Josua ma yarura omihoko vyokomuhuka kozoyawo
1 Josua wa woronganisa ovandu vomuhoko wa Ruben nowa Gad nowa Manasse wokomuhuka. 2 Eye we ve raera a tja: “Eṋe mwa tjita oviṋa avihe Moses, omukarere wa Muhona, mbye mu raera, nu mwa kara nonḓuviro komarakiza wandje aehe. 3 Oruveze aruhe ndwi kamu na pu mwa isa Ovaisrael ovakweṋu. Mwa kara nonḓuviro komarakiza wa Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu, nouṱakame. 4 Nambano Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu, wa yandja ohange kOvaisrael ovakweṋu otja tja kwizikire. Opu mamu sokuyaruka kehi, ndi mwe rikamburira ri rire ouini weṋu, ehi, ndi ri munda mbwina na Jordan, ndi mwa pewa i Moses, omukarere wa Muhona. 5 Tjiri, kareye nonḓuviro komaraerero ngu mwa pewa i Moses, ngu maye tja nai: Suvereye Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu, nu mu tjite ombango ye; kareye nonḓuviro komatwako we, nu muṱakame mu ye, nu mu karereye nomitima nominyo vyeṋu avihe.” 6 Josua we ve sera ondaya ne ve esa kutja ve yende. Nowo va yaruka kozoyawo.
7 Moses wa yandjere ehi mObasan korumbembera rumwe romuhoko wa Manasse, nungwari indwi orukwao wokongurova kwa Jordan puna omihoko vyarwe. Nu Josua wa yarura ovandu kozonganda zawo nondaya ye, 8 ame ve raere nai: “Yarukeye kozoyeṋu noutumbe ouingi, okutja ovinamuinyo ovingi, nosilveri nongoldo nongoporo novitenda, nozombanda ozengi. Imbi mbi mwa huura kovanavita na eṋe kahaṋasaneye nOvaisrael ovakweṋu.”
9 Nu imba ovandu vomuhoko wa Ruben nowa Gad nowa Manasse wokomuhuka va yaruka kozoyawo. Va isa otjihupe tjOvaisrael mOsilo mehi ra Kanaan nave i kehi rawo oveni, indi ehi ra Gilead, ndi va kamburire otja Muhona pa rakizire ku Moses.
Otjipunguhiro tji tja tungwa pOjordan
10 Imbwi omuhoko wa Ruben nowa Gad nowa Manasse wokomuhuka tji vya vaza kOgelilot, tji tji ri meṋe ya Jordan, komunda wa Kanaan, va tunga otjipunguhiro otjinene notjihimise, imbo ponḓonḓu. 11 Ihi tja zuvaka kOvaisrael. Nowo va ravaera ave tja: “Purateneye! Ovandu vomuhoko wa Ruben nowa Gad nowa Manasse wokomuhuka va tunga otjipunguhiro mOgelilto komunda wetu wa Jordan.” 12 Ovaisrael tji va zuva nai, otjimbumba atjihe otji tja woronganena mOsilo kutja tji hinge ovita kuna omihoko vyokomuhuka.
13 Ovaisrael va hinda Pinhas, omuzandu womupristeri Eleasar, kovandu vomuhoko wa Ruben nowa Gad nowa Manasse wokomuhuka mehi ra Gilead. 14 Ovanane omurongo va ya puna Pinhas, okutja omunane umwe momuhoko auhe wa Israel; nu auhe wa ri otjiuru tjeṱunḓu ronganda aihe mOisrael. 15 Owo tji va vaza kOgilead va tja nai kovandu va Ruben nOvagad nOvamanasse: 16 “Ombongo aihe ya Muhona mai tja nai ku eṋe: ‘Okutjavi tji mu ha ri nouṱakame ku Ndjambi wa Israel? Eṋe mwa pirukira Muhona tji mwe ritungira otjipunguhiro; nambano mwa poka ku ye. 17 Kamu nokuzemburuka ourunde wetu mbu twa tjita mOpeor, indu Muhona tja verere ovandu ve nomutjise omuzeu are? Nga ndinondi inga tu hihamisiwa i ouvi mbwi. Ouvi mbwi hapo kapuwo are? 18 Eṋe nambano mamu panḓa okukongorera Muhona are? Tji mamu pirukire Muhona ndinondi, eye muhuka ma ṱomazenge nombongo aihe ya Israel. 19 Ehi reṋu tji ri ri ehakohoke okurikotamena mo ku Muhona, kondeye kehi ra Muhona ku ku nOndanda yOmahakaeneno we. Ritoororereye ehi mokati keṋu; nungwari amu pirukire Muhona, nu amu tu nanene mokupirukira ye, amamu ritungire otjipunguhiro tjarwe posi yotjipunguhiro tja Muhona, Ndjambi wetu. 20 Zemburukeye Akan, omuzandu wa Serak, tje ha ri nonḓuviro komarakiza, nga tjaera oviṋa mbya imbirahiwa konyoneno! Ombongo aihe ya Israel ya vererwa oviṋa mbi momazenge wa Muhona. Ka Akan erike ngwa tira ouvi we.’ ”
