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 cometh to pass, when all the kings who [are] beyond the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the low-country, and in every haven of the great sea, over-against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, hear —

²vakaungana nomoyo mumwe kundorwa naJoshua navaIsiraeri.

²that they gather themselves together to fight with Joshua, and with Israel — one mouth.

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

³And the inhabitants of Gibeon have heard that which Joshua hath done to Jericho and to Ai,

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

⁴and they work, even they, with subtilty, and go, and feign to be ambassadors, and take old sacks for 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 sandals, old and patched, on their feet, and old garments upon them, and all the bread of their provision is dry — it was crumbs.

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

⁶And they go unto Joshua, unto the camp at Gilgal, and say unto him, and unto the men of Israel, `From a land far off we have come, and now, make with us a covenant;`

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

⁷and the men of Israel say unto the Hivite, `It may be in our midst ye are dwelling, and how do we make with thee a covenant?`

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

⁸and they say unto Joshua, `Thy servants we [are].` And Joshua saith unto them, `Who [are] ye? and 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 say unto him, `From a land very far off have thy servants come, for the name of Jehovah thy God, for we have heard His fame, and all that He hath done 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 hath done to the two kings of the Amorite who [are] beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who [is] in 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.

¹¹`And our elders, and all the inhabitants of our land speak unto us, saying, Take in your hand provision for the way, and go to meet them, and ye have said unto them, Your servants we [are], and now, make with us a covenant;

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

¹²this our bread — hot we provided ourselves with it out of our houses, on the day of our coming out to go unto you, and now, lo, it is dry, and hath been crumbs;

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

¹³and these [are] the wine-bottles which we filled, new, and lo, they have rent; and these, our garments and our sandals, have become old, from the exceeding greatness of the way.`

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

¹⁴And the men take of their provision, and the mouth of Jehovah have not asked;

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

¹⁵and Joshua maketh with them peace, and maketh with them a covenant, to keep them alive; and swear to them do the princes of the company.

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

¹⁶And it cometh to pass, at the end of three days after that they have made with them a covenant, that they hear that they [are] their neighbours — that in their midst they are dwelling.

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

¹⁷And the sons of Israel journey and come in unto their cities on the third day — and their cities [are] Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjath-Jearim —

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

¹⁸and the sons of Israel have not smitten them, for sworn to them have the princes of the company by Jehovah God of Israel, and all the company murmur against the princes.

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

¹⁹And all the princes say unto all the company, `We — we have sworn to them by Jehovah, God of Israel; and now, we are not able to come against them;

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

²⁰this we do to them, and have kept them alive, and wrath is not upon us, because of the oath which we have sworn to them.`

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

²¹And the princes say unto them, `They live, and are hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the company, as the princes spake to them.`

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

²²And Joshua calleth for them, and speaketh unto them, saying, `Why have ye deceived us, saying, We are very far from you, and ye in our midst dwelling?

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

²³and now, cursed are ye, and none of you is cut off [from being] a servant, even 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 answer Joshua and say, `Because it was certainly declared to thy servants, that Jehovah thy God commanded Moses His servant to give to you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; and we fear greatly for ourselves because of you, and we do this thing;

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

²⁵and now, lo, we [are] in thy hand, as [it is] good, and as [it is] right in thine eyes to do to us — do.`

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

²⁶And he doth to them so, and delivereth them from the hand of the sons of Israel, and they have not slain them;

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

²⁷and Joshua maketh them on that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the company, and for the altar of Jehovah, unto this day, at the place which He doth choose.