joshua, and all that knew all the works of the Lord which he wrought for Israel.
Israeli ilimwabudu Yahweh siku zote za maisha ya Yoshua, na siku zote za wazee ambao walidumu pamoja na Yoshua, wale ambao waliona kila kitu ambacho Yahweh alikuwa ameifanyia Israeli.
32 And the children of Israel brought up the bones of Joseph out of Egypt, and buried [them] in Sicima, in the portion of the land which Jacob bought of the Amorites who lived in Sicima for a hundred ewe-lambs; and he gave it to Joseph for a portion.
Mifupa ya Yusufu ambayo watu wa Israeli waliileta kutoka Misri, waliizika huko shekemu, katika sehemu ya nchi ambayo Yakobo alikuwa ameinunua kutoka kwa wana wa Hamori, baba wa Shekemu. Aliinunua kwa vipande mia moja vya fedha, na ulikuwa urithi kwa wazawa wa Yusufu.
33 And it came to pass afterwards that Eleazar the high-priest the son of Aaron died, and was buried in Gabaar of Phinees his son, which he gave him in mount Ephraim.
Eliazeri mwana wa Haruni alikufa pia. Walimzika huko Gibea, katika mji wa ambao alikuwa amepewa Finehasi mwanaye, na ulikuwa katika nchi ya milima ya Efraimu.

< Joshua 24 >