The Lord's Angel Speaks to Israel
1 The Lord's angel went from Gilgal to Bochim and gave the Israelites this message from the Lord:
I promised your ancestors that I would give this land to their families, and I brought your people here from Egypt. We made an agreement that I promised never to break, 2 and you promised not to make any peace treaties with the other nations that live in the land. Besides that, you agreed to tear down the altars where they sacrifice to their idols. Why haven't you kept your promise?
3 And so, I'll stop helping you defeat your enemies. Instead, they will be there to trap you into worshiping their idols.
4 The Israelites started crying loudly, 5 and they offered sacrifices to the Lord. From then on, they called that place “Crying.”
Israel Stops Worshiping the Lord
6-9 Joshua had been faithful to the Lord. And after Joshua sent the Israelites to take the land they had been promised, they remained faithful to the Lord until Joshua died at the age of 110. He was buried on his land in Timnath-Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. Even though Joshua was gone, the Israelites were faithful to the Lord during the lifetime of those men who had been leaders with Joshua and who had seen the wonderful things the Lord had done for Israel.
10 After a while the people of Joshua's generation died, and the next generation did not know the Lord or any of the things he had done for Israel. 11-13 The Lord had brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and they had worshiped him. But now the Israelites stopped worshiping the Lord and worshiped the idols of Baal and Astarte, as well as the idols of other gods from nearby nations.
The Lord was so angry 14-15 with the Israelites that he let other nations raid Israel and steal their crops and other possessions. Enemies were everywhere, and the Lord always let them defeat Israel in battle. The Lord had warned Israel he would do this, and now the Israelites were miserable.
The Lord Chooses Leaders for Israel
16 From time to time, the Lord would choose special leaders known as judges. These judges would lead the Israelites into battle and defeat the enemies that made raids on them. 17 In years gone by, the Israelites had been faithful to the Lord, but now they were quick to be unfaithful and to refuse even to listen to these judges. The Israelites disobeyed the Lord, and instead of worshiping him, they worshiped other gods.
18 When enemies made life miserable for the Israelites, the Lord felt sorry for them. He would choose a judge and help that judge rescue Israel from its enemies. The Lord was kind to Israel as long as that judge lived. 19 But afterwards, the Israelites would become even more sinful than their ancestors had been. The Israelites were stubborn—they simply would not stop worshiping other gods or following their teachings.
The Lord Lets Enemies Test Israel
20 The Lord was angry with Israel and said:
The Israelites have broken the agreement I made with their ancestors. They won't obey me, 21 so I'll stop helping them defeat their enemies. Israel still had a lot of enemies when Joshua died, 22 and I'm going to let those enemies stay. I'll use them to test Israel, because then I can find out if Israel will worship and obey me as their ancestors did.
23 That's why the Lord had not let Joshua get rid of those enemy nations all at once.
Omuengeri wa Muhona ma verere Ovaisrael mObokim
1 Omuengeri wa Muhona wa sekama mOgilgal a i kObokim na katja nai kOvaisrael: “Ami mbe mu tjindisire mOengipte, ne mu eta mehi ndi ami ndi mba kwizikira ooiho mukururume noruyano, e tja: ‘Ami himee teya omerikutiropamwe wandje na eṋe nga aruhe. 2 Eṋe wina amu tjiti omerikutiropamwe novature vehi ndi, nungwari teyee ovipunguhiro vyawo. Nungwari eṋe kamu puratenene keraka randje.’ Nambano mwa tjitira tjike nai? 3 Ami opu me tjere nai wina: ‘Hi nokuveramba komurungu weṋu; owo mave karira ovanavita na eṋe, novisenginina vyawo mavi rire ongwehe ku eṋe.’ ” 4 Nomuengeri wa Muhona tja za nokuhungira omambo nga kOvaisrael avehe, otjiwaṋa otji tja ura tjinene natji riri. 5 Nu poṋa mbo opu ve pe rukira Bokim; nu va punguhira po ozombunguhiro ku Muhona.
