Josua ta tumine omazimo gokuuzilo kaandjawo
1 Nena Josua okwi ithana, aantu yomezimo lyaRuben, lyaGad netatazimo lyaManasse ya gongale. 2 Oye a ti kuyo: “Ne omwa tsakanitha ashihe shoka omumati gwOmuwa Moses e mu lombwele, mu shi ninge, nomwa vulika komalombwelo gandje agehe. 3 Ethimbo ndika alihe inamu ethela Aaisraeli yakweni. Ne omwa kala mwa dhiginina omalombwelo agehe gOmuwa Kalunga keni. 4 Ngashingeyi Omuwa Kalunga keni okwa kaleke yakweni nombili, ngaashi u uvaneke. Shuneni kaandjeni kevi ndyoka mwe li pewa komumati gwOmuwa Moses kuuzilo waJordan, li ninge lyeni. 5 Dhiginineni nawa ompango ndjoka Moses e mu lombwele: holeni Omuwa Kalunga keni, gwanitheni ehalo lye, vulikeni komalombwelo ge, gameni kuye, ne mu mu longele nomutima aguhe nomwenyo aguhe.”
6-8 Josua okwe ya shunitha kaandjawo nomayambeko nokwe ya lombwele: “Otamu shuna kaandjeni aayamba mu na iigunda yiimuna, iisiliveli, iingoli, iikushu, iiyela noonguwo odhindji. Topolelathaneni naanezimo yakweni mbyoka mwa yugu aatondi yeni.” Noya shuna ihe kaandjawo.
Moses okwa adhika a pe etatazimo lyaManasse evi kuuzilo waJordan, ihe etata ekwawo olya li lya pewa evi kuuninginino waJordan pamwe nomazimo omakwawo.
9 Onkee Aareuben, Aagad nAamanasse kuuzilo oya shuna komagumbo. Oya thigi po oshihupe shAaisraeli muShilo mevi lyaKaanan noya yi kevi lyawo, evi lyaGilead, ndyoka ya taamba, ngaashi Omuwa a li a lombwele Moses.
Oshiyambelo puJordan
10 Ezimo lyaRuben, lyaGad nolyaManasse kuuzilo sho ga thiki kuGelilot pomulonga Jordan, oga tungile ko oshiyambelo oshinene. 11 Oshihupe shAaisraeli osha kundana kutya Aareuben, Aagad nAamanasse kuuzilo oya tungu oshiyambelo puGelilot kombinga yahandika yaJordan. 12 Aaisraeli sho ye shi uvu, egongalo alihe lyAaisraeli olya gongala muShilo, ya ye kiita okukondjitha omazimo gokuuzilo.
13 Nena Aaisraeli oya tumu ko Pinehas, omwana gwomuyambi Eleasar, kAareuben, Aagad nAamanasse kuuzilo kevi lyaGilead. 14 Aawiliki omulongo oya yi pamwe naPinehas; mezimo kehe kuuninginino omwa zi omuwiliki gumwe, omukuluntu gwegumbo lyontumba lyomomaludhi.
15 Oye ya kevi lyaGilead kAareuben, Aagad nAamanasse kuuzilo 16 noye ya lombwele ya ti: “Omolwashike mwa ningi uuwinayi u thike mpono okuyona kuKalunga kaIsrael? Omwa tukulile Omuwa oshipotha, sho mwi itungile oshiyambelo shika! Nani ne itamu mu landula we? 17 Dhimbulukweni epogo lyetu puPeor, Omuwa sho a geelele oshigwana she nuuvu welega. Natango otatu ehamekwa kusho. Nani epogo ndyono inali gwana? 18 Otamu ka tinda oku mu landula natango? Ngele otamu tukulile Omuwa oshipotha ngashingeyi, ota ka geela kehe omuntu muIsrael. 19 Ngashingeyi nduno, ngele evi lyeni inali gwanena esimaneko, ileni kevi lyOmuwa, nkuka ku na etsalihangano. Indileni evi mokati ketu, ihe inamu tukulila Omuwa oshipotha ne inamu tu tukulila oshipotha, sho tamu itungile oshiyambelo shi ili shaa shi shoka shOmuwa Kalunga ketu. 20 Dhimbulukweni Ashan yaSera nkene a tindi okuvulika kelombwelo tali keelele iinima ya tokolelwa okuyonagulwapo; egongalo alihe lyaIsrael olye shi geelelwa. Ashan haye awike ngoka a si molweyono lye.”
