Bgwiliziwa kwe bathu be kunobhuda zhuba
1 Joshuwa wakadana be ludzi gwa Rubheni ne gwa Gadi ne gwamu le ludzi gwa Manase 2 ngono kabadwa kati, “Makalondolodza kose kwamakadwiwa ndi Mushe nlanda wa Yahwe, kakale makabe mushinga kose kwandakabe ndi mudwa. 3 Amuzotongo letjedzela zwikamu zwenyu muzwibaka zwinjinji kuswikila nasi, koga makabe nako kuti muthame itjo tjamakabe mudwiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu kuti mutjithame. 4 Ngono ngwenu Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu watjipa zwikamu zwenyu kunyaluluka koga sekwa akabe abagadzabgwe, ndizo ngwenu bgwililani ku mizi yenyu ku shango yamakapiwa seli ye gwizi gwe Jorodani ndi Mushe nlanda wa Yahwe. 5 Mubone kuti molondolodza ndaulo ne milayo yamakapiwa ndi Mushe nlanda wa Yahwe, kuda Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu, kulondolodza zila dzabo dzose ne kubhulutana ndayo ne kuzwibhatilila mubali ne kubashingila nge moyo wose ne meya dzenyu dzose.” 6 Ngono Joshuwa kabakombolela kabapa zila bakayenda ku mizi yabo. 7 Mushe wakabe apa gwamu limwe le ludzi gwa Manase shango mu Bhashani kuti ibe thaka yabo, ngono gwamu limwe labo Joshuwa wakalipa shango ikunomila zhuba kwe gwizi gwe Jorodani. Ngono kwakati Joshuwa ebapa zila kabakombolela ngono 8 kabadwa kati, “Yendani ku mizi yenyu nge fumwa yenyu isi shoma, ye zwithuwo zwisizwishoma ne siliva ne golide ne phangula ne butale ne zwiambalo zwinjinji ngono muswike mukobele bo bamwe zwamakatapa mu zwita zwenyu.” 9 Ndizo ludzi gwa Rubheni ne gwa Gadi ne gwamu le ludzi gwa Manase bakabgwilila kanyi kwabo, bethubukana ne Baiziraela ku Shilo, mu shango ye Kanana, beyenda ku shango yabo ye Giliyadi yabakapiwa nge ndaulo ya Yahwe yabakapa Mushe.
Tjibeso pa gwizi gwe Jorodani
10 Bakati bali mu zila beyenda kanyi kwabo bakaswika mu ntuthu we Geliloti umu shango ye Kanana pejo ne gwizi gwe Jorodani, bathu be ludzi gwa Rubheni ne gwa Gadi ne gwamu le ludzi gwa Manase bakabaka tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tjikulukulu tjakanaka wunde ye gwizi gwe Jorodani. 11 Ngono Baiziraela bakahwa kuti bathu be Rubheni ne be Gadi babaka tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo ku ndzibo uku gwizi gwe Jorodani kwakalingisana ne shango ye Kanana. 12 Ngono Baiziraela bakati behwa ngekwako bakanozwikubunganya ku Shilo kuti ndizo bagwe nabo.
13 Ndizo Baiziraela bakatuma Finihasi nkololo wa Eleazari we mpirisiti ku bathu be ludzi gwa Rubheni na Gadi negwe gwamu limwe le ludzi gwa Manase mu shango ye Giliyadi. 14 Bakantuma ne goko le batungamili bali gumi mmwe ne mmwe ali nsholo we nsha mu njudzi dze Iziraela 15 Bakati beswika ku nzi we Giliyadi bakadwa bathu be ludzi gwa Rubheni ne gwa Gadi ne gwamu limwe le ludzi gwa Manase bakati, 16 “Tatumwa nge gubungano la Yahwe ngono toshakaziba kuti ini mashaya kugalabgwe mu Ndzimu we Iziraela kene? Ini mafupatila Ndzimu we Iziraela saikoku kene, mu kupanduka kwenyu mube muzwibakila tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo kene? 17 Tjibi tjawakathamila Yahwe tili ku Peori tjatisathu tikazwitjenapadza mu tjili ne tjifo tjakawila gubungano la Yahwe azwizolizana kene? 18 Ndiko nasi kwamunga fupatila Yahwe kene? Ha mupandukila Yahwe nasi banowomuka mangwana bezhalila gubungano le Baiziraela bushongola. 19 Ndizo ngwenu ha shango yamakapiwa yakatemapala, izhani ku shango ya Yahwe iko kuna bugalo gwe Ndzimu, ngono mugale naswi mu shango yedu. Koga musi pandukile Yahwe kene iswi ngo zwibakila tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo kusi tja Yahwe Ndzimu wedu. 20 Apa Akani nkololo wa Zera wakati asalondolodza tjabakabe badwiwa ngekwe zwija zwabakayi basitole, apa bushongola gwa Yahwe aguzowila gubungano lose le Iziraela kene? Akani azofila jinyo lile ega.”
