Isahluko 18
Inqanawa igqityiwe—Ukuzalwa kukaYakobi noYosefu kuyakhankanywa—Iqela likhwela enqanaweni ukusinga kwilizwe lesithembiso—Oonyana bakaIshmayeli nabafazi babo bangenelela kwimihlali kwanemvukelo—UNifayi uyabotshelelwa, kwaye inqanawa iqhutyelwa ngasemva luqhwithela oloyikekayo—UNifayi uyakhululwa, kwaye ngomthandazo wakhe isaqhwithi siyapheza—Abantu bayafika kwilizwe lesithembiso. Malunga 591–589 P.K.
1 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba baye bayinqule iNkosi, kwaye bahamba nam; saza sasebenza ngemithi yohlobo olunqabileyo. Yaza iNkosi yandibonisa amaxesha ngamaxesha uhlobo emandiyisebenze ngalo imithi yenqanawa.
2 Ngoku mna, Nifayi, andizange ndisebenze ngemithi ukulandela uhlobo olufundwe ngabantu, ndingazange ndiyakhe inqanawa ngokohlobo lwabantu; kodwa ndayakha ngokohlobo eyathi iNkosi yandibonisa lona; ngako oko, yayingelulo uhlobo lwabantu.
3 Kwaye mna, Nifayi, ndaya entabeni rhoqo, kwaye ndathi ndathandaza rhoqo eNkosini; ngaso eso sizathu iNkosi yathi yandibonisa izinto ezinkulu.
4 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba emva kokuba ndiyigqibile inqanawa, ngokwelizwi leNkosi, abakhuluwa bam bayiqaphele ukuba ilungile, kwaye nokusetyenzwa kwayo kwakucwenge ngokugqithisileyo; ngako oko bathi bazithoba kwakhona phambi kweNkosi.
5 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba ilizwi leNkosi lafika kubawo, okokuba masiphakame kwaye sehle siye enqanaweni.
6 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba ngengomso, emva kokuba silungise zonke izinto, iziqhamo ezininzi nenyama yasentlango, nobusi ngobuninzi, nemiphako njengokohlobo olo iNkosi yaye isiyalele ngalo, saye sehla sangena enqanaweni, nemithwalo yethu yonke neembewu zethu, nayo nantoni na esasize nayo, wonke umntu ngokobudala bakhe; ngako oko, sathi sonke sehla sangena enqanaweni, kunye nabafazi bethu nabantwana bethu.
7 Kwaye ngoku, ubawo wayezele oonyana ababini entlango; omdala wayebizwa ngokuba nguYakobi noYosefu omncinane.
8 Kwaye kwenzekile emva kokuba sonke siye sehla ukungena enqanaweni, kwaye sayithabatha nemiphako yethu nezinto ebesiyalelwe ngazo, saza sabheka phambili elwandle saza saqhutyelwa phambili ngumoya ukuya kwilizwe lesithembiso.
9 Kwaye emva kokuba siqhutyelwe phambili ngumoya kangangeentsuku ezininzi, qaphelani, abantakwethu kunye noonyana bakaIshmayeli kwaye kanjalo nabafazi babo baqalisa ukuzonwabisa, kangangokuba baqalisa ukudanisa, baza bavuma iingoma, kwaye bethetha ngobukrwada obukhulu, ewe, bade balibala ukuba ngawaphi na amandla abaziswe ngawo kule ndawo, ewe, banyukela phezulu ngobukrwada obugqithisileyo.
10 Ndaza mna, Nifayi ndaqalisa ukoyika ngokugqithisileyo hleze iNkosi ibe nomsindo kuthi, ize isibethe ngenxa yobugwenxa bethu, ukuze siginywe kubunzulu bolwandle; ngako oko, mna, Nifayi, ndaqalisa ukuthetha nabo ngokuzola okukhulu, kodwa qaphela babanomsindo kum, besithi: Asinako ukuba umninawa wethu abe ngumlawuli phezu kwethu.
11 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba uLeymeni noLemuweli bandithabathe baze bandibophelele ngeentambo, kwaye bandiphatha ngoburhabaxa obukhulu; nangona kunjalo, iNkosi yayivumela ukuze ibonise amandla ayo, ukuze kuzaliseke amazwi ayo eyawathethayo ngokunxulumene nabakhohlakeleyo.
12 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba emva kokuba bendibophelele ndade andakwazi nokushukuma, isalatha-mbombo, esasilungiswe yiNkosi, sayeka ukusebenza.
