The Command to Leave Horeb
1These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—that is, in the Arabah—opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. 2(It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.)
3In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them. 4This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.
5East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab, Moses began to expound this law, saying:
6The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 8See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”
The Appointment of Leaders
9At that time I said to you, “You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone. 10The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. 11May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised! 12But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself? 13Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.”
14You answered me, “What you propose to do is good.”
15So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials. 16And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you. 17Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.” 18And at that time I told you everything you were to do.
Spies Sent Out
19Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful wilderness that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea. 20Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. 21See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
22Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”
23The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe. 24They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshkol and explored it. 25Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, “It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.”
Rebellion Against the Lord
26But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. 27You grumbled in your tents and said, “The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 28Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’ ”
29Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. 30The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”
32In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, 33who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.
34When the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: 35“No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, 36except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.”
37Because of you the Lord became angry with me also and said, “You shall not enter it, either. 38But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it. 39And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad—they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it. 40But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.1:40 Or the Sea of Reeds”
41Then you replied, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.” So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.
42But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’ ”
43So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. 44The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah. 45You came back and wept before the Lord, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you. 46And so you stayed in Kadesh many days—all the time you spent there.
Mose Akumbutsa Aisraeli za ku Horebu
1Awa ndi mawu amene Mose anayankhula kwa Aisraeli onse mʼchipululu kummawa kwa Yorodani, ku Araba moyangʼanana ndi Sufi, pakati pa Parani ndi Tofeli, Labani, Heziroti ndi Dizahabu. 2(Kuyenda kuchokera ku Horebu kukafika ku Kadesi Barinea kudzera njira ya ku Phiri la Seiri ndi ulendo wa masiku khumi ndi limodzi).
3Mʼchaka cha makumi anayi, pa tsiku loyamba la mwezi 11, Mose anafotokozera Aisraeli zonse zimene Yehova anamulamula zokhudza iwowo. 4Apa nʼkuti atagonjetsa Sihoni mfumu ya Aamori, amene amalamulira ku Hesiboni, ndipo pa Ederi anagonjetsa Ogi mfumu ya ku Basani, amene amalamulira mu Asiteroti.
5Chakummawa kwa Yorodani mʼchigawo cha Mowabu, Mose anayamba kufotokozera lamulo ili kunena kuti:
6Ku Horebu, Yehova Mulungu wathu anati kwa ife, “Mwakhalitsa pa phiri lino. 7Sasulani msasa ndipo pitani ku dziko la mapiri la Aamori. Pitani kwa anthu onse oyandikana nawo ku Araba, ku mapiri, mʼmbali mwa mapiri a ku madzulo, ku Negevi ndiponso mʼmbali mwa nyanja, ku dziko la Akanaani ndi ku Lebanoni mpaka ku mtsinje waukulu wa Yufurate. 8Taonani, Ine ndakupatsani dziko ili. Lowani ndi kulilanda dziko limene Yehova analumbira kuti adzapereka kwa makolo anu, Abrahamu, Isake ndi Yakobo komanso kwa zidzukulu zawo.”
Kukhazikitsa Atsogoleri
9Pa nthawi imeneyi ine ndinati kwa inu, “Inu ndinu katundu olemera kwambiri woti sindingathe kumunyamula ndekha. 10Yehova Mulungu wanu wakuchulukitsani kotero kuti lero lino ndinu ochuluka ngati nyenyezi za kumwamba. 11Yehova Mulungu wa makolo anu wachulukitsa chiwerengero chanu ndipo wakudalitsani monga momwe analonjezera! 12Koma nanga ndekha ndidzasenza bwanji zovuta ndi zipsinjo zanu komanso milandu yanu? 13Sankhani amuna ena anzeru, ozindikira ndi amene mumawalemekeza kuchokera ku mtundu uliwonse wa mitundu yanu, ndipo ndidzawayika kuti akulamulireni.”
14Inu munandiyankha kuti, “Maganizo amenewa ndi abwino kuwachita.”
15Choncho ndinatenga anthu otsogolera mafuko anu, anzeru ndi omwe mumawalemekeza, ndipo ndinawayika kuti azikulamulirani mʼmagulu a 1,000, ena 100, ena makumi asanu ndi ena khumi, kuti akhalenso ngati akapitawo a mafuko. 16Ndipo pa nthawi imeneyo ndinawawuza olamula anu kuti, “Muzimva milandu ya pakati pa abale anu ndi kuweruza mosakondera, kaya mlanduwo uli pakati pa Aisraeli okhaokha kapena mmodzi wa iwo ndi mlendo. 17Osamayangʼana nkhope poweruza koma muzimvetsera aangʼono ndi aakulu omwe chimodzimodzi. Musamaope munthu aliyense, pakuti chiweruzo ndi cha Mulungu. Muzindibweretsera mlandu uliwonse wovuta ndipo ndidzaumva.” 18Ndipo nthawi imeneyo ndinakuwuzani chilichonse chimene munayenera kuchita.
