Kumilika mu Horebu
1 Awa matama akalebgwa ndi Mushe ku Baiziraela bose ku bhezhuba kwe Jorodani mu tjilambanyika, mu Arabha kulingisana ne Sufu pakati kwe Parani ne Tofeli ne Labani ne Hazeroti ne Dizahabhu. 2 Kotola gwendo gwe mazhuba ali gumi lina zhuba ling'ompela kudwa mu Horebu kunoti ku Kadeshibhareneya nthu eyenda nge zila ye Dombo le Seiri. 3 Ngono mu gole le bumakumi manna (40), mu zhuba le kutanga le mwedzi we bugumi lina zhuba ling'ompela badwa mu Egipiti, Mushe kalebeleka ne bathu be Iziraela nge kwakose Yahwe kwabakapa Mushe uli nlayo kubali, 4 asinokunda Sihoni mambo we Baamori wakabe egala ku Heshibhoni na Ogi mambo we Bhashani wakabe egala ku Ashitaroti ne ku Edireyi. 5 Kwakabe kuli seli ye Jorodani mu shango ye Moabu, Mushe etjenesa nlayo iwoyu eti, 6 Yahwe Ndzimu wedu bakati kutili tili ku Horebu, “Imwi magalisa pa dombo ileli, 7 shandukani mutole gwendo gwenyu muyende ku shango ye matuthu ye Baamori ne ku babakidzani babo mu Araba ne mu shango ye matuthu ne shango yakawila ne ku Negebu ne ku tjekelo dze gungwa ne ku shango ye Bakanana ne ku Lebanoni bukule kunoswika ku gwizi bukulu Yufuratesi. 8 Bonani, ndabiga shango mbeli kwenyu, nginani mutole shango iyo Yahwe yabakatuna kuti banoipa botate benyu bo Abhurahama na Isaki na Jakubo ne bana babo banowozha shule kwabo.”
Mushe unoshalula basumikilisi
(Kufuluka 18:13-27)9 “Mu tjibaka itjetjo ndakati kumuli, ‘Anditotubula ndili ndoga kumubhabha. 10 Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu wakamuwandisa ngono bonani, nasi monga nyenyedzi dze kudzimu nge bunji. 11 Tshene Yahwe Ndzimu wa botate benyu bamuwandise mbalo yamuli iyo kanjinji nge tjiwulu bamukombolele sekwa bakagadzabgwe. 12 Ndingasenga tjini ndili ndoga ntolo unolema wenyu ne ndebo dzenyu? 13 Shalulani balume bakatjenjela banohwisisa bana zibo, banozibika mu njudzi dzenyu ngono ndowobabiga kube batungamili benyu.’
14 “Makadabila muti, ‘Tjawaleba leba tjakalulwama kutili kuti titjishinge.’
15 “Ndizo ndakatola batungamili be njudzi dzenyu, balume bakatjenjela bana zibo ababiga batungamili benyu, batungamili be bali zwiwulu ne batungamili be bali mazana ne batungamili be bali makumi mashanu ne batungamili be bali gumi ne makulukota mu njudzi dzenyu. 16 Ngono ndakalaya basumikilisi benyu tjibaka itjetjo nditi, ‘Ihwani ndebo ipakati kwe zwikamu zwenyu ngono musumikilise nge ndulamo pakati kwe nthu ne ikamu tjitje kene pakati kwe nthu ne ntaya unamwi. 17 Musitongobe ne shalawulo mu kusumikilisa, muhwe batukunu ne bakulu nge kunofanana, musitongotja buso gwe nthu ngoti kusumikilisa ngekwe Ndzimu. Ndebo inomulemela muizhise kundili ngono ndowoyihwa.’ 18 Ngono mu tjibaka itjetjo ndakamubudza kose kwa makafanila thama.”
Shodzi dzotumiwa kudwa mu Kadeshibhareneya
(Mbalo 13:1-33)19 “Ngono tikamilika mu Horebu tikayenda tipalama tjilambanyika itjetjije tjikulu tjakabangalala tjamakabona tiyenda ku shango ye matuthu ye Baamori sekwa takadwiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wedu, ngono tikaswika ku Kadeshibhareneya. 20 Ipapo abe nditi kumuli, ‘Maswika ku shango ye matuthu ye Baamori iyo yatinopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wedu. 21 Bonani, Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu wabiga shango iyeyi mbeli kwenyu, yendani muitole sekwa madwiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wa botate benyu, musitje kene kuli kutemeka mafupa.’
22 “Ipapo mose mukazha kundili mukati, ‘Ngatitumeni balume banotisholela shango babuye batibudze zila yatingayenda ndiyo nenge kwe mizi mikulu yatinowongina.
