Achan Is Punished for Stealing from the Lord
1 The Lord had said that everything in Jericho belonged to him. But Achan from the Judah tribe took some of the things from Jericho for himself. And so the Lord was angry with the Israelites, because one of them had disobeyed him.
2 While Israel was still camped near Jericho, Joshua sent some spies with these instructions: “Go to the town of Ai and find out whatever you can about the region around the town.”
The spies left and went to Ai, which is east of Bethel and near Beth-Aven. 3 They went back to Joshua and reported, “You don't need to send the whole army to attack Ai—2,000 or 3,000 troops will be enough. Why bother the whole army for a town that small?”
4-5 Joshua sent about 3,000 soldiers to attack Ai. But the men of Ai fought back and chased the Israelite soldiers away from the town gate and down the hill to the stone quarries. Thirty-six Israelite soldiers were killed, and the Israelite army felt discouraged.
6 Joshua and the leaders of Israel tore their clothes and put dirt on their heads to show their sorrow. They lay facedown on the ground in front of the sacred chest until sunset. 7 Then Joshua said:
Our Lord, did you bring us across the Jordan River just so the Amorites could destroy us? This wouldn't have happened if we had agreed to stay on the other side of the Jordan. 8 I don't even know what to say to you, since Israel's army has turned and run from the enemy. 9 Everyone will think you weren't strong enough to protect your people. Now the Canaanites and everyone else who lives in the land will surround us and wipe us out.
10 The Lord answered:
Stop lying there on the ground! Get up! 11 I said everything in Jericho belonged to me and had to be destroyed. But the Israelites have kept some of the things for themselves. They stole from me and hid what they took. Then they lied about it. 12 What they stole was supposed to be destroyed, and now Israel itself must be destroyed. I cannot help you anymore until you do exactly what I have said. That's why Israel turns and runs from its enemies instead of standing up to them.
13 Tell the people of Israel, “Tomorrow you will meet with the Lord your God, so make yourselves acceptable to worship him. The Lord says that you have taken things that should have been destroyed. You won't be able to stand up to your enemies until you get rid of those things.
14 “Tomorrow morning everyone must gather near the place of worship. You will come forward tribe by tribe, and the Lord will show which tribe is guilty. Next, the clans in that tribe must come forward, and the Lord will show which clan is guilty. The families in that clan must come, and the Lord will point out the guilty family. Finally, the men in that family must come, 15 and the Lord will show who stole what should have been destroyed. That man must be put to death, his body burned, and his possessions thrown into the fire. He has done a terrible thing by breaking the sacred agreement that the Lord made with Israel.”
16 Joshua got up early the next morning and brought each tribe to the place of worship, where the Lord showed that the Judah tribe was guilty. 17 Then Joshua brought the clans of Judah to the Lord, and the Lord showed that the Zerah clan was guilty. One by one he brought the leader of each family in the Zerah clan to the Lord, and the Lord showed that Zabdi's family was guilty. 18 Finally, Joshua brought each man in Zabdi's family to the Lord, and the Lord showed that Achan was the guilty one.
19 “Achan,” Joshua said, “the Lord God of Israel has decided that you are guilty. So tell me what you did, and don't try to hide anything.”
20 “It's true,” Achan answered. “I sinned and disobeyed the Lord God of Israel. 21-22 While we were in Jericho, I saw a beautiful Babylonian robe, 200 pieces of silver, and a gold bar that weighed the same as 50 pieces of gold. I wanted them for myself, so I took them. I dug a hole under my tent and hid the silver, the gold, and the robe.”
Joshua told some people to run to Achan's tent, where they found the silver, the gold, and the robe. 23 They brought them back and put them in front of the sacred chest, so Joshua and the rest of the Israelites could see them. 24 Then everyone took Achan and the things he had stolen to Trouble Valley. They also took along his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys, and sheep, his tent, and everything else that belonged to him.
25 Joshua said, “Achan, you caused us a lot of trouble. Now the Lord is paying you back with the same kind of trouble.”
The people of Israel then stoned to death Achan and his family. They made a fire and burned the bodies, together with what Achan had stolen, and all his possessions. 26 They covered the remains with a big pile of rocks, which is still there. Then the Lord stopped being angry with Israel.
That's how the place came to be called Trouble Valley.
Ondjo yaAshan
1 Elombwelo lyOmuwa kutya Israel ina kutha nando osha muJeriko, inali gwanithwa. Omuntu gumwe edhina lye Ashan ina vulika kelombwelo ndika, onkee Omuwa okwa geele Aaisraeli (Ashan oyaKarmi, omutekulu gwaZabdi nogwomoludhi lwaSera gwomondhikwa yezimo lyaJuda.)
2 Josua okwa tumu aalumentu yamwe okuza kuJeriko ya yi kuAi, oshilando shi li kuuzilo waBetel, popepi naBetaven. Okwe ya lombwele, ya ka ndaadhe oshilongo shoka. Sho ye shi ningi, 3 oya hokololele Josua taa ti: “Itashi pumbiwa unene, aantu ayehe ya matukile Ai. Tuma ko owala shila aantu omayuvi gaali nge gatatu. Ino tuma etangakwiita alihe kolugodhi ndoka; oshilando kashi shi oshinene.” 4 Aaisraeli konyala omayuvi gatatu oye shi matukile, ihe oya dhengwa e taa shunithwa ko. 5 Aantu yomuAi oye ya tidha okuza komweelo gwoshilando, sigo okoshitapo shomamanya, e taa dhipaga po aalumentu omilongo ndatu nayahamano, sho ya kuluka koshikulundundu. Nena Aaisraeli oya tyololoka noya li ya tililila.
