Ai tashi hanaunwa po
1 Opo nee Omwene okwa lombwela Josua ndele ta ti: “Ino tila, ino mbadapala! Kufa omatanga aeshe ovakwaita pamwe naave, fikama inda kuAi. Tala, ohandi yandje momake oye ohamba yaAi novanhu vayo noshilando shayo noshilongo shayo. 2 Ndele ove u nokuninga Ai nohamba yasho ngaashi wa ningile Jeriko nohamba yasho. Ashike oixuulwa yasho noimuna yasho otamu i litinhile. Tula ehonyeno konima yoshilando.” 3 Opo nee Josua okwa fikama pamwe nomatanga aeshe ovakwaita a ka homone Ai. Ndele Josua okwa hoolola ovalumenhu ovakwanyati omayovi omilongo nhatu nokwe va tuma ko oufiku. 4 Ndele ye okwe va lombwela ndele ta ti: “Taleni, nye mu nokutula ehonyeno konima yoshilando. Inamu ya kokule moshilando ndele kaleni nye amushe mwe lilongekida. 5 Ndele ame nomatanga aeshe ovakwaita ava ve li pwaame, fye ohatu ke uya koshilando. Vo eshi tava di mo oku tu lwifa ngaashi shito, fye ohatu ke va ya onhapo. 6 Ndele vo otave tu shikula fiyo fye twe va ehenifa kokule noshilando, osheshi vo otava ka diladila: Venya tave tu i onhapo ngaashi shito. Ndele fye ohatu ke va ya onhapo. 7 Opo nee nye mu nokudja mo mehonyeno nokutotela oshilando, osheshi Omwene Kalunga keni ote ke shi mu pa. 8 Ndele nye ngeenge mwa totela oshilando mu noku shi tomeka, pandjovo yOmwene mu noku shi ninga. Taleni, ame ohandi shi mu lombwele.” 9 Osho ngaha hano Josua okwe va tuma ko, ndele vo ova ya kehonyeno ndele va kala pokati kaBetel naAi, kombinga yokouninginino waAi. Ndelenee Josua okwa li oufiku winya pamwe novanhu.
10 Josua okwa meneka nokwa ongela omatanga ovakwaita nokwa ya pamwe novakulunhu vaIsrael komesho yomatanga kuAi. 11 Ndele omatanga aeshe ovakwaita aa a li puye a fikama ndele a ehena ndele a fika komesho yoshilando. Ndele vo ova onga onhanda kombinga yokoumbangalanhu woshilando shaAi. Efilu ola li pokati kavo naAi. 12 Osho ngaha hano ye okwa kufa ngeno ovakwaita omayovi atano nokwe va tula mehonyeno pokati kaBetel naAi kombinga yokouninginino woshilando. 13 Ndele vo ova tula ovakwaita, onhanda aishe mekondekelo kombinga yokoumbangalanhu woshilando neengudu dao dokonima kombinga yokouninginino woshilando, ndelenee Josua okwa ya oufiku winya pokati kefilu. 14 Nohamba yaAi eshi ye shi mona, ovalumenhu vomoshilando ova endelela ongula inene, ndele yo oya dja mo ya ka shakeneka Israel molwoodi, yo nomatanga ayo aeshe ovakwaita monhele ya pangelwa poluhaela. Ndelenee yo inai shiiva nokutya, opa li ehonyeno konima yoshilando shayo. 15 Ndele Josua nOvaisraeli aveshe ve lifefa va dengwa ndele ova faduka po Ovaai ndele tava yuka langhele kombuwa. 16 Opo nee ovanhu aveshe vomoshilando va shiiva oku va shikula. Ndelenee fimbo tava shikula Josua oshilando sha fyaala kokule navo. 17 MuAi nomuBetel inamu kala nande umwe, ou ina dja mo a ka taatae Ovaisraeli. Ndele va efa oshilando sha yeululwa ndele va shikula Israel.
