Josua nOvagibeon
1 Ovitjitwa avihe mbi vya tjiukwa i ozombara azehe nḓa turire komukuma wokongurova kwa Jordan, kozondundu na motutjandja na pomikuro avihe vyOmuronga Mediterania nga kozondundu Libanon. Ozombara nḓa za ri ozOvahetite nozOvaamori nozOvakanaan nozOvaperesi nozOvahevi nozOvajebusi. 2 Ozo azehe ze rikuta kumwe okurwisa Josua nOvaisrael.
3 Ovature va Gibeon va zuva imbi Josua mbya tjita kOjeriko na Ai, 4 notji ve ripura okumutjita ovineya. Owo va katoora ovikurya nave kutire omakutu nga kurupa kousino wawo, nozondjaṱu zomikova zomavinu nḓa kurupa nu nḓa yatatwa. 5 Nowo va zara ozongaku nḓa kurupa nu nḓa yatatwa, nozombanda nḓa tauka. Ozomboroto nḓu va toora otja onguta za kukuta naze rire outekero. 6 Tji ve ya ku Josua kozondanda za Gilgal va tja nai ku ye na kOvaisrael: “Matu zu kehi rokokure, ngatu rikute kumwe.”
7 Ovaisrael va zira nai kOvahevi: “Matu kutasanene tjike na eṋe? Ngahino mwa tura popezu na eṱe.”
8 Owo va zira ku Josua ave tja: “Oweṱe ovakarere voye.”
Josua ope ve purira a tja: “Oweṋe oowaṋi! Nu mamu zu pi?”
9 Owo ve mu zira ave tja: “Eṱe matu zu kehi rokokure, muhona, orondu twa zuva ondangu ya Muhona, Ndjambi woye. Twa raerwa oviṋa avihe eye mbya tjitire mOengipte, 10 na imbi mbya tjita kozombara mbari zOvaamori, munda mbwina na Jordan, okutja oSihon, ombara ya Hesbon, na Og, ombara ya Basan, ndja turire mOastarot. 11 Ovanane vetu novature vehi retu ve tu raera kutja ngatu tooreye ovikurya nu tu yende okukahakaena na wo. Nu ve tu raerere kutja ngatu riwise kehi yeṋu otja ovakarere nu tu mu ningire kutja tu rikute kumwe! 12 Tareye ozomboroto zetu! Tji twa sekama konganda okuhakaena na eṋe, tjandje ozombwa. Nambano tareye, ozo za kukuta, nu za rira outekero. 13 Neṱe tji twe urisa ozondjaṱu zomikova zomavinu nḓa, tjandje ozombe; nambano tareye, ozo za tauka. Nozombanda nozongaku zetu za kurupisiwa i oure wondjira.”
14 Ovaisrael va rora ovikurya mbi, nungwari kave ningirire ondunge ku Muhona. 15 Josua otja tjita ohange nOvagibeon, ne rikutu kuna wo kutja e ve hupise. Novanane wombongo yOvaisrael va tjita oruyano rwomazuvasaneno.
16 Kombunda yomayuva yetatu omazuvasaneno tji ya za nokutjitwa, Ovaisrael otji va zuva kutja ovandu mba, tjiri, va tura popezu na wo. 17 Ovaisrael va kumuka, nu meyuva oritjatatu va kavaza kovihuro vyovandu mba mu va tura, okutja oGibeon na Kefira na Beerot na Kirjat-Jearim. 18 Nungwari Ovaisrael kave ve zepere, ovanane vawo tjinga ava tjita omakwizikiro kovandu mba mena ra Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel. Ovandu avehe va unaunina ovanane mena rotjiṋa hi. 19 Novanane va zira ave tja: “Eṱe twe ve yanena mena ra Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, kutja katu nokuvetjita otjipo. 20 Eṱe matu ve esa ve kare nomuinyo, orondu twa tjita omakwizikiro; nu tji tu hi nokutjita nao, Ndjambi me tu vere.” 21 Ovanane va ryama okuhungira ave tja nai ku wo: “Ve eseye ve hupe. Owo mave tu tyorere ozonguṋe nu mave tu tekere omeva.”
22 Josua wa rakiza ovandu va Gibeon ne ve pura nai: “Okutjavi tji mwe tu wovisa amamu tu raere kutja mwa tura kokure, ngunda nangwari amwa tura mokati ketu? 23 Eṋe tjinga amwa tjita nai, mamu sengwa i Ndjambi. Aruhe mamu rire ovakarere, mbu mamu tyora ozonguṋe nu mbu mamu teke omeva wotjouyapuke tja Ndjambi wandje.”
