< Numbers 21 >

1 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.
Mfumu ya Akanaani ya ku Aradi, imene inkakhala ku Negevi, itamva kuti Aisraeli akubwera kudzera msewu wopita ku Atarimu, inachita nkhondo ndi Aisraeli nigwira ena mwa iwo.
2 Then the Israelis solemnly vowed: “Yahweh, if you will help us to defeat these people, we will completely destroy all their towns.”
Ndipo Israeli anachita lonjezo ili kwa Yehova: “Mukapereka anthu awa mʼdzanja lathu ife tidzawonongeratu mizinda yawo.”
3 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’].
Yehova anamva pempho la Aisraeli ndipo anapereka Akanaaniwo kwa iwo. Anawawononga pamodzi ndi mizinda yawo. Kotero malowo anatchedwa Horima.
4 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,
Aisraeli anayenda kuchokera ku phiri la Hori kudzera njira ya ku Nyanja Yofiira kuzungulira dziko la Edomu. Koma anthu anataya mtima mʼnjiramo
5 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!”
ndipo anayankhula motsutsana ndi Mulungu ndi Mose, nati, “Chifukwa chiyani munatitulutsa kuchoka mʼdziko la Igupto kuti tidzafere mʼchipululu muno? Kuno kulibe chakudya, kulibe madzi ndipo chakudya cha chabechabechi tatopa nacho.”
6 So Yahweh sent poisonous snakes among them. Many of the people were bitten by the snakes and died.
Choncho Yehova anatumiza njoka zaululu pakati pawo. Zinaluma anthu ndipo Aisraeli ambiri anafa.
7 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.
Anthuwo anabwera kwa Mose ndi kunena kuti, “Tachimwa chifukwa tayankhula motsutsana ndi Yehova komanso inu. Pempherani kwa Yehova kuti atichotsere njokazi.” Tsono Mose anapempherera anthuwo.
8 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).”
Yehova anati kwa Mose, “Upange njoka yaululu ndipo uyipachike pa mtengo. Aliyense amene walumidwa akangoyangʼana njokayo adzakhala ndi moyo.”
9 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!
Pamenepo Mose anapanga njoka yamkuwa ndi kuyipachika pa mtengo. Ndipo aliyense wolumidwa akayangʼana njoka yamkuwayo ankakhala ndi moyo.
10 Then the Israelis traveled to Oboth and (camped/set up their tents) there.
Aisraeli anayendabe nakamanga misasa yawo ku Oboti.
11 Then they left there, and went to Iye-Abarim, in the desert on the eastern border of Moab.
Kenaka anasamuka ku Oboti nakamanga misasa yawo ku Iye-Abarimu, mʼchipululu chimene chili kummawa kwa Mowabu, kotulukira dzuwa.
12 From there they traveled to the valley where the Zered riverbed is, and camped there.
Kuchoka kumeneko anayendabe nakamanga misasa yawo mʼchigwa cha Zeredi.
13 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.
Anasamukanso kumeneko nakamanga moyandikana ndi Arinoni mʼdera limene lili mʼchipululu chimene chimafika mʼdziko la Aamori. Arinoni ndiwo malire a Mowabu ndi Aamori.
14 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]
Nʼchifukwa chake Buku la Nkhondo za Yehova limati, “Mzinda wa Wahebu uli mu Sufa, mu zigwa za Arinoni,
15 and the ravines there, which extend as far as Ar [village] on the border of Moab.”
ku matsitso a zigwa amene afika mpaka ku Ari nakhudza malire a dziko la Mowabu.”
16 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.”
Kuchokera kumeneko anapitirira mpaka ku Beeri, pa chitsime chomwe Yehova anawuza Mose kuti, “Sonkhanitsa anthu pamodzi ndipo ndidzawapatsa madzi.”
17 There the Israelis sang this song: “O well, give us water! Sing about this well!
Pamenepo Aisraeli anayimba nyimbo iyi: “Tulutsa madzi, chitsime iwe! Chiyimbireni nyimbo,
18 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,
chitsime chomwe anakumba mafumu, chomwe anakumba anthu omveka, ndi ndodo zawo zaufumu ndi ndodo zawo zoyendera.” Kenaka anachoka ku chipululu ndi kupita ku Matana.