18 Ndele Omwene okwa lombwela Josua ndele ta ti: “Eonga li li meke loye li nanena Ai, osheshi Ame nda hala oku shi yandja meke loye.” Opo nee Josua okwa nanena oshilando eonga la li meke laye. 19 Nomatanga ovakwaita aa, a li mehonyeno okwa fikama diva monhele yao ndele a tota, eshi a mona ye a nana eke laye, ndele enya a ya mo moshilando ndele e shi kwata ndele a tomeka diva oshilando. 20 Opo nee ovalumenhu vaAi, eshi va tala konima yavo, ova mona omwifi womoshilando nhumbi tau litumbu keulu. Ndelenee va li vehe na nande omhito yokufaduka po, ngee oko ile kwinya, osheshi omatanga ovakwaita ava va ya onhapo kombuwa, ova piluka ndele va lwifa ovataatai vavo. 21 Josua nOvaisraeli aveshe eshi va mona nokutya ovakwaita vomehonyeno va kwata oshilando ndele omwifi womoshilando tau litumbu pombada, ova aluka ndele ve lidengifa ovalumenhu vaAi. 22 Opo nee venya ova dja moshilando nokushakena navo, opo Ovaai ova kondekelwa pokati kOvaisraeli, vamwe kombinga ei vakwao kombinga inya. Ndelenee vo ove va ta fiyo inapa kala nande umwe a xupifwa ile a ya onhapo. 23 Ndelenee vo ova kwata ohamba yaAi, ndele ve i twala i nomwenyo kuJosua. 24 Ovaisraeli eshi va dipaa neongamukonda ovanhu vaAi aveshe ava va li moluhaela nomombuwa oko ve va taataela, ndele venya aveshe va fya fiyo okomulumenhu waxuuninwa, opo nee Ovaisraeli aveshe va aluka ndele va ya kuAi ndele venya va hanga mo ove va dipaa neongamukonda. 25 Naaveshe ava va fya mefiku olo, ovalumenhu novakainhu, ova li ve fike pomayovi omulongo nomayovi avali, oonakukalamo aveshe muAi. 26 Ndele Josua ina shunifa poshi eke laye li neonga, fimbo oonakukalamo muAi aveshe inava pwa po okudipawa. 27 Ovaisraeli ove litinhila oimuna aike noixuulwa ei ya monika moshilando palombwelo lOmwene, ngaashi Ye a lombwela Josua. 28 Opo nee Josua okwa xwika po Ai nokwe shi ninga onduba yomakuma fiyo alushe, ofuka fiyo onena eli. 29 Ndele ohamba yaAi ye okwe i endjelelifa momuti fiyo okonguloshi. Ndelenee etango eshi tali ningine mo, Josua okwe va lombwela ndele va kufa ko komuti oshimhu shayo ndele ve shi ekela poshivelo shoshilando ndele ve shi ndubila onduba inene yomamanya, ei i li ko nonena eli.
Eleshelo lOmhango keemhunda daGerisim naEbal
30 Opo nee Josua okwa tungila Omwene Kalunga kaIsrael oaltari komhunda yaEbal, 31 ngaashi Moses, omupiya wOmwene, a lombwelele ovana vaIsrael, nongaashi sha shangelwa membo lomhango yaMoses nokutya: “Oaltari ya tungwa nomamanya inaa hongwa,” aa inaa kumwa koshilongifo shoshivela. Ndele kusho va yambela Omwene omaxwikiloyambo ndele va toma omapanduloyambo. 32 Ndele oko ye okwa shangela momamanya omushangululwa womhango yaMoses, ei ye okwe i shangela ovana vaIsrael, 33 fimbo Ovaisraeli aveshe pamwe novakulunhu vavo novapashukili vavo novatokoli vavo va kala ofika kombinga nombinga yoshikefa, va shaama novapristeli Ovalevi, ovahumbati voshikefa shehangano lOmwene, heeno, omunailongo ngaashi omudalelwamo moshilongo, etata limwe lavo la taalela komhunda yaGerisim, netata likwao la taalela komhunda yaEbal, ngaashi Moses, omupiya wOmwene, a lombwelele shito oshiwana shaIsrael shi nangekwe noupuna. 34 Opo nee ye okwa lesha eendjovo adishe domhango, enangeko noupuna netulomutima, naanaa ngaashi da shangelwa membo lomhango. 35 Meendjovo odo da tongwa kuMoses inamu kala nande imwe Josua ine i leshela oshiongalele ashishe shaIsrael, pamwe novalikadi nounona novanailongo ava va enda pamwe navo.