Onḓiro ya Josua
6 Kombunda yanao Josua wa isa otjiwaṋa tjOvaisrael tji yende, nu auhe wa kakambura orukondwa rwehi ru rire ouini we. 7 Notjiwaṋa tja karera Ndjambi omayuva aehe Josua ngunda e nomuinyo. Nu kombunda yonḓiro ye otjo tja panḓera pokukarera Muhona; imba ovanane mba mwine oviungura avihe ovinene Muhona mbya tjitire kOvaisrael ngunda ave nomuinyo. 8 Nu Josua, omuzandu wa Nun, omukarere wa Muhona, wa koka e notjiwondo tjozombura esere rimwe nomurongo. 9 Nowo ve mu paka morukondwa rwehi re mOtimnat-Heres kozondundu za Efraim, komukuma wokeyuva kokunene kwondundu Gaas. 10 Nomuhoko auhe woruveze ndo wina wa koka, nozondekurona zawo kaza tjivirwe Muhona noviungura eye mbya tjitire kOvaisrael.
Ovaisrael mave poka ku Muhona
11 NOvaisrael va tjita imbi mbyaa vi ha tjata ku Muhona mokukarera ooBaal. 12 Owo va poka ku Muhona, Ndjambi wooihe mukururume, Ndjambi ngwe ve pitisire mehi ra Engipte, nave kongorere oomukuru varwe, imba oomukuru voviwaṋa mbya turire meṋe yawo kominda nominda. Owo ave rikotamene ku wo, notji va pindikisa Ndjambi. 13 Nungwari tji va za nokupoka ku Muhona mokukarera ooBaal nooAstarte, 14 omazenge wa Muhona otji ya surumukira Ovaisrael. Eye we ve yandja momake wovapunde mbe ve punda, na momake wovanavita, mba ri meṋe yawo kutja ave ha yenene okuvepirukira. 15 Ngamwa akuhe kaave hingire ovita, Muhona kee ve pe ko outoṋi otja eye pa hungirire na pa yanene. Komuhingo mbwi otji va kara mouzeu ounene tjinene.
16 Muhona wa toororera Ovaisrael ovanane mbe ve yama momake wovapunde. 17 Nungwari Ovaisrael kave puratenene kovanane mba. Owo kave karere ovaṱakame ku Muhona, nungwari ve rikotamene kovisenginina. Ooihe vari nonḓuviro komatwako wa Muhona nungwari owo kave tjitire otja ooihe. 18 Aruhe Muhona tja toororere Ovaisrael omunane, Muhona ee mu vatere, nu aa yama Ovaisrael kovanavita na wo omunane ngwi ngunda e nomuinyo. Muhona wa ri nounyaṋutima na wo mena rondjemeno yawo kovevetatumise na koveveṋiṋikize. 19 Nungwari omunane ngwi tja koka, Ovaisrael otjaave yaruka komuano wawo omukuru nu momuano mbo otjaave tjiti navi pooihe. Owo aave toorora okukarera nokurikotamena kovisenginina, nave panḓa okuisa ovitjitwa vyawo novikaro vyawo vyourangaranga. 20 Muhona otja ṱira Ovaisrael omazenge, na tja: “Otjiwaṋa hi tjinga atja katuka omerikutiropamwe wandje ngu mba rakizire kooihe mukururume natji ha puratenene keraka randje, 21 ami wina otji mbi hi na mee ramba ngamwa oviwaṋa mbi komurungu watjo Josua mbya sya mehi, indu tja koka. 22 Komuhingo mbwi otji me roro Ovaisrael kutja nani mave ṱakamisa ondjira ya Muhona okuryanga mu yo, otja ooihe mukururume tjaave tjiti.” 23 Muhona opa za okuisa oviwaṋa mbi vi kare mehi ndi nokuhinakuviramba tjimanga; wina ke vi yandjere meke ra Josua.
