Bhatsha shodzi kwa Rahabu
1 Kwakati bathu be Iziraela bali ku Shitimu, Joshuwa nkololo wa Nuni katuma shodzi mbili mu ikohwa eti, “Endani munoshola shango, tjikulu bukulu kwazo nzi nkulu Jerikho.” Ngono bakamilika bakayenda. Bakaswika pa ng'umba ye fukula imwe, zina layo kuyi Rahabu ngono bakaizela gwe hwope. 2 Ngono kukanotjetiwa kuna mambo we Jerikho kuyi, “Bamwe balume be Baiziraela bazha busiku ngeno kuwoshola shango.” 3 Ndizo mambo we Jerikho katumila dama kuna Rahabu eti, “Zhisa balume ibabo bamu ng'umba iyo, ngobe bazha kuwoshola shango yose koga.”
4 Ngono Rahabu wakabe atola balume ibabo babili kabasumbika, ngono kati “Malebeswa, balume ibaba bazha kundili, koga andizobe ndiziba kwababe bedwa. 5 Ngono kwati kwabhata, nkoba we nzi nkulu wabe pejo ngo zhaligwa bakabe bebhuda beyenda, mubalonde tjinyolotjo pamwe swiyo mungababhata batji mu zila.” 6 Koga Rahabu wakabe atola balume ibabo abasumbika mu denga le ng'umba akabafumika nge mashanga. 7 Ndizo batumwa ba mambo bakabhuda bakatobela shodzi bali mu zila inoyenda ku gwizi gwe Jorodani kunoti pa zila painotjuluka gwizi gwe Jorodani, kwakati koga batumwa ba mambo basinobhuda, nkoba we nzi nkulu ukazhaligwa.
Tjidumano tja Rahabu ne Baiziraela
8 Shodzi dzakati dzisathu dzikanoyisa mafupa ku beni, Rahabu kayenda kunodzilezwa ku denga 9 ngono kaswika edzidwa eti, “Ndoziba kuti Yahwe bamupa shango iyeyi ne kuti kakale kutja kukulu kwatiwila, tose bagali be shango iyeyi totetema nge lutjo nge kwenyu. 10 Takahwa Yahwe sekwa bakathama Gungwa Shaba kuti lipkhwe kuthama kuti ndizo mutubule tjuluka tjibaka tjamakabe mudwa ku Egipiti ne tjamakathama kuna bomambo be Baamori baku bhezhuba kwe Jorodani Sihoni na Ogi ibo bamakabulaya. 11 Takati tihwa nge kwako, tikapaluka mimoyo, mmwe ne mmwe kapelegwa nge simba nge kwenyu ngobe Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu ndibo Ndzimu we kudzimu ne shango. 12 Ndizo ngwenu tjitunani na Yahwe kuti se ndamuthamila lubu namwi mowothamila nsha wangu lubu. Mundipe tjilakidzo kuti ndizo ndigalebgwe, 13 mundigadzebgwe kuti mowoletja mme na tate ne hazwadzi dzangu ne bana badzo bakatjila. Mutitjidze!”
14 Shodzi dzakashandula Rahabu dziti, “Tobiga misholo yedu mu zwitsha! Ha iwe usingake ukaleba nja wedu pano towokuthamila lubu ha Yahwe betipa shango iyeyi.”
15 Ndizo Rahabu kabaletja bakadeluka nge ntjili bebhuda nge fesitere le ng'umba ngobe ng'umba iye yakabe yakabakigwa mu guma le nzi nkulu. 16 Rahabu kadwa shodzi kati, “Endilani ku matombo kuti ndizo batumwa ba mambo basitongomubona. Mubgwate ikoko mazhuba matatu kudza bebuya ndizo shule kwa ipapo mungayenda zwenyu zila dzenyu.”
