Kolomogwa kwe nzi we Ai
1 Yahwe bakadwa Joshuwa bakati, “Usitje kakale usitemeke mafupa, tola babhayani bose uyende unonginilila nzi we Ai, bona ndakupa mambo we Ai ne bathu babe ne nzi uwe ne shango iye kuti ubakunde. 2 Uthame nzi we Ai ne mambo wawo koga sekwa wakathama mambo we Jerikho ne nzi we Jerikho, koga ngwenu mungazwitolela zwithuwo zwabo ne thundu dzabo. Mubalalile shule kwe nzi.”
3 Joshuwa ne babhayani bose bakamilika bakalinga ku nzi we Ai, Joshuwa wakabe ashalula balume bakasima bali zwiwulu zwili makumi matatu (30 000) kabatumila busiku kunolalila bathu be Ai 4 nge ndaulo inoti, “Bhulutanani kwazo. Yendani munolalila bathu be Ai shule kwe nzi wabo, musitongo yendila kulekule nawo. Mose koga mugale makateya zebe. 5 Ngono imi ne bamwe bose banami towononginilila Ai tingina tili mbeli kwe nzi ngono bathu be Ai banoti bezha kuwotigwisa koga se kutanga, towotizha. 6 Banowotitatamila kuswikila tabakwebela kulekule ne nzi wabo ndizo banowobe bezwidwa beti, ‘Banotitizha koga se kutanga.’ Ndizo atatizha tatjibe kule kule, 7 imwi mube mubhuda pa makabalalila mutole nzi wabo. Yahwe Ndzimu wedu banowomupa simba le kubakunda. 8 Amusinotola nzi we Ai mube muupisa nge moto. Muthame sekwakaleba Yahwe. Mubone kuti moshinga tjandinoleba” 9 Ndizo Joshuwa kadwa babhayani bali zwiwulu zwili makumi matatu (30 000) kuti batjiyenda kunolalila bathu be Ai. Malalilo abo akabe ali pakati kwe nzi we Bhetele ne ku golombedzo kwe Ai, koga Joshuwa iye kasala ne bamwe bakasala ku bukotokelo.
10 Tjimuka mangwanana Joshuwa ne batungamili be Iziraela bakalulwamisa babhayani, ngono bakamilika bakatungamila babhayani kuyenda ku Ai. 11 Balume bose be babhayani bakabe banaye bakasedzela ku nzi we Ai ngono bakanokotokela mbeli kwe nzi ku bunandzwa gwe Ai bakapalalanyiwa nge nkuku pakati kwabo ne nzi. 12 Joshuwa wakadwa balume bangabhata zwiwulu zwili zwishanu (5 000) kuti banolalila bathu be Ai bali pakati kwe nzi we Bhetele ne we Ai kunomila zhuba kwe nzi. 13 Bakalulwamisa babhayani bakatola mamo abo, bose bakabe bali mu bukotokelo bakabe bali ku bunandzwa, bakabe bakalalila bathu be Ai ku golombedzo. Joshuwa iye kayenda ku nkuku we Jorodani. 14 Kwakati mambo we Ai ebona babhayani ba Joshuwa, iye ne babhayani babe bose bakabinduka mu mangwanana makulu kunoshangana ne Baiziraela ku tjibata tje Araba kugwa nabo. Koga bakabe basinga zibe kuti kuna babhayani bakabalalila shule kwe nzi. 15 Joshuwa ne Baiziraela bose bakazwithama se bakundiwa ngono bakatizhila kuyendila ku tjilambanyika. 16 Balume bose be Ai bakadang'wa kuti babalonde, ngono bakalonda babhayani ba Joshuwa ngono bakabe kulekule ne nzi. 17 Kwakasala kusina ndodwa ne mbhayani nng'ompela wakasala mu Ai, bose bakatobela Baiziraela.
