1 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. 2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? 3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. 4 And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. 5 And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.
6 ¶ And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. 7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. 9 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. 10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.
11 ¶ And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: 12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. 13 And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
14 ¶ And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. 15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.
16 ¶ Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. 17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so. 18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. 19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.
20 ¶ And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; 21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: 22 That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it , or not. 23 Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.
Ntumwa we Ndzimu ku Bhokhimu
1 Ntumwa wa Yahwe kamilika edwa ku Giligala eyenda ku Bhokhimu kati, “Ndakamudusa mu Egipiti ndimuzhisa mu shango yandakabe ndatuna kuyipa botate benyu. Ndakati, ‘Anditowokolomodza tjidumano tjangu namwi, 2 musithame tjidumano ne bagali be shango iyeyi, mu kolomodze zwibeso zwabo zwe zwibhayilo.’ Koga amuzobhata nlayo wangu, ini ikoko kwamakathama kene? 3 Ndizo ngwenu ndikati, anditowobatata mbeli kwenyu, banowobe zwita zwenyu ngono midzimu yabo inowobe bhuzhu ku muli.” 4 Kwakati ntumwa wa Yahwe a leba matama iyawa ku Baiziraela bose, bathu bakamilidza mahwi bakalila. 5 Bakatumila bugalo igogo zina beti Bhokimu, bakadusila Yahwe zwibhayilo ikoko.
Lufu gwa Joshuwa
6 Kwakati Joshuwa asina kupaladza bathu, mmwe ne mmwe akayenda kunotola thaka iye, kuthuwa shango. 7 Bathu bakashingila Yahwe mazhuba wose a Joshuwa, ne mazhuba wose e bakulu bakatjila tjibaka tjilefu pana Joshuwa, bakabona mishingo mikulu yakathamigwa Baiziraela ndi Yahwe. 8 Joshuwa nkololo wa Nuni, nlanda wa Yahwe wakafa ana makole ali zana lina ali gumi (110). 9 Bakambiganyila mu shango ye thaka iye ku Timinatiheresi mu shango ye matuthu ya Ifureimi, ku bunandzwa gwe Dombo le Gaashi. 10 Kwakati tjizekugwana tjose tjatjilala nabo batategulu batjo, ngono kukamuka tjizekugwana tjitshwa tjisingazibe Yahwe kene mishingo yabakathamila Baiziraela. 11 Ngono bathu be Iziraela bakathama mbipo mu mesho a Yahwe, bakashingila bo Bhaale. 12 Bakasiya Yahwe Ndzimu wa botate babo wakabadusa mu Egipiti. Bakatobela midzimu yakasiyanasiyana ye bathu bakabapoteleka, ngono bakayithigamila, bakalonga Yahwe bushongola. 13 Bakasiya Yahwe bakashingila Bhaale na Ashitoreti. 14 Ndizo bushongola gwa Yahwe gukathutila Baiziraela ngono bakabalonga mu maboko e batapi bakabatapila thundu. Bakabatengesela zwita zwabo kubapoteleka, kwabakabe basingatjatubule kugwa nazo. 15 Kwakabe kuti apa Baiziraela bebhuda beyenda ku ngwa, luboko gwa Yahwe gwakabe gu gwa nabo kubathamila bubi, Yahwe sekwa bakabebaleba na Yahwe sekwa bakabebabatunila. Bakabe mu buyendasi bukulu. 16 Ngono Yahwe bakabamusila basumikilisi bakabatjidza mu simba le batapi babo. 17 Koga bakasiteedze basumikilisi babo ngoti bakathama bupombgwe ne midzimu ipoga ngono bakayithigamila, bakatjimbidza bapambuka mu zila yakayendiwa na botate babo bakatobela milayo ya Yahwe, ngono bakasithame bejalo. 18 Kwakabe kuti apa Yahwe bebamusila basumikilisi, Yahwe bakabe bana nsumikilisi ngono katjidza bathu mu luboko gwe zwita zwabo mu mazhuba wose e nsumikilisi, ngoti Yahwe bakabe nge ngoni mubali pabakabe bedziyidziwa be tshambilidziwa. 19 Koga kwakabe kuti apa nsumikilisi afa, bathu bakabe beshandukila kuzila dzabo dzakabipa kupinda dza botate babo, betobela midzimu ipoga beyishingila beinamata. Bakabe belamba kuletja mishingo yabo ne zila dzabo dze moyonkukutu. 20 Ndizo bushongola gwa Yahwe gukathutila Baiziraela, ngono bakati, “Ngoti bathu ibaba batjuluka tjidumano tjangu tjandaka laya botate babo, bakasinditeedze, 21 anditjowotata zwitjaba mbeli kwabo zwakasiyiwa ndi Joshuwa afa. 22 Ndowozwishingisa kulika Baiziraela, ndibone kuti banowobhata zila dza Yahwe bakadzitobela sekwakathama bobatategulu babo kene aa.” 23 Ndizo Yahwe bakaletja zwitjaba izwezo basingazwitate ngokuzwilonga mu maboko a Joshuwa.