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 who were on this side the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and along all the coast of the great sea as far as opposite to Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard [of it],

²vakaungana nomoyo mumwe kundorwa naJoshua navaIsiraeri.

²that they assembled 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 to Jericho and to Ai,

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

⁴then they also acted with craft, and they went prepared as on a journey, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-flasks, old and rent and tied up;

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

⁵and old and patched sandals 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 to him, and to the men of Israel, From a far country are we come; and now make a covenant with us.

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

⁷And the men of Israel said to the Hivite, Perhaps thou dwellest in the midst of us, and how should I make a covenant with thee?

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

⁸And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said to 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 to him, From a very far country are thy servants come, because of the name of Jehovah 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 the king of Heshbon, and to Og the king of Bashan, who 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.

¹¹And our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, Take victuals in your hand for the way, and go to meet them, and say to them, We are your servants, and now make a covenant with us.

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

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

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

¹³And these flasks of wine which we filled new, behold, they are rent; and these our garments and our sandals 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, but they did not inquire at the mouth of Jehovah.

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

¹⁵And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the princes of the assembly swore 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 covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt in their midst.

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

¹⁷And the children of Israel journeyed, and came to their cities on the third day; and their cities were 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 children of Israel did not smite them, because the princes of the assembly had sworn unto them by Jehovah the God of Israel. Then all the assembly murmured against the princes.

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

¹⁹And all the princes said to all the assembly, We have sworn unto them by Jehovah the God of Israel, and now 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, and let them live, lest wrath come upon us, because of the oath which we swore unto them.

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

²¹And the princes said to them, Let them live. And they were hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the assembly; as the princes had said to them.

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

²²And Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, Why have ye deceived us, saying, We are very far from you; whereas ye dwell in our midst?

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

²³And now ye are cursed, and ye shall never cease to be 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 Jehovah thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; and we feared greatly for our lives because of you, and did this thing.

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

²⁵And now behold, we are in thy hand: as it is good and right in thine eyes to do to us, do.

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

²⁶And he did so to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, and they did not slay them.

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 assembly, and for the altar of Jehovah, to this day, in the place which he should choose.