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.
Kwathi inkosi yase-Aradi engumKhenani eyayihlala eNegebi isizwa ukuthi abako-Israyeli babesiza behamba ngomgwaqo beqonde e-Atharimi, yabahlasela abako-Israyeli yaze yathumba abanye babo.
2 Then the Israelis solemnly vowed: “Yahweh, if you will help us to defeat these people, we will completely destroy all their towns.”
Ngakho u-Israyeli wenza lesisifungo kuThixo wathi: “Nxa unganikela lababantu ezandleni zethu, sizachithiza amadolobho abo nya.”
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’].
UThixo walalela ukuncenga kwabako-Israyeli wasenikela amaKhenani kubo. Abako-Israyeli bawaqothula amaKhenani bachithiza kanye lamadolobho awo; ngakho indawo leyo yabizwa ngokuthi yiHoma.
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,
Bahamba besuka entabeni yaseHori ngendlela eqonda oLwandle oluBomvu, ukuze baceze ilizwe lase-Edomi. Kodwa besendleleni abantu basebenengekile sebephelelwe yikubekezela;
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!”
bakhuluma kubi besola uNkulunkulu kanye loMosi, bathi, “Lasikhuphelani na eGibhithe ukuze sizefela enkangala? Akulasinkwa! Akulamanzi! Futhi lalokhu ukudla kwenu okubi siyakuzonda.”
6 So Yahweh sent poisonous snakes among them. Many of the people were bitten by the snakes and died.
Ngakho uThixo wasebathumela izinyoka ezazilobuhlungu obesabekayo kakhulu, zabaluma abantu bako-Israyeli abanengi bafa.
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.
Abantu baya kuMosi bathi, “Sonile ngokukhuluma kwethu kubi ngoThixo langokukhuluma kwethu ngawe. Akukhuleke ukuthi uThixo asuse izinyoka lezi phakathi kwethu.” Ngakho wabakhulekela abantu.
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).”
UThixo wathi kuMosi, “Yenza inyoka yethusi uyiphanyeke esigodweni; loba ngubani olunyiweyo angakhangela kuyo uzaphila.”
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!
Ngakho uMosi wenza inyoka yethusi wayiphanyeka esigodweni. Kwakusithi lowo olunywe yinyoka angakhangela inyoka yethusi aphile.
10 Then the Israelis traveled to Oboth and (camped/set up their tents) there.
Abako-Israyeli basuka baqhubeka baze bayamisa izihonqo zabo e-Obhothi.
11 Then they left there, and went to Iye-Abarim, in the desert on the eastern border of Moab.
Basuka njalo e-Obhothi bayamisa izihonqo zabo e-Iye-Abharimi, enkangala eyayimalungana leMowabi ngokuya ngempumalanga.
12 From there they traveled to the valley where the Zered riverbed is, and camped there.
Besuka lapho baqhubeka ngohambo baze bayamisa izihonqo zabo esigodini saseZeredi.
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.
Basuka lapho bayamisa izihonqo zabo eduze le-Arinoni esenkangala eqhelela elizweni lama-Amori. I-Arinoni isemngceleni welaseMowabi, phakathi laphakathi kweMowabi kanye lama-Amori.
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]
Kungakho uGwalo lweziMpi zikaThixo lusithi: “Lokho akwenza oLwandle oLubomvu lakwenza emifuleni yeWahebhi eseSufa lemifuleni yase-Arinoni
15 and the ravines there, which extend as far as Ar [village] on the border of Moab.”
lamawa ezindonga ehlela endaweni yase-Ari lasekela umngcele weMowabi.”
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.”
Besuka lapho baqhubeka baze bayafika eBheri, emthonjeni lapho uThixo athi kuMosi, “Buthanisa abantu ngibanike amanzi.”
