The Fall of Jericho
1 The gates of Jericho were kept shut and guarded to keep the Israelites out. No one could enter or leave the city. 2 The Lord said to Joshua, “I am putting into your hands Jericho, with its king and all its brave soldiers. 3 You and your soldiers are to march around the city once a day for six days. 4 Seven priests, each carrying a trumpet, are to go in front of the Covenant Box. On the seventh day you and your soldiers are to march around the city seven times while the priests blow the trumpets. 5 Then they are to sound one long note. As soon as you hear it, all the people are to give a loud shout, and the city walls will collapse. Then the whole army will go straight into the city.”
6 Joshua called the priests and told them, “Take the Covenant Box, and seven of you go in front of it, carrying trumpets.” 7 Then he ordered the people to start marching around the city, with an advance guard going on ahead of the Lord's Covenant Box.
8-9 So, just as Joshua had ordered, an advance guard started out ahead of the priests who were blowing trumpets; behind these came the priests who were carrying the Covenant Box, followed by a rear guard. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10 But Joshua had ordered the people not to shout, not to say a word until he gave the order. 11 So he had this group of men take the Lord's Covenant Box around the city one time. Then they came back to camp and spent the night there.
12-13 Joshua got up early the next morning, and for the second time the priests and soldiers marched around the city in the same order as the day before: first, the advance guard; next, the seven priests blowing the seven trumpets; then, the priests carrying the Lord's Covenant Box; and finally, the rear guard. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 14 On this second day they again marched around the city one time and then returned to camp. They did this for six days.
15 On the seventh day they got up at daybreak and marched seven times around the city in the same way—this was the only day that they marched around it seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests were about to sound the trumpets, Joshua ordered the people to shout, and he said, “The Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and everything in it must be totally destroyed as an offering to the Lord. Only the prostitute Rahab and her household will be spared, because she hid our spies. 18 But you are not to take anything that is to be destroyed; if you do, you will bring trouble and destruction on the Israelite camp. 19 Everything made of silver, gold, bronze, or iron is set apart for the Lord. It is to be put in the Lord's treasury.”
20 So the priests blew the trumpets. As soon as the people heard it, they gave a loud shout, and the walls collapsed. Then all the army went straight up the hill into the city and captured it. 21 With their swords they killed everyone in the city, men and women, young and old. They also killed the cattle, sheep, and donkeys.
22 Joshua then told the two men who had served as spies, “Go into the prostitute's house, and bring her and her family out, as you promised her.” 23 So they went and brought Rahab out, along with her father and mother, her brothers, and the rest of her family. They took them all, family and slaves, to safety near the Israelite camp. 24 Then they set fire to the city and burned it to the ground, along with everything in it, except the things made of gold, silver, bronze, and iron, which they took and put in the Lord's treasury. 25 But Joshua spared the lives of the prostitute Rahab and all her relatives, because she had hidden the two spies that he had sent to Jericho. (Her descendants have lived in Israel to this day.)
26 At this time Joshua issued a solemn warning: “Anyone who tries to rebuild the city of Jericho will be under the Lord's curse.
Whoever lays the foundation will lose his oldest son;
Whoever builds the gates will lose his youngest.”
27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread through the whole country.
Kolomogwa kwe Jerikho
1 Ngono kwakati mu tjibaka itjetjo bathu be Jerikho bakabe bazhalila mikoba yose yabo ngotja Baiziraela, kwakabe kusina unongina kene unobhuda. 2 Ipapo Yahwe bakadwa Joshuwa bakati, “Bona, ndolonga mu maboko awo bathu be Jerikho na mambo wabo ne babhayani bayo bakasima. 3 Yendani mupoteleke nzi we Jerikho ne babhayani benyu be ngwa bose, mupoteleke kudza munoligila kang'ompela nge zhuba, muthame saikoku mazhuba ali matathatu ngotobedzana kwawo. 4 Bapirisiti bali kutendeka batungamile Bhokisi, mmwe ne mmwe wabo akabhata tjilidzo tje lunyanga gwe nyundo. Mu zhuba le butendeka mupoteleke nzi katendeka, bapirisiti ibo bakabhata belidza nyanga. 5 Ngono kuti muhwa nyanga dzilila kwe lubaka bulefu bathu bose bamimilile pezhugwi ngono guma le nzi nkulu lowowila pasi lose, bathu babe betambunuka bengina muuli.”
6 Ndizo Joshuwa nkololo wa Nuni kadana bapirisiti ngono kabadwa kati, “Tolani Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe, ngakube ne bapirisiti bali kutendeka bakabhata nyanga dzili kutendeka bakalitungamila.”
7 Ngono kadwa bathu kati, “Milikani mupoteleke nzi nkulu, babhayani bakashakatila mathumo batungamile Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe.”
