Joshua 5

1 All the kings of the people-groups to the west of the Jordan River and all the kings of the groups who were descendants of Canaan and who lived close to the [Mediterranean] Sea heard about how Yahweh had dried up the water of the Jordan [River] until all we Israeli people had crossed over. So they became very dismayed. They no longer were courageous enough to fight us.

Esi Amoritɔwo, ame siwo nɔ Yɔdan tɔsisi la ƒe ɣedzeƒe lɔƒo kple Kanaantɔwo, ame siwo nɔ Domeƒu la nu se be Yehowa na Yɔdan tɔsisi la mie, ale be Israelviwo te ŋu zɔ ƒuƒuiƒe le tɔʋu la me hetso tɔsisia la, dzi ɖe le wo ƒo, eye vɔvɔ̃ ɖo wo ŋutɔŋutɔ.

2 While [they were camped at Gilgal], Yahweh said to Joshua, “[The Israeli males who lived in Egypt were circumcised before they left there. Now] make knives from flint stones and circumcise all the Israeli males [who have been born since then].”

Yehowa gblɔ na Yosua be, “Tsɔ kpe nàwɔ hɛwo, eye nàtso aʋa na Israel ŋutsuwo katã.”

3 So Joshua [made knives and] circumcised the Israeli males at a place that is now called ‘Circumcision Hill’.

Yosua wɔ ɖe Yehowa ƒe ɖoɖo la dzi, eye wòtso aʋa na Israel ŋutsuwo katã le Aralɔt togbɛ la gbɔ.

4 [The reason they did that is that all the men who left Egypt], those who were old enough to be soldiers, died in the desert after they left Egypt.

Azɔ la, susu si ta wòwɔe ɖo lae nye esi: ame siwo katã do tso Egipte, ŋutsu siwo katã ate ŋu ayi aʋa la ku ɖe gbea dzi esi wodo go tso Egipte.

5 They had been circumcised in Egypt, but the baby boys who had been born while their parents were camping in the desert after they left Egypt had not been circumcised.

Wotso aʋa na ame siwo katã do go tso Egipte, ke wometsoe na ame siwo katã wodzi le gbea dzi esi wodo go tso Egipte la o.

6 Our Israeli ancestors traveled around in the desert for 40 years, and all the men who were old enough to be soldiers had died. [The women had also died]. They had not obeyed Yahweh, so Yahweh said that they would not arrive at the land that he had promised to our ancestors that he would give to us, a land that was very fertile [MTY].

Israel dukɔ la tsa tsaglalã le gbedzi ƒe blaene sɔŋ va se ɖe esime ŋutsu siwo katã tsi, eye woate ŋu ade aʋa esi wodzo le Egipte la ku. Womeɖo to Yehowa o, eya ta Yehowa ka atam be yemana woade anyigba si ŋugbe yedo na Israel, “Anyigba si dzi notsi kple anyitsi bɔ ɖo” la dzi o.

7 The sons of those who had disobeyed Yahweh were the ones whom Joshua circumcised at Gilgal. They were circumcised because they had not been circumcised [while they were traveling in the desert].

Ale Yosua tso aʋa na wo viŋutsuwo, ame siwo tsi va xɔ ɖe wo fofowo teƒe la azɔ.

8 After all the Israeli males had been circumcised, they remained in the camp and rested until their wounds were healed.

Esi wotso aʋa na ŋutsuawo vɔ la, dukɔ blibo la tɔ ɖe asaɖa la me va se ɖe esime abiawo ku.

9 Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “[Because your forefathers were slaves in Egypt], the Egyptians felt a revulsion toward you. But today I have removed the revulsion the Egyptians have had toward you.” Because of that, the people called the place ‘Gilgal’, [which sounds like the Hebrew word ‘removed’, ] and it still has that name.

Yehowa gblɔ na Yosua be, “Egbe la, miaƒe kluvinyenye le Egipte ƒe ŋukpe la ɖe ɖa,” eya ta woyɔa teƒe ma va se ɖe egbe be Gilgal, si gɔmee nye, “Ɖeɖeɖa.”

10 In the evening of the fourteenth day of that month, while the Israeli people were camped at Gilgal, on the plain near Jericho [city], they celebrated the Passover [Festival].

Esime wonɔ asaɖa me le Gilgal le Yeriko gbedzi la, woɖu Ŋutitotoŋkekenyui le ɣleti la ƒe ŋkeke wuienelia ƒe fiẽ.

11 The next day, they found some barley grain in the fields in that area. So they took that and roasted it and ate it with bread that was made without yeast.

Gbe ma gbe ƒe fɔŋlie nye ŋkeke gbãtɔ si dzi woɖu nukuwo tso Kanaanyigba la dzi; woɖu bli meme kple amɔ maʋamaʋã.

12 The next day, [God] stopped [sending] manna for the Israeli people to eat. After that, they ate food that was grown in Canaan.

Esi ŋu ke la, mana megadza o, eye womegakpɔe kpɔ va se ɖe egbe o! Eya ta tso gbe ma gbe dzi la, woɖua Kanaanyigba dzi nukuwo.

13 One day when Joshua came near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him. The man was holding a sword in his hand. Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you [going to fight] for us or against us?”

Esime Yosua nɔ teƒe si te ɖe Yeriko ŋu, eye wòfɔ kɔ dzi ko la, ame aɖe si lé yi ɖe asi la do ɖe eŋkume kpoyi! Yosua te ɖe eŋu, eye wòbiae be, “Mía dzie nèle loo alo míaƒe futɔe nènye?”

14 The man replied, “I am not [planning to fight with you] or [against you]. Instead, I am the commander of Yahweh’s army [in heaven], and I have come [down from there to assure you that Yahweh will help you].” Then Joshua bowed down with his face on the ground (to show his respect for/to worship) the man, and said to him, “Tell me what [you want me to do].”

Ŋutsu la ɖo eŋu be, “Yehowa ƒe aʋakɔ ƒe Aʋafiae menye.” Yosua tsyɔ mo anyi, de ta agu nɛ kple vɔvɔ̃, eye wògblɔ nɛ be, “Wò dɔlae menye; nu ka nèdi be mawɔ?”

15 The commander of Yahweh’s army replied, “Take off your sandals! [I am Yahweh, and] the ground on which you are standing is holy because I am here.” So Joshua took off his sandals.

Yehowa ƒe Aʋafia la gblɔ nɛ be, “Ɖe wò afɔkpa le afɔ, elabena teƒe kɔkɔe aɖee nètsi tsitre ɖo!” Yosua wɔ nu si Aʋafia la ɖo nɛ, heɖe eƒe afɔkpa la le afɔ.