17 There the Israelis sang this song: “O well, give us water! Sing about this well!
Ngakho abako-Israyeli bahlabela ingoma le ethi: “Mpompoza, wemthombo! Hlabelelani ngawo,
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,
ngomthombo owenjiwa ngamakhosana, owenjiwa yizikhulu zabantu, izikhulu ezilentonga zobukhosi kanye lezinduku.” Basuka-ke enkangala bayafika eMathana,
19 Nahaliel, and Bamoth [villages].
besuka eMathana baya eNahaliyeli, besuka eNahaliyeli, baya eBhamothi,
20 Then they went to the valley in Moab where Pisgah [Mountain] rises above the desert.
kwathi besuka eBhamothi baqonda esigodini eMowabi, lapho isiqongo sentaba yasePhisiga esikhangele elizweni elilugwadule.
21 Then the Israelis sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amor people-group. This was the message [that they/we gave him]:
U-Israyeli wathumela izithunywa kuSihoni inkosi yama-Amori wathi:
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.”
“Sivumele sidabule elizweni lakho. Kasiyikuphambukela loba lakuliphi icele ukuze singene loba kuwaphi amasimu akho kumbe isivini, loba ukunatha amanzi emthonjeni loba yiwuphi. Sizazihambela nje ngomgwaqo omkhulu weNkosi size sedlule elizweni lakho.”
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].
Kodwa uSihoni kavumanga ukuthi u-Israyeli adabule elizweni lakhe. USihoni waqoqa ibutho lakhe waphuma waqonda enkangala ukuyahlasela u-Israyeli. Wathi esefikile eJahazi walwa lo-Israyeli.
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.
Kodwa u-Israyeli wamnqoba ngenkemba, wambhubhisa njalo wamthathela ilizwe lakhe kusukela e-Arinoni kusiya eJabhoki, kusiyafika elizweni lama-Amoni kuphela, ngoba umngcele walo wawuvikelwe ngemithangala.
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.
U-Israyeli wathatha wonke amadolobho ama-Amori wahlala kuwo, kwakugoqela iHeshibhoni kanye leziqinti ezaziyigombolozele.
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].
IHeshibhoni kwakulidolobho likaSihoni inkosi yama-Amori, owayelwe lenkosi yamaMowabi eyayikade ibusa khona wayinqoba wayithathela ilizwe layo lonke kuze kuyefika e-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.
Yingakho izimbongi zisithi: “Wozani eHeshibhoni; kayivuselelwe yakhiwe njalo; akuthi idolobho likaSihoni livuselelwe.
28 A fire blazed from Heshbon; it burned down Ar [city] in Moab, it destroyed [everything on] the hills along the Arnon [River].
Umlilo wavutha eHeshibhoni ilangabi lavela edolobheni likaSihoni. Laqothula i-Ari laseMowabi, abantu basemiqolweni yase-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.
Maye kuwe, Mowabi! Selibhujisiwe lina, Oh bantu baseKhemoshi! Usedele amadodana akhe njengeziphepheli lamadodakazi njengabathunjiweyo bethunjwa nguSihoni inkosi yama-Amori.
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].”
Kodwa thina sibehlule; iHeshibhoni siyitshabalalisile kuze kuyefika eDibhoni. Sibachithile kwaze kwaba seNofa, eqhelela eMedebha.”
31 So the Israeli people began to live in the land where the Amor people-group lived.
Ngakho u-Israyeli wahlala elizweni lama-Amori.
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.
Ngemva kokuba uMosi esethumele inhloli eJazeri, abako-Israyeli bathumba iziqinti eziseduze njalo baxotsha ama-Amori ayehlala khona.
33 Then they turned [north] toward the Bashan region, but King Og of Bashan and all his army attacked them at Edrei [town].
Basebephenduka bahamba ngomgwaqo oya eBhashani. U-Ogi inkosi yaseBhashani kanye lebutho lakhe lonke baphuma ukuyahlangana labako-Israyeli ukubahlasela e-Edreyi.
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.”
UThixo wathi kuMosi, “Ungamesabi, ngoba sengimnikele kuwe lamabutho akhe wonke kanye lelizwe lakhe. Menze konke owakwenza kuSihoni inkosi yama-Amori, owayebusa eHeshibhoni.”
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.
Ngakho bambulala ndawonye lamadodana akhe kanye lebutho lakhe lonke, kakho loyedwa owaphephayo. Basebethatha ilizwe lakhe.