18 Ndizo Yahwe bakadwa Joshuwa bakati, “Tola thumo limu luboko gugo utendeke ku nzi we Ai, ngoti ngwenu mowokunda bathu be Ai.” Ndizo Joshuwa katendeka nsebe ku nzi we Ai. 19 Wakati koga ethama saikoku babhayani bakabe bakalalila bakamilika tjinyolotjo pabakabe balipo bakangina mu nzi bakatola nzi, tjinyolotjo bakaupisa nge moto. 20 Balume be Ai bakati belinga shule kwabadwa bakabona bhulubusi lithungailila ku makole, ngono bakashaya kwabangatizhila, ngobe Baiziraela bakabe betizha bakalinga ku tjilambanyika bakabe bashandukila zwita zwabo. 21 Ngono Joshuwa ne babhayani babe naibo bakabona bhulubusi ngono bakaziba kuti Baiziraela bamwe banginilila nzi we Ai. Ndizo bakashanduka bakabulaya balume be Ai. 22 Balume bamwe bakazhabo kuwonginilila Baiziraela ngono bakazwiwana bakakombiwa ne balume be babhayani be Baiziraela ngono bakababulaya bose. 23 Koga mambo we Ai iye bakasimbulaye, bakantola ali mpenyu ngono bakansa kuna Joshuwa.
24 Baiziraela bakati basinopedza bulaya balume be Ai ku tjibata tje tjilambanyika kwabakabe batatigwa, mmwe ne mmwe wabo bakampedzisa nge thumo, Baiziraela bakashandukila ku Ai bakanobulaya bose bakabe batjatjila mu Ai. 25 Mu zhuba ilelo balume be Baiziraela bakabulaya bathu bose mu nzi we Ai. Bakabulaya balume ne bakadzi bali zwiwulu zwili gumi ling'ompela lina bali babili (12 000), 26 Joshuwa wakaletjedza thumo lile lakatendeka ku nzi we Ai kuswikilila mmwe ne mmwe unogala mu Ai abulawa. 27 Koga Baiziraela bakazwitolegwa thundu ne zwithuwo Yahwe sekwa bakabe badwa Joshuwa. 28 Ndizo Joshuwa kapisa nzi we Ai kukasala ili duthu le matongo kuswikila nasi. 29 Joshuwa wakasungilila mambo we Ai mu nti kuswikilila madekwana, kwakati zhuba lomila Joshuwa kadwa bathu kuti badeluse mambo we Ai mu nti ngono balashile itumbu tjitje pa nkoba we nzi. Bakabutitika mabgwe asimashoma pezhugwi kukwe. Mabgwe iyawo na nasi atjiyapo.
Bagwa kwe nlayo ku Ebali
30 Kudwapo Joshuwa wakabakila Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo mu Dombo le Ebali, 31 koga Mushe sekwa akabe abudza Baiziraela. Wakabaka tjibeso koga sekwa kwakabe kwakakwagwa mu Lukwalo gwe nlayo gwa Mushe kuyi, “Tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tjakafanila thamwa nge mabgwe azhele asakabezhiwa kakale asakatongo bezhiwa nge tshipi.” Mutjili bakapisila Yahwe zwibhayilo bakazhisa ne zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa zwe mbakisano. 32 Joshuwa kati ali ipapo mbeli kwe Baiziraela kakopela mu bgwe nlayo wakakwagwa ndi Mushe. 33 Baiziraela bose ne bazhi ne beni be shango ne bakulu be nzi ne balauli ne basumikilisi, bakabe bali mile hwunde ne Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe bali mbeli kwe bapirisiti bakabe bali Balevi. Gwamu limwe le bathu lakabe lilimile mbeli kwe Dombo le Gerizimu ngono limwe lilimile mbeli kwe Dombo le Ebali koga sekwa Mushe nlada wa Yahwe akabe adusa ndaulo kutanga kuti kushigwe saikoku akupiwa dothodzo. 34 Kwakati shule Joshuwa kabala matama wose e nlayo, e makombolelo ne e bhiso koga sekwa kwakakwagwa mu Lukwalo gwe nlayo. 35 Akuna ndodwa nge dama ne ling'ompela lakabe lalebgwa ndi Mushe lisakabagwa ndi Joshuwa mbeli kwe gubungano lose le Iziraela ne bakadzi ne bana ne bazhi bose babakabe begala nabo.