8 Ngono kwakati Joshuwa asino lebeleka ne bathu, bapirisiti bali kutendeka bakabhata nyanga dzili kutendeka bali mbeli kwa Yahwe bakatungamila beyenda belidza nyanga dzabo ngono Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe lakabasala shule. 9 Babhayani bakashakatila mathumo bakayenda bali mbeli bakatungamila bapirisiti bakabe belidza nyanga betobegwa ne bapirisiti bakabe bakasenga Bhokisi le Tjidumano, ibo betobegwa ne bamwe babhayani bakashakatila mathumo, nyanga idzo dzakabhata dzilila. 10 Koga Joshuwa wakabe ati ku bathu, “Musi mimile kene kumilidza mahwi enyu, musitongo buya mukadusa dama mu milomo yenyu kuswikilila zhuba landinowomudwa nditi mu mimile, ipapo mube mumimila!” 11 Ndizo Joshuwa kathama kuti bathu bapoteleke nzi nkulu kang'ompela koga bakasenga Bhokisi le Tjidumano, kudwapo bathu bakabgwilila ku bukotokelo kunolala.
12 Joshuwa kabinduka, bapirisiti bakatola Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe. 13 Bapirisiti bali kutendeka bakabe bakasenga nyanga dzabo beyenda bedzilidza, beyendila mbeli bakatungamila Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe. Balume bakashakatila mathumo ibo bakabatungamila ha bamwe ibo bakasala Bhokisi le Tjidumano shule, nyanga idzo dzakabhata dzilila. 14 Zhuba le bubili bakapoteleka nzi nkulu we Jerikho kabili bakabe bebgwilila ku bukotokelo. Bakazwibgwizhulula kukabe kwe mazhuba ali matathatu.
15 Kwakati mu zhuba le butendeka, bakabinduka bakayenda bakanopoteleka nzi nkulu Jerikho katendeka kunofanana koga ne mamwe mazhuba, kuzhe kwekuti mu zhuba ilelo bakapoteleka nzi nkulu katendeka.
16 Kwakati bopoteleka gwe butendeka, bapirisiti bakalidza nyanga dzabo ngono Joshuwa kadwa itjaba kati, “Tjimimilani ngobe Yahwe bamupa nzi nkulu Jerikho! 17 Nzi nkulu ne tjimwe ne tjimwe tjimuuli zwipiwe Yahwe ngokolomodziwa, kusale fukula Rahabu koga ne baanabo be nsha uwe ngobe akasumbika shodzi dzedu dzatakabetatuma. 18 Koga imwi mube kutjena ne zwithu zwakalingisanyiwa nge kolomogwa kuti ndizo musitongo zwidanila golomodzo nge kuzwitola. Ha mungathama muijalo mowobe muthama kuti bukotokelo gwenyu Baiziraela gulingisanyiwe ne mang'oni nenge kukolomogwa. 19 Tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakathamiwa nge siliva ne golide ne phangula ne butale ngezwa Yahwe ngono zwakafanila kunobigwa ku matula abo.”
20 Ndizo nyanga dzikalidziwa ngono kwakati bathu behwa nsindo we nyanga bakamilidza mahwi bakamimila kwazo ngono guma le Jerikho likawila pasi. Mmwe ne mmwe nthu katambunuka kangina paakalingisana napo ngono bakatola nzi we Jerikho. 21 Bakapa nzi we Jerikho Yahwe nge kukolomodza tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinotjila muuli balume kene bakadzi, bawola kene batjetjana, ng'ombe ne pkhwizi ne madonki zose bakazwikolomodza nge thumo.Kolomogwa kwe Jerikho 22 Joshuwa kadwa balume babili be shodzi bakabe bashola shango kati, “Yendani ku ng'umba ye fukula iyeyije, muswike muitole nebe nsha wayo, sekwa makatuna kuti mowothama muijalo.” 23 Ndizo bazhuzha be shodzi bakayenda bakanotola Rahabu na tate babe na mmeyabe ne azwadzi dzidze ne makamu awe, ngono bakanobabiga kuzhe kwe bukotokelo gwe Baiziraela. 24 Kudwapo bakapisa nzi nkulu Jerikho ne tjimwe ne tjimwe tjimuuli, koga bakatola siliva ne golide ne zwithu zwakathamiwa nge phangula ne zwakathamiwa nge butale bakanozwibiga ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe. 25 Koga Joshuwa katjidza fukula Rahabu ne nsha wa tate babe ne makamu awe ngono bakagala ne Baiziraela kuswikila na nasi, ngoti akasumbika batumwa bakabe batumwa ndi Joshuwa kunoshola nzi we Jerikho.
26 Ipapo kwakati nzi we Jerikho usinokukolomoka Joshuwa katuna eti, “Yahwe ngabalonge bhiso nthu iye unowomusa nzi nkulu Jerikho.
“Ha angati unomusa thiwa dze makuma
unowofigwa ne nkololo uwe we mbano we tjilisana.
Ha angati unomusa mikoba ye nzi nkulu
unowofigwa ne kologwe tjitje.”
27 Ndizo Yahwe bakabe na Joshuwa ngono Joshuwa kazibgwa shango yose.