The Lord's Angel Speaks to Israel
1 The Lord's angel went from Gilgal to Bochim and gave the Israelites this message from the Lord:
I promised your ancestors that I would give this land to their families, and I brought your people here from Egypt. We made an agreement that I promised never to break, 2 and you promised not to make any peace treaties with the other nations that live in the land. Besides that, you agreed to tear down the altars where they sacrifice to their idols. Why haven't you kept your promise?
3 And so, I'll stop helping you defeat your enemies. Instead, they will be there to trap you into worshiping their idols.
4 The Israelites started crying loudly, 5 and they offered sacrifices to the Lord. From then on, they called that place “Crying.”
Israel Stops Worshiping the Lord
6-9 Joshua had been faithful to the Lord. And after Joshua sent the Israelites to take the land they had been promised, they remained faithful to the Lord until Joshua died at the age of 110. He was buried on his land in Timnath-Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. Even though Joshua was gone, the Israelites were faithful to the Lord during the lifetime of those men who had been leaders with Joshua and who had seen the wonderful things the Lord had done for Israel.
10 After a while the people of Joshua's generation died, and the next generation did not know the Lord or any of the things he had done for Israel. 11-13 The Lord had brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and they had worshiped him. But now the Israelites stopped worshiping the Lord and worshiped the idols of Baal and Astarte, as well as the idols of other gods from nearby nations.
The Lord was so angry 14-15 with the Israelites that he let other nations raid Israel and steal their crops and other possessions. Enemies were everywhere, and the Lord always let them defeat Israel in battle. The Lord had warned Israel he would do this, and now the Israelites were miserable.
The Lord Chooses Leaders for Israel
16 From time to time, the Lord would choose special leaders known as judges. These judges would lead the Israelites into battle and defeat the enemies that made raids on them. 17 In years gone by, the Israelites had been faithful to the Lord, but now they were quick to be unfaithful and to refuse even to listen to these judges. The Israelites disobeyed the Lord, and instead of worshiping him, they worshiped other gods.
18 When enemies made life miserable for the Israelites, the Lord felt sorry for them. He would choose a judge and help that judge rescue Israel from its enemies. The Lord was kind to Israel as long as that judge lived. 19 But afterwards, the Israelites would become even more sinful than their ancestors had been. The Israelites were stubborn—they simply would not stop worshiping other gods or following their teachings.
The Lord Lets Enemies Test Israel
20 The Lord was angry with Israel and said:
The Israelites have broken the agreement I made with their ancestors. They won't obey me, 21 so I'll stop helping them defeat their enemies. Israel still had a lot of enemies when Joshua died, 22 and I'm going to let those enemies stay. I'll use them to test Israel, because then I can find out if Israel will worship and obey me as their ancestors did.
23 That's why the Lord had not let Joshua get rid of those enemy nations all at once.
Ntumwa we Ndzimu ku Bhokhimu
1 Ntumwa wa Yahwe kamilika edwa ku Giligala eyenda ku Bhokhimu kati, “Ndakamudusa mu Egipiti ndimuzhisa mu shango yandakabe ndatuna kuyipa botate benyu. Ndakati, ‘Anditowokolomodza tjidumano tjangu namwi, 2 musithame tjidumano ne bagali be shango iyeyi, mu kolomodze zwibeso zwabo zwe zwibhayilo.’ Koga amuzobhata nlayo wangu, ini ikoko kwamakathama kene? 3 Ndizo ngwenu ndikati, anditowobatata mbeli kwenyu, banowobe zwita zwenyu ngono midzimu yabo inowobe bhuzhu ku muli.” 4 Kwakati ntumwa wa Yahwe a leba matama iyawa ku Baiziraela bose, bathu bakamilidza mahwi bakalila. 5 Bakatumila bugalo igogo zina beti Bhokimu, bakadusila Yahwe zwibhayilo ikoko.
Lufu gwa Joshuwa
6 Kwakati Joshuwa asina kupaladza bathu, mmwe ne mmwe akayenda kunotola thaka iye, kuthuwa shango. 7 Bathu bakashingila Yahwe mazhuba wose a Joshuwa, ne mazhuba wose e bakulu bakatjila tjibaka tjilefu pana Joshuwa, bakabona mishingo mikulu yakathamigwa Baiziraela ndi Yahwe. 8 Joshuwa nkololo wa Nuni, nlanda wa Yahwe wakafa ana makole ali zana lina ali gumi (110). 9 Bakambiganyila mu shango ye thaka iye ku Timinatiheresi mu shango ye matuthu ya Ifureimi, ku bunandzwa gwe Dombo le Gaashi. 10 Kwakati tjizekugwana tjose tjatjilala nabo batategulu batjo, ngono kukamuka tjizekugwana tjitshwa tjisingazibe Yahwe kene mishingo yabakathamila Baiziraela. 11 Ngono bathu be Iziraela bakathama mbipo mu mesho a Yahwe, bakashingila bo Bhaale. 12 Bakasiya Yahwe Ndzimu wa botate babo wakabadusa mu Egipiti. Bakatobela midzimu yakasiyanasiyana ye bathu bakabapoteleka, ngono bakayithigamila, bakalonga Yahwe bushongola. 13 Bakasiya Yahwe bakashingila Bhaale na Ashitoreti. 14 Ndizo bushongola gwa Yahwe gukathutila Baiziraela ngono bakabalonga mu maboko e batapi bakabatapila thundu. Bakabatengesela zwita zwabo kubapoteleka, kwabakabe basingatjatubule kugwa nazo. 15 Kwakabe kuti apa Baiziraela bebhuda beyenda ku ngwa, luboko gwa Yahwe gwakabe gu gwa nabo kubathamila bubi, Yahwe sekwa bakabebaleba na Yahwe sekwa bakabebabatunila. Bakabe mu buyendasi bukulu. 16 Ngono Yahwe bakabamusila basumikilisi bakabatjidza mu simba le batapi babo. 17 Koga bakasiteedze basumikilisi babo ngoti bakathama bupombgwe ne midzimu ipoga ngono bakayithigamila, bakatjimbidza bapambuka mu zila yakayendiwa na botate babo bakatobela milayo ya Yahwe, ngono bakasithame bejalo. 18 Kwakabe kuti apa Yahwe bebamusila basumikilisi, Yahwe bakabe bana nsumikilisi ngono katjidza bathu mu luboko gwe zwita zwabo mu mazhuba wose e nsumikilisi, ngoti Yahwe bakabe nge ngoni mubali pabakabe bedziyidziwa be tshambilidziwa. 19 Koga kwakabe kuti apa nsumikilisi afa, bathu bakabe beshandukila kuzila dzabo dzakabipa kupinda dza botate babo, betobela midzimu ipoga beyishingila beinamata. Bakabe belamba kuletja mishingo yabo ne zila dzabo dze moyonkukutu. 20 Ndizo bushongola gwa Yahwe gukathutila Baiziraela, ngono bakati, “Ngoti bathu ibaba batjuluka tjidumano tjangu tjandaka laya botate babo, bakasinditeedze, 21 anditjowotata zwitjaba mbeli kwabo zwakasiyiwa ndi Joshuwa afa. 22 Ndowozwishingisa kulika Baiziraela, ndibone kuti banowobhata zila dza Yahwe bakadzitobela sekwakathama bobatategulu babo kene aa.” 23 Ndizo Yahwe bakaletja zwitjaba izwezo basingazwitate ngokuzwilonga mu maboko a Joshuwa.