21 Aareuben, Aagad nAamanasse kuuzilo oya yamukula aakuluntu yomagumbo gomomazimo gokuuninginino: 22 “Kalunga Omupangelinkondoawike! Oye Omuwa! Kalunga Omupangelinkondoawike! Oye Omuwa! Oye a tseya nokutya omolwashike twa ningi shika, tse notwa hala, nane wo mu shi tseye! Ngele otwe shi ningile oshipotha noinatu dhiginina okulandula Omuwa, nena ino tu pitika we okukala nomwenyo! 23 Ngele otwa tungu oshiyambelo mokwaavulika kOmuwa, tu lungunithile ko omidhidhindjambo nenge iikulyandjambo nenge tu ete po omakwatathanondjambo, nena Omuwa mwene ne tu geele. 24 Aawe! Otwe shi ningi ashike, oshoka otwa li twa tila nokutya konakuyiwa omaluvalo geni otaga vulu okulombwela ngoka getu: ‘Ne omu na shike nOmuwa, Kalunga kaIsrael? 25 Jordan okwe gu ningi ongamba pokati ketu nane Aareuben nAagad. Ne kamu na sha nOmuwa.’ Nena omaluvalo geni otaga vulu okukeelela omaluvalo getu, gaa galikane we Omuwa. 26 Onkee otwa tungu oshiyambelo, hakufikila ko omidhidhindjambo nenge oondjambo, 27 ihe okukala endhindhiliko pokati ketu nane, osho wo pokati komapipi ngoka tage tu landula, nokutya tse otwa hala shili okusimaneka Omuwa petsalihangano lye nomidhidhindjambo, oontselelandjambo nomakwatathanondjambo. Shika otashi keelele omaluvalo geni, gaa lombwele ngoka getu: ‘Ne kamu na sha nOmuwa.’ 28 Otwa dhiladhila, ngele shika tashi ka ningwa, nena omaluvalo getu otaga vulu okutya: ‘Taleni koshiyelekela shoshiyambelo shOmuwa sha tungwa kootatekulu. Kashi shi shokufikila omidhidhindjambo nenge oontselelandjambo, ihe osho endhindhiliko pokati ketu nane.’ 29 Tse inatu hala okutukulila Omuwa oshipotha nenge tu mu iteke ngashingeyi noku mu tungila oshiyambelo shi ili shomidhidhindjambo, shiikulyandjambo nenge shoontselelandjambo, kakele kaashoka shi li komeho getsalihangano.”
30 Omuyambi Pinehas naawiliki omulongo yoshigwana, ano aakuluntu yomagumbo gomomazimo gokuuninginino mboka ya li pamwe naye, oyu uvu ko shoka Aareuben, Aagad nAamanasse kuuzilo ya ti noya ngungumana. 31 Pinehas, omuna gwomuyambi Eleasar, okwa ti kuyo: “Nena otu shi shi kutya Omuwa oku li pamwe natse. Ne inamu mu tukulila nando oshipotha, onkee omwa hupitha Aaisraeli kondjahi yOmuwa.”
32 Nena Pinehas naawiliki oya laleke Aareuben nAagad muGilead e taa shuna kuKaanan kAaisraeli noye ya tseyithile ashihe. 33 Aaisraeli oya ngungumana noya hambelele Kalunga. Inaa dhiladhila we oku ka hinga iita, ya vunyagule po evi moka mwa tula Aareuben nAagad.
34 Aareuben nAagad oya ti: “Oshiyambelo shika osho onzapo kutseni atuheni kutya Omuwa oye Kalunga.” Noye shi luku “Onzapo”.
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.”
