The Lord's Angel Speaks to Israel
1 The Lord's angel went from Gilgal to Bochim and gave the Israelites this message from the Lord:
I promised your ancestors that I would give this land to their families, and I brought your people here from Egypt. We made an agreement that I promised never to break, 2 and you promised not to make any peace treaties with the other nations that live in the land. Besides that, you agreed to tear down the altars where they sacrifice to their idols. Why haven't you kept your promise?
3 And so, I'll stop helping you defeat your enemies. Instead, they will be there to trap you into worshiping their idols.
4 The Israelites started crying loudly, 5 and they offered sacrifices to the Lord. From then on, they called that place “Crying.”
Israel Stops Worshiping the Lord
6-9 Joshua had been faithful to the Lord. And after Joshua sent the Israelites to take the land they had been promised, they remained faithful to the Lord until Joshua died at the age of 110. He was buried on his land in Timnath-Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. Even though Joshua was gone, the Israelites were faithful to the Lord during the lifetime of those men who had been leaders with Joshua and who had seen the wonderful things the Lord had done for Israel.
10 After a while the people of Joshua's generation died, and the next generation did not know the Lord or any of the things he had done for Israel. 11-13 The Lord had brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and they had worshiped him. But now the Israelites stopped worshiping the Lord and worshiped the idols of Baal and Astarte, as well as the idols of other gods from nearby nations.
The Lord was so angry 14-15 with the Israelites that he let other nations raid Israel and steal their crops and other possessions. Enemies were everywhere, and the Lord always let them defeat Israel in battle. The Lord had warned Israel he would do this, and now the Israelites were miserable.
The Lord Chooses Leaders for Israel
16 From time to time, the Lord would choose special leaders known as judges. These judges would lead the Israelites into battle and defeat the enemies that made raids on them. 17 In years gone by, the Israelites had been faithful to the Lord, but now they were quick to be unfaithful and to refuse even to listen to these judges. The Israelites disobeyed the Lord, and instead of worshiping him, they worshiped other gods.
18 When enemies made life miserable for the Israelites, the Lord felt sorry for them. He would choose a judge and help that judge rescue Israel from its enemies. The Lord was kind to Israel as long as that judge lived. 19 But afterwards, the Israelites would become even more sinful than their ancestors had been. The Israelites were stubborn—they simply would not stop worshiping other gods or following their teachings.
The Lord Lets Enemies Test Israel
20 The Lord was angry with Israel and said:
The Israelites have broken the agreement I made with their ancestors. They won't obey me, 21 so I'll stop helping them defeat their enemies. Israel still had a lot of enemies when Joshua died, 22 and I'm going to let those enemies stay. I'll use them to test Israel, because then I can find out if Israel will worship and obey me as their ancestors did.
23 That's why the Lord had not let Joshua get rid of those enemy nations all at once.
Yaawe la malaayikoo be Bokimu
1 Yaawe* la malaayikoo taata ka bo Kilikali ka taa Bokimu. A ko ì ye ko, “Nte le ye ali bondi naŋ ka bo Misira, aduŋ nte le ye ali ñaatonkayaa ka taa bankoo kaŋ, ŋa n kali ka meŋ dii ali mumuñolu la. Nte le ko, n nene te n niŋ ali la kambeŋo tiñaa la. 2 Aduŋ ali maŋ ñaŋ na kambeŋo siti la ali niŋ ñiŋ bankoo moolu teema. Ali ñanta ì la sadaabodulaalu* bee le tiñaa la kewu. Bari ali maŋ ke moolu ti, mennu keta n na yaamaroo mutalaa ti. Muŋ ne ye a tinna, ali ye ñiŋ ke? 3 Saayiŋ m be ñiŋ fo la ali ye ko, n te ñiŋ moolu bayi la ali ñaato. Ì be ke la ali jawoolu le ti, aduŋ ì la alloolu be ke la ali ye le ko kutindiŋo.”
4 Kabiriŋ Yaawe la malaayikoo ye ñiŋ kumoolu fo Banisirayilankoolu ye, ì naata kumboo baake. 5 Bituŋ ì naata dulaa ñiŋ toolaa Bokimu la. Wo to le ì naata sadaalu* bo Yaawe ye jee.