21 Ovandu vomuhoko wa Ruben nowa Gad nowa Manasse wokomuhuka va zira nai koviuru vyomaṱunḓu womihoko vya Israel: 22 “Ndjambi eye omunamasa! Eye onguri Muhona! Ndjambi eye omunamasa! Eye onguri Muhona! Eye ma tjiwa kutja twa tjitira tjike nai, neṱe matu vanga kutja eṋe wina mu tjiwe. Ndoovazu twa pirukira Muhona natu ha ṱakama mu ye, eye e tu yama ko okuza ku ndinondi; 23 nu ndoovazu twa kara nokuhinonḓuviro ku Muhona mokuritungira otjipunguhiro tjetu oveni okupunguhira ko ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa poo zovikurya poo zohange, Muhona omuini nga rire ngwe tu vere. 24 Kako! Eṱe twa tjita nao, tjinga atwa tira kutja kombunda ozondekurona zeṋu maze katja nai ku inḓa ozetu: ‘Eṋe mu na ko na tjike na Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel? 25 Muhona wa twa po onḓonḓu Jordan i rire omuruko pokati ketu na eṋe, imba ovandu vomuhoko wa Ruben nowa Gad. Eṋe kamu na ko na tja na Muhona. Komuhingo mbwi ozondekurona zeṋu maze katjaera inḓa ozetu okurikotamena ku Muhona. 26 Eṱe opu twa tungira otjipunguhiro hi, notjo katjozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa poo zovinamuinyo, 27 nungwari otjo otjiraisiro kovandu vetu na kovandu veṋu, wina na kozondekurona nḓu maze ya kombunda yetu, kutja tjiri, eṱe tu rikotamena komurungu wa Muhona amatu punguha ozombunguhiro zetu ozoningiririsiwa nozovinamuinyo nozohange, kokutja eyuva rimwe ozondekurona zeṋu aze ha katja nai ku inḓa ozetu: “Eṋe kamu na ko na tja na Muhona.” ’ 28 Eṱe twe ripura kutja tji maape katjitwa nai, ozondekurona zetu maze katja nai: ‘Tareye komatungiro wotjipunguhiro hi, ootate mukururume ve tji tungire tjimuna ihi otja Muhona. Otjo katja ri otjipunguhiro tjozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa poo zovinamuinyo, nungwari tja ri otjiraisiro ku eṋe na ku eṱe.’ 29 Eṱe tjiri, katu vangere okupirukira Muhona poo okupoka ku ye mokutunga otjipunguhiro hi tjozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa poo zovikurya poo zovinamuinyo. Nu katu vangere okutunga otjipunguhiro tjarwe posi yaihi tja Muhona, Ndjambi wetu, tji tji ri momurungu wOndanda yOmahakaeneno we.”
30 Pinhas, omupristeri, novanane omurongo wombongo, mba ri puna ye, noviuru vya Israel va zuva oviṋa mbya hungirwa i ovandu vomuhoko wa Ruben nowa Manasse wokomuhuka, nu va kara nohange. 31 Omupristeri Pinhas, omuzandu wa Eleasar, wa tja nai kovandu vomuhoko wa Ruben nowa Gad nowa Manasse wokomuhuka: “Nambano twa tjiwa kutja Ndjambi u ri puna eṱe, eṋe tjinga amu ha pirukirire Muhona. Komuhingo mbwi mwa yama otjiwaṋa tja Israel komberero ya Muhona.”
32 Pinhas na imba ovanane va isa ovandu vomuhoko wa Ruben nowa Gad mehi ra Gilead, ave yaruka kOkanaan kOvaisrael nave kaserekarera oviṋa mbi avihe ku wo. 33 Nomaserekarerero wawo ya nyandisa Ovaisrael omitima, nowo va tanga, Ndjambi nave ha uhara amave hungire okuyenda rukwao, ve kanyone indi ehi mu mwa tura ovandu vomuhoko wa Ruben nowa Gad.