Israel Destroys the Town of Ai
1-2 The Lord told Joshua:
Don't be afraid, and don't be discouraged by what happened at the town of Ai. Take the army and attack again. But first, order part of the army to set up an ambush on the other side of the town. I will help you defeat the king of Ai and his army, and you will capture the town and the land around it. Destroy Ai and kill its king as you did at Jericho. But you may keep the livestock and everything else you want.
3-4 Joshua quickly got the army ready to attack Ai. He chose 30,000 of his best soldiers and gave them these orders:
Tonight, while it is dark, march to Ai and take up a position behind the town. Get as close to the town as you can without being seen, and be ready to attack.
5-6 The rest of the army will come with me and attack near the gate. When the people of Ai come out to fight, we'll run away and let them chase us. They will think we are running from them just like the first time. But when we've let them chase us far enough away, 7 you come out of hiding. The Lord our God will help you capture the town. 8 Then set it on fire, as the Lord has told us to do. Those are your orders, 9 now go!
The 30,000 soldiers went to a place on the west side of Ai, between Ai and Bethel, where they could hide and wait to attack.
That night, Joshua stayed in camp with the rest of the army. 10 Early the next morning he got his troops ready to move out, and he and the other leaders of Israel led them to Ai. 11 They set up camp in full view of the town, across the valley to the north. 12 Joshua had already sent 5,000 soldiers to the west side of the town to hide and wait to attack. 13 Now all his troops were in place. Part of the army was in the camp to the north of Ai, and the others were hiding to the west, ready to make a surprise attack. That night, Joshua went into the valley.
14-15 The king of Ai saw Joshua's army, so the king and his troops hurried out early the next morning to fight them. Joshua and his army pretended to be beaten, and they let the men of Ai chase them toward the desert. The king and his army were facing the Jordan valley as Joshua had planned.
The king did not realize that some Israelite soldiers were hiding behind the town. 16-17 So he called out every man in Ai to go after Joshua's troops. They all rushed out to chase the Israelite army, and they left the town gates wide open. Not one man was left in Ai or in Bethel.
Joshua let the men of Ai chase him and his army farther and farther away from Ai. 18 Finally, the Lord told Joshua, “Point your sword at the town of Ai, because now I am going to help you defeat it!”
As soon as Joshua pointed his sword at the town, 19 the soldiers who had been hiding jumped up and ran into the town. They captured it and set it on fire.
20-21 When Joshua and his troops saw smoke rising from the town, they knew that the other part of their army had captured it. So they turned and attacked.
The men of Ai looked back and saw smoke rising from their town. But they could not escape, because the soldiers they had been chasing had suddenly turned and started fighting. 22-24 Meanwhile, the other Israelite soldiers had come from the town and attacked the men of Ai from the rear. The Israelites captured the king of Ai and brought him to Joshua. They also chased the rest of the men of Ai into the desert and killed them.
The Israelite army went back to Ai and killed everyone there. 25-26 Joshua kept his sword pointed at the town of Ai until every last one of Ai's 12,000 people was dead. 27 But the Israelites took the animals and the other possessions of the people of Ai, because this was what the Lord had told Joshua to do.
28-29 Joshua made sure every building in Ai was burned to the ground. He told his men to kill the king of Ai and hang his body on a tree. Then at sunset he told the Israelites to take down the body, throw it in the gateway of the town, and cover it with a big pile of rocks. Those rocks are still there, and the town itself has never been rebuilt.
Joshua Reads the Blessings and Curses
(Deuteronomy 27.1-26)30-32 One day, Joshua led the people of Israel to Mount Ebal, where he told some of his men, “Build an altar for offering sacrifices to the Lord. And use stones that have never been cut with iron tools, because that is what Moses taught in The Book of the Law.”
Joshua offered sacrifices to please the Lord and to ask his blessing. Then with the Israelites still watching, he copied parts of The Book of the Law of Moses onto stones.
33-35 Moses had said that everyone in Israel was to go to the valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, where they were to be blessed. So everyone went there, including the foreigners, the leaders, officials, and judges. Half of the people stood on one side of the valley, and half on the other side, with the priests from the Levi tribe standing in the middle with the sacred chest. Then in a loud voice, Joshua read the blessings and curses from The Book of the Law of Moses.