Ngekwe ngwa
1 “Kuti ha muyenda kugwa ne zwita zwenyu, mube mubona mbizi ne koloyi dze ngwa ne ngwa hwulu pana yenyu musitongo zwitja, ngoti Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu banamwi ibo bakamudusa mu shango ye Egipiti. 2 Ngono muti musedzela pejo ne ngwa, mpirisiti azhe mbeli alebeleke ne bathu, 3 abadwe ati, ‘Ihwani imwi Baiziraela, masedzela pejo ne ngwa kugwa ne zwita zwenyu mu zhuba lino, musitongo paluka moyo, musitje kene kuli kutetema kene kubazeeza, 4 ngoti Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu ndibo banoyenda namwi kumugwila ne zwita zwenyu, kumupa kukunda.’ 5 Ipapo makulukota anowolebeleka ne bathu eti, ‘Ndiwupi nlume mumuli wakabaka ng'umba iye tshwa ngono usathu kaizhula? Ngaabgwilile ku ng'umba iye pamwe unodwa efa mu ngwa ngono mmwe nlume ebe eizhula. 6 Kene ndiani nlume uyipapa wakalima nnda we zhambi ngono usathu kaja mitjelo yawo? Ngaabgwilile ku ng'umba iye ngoti pamwe ungadwa efa mu ngwa ngono mmwe nlume esala eja mitjelo. 7 Kakale ndiani nlume uipapa wakabigilidza nkadzi ngono usathu kankotosa? Ngaabgwilile ku ng'umba iye ngoti pamwe ungadwa efa mu ngwa ngono mmwe nlume esala enkotosa.’ 8 Ngono makulukota ngabalebeleke kakale ne bathu ati, ‘Ndiani nlume uipapa unotja etetema moyo? Ngaabgwilile ku ng'umba iye ngoti moyo ye bakwinya babe inodwa inyawuka seuwe.’ 9 Ngono kuti makulukota apedza kulebeleka ne bathu, ipapo batungamili be babhayani bashalugwe batungamile bathu.
10 “Uti usedzela pa nzi kubhayana nawo, ukumbile mbakisano mu uli. 11 Ngono ha shandulo yawo ili ye mbakisano ngono bezwipa kukuli, ipapo bathu bose banowang'wa muuli babe bashingili babo bakushingile. 12 Koga nzi usingathame mbakisano nawe koga uthama ngwa nawe, ipapo uukombe nge ngwa, 13 ngono kuti Yahwe Ndzimu uwo beulonga mu maboko awo ubulaye balume bose bamuuli, 14 koga bakadzi ne batukununu ne ng'ombe ne tjimwe ne tjimwe mu nzi nkulu, thundu yawo yose uitole kube iyo yose ushathisiwe nge thundu ye zwita zwizo yawapiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu uwo. 15 Uthame uyijalo ku mizi mikulu yose ikulekule nawe isi mizi ye njudzi idzedzi dzipano. 16 Koga mu mizi mikulu ye bathu ibaba iyeyi yaunopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu uwo kube thaka, kushete tjimwe tjinotjila tjinofema tjaunosiya, 17 koga ubalobese tjoselele, Bahiti ne Baamori ne Bakanana ne Baperizi ne Bahivi ne Bajebusi Yahwe Ndzimu uwo sekwa bakalaula, 18 kuti basitongodwa bemudiya kuthama kunoyendidzana ne mishingo yabo inoshimisa yabakashinga mu kushingila midzimu yabo, ngono nge kwaikoko mudwa mutjinyila Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu.
19 “Ha ungakomba nzi nge ngwa tjibaka tjilefu, kuti uutole usitjinye miti yawo nge kuitema nge shathu, ngoti ungaja mitjelo yayo kusi kuitema. Apa miti imu minda bathu baakafanila kukomba kene? 20 Miti yamunoziba kuti ayitojiwa koga ndiyo yamungatema mubaka ndiyo zwamunoshingisa mu kukomba nzi kudzina muwutola.
Laws for Going to War
Moses said to Israel:
1 If you have to go to war, you may find yourselves facing an enemy army that is bigger than yours and that has horses and chariots. But don't be afraid! The Lord your God rescued you from Egypt, and he will help you fight. 2 Before you march into battle, a priest will go to the front of the army 3 and say, “Soldiers of Israel, listen to me! Today when you go into battle, don't be afraid of the enemy, and when you see them, don't panic. 4 The Lord your God will fight alongside you and help you win the battle.”
5 Then the tribal officials will say to the troops:
If any of you have built a new house, but haven't yet moved in, you may go home. It isn't right for you to die in battle and for somebody else to live in your new house.
6 If any of you have planted a vineyard but haven't had your first grape harvest, you may go home. It isn't right for you to die in battle and for somebody else to enjoy your grapes.
7 If any of you are engaged to be married, you may go back home and get married. It isn't right for you to die in battle and for somebody else to marry the woman you are engaged to.
8 Finally, if any of you are afraid, you may go home. We don't want you to discourage the other soldiers.
9 When the officials are finished giving these orders, they will appoint officers to be in command of the army.
10-15 Before you attack a town that is far from your land, offer peace to the people who live there. If they surrender and open their town gates, they will become your slaves. But if they reject your offer of peace and try to fight, surround their town and attack. Then, after the Lord helps you capture it, kill all the men. Take the women and children as slaves and keep the livestock and everything else of value.
16 Whenever you capture towns in the land the Lord your God is giving you, be sure to kill all the people and animals. 17 He has commanded you to completely wipe out the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 18 If you allow them to live, they will persuade you to worship their disgusting gods, and you will be unfaithful to the Lord.
19 When you are attacking a town, don't chop down its fruit trees, not even if you have had the town surrounded for a long time. Fruit trees aren't your enemies, and they produce food that you can eat, so don't cut them down. 20 You may need wood to make ladders and towers to help you get over the walls and capture the town. But use only trees that you know are not fruit trees.