The Capture and Destruction of Ai
1 The Lord said to Joshua, “Take all the soldiers with you and go on up to Ai. Don't be afraid or discouraged. I will give you victory over the king of Ai; his people, city, and land will be yours. 2 You are to do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king, but this time you may keep its goods and livestock for yourselves. Prepare to attack the city by surprise from the rear.”
3 So Joshua got ready to go to Ai with all his soldiers. He picked out thirty thousand of his best troops and sent them out at night 4 with these orders: “Hide on the other side of the city, but not too far away from it; be ready to attack. 5 My men and I will approach the city. When the men of Ai come out against us, we will turn and run, just as we did the first time. 6 They will pursue us until we have led them away from the city. They will think that we are running from them, as we did before. 7 Then you will come out of hiding and capture the city. The Lord your God will give it to you. 8 After you have taken the city, set it on fire, just as the Lord has commanded. These are your orders.” 9 So Joshua sent them out, and they went to their hiding place and waited there, west of Ai, between Ai and Bethel. Joshua spent the night in camp.
10 Early in the morning Joshua got up and called the soldiers together. Then he and the leaders of Israel led them to Ai. 11 The soldiers with him went toward the main entrance to the city and set up camp on the north side, with a valley between themselves and Ai. 12 He took about five thousand men and put them in hiding west of the city, between Ai and Bethel. 13 The soldiers were arranged for battle with the main camp north of the city and the rest of the men to the west. Joshua spent the night in the valley. 14 When the king of Ai saw Joshua's men, he acted quickly. He and all his men went out toward the Jordan Valley to fight the Israelites at the same place as before, not knowing that he was about to be attacked from the rear. 15 Joshua and his men pretended that they were retreating, and ran away toward the barren country. 16 All the men in the city had been called together to go after them, and as they pursued Joshua, they kept getting farther away from the city. 17 Every man in Ai went after the Israelites, and the city was left wide open, with no one to defend it.
18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Point your spear at Ai; I am giving it to you.” Joshua did as he was told, 19 and as soon as he lifted his hand, the men who had been hiding got up quickly, ran into the city and captured it. They immediately set the city on fire. 20 When the men of Ai looked back, they saw the smoke rising to the sky. There was no way for them to escape, because the Israelites who had run toward the barren country now turned around to attack them. 21 When Joshua and his men saw that the others had taken the city and that it was on fire, they turned around and began killing the men of Ai. 22 The Israelites in the city now came down to join the battle. So the men of Ai found themselves completely surrounded by Israelites, and they were all killed. No one got away, and no one lived through it 23 except the king of Ai. He was captured and taken to Joshua.
24 The Israelites killed every one of the enemy in the barren country where they had chased them. Then they went back to Ai and killed everyone there. 25-26 Joshua kept his spear pointed at Ai and did not put it down until every person there had been killed. The whole population of Ai was killed that day—twelve thousand men and women. 27 The Israelites kept for themselves the livestock and goods captured in the city, as the Lord had told Joshua. 28 Joshua burned Ai and left it in ruins. It is still like that today. 29 He hanged the king of Ai from a tree and left his body there until evening. At sundown Joshua gave orders for the body to be removed, and it was thrown down at the entrance to the city gate. They covered it with a huge pile of stones, which is still there today.
The Law Is Read at Mount Ebal
30 Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel. 31 He made it according to the instructions that Moses, the Lord's servant, had given the Israelites, as it says in the Law of Moses: “an altar made of stones which have not been cut with iron tools.” On it they offered burnt sacrifices to the Lord, and they also presented their fellowship offerings. 32 There, with the Israelites looking on, Joshua made on the stones a copy of the Law which Moses had written. 33 The Israelites, with their leaders, officers, and judges, as well as the foreigners among them, stood on two sides of the Lord's Covenant Box, facing the levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood with their backs to Mount Gerizim and the other half with their backs to Mount Ebal. The Lord's servant Moses had commanded them to do this when the time came for them to receive the blessing. 34 Joshua then read aloud the whole Law, including the blessings and the curses, just as they are written in the book of the Law. 35 Every one of the commandments of Moses was read by Joshua to the whole gathering, which included women and children, as well as the foreigners living among them.
