¹Zvino madzimambo ose akanga agere mhiri kwaJoridhani, panyika yamakomo nenyika yamapani, napamahombekombe ose egungwa guru pamberi peRebhanoni, vaHeti, navaAmori, navaKanani, navaPerezi, navaHivhi, navaJebhusi, vakati vachinzwa izvozvo,

¹And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;

²vakaungana nomoyo mumwe kundorwa naJoshua navaIsiraeri.

²That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.

³Asi vanhu veGibhiyoni vakati vachinzwa zvakanga zvaitirwa Jeriko neAi naJoshua,

³And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,

⁴vakatsvaka mano, vakaenda senhume, vakaenda nehomo dzakasakara pamusoro pembongoro dzavo, nehombodo dzewaini dzakasakara, dzakanga dzakaparuka, nokusonanidzwazve;

⁴They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;

⁵neshangu dzakasakara, dzaiva nezviremo patsoka dzavo, nenguvo dzakasakara; zvingwa zvavo zvose zvembuva yavo zvakanga zvakaoma nokuvhuvha.

⁵And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.

⁶Vakaenda kuna Joshua kumisasa paGirigari, vakati kwaari nokuvarume vaIsiraeri, Tinobva kunyika iri kure; naizvozvo itai sungano nesu zvino.

⁶And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.

⁷Varume vaIsiraeri vakati kuvaHivhi, Zvimwe mugere pakati pedu; tingaita sungano nemwi seiko?

⁷And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?

⁸Ivo vakati, Tiri varanda venyu. Joshua akati kwavari, Ndimwi aniko? Munobvepi?

⁸And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?

⁹Vakati, Varanda venyu vabva kunyika iri kure-kure, nokuda kwezita raJehovha Mwari wenyu, nekuti takanzwa mukurumbira wake nezvose zvaakaita Egipita.

⁹And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,

¹⁰Uye zvose zvaakaitira madzimambo maviri avaAmori, akanga ari mhiri kwaJoridhani, naSihoni mambo weHeshibhoni, naOgi mambo weBhashani, wakange ari paAshitaroti.

¹⁰And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.

¹¹Vakuru vedu navanhu vose venyika yedu vakataura nesu, vakati, Torai mbuva yenzira mumaoko enyu, mundosangana navo, muti kwavari, Tiri varanda venyu; zvino itai sungano nesu.

¹¹Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.

¹²Zvingwa izvo zvembuva yedu takazvitora zvichakapisa mudzimba dzedu musi watakabuda, tichiuya kwamuri; asi zvino tarirai, zvaoma, zvavhuvha.

¹²This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:

¹³Nehombodo idzi dzewaini, dzatakazadza, dzakanga dziri itsva; tarirai, dzaparuka; nenguvo dzedu idzi, neshangu dzedu zvasakara nemhaka yorwendo rurefu-refu.

¹³And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.

¹⁴Ipapo varume vakatora zvimwe zvembuva yavo, vasingabvunzi muromo waJehovha.

¹⁴And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.

¹⁵Joshua akayanana navo, akaita sungano navo, kuti vachavarega vari vapenyu; machinda eungano akapika kwavari.

¹⁵And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.

¹⁶Zvino mazuva matatu akati apera, vaita sungano navo, vakanzwa kuti vagere pedo navo napakati pavo.

¹⁶And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they dwelt among them.

¹⁷VaIsiraeri vakafamba, vakasvika pamaguta avo nezuva retatu. Maguta avo aiva Gibhiyoni, neKefira, neBheroti, naKiriatijearimi.

¹⁷And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.

¹⁸Vana vaIsiraeri havana kuvaparadza, nekuti machinda eungano akanga apika kwavari naJehovha Mwari waIsiraeri. Ungano yose ikapopotera machinda.

¹⁸And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.

¹⁹Asi machinda ose akati kuungano yose, Takapika kwavari naJehovha, Mwari waIsiraeri, naizvozvo zvino hatigoni kuvaitira chinhu.

¹⁹But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.

²⁰Tichavaitira chinhu ichi, tichavarega vari vapenyu, kuti tirege kuwirwa nokutsamwa kwaMwari nokuda kokupika, kwatakapika kwavari.

²⁰This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.

²¹Zvino machinda akati kwavari, Ngavararame havo. Vakava vatemi vehuni navateki vemvura veungano yose, sezvavakaudzwa namachinda.

²¹And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.

²²Zvino Joshua akavadana, akataura navo, akati, Matinyengedzerereiko, muchiti, Takabva kure-kure nemi, zvamugere pakati pedu?

²²And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?

²³Naizvozvo zvino muri vanhu vakatukwa, muchangosiva varanda navatemi vehuni navateki vemvura veimba yaMwari wangu.

²³Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

²⁴Vakapindura Joshua, vakati: Nekuti varanda venyu vakanga vaudzwa zvirokwazvo kuti Jehovha Mwari wenyu wakange araira muranda wake Mozisi, kuti akupei nyika yose, nokuparadza vose vagere panyika ino pamberi penyu; naizvozvo takatya kwazvo nokuda kwenyu kuti tichaurawa, tikaita chinhu ichi.

²⁴And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.

²⁵Zvino tarirai, tiri pamaoko enyu, itai nesu sezvamunoti ndizvo zvakanaka nezvakarurama.

²⁵And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.

²⁶Akavaitira saizvozvo, akavarwira pamaoko avana vaIsiraeri, ivo vakasavauraya.

²⁶And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.

²⁷Musi iwoyo Joshua akavaita vatemi vehuni navateki vemvura yeungano neyearitari yaJehovha, kusvikira nhasi panzvimbo yaizotsaurwa naye.

²⁷And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.