17 Shodzi dzikan'dwa dzikati, “Kutuna kwatatuna akutowobe tjisungo mutili 18 kuzhe kwe kuti tingati tinginilila nzi nkulu tikawana wakasungila nsungo nshaba mu fesitere le ng'umba ileli lawatidusa ndilo ne kuzhe kwe kuti ube watola mmeyabo na tate babo ne hazwadzi dzidzo ne be nsha uwo bose wabakubunganyila mu ng'umba iyo. 19 Ha mmwe wenyu angabhudila zwe kuzhe kwe ng'umba iyo kabe enoshangana ne hwubadzi ngono kafa, nge kukwe, iswi towobe tisina nlandu. Koga mmwe ne mmwe unawe mu ng'umba ha anga kubala kafa lopa lile lishakiwe mutile.” 20 Koga ha ungadza ukaleba nja wedu pano iswi towobe tasununguka mu kutuna kwawatithama kuti titune. 21 Ngono Rahabu akadabila eti, “Ngakushingikale sekwa munoleba.” Ndizo kawonekana nabo ngono bakayenda. Rahabu kabe esungilila nsungo nshaba mu fesitere le ng'umba.
22 Shodzi dzikamilika dzikayenda ku matombo ngono dzikanobgwatako kwe mazhuba ali matatu. Batumwa ba mambo bakadzishaka kuyenda ne zila ngono bakadzisheta. Ndizo bakabgwilila basadzibona.
23 Balume babili be shodzi bakadwapo bedelukila matombo bakalinga ku gwizi gwe Jorodani ngono bakagutjuluka. Bakaswika bebikila Joshuwa nkololo wa Nuni tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakabashingikalila. 24 Bakadwa Joshuwa bakati, “Nge malebeswa Yahwe batipa shango iyeyi yose, bathu bose banotetema nge lutjo nge kwedu.”
Joshua Sends Spies into Jericho
1 Then Joshua sent two spies from the camp at Acacia with orders to go and secretly explore the land of Canaan, especially the city of Jericho. When they came to the city, they went to spend the night in the house of a prostitute named Rahab. 2 The king of Jericho heard that some Israelites had come that night to spy out the country, 3 so he sent word to Rahab: “The men in your house have come to spy out the whole country! Bring them out!”
4-6 “Some men did come to my house,” she answered, “but I don't know where they were from. They left at sundown before the city gate was closed. I didn't find out where they were going, but if you start after them quickly, you can catch them.” (Now Rahab had taken the two spies up on the roof and hidden them under some stalks of flax that she had put there.) 7 The king's men left the city, and then the gate was shut. They went looking for the Israelite spies as far as the place where the road crosses the Jordan.
8 Before the spies settled down for the night, Rahab went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land. Everyone in the country is terrified of you. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the Red Sea in front of you when you were leaving Egypt. We have also heard how you killed Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan. 11 We were afraid as soon as we heard about it; we have all lost our courage because of you. The Lord your God is God in heaven above and here on earth. 12 Now swear by him that you will treat my family as kindly as I have treated you, and give me some sign that I can trust you. 13 Promise me that you will save my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families! Don't let us be killed!”
14 The men said to her, “May God take our lives if we don't do as we say! If you do not tell anyone what we have been doing, we promise you that when the Lord gives us this land, we will treat you well.”
15 Rahab lived in a house built into the city wall, so she let the men down from the window by a rope. 16 “Go into the hill country,” she said, “or the king's men will find you. Hide there for three days until they come back. After that, you can go on your way.”
17 The men said to her, “We will keep the promise that you have made us give. 18 This is what you must do. When we invade your land, tie this red cord to the window you let us down from. Get your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's family together in your house. 19 If anyone goes out of the house, his death will be his own fault, and we will not be responsible; but if anyone in the house with you is harmed, then we will be responsible. 20 However, if you tell anyone what we have been doing, then we will not have to keep our promise which you have made us give you.” 21 She agreed and sent them away. When they had gone, she tied the red cord to the window.
22 The spies went into the hills and hid. The king's men looked for them all over the countryside for three days, but they did not find them, so they returned to Jericho. 23 Then the two spies came down from the hills, crossed the river, and went back to Joshua. They told him everything that had happened, 24 and then said, “We are sure that the Lord has given us the whole country. All the people there are terrified of us.”