The Angel of the Lord at Bochim
1 The angel of the Lord went from Gilgal to Bochim and said to the Israelites, “I took you out of Egypt and brought you to the land that I promised to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you. 2 You must not make any covenant with the people who live in this land. You must tear down their altars.’ But you have not done what I told you. You have done just the opposite! 3 So I tell you now that I will not drive these people out as you advance. They will be your enemies, and you will be trapped by the worship of their gods.” 4 When the angel had said this, all the people of Israel began to cry, 5 and that is why the place is called Bochim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
The Death of Joshua
6 Joshua sent the people of Israel on their way, and each man went to take possession of his own share of the land. 7 As long as Joshua lived, the people of Israel served the Lord, and even after his death they continued to do so as long as the leaders were alive who had seen for themselves all the great things that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 The Lord's servant Joshua son of Nun died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 He was buried in his own part of the land at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. 10 That whole generation also died, and the next generation forgot the Lord and what he had done for Israel.
Israel Stops Worshiping the Lord
11 Then the people of Israel sinned against the Lord and began to serve the Baals. 12 They stopped worshiping the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God who had brought them out of Egypt, and they began to worship other gods, the gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and made the Lord angry. 13 They stopped worshiping the Lord and served the Baals and the Astartes. 14 And so the Lord became furious with Israel and let raiders attack and rob them. He let the enemies all around overpower them, and the Israelites could no longer protect themselves. 15 Every time they would go into battle, the Lord was against them, just as he had said he would be. They were in great distress.
16 Then the Lord gave the Israelites leaders who saved them from the raiders. 17 But the Israelites paid no attention to their leaders. Israel was unfaithful to the Lord and worshiped other gods. Their fathers had obeyed the Lord's commands, but this new generation soon stopped doing so. 18 Whenever the Lord gave Israel a leader, the Lord would help that leader and would save the people from their enemies as long as that leader lived. The Lord would have mercy on them because they groaned under their suffering and oppression. 19 But when the leader died, the people would return to the old ways and behave worse than the previous generation. They would serve and worship other gods, and stubbornly continue their own evil ways. 20 Then the Lord would become furious with Israel and say, “This nation has broken the covenant that I commanded their ancestors to keep. Because they have not obeyed me, 21 I will no longer drive out any of the nations that were still in the land when Joshua died. 22 I will use them to find out whether or not these Israelites will follow my ways, as their ancestors did.” 23 So the Lord allowed these nations to remain in the land; he did not give Joshua victory over them, nor did he drive them out soon after Joshua's death.
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.