Banisirayilankoolu la yaamari soosoo, Yosuwa beleriŋ koolaa
6 Kabiriŋ Yosuwa ye Banisirayilankoolu bula ka taa, ì taata le ka bankoo taa, ì bee kiliŋ-kiliŋ naa ye meŋ soto keetalaa to. 7 Yosuwa la baluwo waatoo la, Banisirayilankoolu tarata Yaawe batu kaŋ ne, aniŋ alifaalu tiloo la, mennu tarata baluuriŋ kabiriŋ Yosuwa beleta. Ñiŋ alifaalu ye kalamutari ke kaawakuwolu bee la le, Yaawe ye mennu ke Banisirayilankoolu ye. 8 Yosuwa Nuni dinkewo Yaawe la dookuulaa, naata bele, wo tumoo a siyo be sanji keme sanji taŋ. 9 Bituŋ ì naata a baadee a la keetaakenoo kono, Timunati-Sera, Efurayimu* konkotundoo* kaŋ, Kaasi konkoo maraa karoo la.
10 Kabiriŋ wo jamaanoo bee tambita, jamaani doo naata kotenke, meŋ moolu maŋ Yaawe loŋ, sako a ye kuwolu mennu ke Banisirayilankoolu ye. 11 Bituŋ Banisirayilankoolu ye kuu jawoo ke Yaawe ñaa koto, ka Baali* jalaŋolu batu. 12 Ì ye ì koo dii Yaawe la, ì mumuñolu la Alla, meŋ ye ì bondi naŋ Misira. Ì bulata ì dandaŋ na moolu la alla koteŋolu nooma ka sujudi ì ye. Wo le ye Yaawe jusoo bondi ì kamma, 13 kaatu ì ye ì koo dii a la le, ka Baali niŋ Asitoreti* jalaŋolu batu. 14 Yaawe naata kamfaa Banisirayilankoolu kamma baake. A ye ì duŋ boyinkannaalu bulu ka ì la feŋolu taa. A ye ì jawoolu marandi ì la karoo bee la. Ì maŋ naa i loo noo ì fee kotenke. 15 Niŋ Banisirayilankoolu fintita ka taa keloo la waati-wo-waati, Yaawe buka tara ì fee, ì buka ñaatotaa soto wo keloo to. A keta le, ko Yaawe ye a fo ì ye, aniŋ a ye i kali ì ye ñaameŋ. Ì niyo kuyaata baake.
16 Bituŋ Yaawe ye kiitindirilaalu wulindi, mennu naata ì tanka ñiŋ boyinkannaalu ma. 17 Hani saayiŋ, ì buka i lamoyi ñiŋ kiitindirilaalu la kumoolu la. Ì ka ì faŋ filindi ka ke fisiriwallewolu ti ka bula alla koteŋolu nooma, aniŋ ka sujudi ì ye. Ì tariyaata yelema la le ka ì koo dii siloo la ì la alifaa foloolu tarata meŋ kaŋ, mennu keta Yaawe la yaamaroolu mutalaa ti. Itolu maŋ ke ko ì la alifaa foloolu. 18 Niŋ Yaawe ye kiitindirilaa dii ì la waati-wo-waati, a ka tara wo kiitindirilaa fee le ka itolu, Banisirayilankoolu tankandi ì jawoolu ma, fo janniŋ wo kiitindirilaa be faa la. Kaatu Yaawe ka balafaa soto ì ye le, niŋ ì woosiita moolu la kuwo la, mennu ka ì mara forisewo niŋ tilimbaliyaa kono. 19 Bari wo kiitindirilaalu be faa la doroŋ, ì be ì koo dii la Yaawe la, ka muru ì la alla koteŋolu kaŋ. Ì la ñiŋ alla koteŋolu batuñaa, aniŋ ka sujudi ì ye, wo le keñaa jawuyaata ka tambi ì la alifaa foloolu ka a ke ñaameŋ nuŋ. Ì ye ì baŋ ka ì foño ì la kuu jawu kewo la, aniŋ ì la kuŋ jaa.
20 Bituŋ Yaawe naata kamfaa baake Banisirayilankoolu kamma. A ko, “Ñiŋ moolu ye n na kambeŋo le tiñaa, n niŋ ì la alifaa foloolu ye meŋ siti, aduŋ ì maŋ i lamoyi n na kumoo la. 21 Wo kamma la, n te hani ñiŋ bankoo moo koteŋ kiliŋ ne bayi la ì ye, ñiŋ moolu mennu tuta bankoo kaŋ, kabiriŋ Yosuwa be bele la. 22 M be ì taa la le ka Banisirayilankoolu kotobo ka a je ko, fo ì be bula la nte Yaawe la siloo nooma le, aniŋ ka a taamandi a ñaama, ko ì la alifaa foloolu tarata a ke kaŋ nuŋ ñaameŋ.” 23 Wo kamma la, Yaawe naata wo bankoo moolu bula ka tu sabatiriŋ bankoo ñiŋ kaŋ. A maŋ ì duŋ Yosuwa bulu, sako ka ì korontotoo bayi.