13 Ngako oko, babengazi apho mabayiqhubele ngakhona inqanawa, kangangokuba kwavuka uqhwithela olukhulu, ewe, isaqhwithi esikhulu kwaye nesoyikekayo, saza saqhutyelwa ngasemva phezu kwamanzi kangangethuba leentsuku ezintathu; baza baqalisa ukoyika ngokugqithisileyo hleze beyele elwandle; nangona kunjalo abazange bandikhulule.
14 Kwaza ngosuku lwesine, siqhutyelwa ngasemva, uqhwithela lwaqalisa ukuba ndlongo-ndlongo ngokugqithisileyo.
15 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba sasimalunga nokuginywa enzulwini yolwandle. Kwaye emva kokuba siqhutyelwe ngasemva phezu kwamanzi kangangethuba leentsuku ezine, abakhuluwa bam baqalisa ukubona ukuba izigwebo zikaThixo zaziphezu kwabo, nokuba baza kutshabalala ngaphandle kokuba bangaguquka kubo ubugwenxa babo; ngako oko, beza kum, bazikhulula izibopho ezazisezihlahleni zam, kwaye qaphela zazidumbile ngokugqithisileyo; kananjalo amaqatha am ayedumbe kakhulu, kwaye zinkulu iintlungu zawo.
16 Nangona kunjalo, ndaye ndakhangela kuThixo wam, ndaza ndamdumisa ebudeni bemini yonke; kwaye andizange ndimbombozele ngakuyo iNkosi ngenxa yeembandezelo zam.
17 Ngoku ubawo, uLihayi, wayethethe izinto ezininzi kubo, kananjalo nakoonyana bakaIshmayeli; kodwa, qaphela, bathi bafutha izisongelo ezininzi ngakuye nabanina othi andithethelele; kwaye abazali bam bebethwa bubudala ngeminyaka, kwaye beve ubuhlungu nokubindeka ngenxa yabantwana babo, baye bawiswa phantsi, ewe, naphezu koomandlalo babo bokugula.
18 Ngenxa yentlungu nosizi olukhulu, nobugwenxa babantakwethu, babesebeziswe kufuphi nasekuthatyathweni baphume ngeli lixa ukuya kuhlangana noThixo wabo; ewe, iinwele zabo ezingwevu zazisele ziza kuthotyelwa phantsi zilale ezantsi eluthulini; ewe, babekufuphi nasekuphoselweni ngosizi engcwabeni lamanzi.
19 Kwaye uYakobi noYosefu kanjalo, beselula, besaswele ukondliwa kakhulu babekhathazekile ngenxa yeembandezelo zikanina; nomfazi wam kanjalo ngeenyembezi zakhe nemithandazo, nabantwana bam kanjalo, abazange bazithambise iintliziyo zabantakwethu ukuze babe nokundikhulula.
20 Kwaye kwakungekho nto ngaphandle kwamandla kaThixo, owaboyikisa ngentshabalalo, eyayinokuthambisa iintliziyo zabo; ngako oko, bakubona ukuba babesele beza kuginywa enzulwini yolwandle baguquka kwinto ababeyenzile, kangangokuba bandikhulula.
21 Kwaye kwenzekile emva kokuba bendikhulule, qaphela, ndasithabatha isolatha-mbombo, kwaye saye sasebenza ngokweminqweno yam. Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba ndathandaza eNkosini; kwaye emva kokuba ndithandazile imimoya yapheza, kwaye noqhwithela lwaphela, kwaza kwabakho inzolo enkulu.
22 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba mna, Nifayi, ndayiqhuba inqanawa, ukuze sihambe kwakhona ukusingisa ngakwilizwe lesithembiso.
23 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba emva kokuba sihambe ngenqanawe kangangesithuba seentsuku ezininzi saye safika kulo ilizwe lesithembiso; saza saya phambili kulo ilizwe, kwaye sathi sazigxumeka iintente zethu; saza salibiza ngokuba lilizwe lesithembiso.
24 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba saye saqalisa ukulima umhlaba, saza saqalisa ukutyala iimbewu; ewe, saza sazifaka zonke iimbewu zethu emhlabeni, esaye size nazo ukusuka kwilizwe laseYerusalem. Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba yaye ikhula yahluma ngokugqithisileyo; ngako oko, sasisikelelwe ngendyebo.
25 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba saye safumanisa kulo ilizwe lesithembiso, njengoko sasihamba entlango, okokuba kwakukho izilo zazo zonke iintlobo ehlathini, kunye imazi yenkomo nenkunzi yenkomo, ne-esile nehashe, nebhokhwe, nebhokhwe yasendle, kwaye nazo zonke iintlobo zezilo zasendle, ezaye zinokusetyenziswa ngumntu. Kwaye saye safumana lonke uhlobo lwesinyithi esikrwada, kunye ezegolide, nezesilivere, nezekopolo.