23 “Nkumbulo ihwoyo ukalingika wakalulwama kundili, ngono atola balume bali gumi lina babili mu muli, nlume ng'ompela kudwa mu ludzi gung'ompela. 24 Ngono bakashanduka bakayenda ku shango ye matuthu bakaswika ku Nkuku we Eshikholi ngono bakawushola. 25 Ngono bakatola mimwe ye mitjelo ye shango iyeyo bakazha nayo kutili, bakazhisa mbiko kakale beti, ‘I shango yakanaka Yahwe Ndzimu wedu yabanotipa.’ ”
26 “Koga mukaside kuyenda, mukapandukila nlayo wa Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu.” 27 Makang'ong'ola muli mu mishasha yenyu mukati, “Ngoti Yahwe banotibenga bakatidusa mu shango ye Egipiti kutilonga mu maboko e Baamori kutilobesa. 28 Toyenda ngayi kene? Zwikamu zwedu zwatinyadza moyo azwiti, ‘Bathu bako bakulu kakale balefu patili, mizi mikulukulu kakale yakasima ina makuma akakula, pezhugwi kwa ikoku tabona bakololo be Baanakimu.’ ”
29 Ipapo abe nditi kumuli, “Musipaluke moyo kene kuli kubatja. 30 Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu ibo bakamutungamila banowomugwila sekwa bakamuthamila mu Egipiti makalinga, 31 ne mu tjilambanyika kwamakabona Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu sekwa bakamubhabha se nlume ebhabha nkololo uwe, bakamubhabha gwendo gose gwamakayenda kudzina muswika mu magalo iyawa.” 32 Nenguba kwakajalo amuzogalamoyo Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu 33 ibo bakamutungamila nge moto busiku kumushakila magalo amungabaka mishasha yenyu muali, umulakidza kuti muyende tjini, masikati bemutungamila nge gole.
Yahwe banoloba shamu Iziraela
(Mbalo 14:20-45)34 Ngono Yahwe bakahwa matama enyu ngono bakagwadza moyo bakatuna beti, 35 “Akuna ne ng'ompela we balume ibaba be tjizekugwana itjetji tjibiibi unowobona shango mbuya iyo yandakatuna kuyipa botate benyu, 36 kuzhe kwa Khalebu nkololo wa Jefune, iye unowoyibona. Iye ne bana babe ndowobapa shango yaakatongo tshamba nge kuti iye wakatobela Yahwe nge buzhalo.” 37 Yahwe bakandigwadzila moyo bo ngekwenyu bakabe beti, “Nawebo autowongina ikweno. 38 Joshuwa nkololo wa Nuni, nlanda uwo unowongina, unkulumbidze ngoti unowothama Iziraela kuti baigale thaka. 39 Pezhugwi kwaikoku bana benyu batukununu basathu bakaziba ndulamo kene mbipo banowongina ikweno ngono ndowobapa iyo, banowoyithuwa. 40 Koga imwi shandukani mutole gwendo mu tjilambanyika makalinga ku lubizho gwe Gungwa Shaba.”
41 Ipapo mukandishandula muti, “Tatjinya kuna Yahwe, towoyenda tikanogwa koga sekwatadwiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wedu.” Ndizo mmwe ne mmwe wenyu kadedela mathumo awe engwa mukakumbula kuti kulelulelu kutathila ku shango ye matuthu. 42 Ngono Yahwe bakandidwa bakati, “Ubadwe uti, ‘Musiyende ne kugwa musigwe ngekuti andite ndili pakati kwenyu, musitongodwa mu kundiwa nge zwita zwenyu.’ ” 43 Ndizo ndakalebeleka namwi ngono mukasitongo hwilila koga mukapandukila nlayo wa Yahwe, mukabe ne manyimwe mukatathila ku shango ye matuthu. 44 Ipapo Baamori bakabe begala mu shango iyeyo ye matuthu bakamushangamidza nge ngwa bakatatana namwi se nyutji bakamutemela pasi mu Seiri kunoti ku Horima. 45 Makashanduka mukalilila mbeli kwa Yahwe, koga Yahwe bakasimuhwilile kene kumuteedza. 46 Ndizo makagala mu Kadeshi mazhuba manjinji, tjibaka tjose tjamakapitsha ikweno.
The Final Speeches of Moses
1-5 This book contains the speeches that Moses made while Israel was in the land of Moab, camped near the town of Suph in the desert east of the Jordan River. The town of Paran was in one direction from their camp, and the towns of Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab were in the opposite direction.
Earlier, Moses had defeated the Amorite King Sihon of Heshbon. Moses had also defeated King Og of Bashan, who used to live in Ashtaroth for part of the year and in Edrei for the rest of the year.
Although it takes only eleven days to walk from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-Barnea by way of the Mount Seir Road, these speeches were not made until 40 years after Israel left Egypt.
The First Speech: Moses Reviews the Past
The Lord's Command at Mount Sinai
The Lord had given Moses his laws for the people of Israel. And on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses began explaining those laws by saying:
6 People of Israel, when we were in our camp at Mount Sinai, the Lord our God told us:
You have stayed here long enough. 7 Leave this place and go into the land that belongs to the Amorites and their neighbors the Canaanites. This land includes the Jordan River valley, the hill country, the western foothills, the Southern Desert, the Mediterranean seacoast, the Lebanon Mountains, and all the territory as far as the Euphrates River. 8 I give you this land, just as I promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Now you must go and take the land.