24 Owo va zira ave tja: “Eṱe twa tjita nao, muhona, tjinga atwa raerwa kutja, tjiri, Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu, wa rakizire komukarere we Moses e mu pe ehi arihe, nokutja a nyone ovandu avehe mba tura mu ro, tji mamu yende amamu ryama. Eṱe twa tjita nao, tjinga aa tu mu tira tjinene, nokutira okuṱa. 25 Nambano tu ri mouvara woye; tjita ku eṱe otja pu movanga.” 26 Komuhingo mbwi Josua otje ve yama kOvaisrael kutja ave ha ṱu. 27 Okuzambo Josua we ve isa po ovakarere vokutyora ozonguṋe nokuteka omeva wombongo nowotjipunguhiro tja Muhona. Owo va kara pokuungura nai nga ku ndinondi poṋa Muhona pa toorora kutja a kumbirwe po.
The People of Gibeon Trick the Leaders of Israel
1-2 The kings west of the Jordan River heard about Joshua's victories, so they got together and decided to attack Joshua and Israel. These kings were from the hill country and from the foothills to the west, as well as from the Mediterranean seacoast as far north as the Lebanon Mountains. Some of them were Hittites, others were Amorites or Canaanites, and still others were Perizzites, Hivites, or Jebusites.
3 The people of Gibeon had also heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai. 4 So they decided that some of their men should pretend to be messengers to Israel from a faraway country. The men put worn-out bags on their donkeys and found some old wineskins that had cracked and had been sewn back together. 5 Their sandals were old and patched, and their clothes were worn out. They even took along some dry and crumbly bread. 6 Then they went to the Israelite camp at Gilgal, where they said to Joshua and the men of Israel, “We have come from a country that is far from here. Please make a peace treaty with us.”
7-8 The Israelites replied, “But maybe you really live near us. We can't make a peace treaty with you if you live nearby.”
The Gibeonites said, “If you make a peace treaty with us, we will be your servants.”
“Who are you?” Joshua asked. “Where do you come from?”
They answered:
9 We are your servants, and we live far from here. We came because the Lord your God is so famous. We heard what the Lord did in Egypt 10 and what he did to those two Amorite kings on the other side of the Jordan: King Og of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth, and King Sihon of Heshbon.
11 Our leaders and everyone who lives in our country told us to meet with you and tell you that all of us are your servants. They said to ask you to make a peace treaty with our people. They told us to be sure and take along enough food for our journey. 12 See this dry, crumbly bread of ours? It was hot out of the oven when we packed the food on the day we left our homes. 13 These cracked wineskins were new when we filled them, and our clothes and sandals are worn out because we have traveled so far.
14 The Israelites tried some of the food, but they did not ask the Lord if he wanted them to make a treaty. 15 So Joshua made a peace treaty with the messengers and promised that Israel would not kill their people. Israel's leaders swore that Israel would keep this promise.
16-17 A couple of days later, the Israelites found out that these people actually lived in the nearby towns of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-Jearim. So the Israelites left the place where they had camped and arrived at the four towns two days later. 18 But they did not attack the towns, because the Israelite leaders had sworn in the name of the Lord that they would let these people live.
The Israelites complained about their leaders' decision not to attack, 19-21 but the leaders reminded them, “We promised these people in the name of the Lord God of Israel that we would let them live, so we must not harm them. If we break our promise, God will punish us. We'll let them live, but we'll make them cut wood and carry water for our people.”
22 Joshua told some of his soldiers, “I want to meet with the Gibeonite leaders. Bring them here.”
When the Gibeonites came, Joshua said, “You live close to us. Why did you lie by claiming you lived far away? 23 So now you are under a curse, and from now on your people will have to send workers to cut wood and carry water for the place of worship.”
24 The Gibeonites answered, “The Lord your God told his servant Moses that you were to kill everyone who lives here and take their land for yourselves. We were afraid you would kill us, and so we tricked you into making a peace treaty. But we agreed to be your servants, 25 and you are strong enough to do anything to us that you want. We just ask you to do what seems right.”
26 Joshua did not let the Israelites kill the Gibeonites, 27 but he did tell the Gibeonites that they would have to be servants of the nation of Israel. They would have to cut firewood and bring it for the priests to use for burning sacrifices on the Lord's altar, wherever the Lord decided the altar would be. The Gibeonites would also have to carry water for the priests. And that is still the work of the Gibeonites.