21 Be ludzi gwa Rubheni ne gwa Gadi ne gwamu le ludzi gwa Manase bakashandula batungamili be bathu be Iziraela beti, 22 “Masimbawose ndibo Ndzimu! Ndzimu ndiwo Yahwe! Banoziba kuti ini tathama saikoku, ngono toshaka kuti namwi mose nasi muzibe bo! Ha ili kuti ikoku bupanduki kene sateedza Yahwe mutibulaye ngwenu. 23 Ha tazwibakila tjibeso tjedu tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo kuti ndizo tikowofupatila Yahwe, tibetidusa zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa ne zwe mathunde kene zwe moyo ntjena mutjili Yahwe ngaba tibone nlandu. 24 Aa, tathama saikoku ngotja kuti limwe zhuba zwizekugwana zwenyu zwingadwa zwizekugwana zwedu zwiti, ‘Gobe lenyu mu Ndzimu we Iziraela ini?’ 25 Ngoti Yahwe bakathama kuti gwizi gwe Jorodani gube n'gathu pakati kwedu namwi, imwi Barubheni namwi Bagadi amuna gobe muna Yahwe. Ndizo zwizekugwana zwenyu zwingathama kuti zwizekugwana zwedu zwisitongo namata Yahwe. 26 Ndizo tati, ‘Ngati bakeni tjibeso tjisi tje zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa kene zwimwe koga, 27 koga tjibe butendeki pakati kwedu namwi ne pakati kwe bana bedu banozha kuti towonamata Yahwe mu bugalo gwabo gwa kayengemala, tibetiyisa zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa ne zwimwe ne zwe moyo ntjena, tithamila kuti mangwana bana benyu basitongodwa bana bedu beti abana gobe muna Yahwe.’ 28 Takakumbula titi ha kungati limwe zhuba tikadwiwa saikoku kene kudwiwa bana bedu saikoku, tingadabila titi, ‘Bonani tjifano tje tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tja Yahwe tjakabakiwa ndi bobatategulu bedu, tjisinga bakigwe kuti tjipisigwe zwibhayilo kene tjidusigwe zwibhayilo, koga tjibakigwa kuti tjibe butendeki pakati kwedu namwi.’ 29 Ngono gwenu ngakube kutjena naswi kuti tingapandukila Yahwe ngono tikabafupatila ngobaka tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa ne zwe mathunde ne zwibhayilo koga kusi tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tja Yahwe Ndzimu wedu tjakabakwa pa bugalo gwe Ndzimu.”
30 Kwakati mpirisiti Finihasi ne batungamili be gubungano ne wola dze misha ye Iziraela behwa matama akabe elebgwa ne bathu be ludzi gwa Rubheni ne gwa Gadi ne gwamu le ludzi gwa Manase bakagutshika. 31 Ngono Finihasi we mpirisiti nkololo wa Eleazari kadwa ludzi gwa Rubheni negwa Gadi ne gwamu le ludzi gwa Manase kati, “Nasi toziba kuti Yahwe bayapo pakati kwedu, ngobe amuzo bapandukila. Ngwenu matjidza Baiziraela mu shamu ya Yahwe.” 32 Kudwapo Finihasi ne batungamili bakasiya Barubheni ne Bagadi mu shango ye Giliyadi bakashandukila ku shango ye Kanana kubamwe Baiziraela ngono bakaswika bebabikila. 33 Mbiko yakashathisa Baiziraela, ngono bakakudza Ndzimu. Bakamisa kululwamisila kunokolomola nge ngwa shango ye Giliyadi yakabe igala bathu be ludzi gwa Rubheni ne gwa Gadi. 34 Barubheni ne Bagadi bakadana tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo beti, “Ntendeki wedu namwi kuti Yahwe ba Ndzimu.”