19 Nahaliel, and Bamoth [villages].
Kuchoka ku Matana anapita ku Nahalieli, kuchoka ku Nahalieli anapita ku Bamoti,
20 Then they went to the valley in Moab where Pisgah [Mountain] rises above the desert.
ndipo atachoka ku Bamoti anapita ku chigwa cha dziko la Mowabu kudzera njira ya pamwamba pa phiri la Pisiga, moyangʼanana ndi Yesimoni.
21 Then the Israelis sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amor people-group. This was the message [that they/we gave him]:
Aisraeli anatumiza amithenga kwa Sihoni mfumu ya Aamori, kuti,
22 “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.”
“Tiloleni kuti tidutse mʼdziko mwanu. Sitidzapatukira mʼminda mwanu kapena mu mpesa wanu kapena kumwa madzi mʼchitsime chili chonse. Tidzayenda mu msewu waukulu wa mfumu mpaka titadutsa malire a dziko lanu.”
23 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].
Koma Sihoni sanalole kuti Aisraeli adutse mʼdziko mwake. Iye anasonkhanitsa pamodzi ankhondo ake onse kuti akamenyane ndi Aisraeli mʼchipululu. Atafika pa Yahazi anamenyana ndi Aisraeli.
24 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.
Koma Aisraeli anamupha ndi kulanda dziko lake kuchokera ku Arinoni mpaka ku Yaboki, kulekezera mʼmalire a dziko la Aamoni, chifukwa malire a dziko la Aamoni anali otetezedwa.
25 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.
Ndipo Aisraeli analanda mizinda yonse ya Aamori, nakhalamo kuphatikizapo Hesiboni ndi midzi yake yozungulira.
26 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].
Hesiboni unali mzinda wa Sihoni mfumu ya Aamori, yemwe anamenyana ndi mfumu yakale ya dziko la Mowabu. Lonselo linakhala dziko lake mpaka ku Arinoni.
27 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.
Nʼchifukwa chake alakatuli amati: “Bwerani ku Hesiboni, mzindawo umangidwenso; mzinda wa Sihoni ukhazikike.
28 A fire blazed from Heshbon; it burned down Ar [city] in Moab, it destroyed [everything on] the hills along the Arnon [River].
“Moto unabuka ku Hesiboni, malawi a moto kuchokera mu mzinda wa Sihoni. Unanyeketsa Ari mzinda wa ku Mowabu, nzika za ku malo okwera a Arinoni.
29 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.
Tsoka kwa iwe Mowabu! Mwawonongedwa inu anthu a ku Kemosi! Ana ake aamuna wawasandutsa ngati anthu othawathawa ndipo ana ake aakazi ngati akapolo, akapolo a Sihoni, mfumu ya Aamori.
30 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].”
“Koma ife tawagonjetsa; Hesiboni wawonongedwa mʼnjira monse mpaka kufika ku Diboni. Tawaphwasula mpaka ku mzinda wa Nofa, mzinda womwe umafika ku Medeba.
31 So the Israeli people began to live in the land where the Amor people-group lived.
“Choncho Aisraeli anakhala mʼdziko la Aamori.”
32 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.
Mose atatumiza azondi ku Yazeri, Aisraeliwo analanda midzi yozungulira ndi kuthamangitsa Aamori omwe ankakhala kumeneko.
33 Then they turned [north] toward the Bashan region, but King Og of Bashan and all his army attacked them at Edrei [town].
Kenaka anabwerera, nadzera njira ya ku Basani. Choncho Ogi mfumu ya ku Basani ndi gulu lake lonse lankhondo anatuluka kukakumana nawo ndipo anamenyana nawo ku Ederi.
34 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.”
Yehova anati kwa Mose, “Usachite naye mantha pakuti ndamupereka mʼmanja mwako pamodzi ndi gulu lake lonse lankhondo ndi dziko lake lomwe. Ndipo uchite kwa iye zimene unachita Sihoni mfumu ya Aamori, amene ankalamulira ku Hesiboni.”
35 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.
Choncho Aisraeli anapha Ogi pamodzi ndi ana ake aamuna ndi gulu lake lonse la nkhondo. Palibe ndi mmodzi yemwe amene anatsala wamoyo, ndipo analanda dziko lakelo.

< Numbers 21 >