34 Novandu vomuhoko wa Ruben nowa Gad va ruka otjipunguhiro hi kutja “Otjihongonone”, orondu owo va tja nai: “Ihi otjo otjihongonone ku eṱe atuhe kutja Muhona eye onguri Ndjambi.”
The Two and a Half Tribes Return Home
1 Joshua held a meeting with the men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, and he told them:
2-3 You have obeyed every command of the Lord your God and of his servant Moses. And you have done everything I've told you to do. It's taken a long time, but you have stayed and helped your relatives. 4 The Lord promised to give peace to your relatives, and that's what he has done. Now it's time for you to go back to your own homes in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan River.
5 Moses taught you to love the Lord your God, to be faithful to him, and to worship and obey him with your whole heart and with all your strength. So be very careful to do everything Moses commanded.
6-9 You've become rich from what you've taken from your enemies. You have big herds of cattle, lots of silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and plenty of clothes. Take everything home with you and share with the people of your tribe.
I pray that God will be kind to you. You are now free to go home.
The tribes of Reuben and Gad started back to Gilead, their own land. Moses had given the land of Bashan to the East Manasseh tribe, so they started back along with Reuben and Gad. God had told Moses that these two and a half tribes should conquer Gilead and Bashan, and they had done so.
Joshua had given land west of the Jordan River to the other half of the Manasseh tribe, so they stayed at Shiloh in the land of Canaan with the rest of the Israelites.
10-11 The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh reached the western side of the Jordan River valley and built a huge altar there beside the river.
When the rest of the Israelites heard what these tribes had done, 12 the Israelite men met at Shiloh to get ready to attack the two and a half tribes. 13 But first they sent a priest, Phinehas the son of Eleazar, to talk with the two and a half tribes. 14 Each of the ten tribes at Shiloh sent the leader of one of its families along with Phinehas.
15 Phinehas and these leaders went to Gilead and met with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. They said:
16 All of the Lord's people have gathered together and have sent us to find out why you are unfaithful to our God. You have turned your backs on the Lord by building that altar. Why are you rebelling against him? 17 Wasn't our people's sin at Peor terrible enough for you? The Lord punished us by sending a horrible sickness that killed many of us, and we still suffer because of that sin. 18 Now you are turning your backs on the Lord again.
If you don't stop rebelling against the Lord at once, he will be angry with the whole nation. 19 If you don't think your land is a fit place to serve God, then move across the Jordan and live with us in the Lord's own land, where his sacred tent is located. But don't rebel against the Lord our God or against us by building another altar besides the Lord's own altar. 20 Don't you remember what happened when Achan was unfaithful and took some of the things that belonged to God? This made God angry with the entire nation. Achan died because he sinned, but he also caused the death of many others.
21 The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh answered:
22 The Lord is the greatest God! We ask him to be our witness, because he knows whether or not we were rebellious or unfaithful when we built that altar. If we were unfaithful, then we pray that God won't rescue us today. Let us tell you why we built that altar, 23 and we ask the Lord to punish us if we are lying. We didn't build it so we could turn our backs on the Lord. We didn't even build it so we could offer animal or grain sacrifices to please the Lord or ask his blessing.
24-25 We built that altar because we were worried. Someday your descendants might tell our descendants, “The Lord made the Jordan River the boundary between us Israelites and you people of Reuben and Gad. The Lord is Israel's God, but you're not part of Israel, so you can't take part in worshiping the Lord.”
Your descendants might say that and try to make our descendants stop worshiping and obeying the Lord. 26 That's why we decided to build the altar. It isn't for offering sacrifices, not even sacrifices to please the Lord. 27-29 To build another altar for offering sacrifices would be the same as turning our backs on the Lord and rebelling against him. We could never do that! No, we built the altar to remind us and you and the generations to come that we will worship the Lord. And so we will keep bringing our sacrifices to the Lord's altar, there in front of his sacred tent. Now your descendants will never be able to say to our descendants, “You can't worship the Lord.”
But if they do say this, our descendants can answer back, “Look at this altar our ancestors built! It's like the Lord's altar, but it isn't for offering sacrifices. It's here to remind us and you that we belong to the Lord, just as much as you do.”
30-31 Phinehas and the clan leaders were pleased when they heard the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh explain why they had built the altar. Then Phinehas told them, “Today we know that the Lord is helping us. You have not been unfaithful to him, and this means that the Lord will not be angry with us.”
32 Phinehas and the clan leaders left Gilead and went back to Canaan to tell the Israelites about their meeting with the Reuben and Gad tribes. 33 The Israelites were happy and praised God. There was no more talk about going to war and wiping out the tribes of Reuben and Gad.
34 The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar “A Reminder to Us All That the Lord Is Our God.”