The Two and a Half Tribes Return Home
1 Joshua held a meeting with the men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, and he told them:
2-3 You have obeyed every command of the Lord your God and of his servant Moses. And you have done everything I've told you to do. It's taken a long time, but you have stayed and helped your relatives. 4 The Lord promised to give peace to your relatives, and that's what he has done. Now it's time for you to go back to your own homes in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan River.
5 Moses taught you to love the Lord your God, to be faithful to him, and to worship and obey him with your whole heart and with all your strength. So be very careful to do everything Moses commanded.
6-9 You've become rich from what you've taken from your enemies. You have big herds of cattle, lots of silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and plenty of clothes. Take everything home with you and share with the people of your tribe.
I pray that God will be kind to you. You are now free to go home.
The tribes of Reuben and Gad started back to Gilead, their own land. Moses had given the land of Bashan to the East Manasseh tribe, so they started back along with Reuben and Gad. God had told Moses that these two and a half tribes should conquer Gilead and Bashan, and they had done so.
Joshua had given land west of the Jordan River to the other half of the Manasseh tribe, so they stayed at Shiloh in the land of Canaan with the rest of the Israelites.
10-11 The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh reached the western side of the Jordan River valley and built a huge altar there beside the river.
When the rest of the Israelites heard what these tribes had done, 12 the Israelite men met at Shiloh to get ready to attack the two and a half tribes. 13 But first they sent a priest, Phinehas the son of Eleazar, to talk with the two and a half tribes. 14 Each of the ten tribes at Shiloh sent the leader of one of its families along with Phinehas.
15 Phinehas and these leaders went to Gilead and met with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. They said:
16 All of the Lord's people have gathered together and have sent us to find out why you are unfaithful to our God. You have turned your backs on the Lord by building that altar. Why are you rebelling against him? 17 Wasn't our people's sin at Peor terrible enough for you? The Lord punished us by sending a horrible sickness that killed many of us, and we still suffer because of that sin. 18 Now you are turning your backs on the Lord again.
If you don't stop rebelling against the Lord at once, he will be angry with the whole nation. 19 If you don't think your land is a fit place to serve God, then move across the Jordan and live with us in the Lord's own land, where his sacred tent is located. But don't rebel against the Lord our God or against us by building another altar besides the Lord's own altar. 20 Don't you remember what happened when Achan was unfaithful and took some of the things that belonged to God? This made God angry with the entire nation. Achan died because he sinned, but he also caused the death of many others.
21 The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh answered:
22 The Lord is the greatest God! We ask him to be our witness, because he knows whether or not we were rebellious or unfaithful when we built that altar. If we were unfaithful, then we pray that God won't rescue us today. Let us tell you why we built that altar, 23 and we ask the Lord to punish us if we are lying. We didn't build it so we could turn our backs on the Lord. We didn't even build it so we could offer animal or grain sacrifices to please the Lord or ask his blessing.
24-25 We built that altar because we were worried. Someday your descendants might tell our descendants, “The Lord made the Jordan River the boundary between us Israelites and you people of Reuben and Gad. The Lord is Israel's God, but you're not part of Israel, so you can't take part in worshiping the Lord.”
Your descendants might say that and try to make our descendants stop worshiping and obeying the Lord. 26 That's why we decided to build the altar. It isn't for offering sacrifices, not even sacrifices to please the Lord. 27-29 To build another altar for offering sacrifices would be the same as turning our backs on the Lord and rebelling against him. We could never do that! No, we built the altar to remind us and you and the generations to come that we will worship the Lord. And so we will keep bringing our sacrifices to the Lord's altar, there in front of his sacred tent. Now your descendants will never be able to say to our descendants, “You can't worship the Lord.”
But if they do say this, our descendants can answer back, “Look at this altar our ancestors built! It's like the Lord's altar, but it isn't for offering sacrifices. It's here to remind us and you that we belong to the Lord, just as much as you do.”
30-31 Phinehas and the clan leaders were pleased when they heard the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh explain why they had built the altar. Then Phinehas told them, “Today we know that the Lord is helping us. You have not been unfaithful to him, and this means that the Lord will not be angry with us.”
32 Phinehas and the clan leaders left Gilead and went back to Canaan to tell the Israelites about their meeting with the Reuben and Gad tribes. 33 The Israelites were happy and praised God. There was no more talk about going to war and wiping out the tribes of Reuben and Gad.
34 The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar “A Reminder to Us All That the Lord Is Our God.”