Atumizidwa Kukazonda Dziko
19Tsono monga Yehova Mulungu wathu anatilamulira, tinanyamuka kuchoka ku Horebu ndi kupita cha ku dziko lamapiri la Aamori kudzera ku chipululu chachikulu ndi choopsa chija munachionachi, kotero kuti tinakafika ku Kadesi Barinea. 20Ndipo ndinati kwa inu, “Mwafika ku dziko la mapiri la Aamori, limene Yehova Mulungu wathu akutipatsa. 21Taonani, Yehova Mulungu wanu wakupatsani dzikoli. Pitani ndi kulitenga monga Yehova, Mulungu wa makolo anu anakuwuzirani. Musaope kapenanso kugwa mphwayi.”
22Tsono nonse munabwera kwa ine ndi kuti, “Tiyeni titumize anthu ayambe apita kuti akazonde dzikolo ndi kutibweretsera mawu pa za njira yomwe tidzere ndi za mizinda imene tikafikireko.”
23Ndinaona kuti maganizo amenewa anali abwino, choncho ndinasankha anthu khumi ndi awiri, mmodzi ku fuko lililonse. 24Iwo ananyamuka napita mʼdziko la mapiri, ndipo anafika ku Chigwa cha Esikolo ndi kukazonda dzikolo. 25Pobwerera anatitengerako zipatso za mʼdzikomo ndipo anatipatsa mawu akuti, “Dziko limene Yehova Mulungu wathu akutipatsa ndi labwino.”
Awukira Yehova
26Koma inu simunafune kupitako ndipo munawukira lamulo la Yehova Mulungu wanu. 27Inu munanyinyirika mʼmatenti anu nʼkumati, “Mulungu amatida nʼchifukwa chake anatitulutsa ku Igupto kuti atipereke mʼmanja mwa Aamori kuti atiwononge. 28Tigwire mtengo wanji? Abale athu anatitayitsa mtima. Iwo akuti, ‘Anthuwo ndi amphamvu ndi aatali kuposa ife, mizindayo ndi yayikulu ndipo mipanda yake ndi yayitali yofika kumwamba. Ife tinaonanso Aanaki kumeneko.’ ”
29Ndipo ine ndinati kwa inu, “Musachite mantha kapena kuwaopa. 30Yehova Mulungu wanu, amene akukutsogolerani, adzakumenyerani nkhondo monga muja anachitira ku Igupto inu mukuona, 31ndi mʼchipululu muja. Kumeneko munaona mmene Yehova Mulungu wanu anakunyamulirani monga abambo anyamulira mwana wawo, njira yonse yomwe munayenda mpaka munafika pamalo ano.”
32Ngakhale zinali choncho, simunadalire Yehova Mulungu wanu 33amene anakutsogolerani pa ulendo wanu, ndi moto nthawi ya usiku ndi mtambo nthawi ya masana, kukufunirani malo woti mumange msasa ndi kukuonetsani njira yoti muyendemo.
34Yehova atamva zimene munanena anakwiya nalumbira kuti, 35“Palibe ndi mmodzi yemwe mwa mʼbado woyipawu amene adzaona dziko labwino limene ndinalumbira kupatsa makolo anu, 36kupatula Kalebe mwana wa Yefune. Iye adzaliona, ndipo ndidzamupatsa iye ndi adzukulu ake, dziko limene adzapondamo popeza anatsata Yehova ndi mtima wake wonse.”
37Chifukwa cha inu, Yehova anakwiyiranso ine ndipo anati, “Iwenso sudzalowa mʼdzikomo. 38Koma Yoswa mwana wa Nuni amene amakuthandiza, adzalowa mʼdzikomo. Umulimbikitse chifukwa adzatsogolera Israeli kukalandira dzikolo. 39Ndipo angʼonoangʼono amene munati adzagwidwa ukapolo, ana anu amene sanadziwe kusiyanitsa chabwino ndi choyipa, amenewo adzalowa mʼdzikolo. Ndidzalipereka kwa iwo ndipo lidzakhala lawo. 40Koma inu, tembenukani nyamukani kulowera cha ku chipululu kutsatira njira ya ku Nyanja Yofiira.”
41Ndipo inuyo munati, “Tachimwa pamaso pa Yehova. Tipita ndi kukachita nkhondo monga Yehova Mulungu wathu watilamulira.” Choncho aliyense wa inu anavala zankhondo, ndi kuganiza kuti nʼkosavuta kupita mʼdziko la mapiri lija.
42Koma Yehova anandiwuza kuti, “Awuze anthuwa kuti, ‘Musapite kukachita nkhondo chifukwa Ine sindidzakhala nanu. Mudzagonjetsedwa ndi adani anu.’ ”
43Choncho ndinakuwuzani koma simunamve. Inu munawukira lamulo la Yehova ndipo mwamwano munayenda kulowa mʼdziko la mapiri. 44Aamori amene ankakhala mʼmapiriwo anatuluka kukakumana nanu ndipo anakuthamangitsani ngati gulu la njuchi ndipo anakukanthani kuchokera ku Seiri, njira yonse mpaka ku Horima. 45Munabwererako mukulira pamaso pa Yehova, koma Iye sanalabadire kulira kwanuko ndipo sanakumvetsereni. 46Pamenepo munakhala ku Kadesi masiku ambiri kwa nthawi yayitali ndithu.