6 Josua naawiliki yaIsrael oya tuula oonguwo dhawo moluhodhi e tayi ihata pevi komeho goshikethahangano shOmuwa. Oko ya kala ya lala ndongo ongulohi noyi ifundile omavi komitse, ya holole oluhodhi. 7 Josua nokwa ti: “Omuwa Kalunga! Akwetu! Oshike we tu taagulukitha Jordan? Ou tu gandje nduno kAayamori? Oto tu hanagula po? Oshike inaatu kala ngaa handiyaka yaJordan? 8 Nena otandi ti ngiini, Omuwa, Israel sho a tidhwa kaatondi ye? 9 Aakaanana nokehe nee ngaa ngoka moshilongo ote ke shi uva. Otaa ke tu dhingilila e taa dhipaga shaa ngoka. Nena oto ka ninga shike, u popile esimano lyoye?”
10 Omuwa okwa ti kuJosua: “Thikama! Oshike wi iyekelahi ngawo pevi? 11 Aaisraeli oya yono! Oya teya euvaneno lyandje ndyoka nde ya lombwele, ye li dhiginine. Oya kutha iinima yimwe mbyoka ya tokolelwa efikwopo. Oye yi yaka, oya fundju e taye yi tula momaliko gawo. 12 Ndika olyo epuko lyAaisraeli, mboka itaa vulu we nokuli okukondjitha aatondi yawo. Otaye ya sindi, oshoka Aaisraeli oya geelwa nehanagulo. Itandi kala we nokuli nane, manga inaamu hanagula po iinima mbyoka mwa lombwelelwe, kaamu yi gume. 13 Thikama, yelitha oshigwana, u shi longekidhile okuholoka kungame. Ya lombwela, yi ilongekidhe ngula, oshoka ongame Omuwa Kalunga kaIsrael nda popi ndhika nda ti: ‘Israel, momaliko goye owa tula mo iinima nde yi ku lombwele, u yi yonagule po. Ito vulu okukondjitha aatondi yoye, manga inoo holola iinima mbika!’ 14 Ya lombwela kutya ngula naa holoke po omazimo nomazimo. Ezimo ndyoka tandi ke li ulika, olyo nali holoke montaneho, oludhi noludhi. Oludhi ndoka tandi lu ulike, nena nalu ye montaneho egumbo negumbo. Negumbo ndyoka tandi li ulike, nena nali ye montaneho omuntu nomuntu. 15 Ngoka nee tu ulikwa nota monika e na iinima yi indikwa, oye na fikwe po pamwe naangandjawo neliko lye alihe, oshoka okwe eta oshiponga nesithahoni muIsrael, sho a yono ehangano lyandje.”
16 Josua okwa meneka e ta gongele Aaisraeli ezimo nezimo, nezimo lyaJuda olya li lyu ulikwa. 17 Nena okwe eta po ezimo lyaJuda alihe oludhi noludhi, noludhi lwaSera olwa tothwa mo. Nena okwe eta po oludhi lwaSera egumbo negumbo, negumbo lyaZabdi olya tothwa mo. 18 Okwe eta po egumbo lyaZabdi omuntu nomuntu, naAshan yaKarmi, omutekulu gwaZabdi, okwa tothwa mo. 19 Josua okwa ti kuye: “Mumwandje, popya oshili koshipala shOmuwa, Kalunga kaIsrael, ihempulula. Lombwela ndje ngashingeyi shoka wa ninga. Ino kambadhala okuholeka ndje sha.”
20 Ashan okwa yamukula a ti: “Eeno, oshili, onda yono kOmuwa, Kalunga kaIsrael. Onda ningi ngeyi. 21 Mokati kiinima mbyoka twa hakana, onda mono ondjatha yOshibabiloni yo opala, ookilograma mbali dhoshisiliveli nuutale woshingoli wuudhigu wetata lyokilograma. Onde yi holeke e tandi yi kutha po. Onde yi fumvike motenda yandje, noshisiliveli shi li kohi.”
22 Josua okwa tumu aantu, ya matukile otenda noya mono iinima yi indikwa ya fumvikwa, noshisiliveli shi li kohi. 23 Oye yi kutha mo motenda noye yi fala kuJosua nAaisraeli ayehe noye yi tula koshipala shOmuwa. 24 Josua noshigwana ashihe shaIsrael oya kwata Ashan, oshisiliveli, ondjatha nuutale woshingoli pamwe naana yaAshan aamati naakadhona, iimuna, uusino noonzi, otenda ye neliko lye alihe; ayihe oye yi fala kEsilu lyomalwa. 25 Josua nokwa ti: “Omolwashike we tu etele uudhigu u thike mpaka? Omuwa nena ote ku undulile omupya.” Nena oshigwana ashihe osha dhipaga Ashan nomamanya, oye mu dhipaga e taa fike wo aangandjawo neliko lye alihe. 26 Oye mu ndumbile ondumba yomamanya onenenene, ndjoka oko yi li sigo onena. Omolwashoka ehala ndyoka ohali ithanwa sigo onena Esilu lyomalwa.
Nena Omuwa okwa geyuluka ihe.
