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.”
Josua ma hindi ozohoze ze kahite mOjeriko
1 Josua wa hinda ozohoze mbari mongumumu okuza mozondanda za Sitim, nomarakiza nga: “Twendeye mu kahore ehi nu tjinene ihi otjihuro Jeriko”. Owo arire tji va i nave ya kondjuwo yomukorondu wena Rahab nave rara mo. 2 Nombara ya Jeriko ya zuva ombuze, ndji mai tja: “Ovaisrael tjiva ve ya mba ouṱuku okuhora ehi.” 3 Ombara ya hinda ombuze ku Rahab ai tja: “Pitisa ovarumendu mbe ya kove nu mba rara moyoye; orondu owo ve ya okuhora ehi arihe!”
4 Nungwari omukazendu wa horeka ovarumendu mba vevari, neye otja zira a tja: “Pe ere ovarumendu tjiva pondjuwo yandje, nungwari hi tjivirwe kutja va za pi. 5 Owo va i komuihi, omuvero wotjihuro tji wa ri pokupatwa. Ami hi mwine kutja va i pi; ve tezeye tjimanga, nu mamu ve vaza.” 6 Nu Rahab wa rondisa ozohoze mbari nḓa komututu ne ze horeke momiti vyotusepa mbya tendekwa komututu. 7 Novandu vombara tji va za motjihuro, omuvero otji wa patwa. Owo va kapaha ozohoze zOvaisrael nga pomakondero wonḓonḓu Jordan.
8 Ozohoze nḓa mbari ngunda aze hiya rara, Rahab wa ronda komututu 9 na tja ku zo: “Ami me tjiwa kutja Muhona we mu pe ehi ndi, neṱe atuhe matu mu tira, nu avehe, mba tura mehi ndi, va urumisiwa i omeero weṋu. 10 Eṱe twa zuva kutja Muhona wa kahisa Omuronga wOtuu momurungu weṋu, tji mwa pita mOengipte. Wina twa zuva kutja mwa zepa ozombara mbari zOvaamori, ooSihon na Og komukuma wokomuhuka wa Jordan. 11 Eṱe tji twa za nokuzuva otjiṋa hi twa tira. Auhe otje rihahiza okumusekamena, orondu Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu, eye onguri Ndjambi meyuru na kombanda yehi. 12 Nambano yaneye ku Muhona kutja mamu yenenisa omakwizikiro weṋu namu rikendere ovazamumwe vandje otja ami tji mbe rikendere eṋe, nu ndji raisireye ouatjiri weṋu. 13 Ndji kwizikireye kutja mamu yama tate na mama, nomarumbi novangu novaṱena kwandje, novazamumwe vawo avehe; amu tu tarere amatu ṱu!”
14 Ovarumendu mba va tja ku ye: “Eṱe twe rirongerere okuṱira ove! Ove tji u hi nokuhorora imbi mbi matu tjiti, tjiri, matu yenenisa omakwizikiro wetu kove, Muhona tje tu pe ehi ndi.”
15 Rahab wa turire mondjuwo ndja tungirwe morumbo rwotjihuro; neye otja raurira ovarumendu mba moruiho nongoze. 16 Eye we ve raera a tja: “Twendeye kozondundu, ovandu vombara tjapo ngaave mu munu. Kaṱareye ngo oure womayuva yetatu, ngaa tji va kotoka. Kombunda yanao mu yende ku mamu i.”
17 Novarumendu va zira nai ku ye: “Eṱe matu yenenisa omakwizikiro nga ngu we tu yanisa. 18 Nungwari puratena nawa! Eṱe tji matu hiti mehi ndi, kuta ongoze oserandu koruiho mu we tu pitisire. Woronganisira iho na nyoko nomarumbi novangu voye neṱunḓu raiho arihe mondjuwo yoye. 19 Nu auhe ngu ma piti mondjuwo na ṱu, indino ma rire ondjo ye omuini, neṱe katu nokukara nomerizirira na ye; nu auhe ngu ri mondjuwo puna ove tja hihamisiwa i eṱe, ma rire ondjo yetu. 20 Nungwari tji wa horora imbi mbi matu tjiti, kamaatu yenenisa omakwizikiro wetu.” 21 Omukazendu wa zira a tja: “Otja pu mwa hee, osemba!” Neye arire tje ve esa ve yende. Nowo tji va ya, eye wa kuta ongoze oserandu koruiho.
22 Nozohoze mbari nḓa za ya kozondundu naze kaṱara, imba ovandu vombara ngunda amave ze paha mehi arihe oure womayuva yetatu. Nowo kave ze mwine, notji va yaruka kOjeriko. 23 Nungwari ozo za heruka kozondundu aze kondo onḓonḓu naze yaruka ku Josua, naze ke mu raera oviṋa mbya tjitwa. 24 Nozo za tja ku ye: “Tjiri, Muhona wa yandja ehi arihe mouvara wetu. Ovandu avehe mbo va mumaparisiwa i eṱe.”