Leaders Were Appointed
(Exodus 18.13-27)Moses said:
9 Right after the Lord commanded us to leave Mount Sinai, I told you:
Israel, being your leader is too big a job for one person. 10 The Lord our God has blessed us, and so now there are as many of us as there are stars in the sky. 11 God has even promised to bless us a thousand times more, and I pray that he will. 12 But I cannot take care of all your problems and settle all your arguments alone. 13 Each tribe must choose some experienced men who are known for their wisdom and understanding, and I will make those men the official leaders of their tribes.
14 You answered, “That's a good idea!” 15 Then I took these men, who were already wise and respected leaders, and I appointed them as your official leaders. Some of them became military officers in charge of groups of 1,000, or 100, or 50, or 10, 16 and others became judges. I gave these judges the following instructions:
When you settle legal cases, your decisions must be fair. It doesn't matter if the case is between two Israelites, or between an Israelite and a foreigner living in your community. 17 And it doesn't matter if one is helpless and the other is powerful. Don't be afraid of anyone! No matter who shows up in your court, God will help you make a fair decision.
If any case is too hard for you, bring the people to me, and I will make the decision.
18 After I gave these instructions to the judges, I taught you the Lord's commands.
Men Were Sent To Explore the Hill Country
(Numbers 13.1-33)Moses said to Israel:
19 The Lord had commanded us to leave Mount Sinai and go to the hill country that belonged to the Amorites, so we started out into the huge desert. You remember how frightening it was, but soon we were at Kadesh-Barnea, 20-21 and I told you, “We have reached the hill country. It belongs to the Amorites now, but the Lord our God is giving it to us. He is the same God our ancestors worshiped, and he has told us to go in and take this land, so don't hesitate and be afraid.”
22 Then all of you came to me and said, “Before we go into the land, let's send some men to explore it. When they come back, they can tell us about the towns we will find and what roads we should take to get there.”
23 It seemed like a good idea, so I chose twelve men, one from each tribe. 24 They explored the hill country as far as Bunch Valley 25 and even brought back some of the fruit. They said, “The Lord our God is giving us good land.”
Israel Refused To Obey the Lord
(Numbers 14.1-45)Moses said to Israel:
26 You did not want to go into the land, and you refused to obey the Lord your God. 27 You stayed in your tents and grumbled, “The Lord must hate us—he brought us out of Egypt, just so he could hand us over to the Amorites and get rid of us. 28 We are afraid, because the men who explored the land told us that the cities are large, with walls that reach to the sky. The people who live there are taller and stronger than we are, and some of them are Anakim. We have nowhere to go.”
29 Then I said, “Don't worry! 30 The Lord our God will lead the way. He will fight on our side, just as he did when we saw him do all those things to the Egyptians. 31 And you know that the Lord has taken care of us the whole time we've been in the desert, just as you might carry one of your children.”
32 But you still would not trust the Lord, 33 even though he had always been with us in the desert. During the daytime, the Lord was in the cloud, leading us in the right direction and showing us where to camp. And at night, he was there in the fire.
34 You had made the Lord angry, and he said:
35 You people of this generation are evil, and I refuse to let you go into the good land that I promised your ancestors. 36 Caleb son of Jephunneh is the only one of your generation that I will allow to go in. He obeyed me completely, so I will give him and his descendants the land he explored.
37 The Lord was even angry with me because of you people, and he said, “Moses, I won't let you go into the land either. 38 Instead, I will let Joshua your assistant lead Israel to conquer the land. So encourage him.”
39 Then the Lord spoke to you again:
People of Israel, you said that your innocent young children would be taken prisoner in the battle for the land. But someday I will let them go into the land, and with my help they will conquer it and live there.
40 Now, turn around and go back into the desert by way of Red Sea Road.
41 Then you told me, “We disobeyed the Lord our God, but now we want to obey him. We will go into the hill country and fight, just as he told us to do.” So you picked up your weapons, thinking it would be easy to take over the hill country.
42 But the Lord said, “Moses, warn them not to go into the hill country. I won't help them fight, and their enemies will defeat them.”
43 I told you what the Lord had said, but you paid no attention. You disobeyed him and went into the hill country anyway. You thought you were so great! 44 But when the Amorites in the hill country attacked from their towns, you ran from them as you would run from a swarm of bees. The Amorites chased your troops into Seir as far as Hormah, killing them as they went. 45 Then you came back to the place of worship at Kadesh-Barnea and wept, but the Lord would not listen to your prayers.
Israel Spent Years in the Desert
Moses said to Israel:
46 After we had been in Kadesh for a few months, we obeyed the Lord and headed back into the desert by way of Red Sea Road.