Isahluko 18
Umkhumbi uyaqedwa—Ukuzalwa kukaJakobe kanye noJosefa kuyaphathwa—Iqembu lingena emkhunjini liya ezweni lesethembiso—Amadodana ka-Ishmayeli kanye nabafazi babo bahlangana ngokuzitika nokuhlubuka—UNefi uyaboshwa, futhi umkhumbi uphindiselwa emuva yisiphepho esibi—UNefi uyakhululwa, futhi ngomthandazo wakhe isiphepho siyanqamuka—Abantu bafika ezweni lesethembiso. Cishe ngonyaka wama 591 kuya kowama 589 ngaphambi kokuzalwa kukaKristu.
1 Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi bayikhonza iNkosi, futhi bahamba nami; futhi sakha amapulangwe ngobuciko. Futhi iNkosi yangibonisa izikhathi ngezikhathi ukuthi kufanele ngiwasebenze kanjani amapulangwe omkhumbi.
2 Manje mina, Nefi, angizange ngiwasebenze amapulangwe ngendlela eyayifundwe ngabantu, noma ngakhe umkhumbi ngendlela yabantu; kodwa ngawakha ngendlela leyo iNkosi eyayingibonise ngayo, ngalokho-ke, kwakungeyona indlela yabantu.
3 Futhi mina, Nefi, ngakhuphukela entabeni njalo-njalo, futhi angathandaza njalo-njalo eNkosini; ngalokho-ke iNkosi byangibonisa izinto ezinkulu.
4 Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi emva kokuthi sengiwuqedile umkhumbi, njengokwezwi leNkosi, abafowethu babona ukuthi wawumuhle, futhi nokuthi ukwenziwa kwawo kwakukuhle kakhulu; ngalokho-ke, abazithoba futhi phambi kweNkosi.
5 Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi izwi leNkosi lafika kubaba, lokuthi kufanele sivuke futhi sehlele ezansi emkhunjini.
6 Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi ngakusasa, emva kokuthi sesizilungisile zonke izinto, izithelo eziningi kanye anenyama ehlane kanye noju oluningi, kanye nakho konke okudingekayo njengalokhu iNkosi yayisiyalile, sehlela ezansi emkhunjini, nazo zonke izimpahla zethu nembewu yethu, kanye nakho konke esasifike nakho, wonke umuntu ngokweminyaka yakhe; ngalokho-ke, sonke sehla saya ezansi emkhunjini, nabafazi bethu kanye nezingane zethu.
7 Manje, ubaba wayesezele amadodana amabili ehlane; endala yayibizwa ngokuthi anguJakobe kanti encane bkwakunguJosefa.
8 Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi emva kokuthi sonke sesehlile saya ezansi emkhunjini, futhi sesithathe imiphako yethu kanye nalezo zinto esasiyalwe ngazo, sathatha uhambo aolwandle futhi saqhutshwa wumoya saya bezweni lesethembiso.
9 Futhi emva kokuthi sesiqhutshwe wumoya ibanga eliyizinsuku eziningi, bheka, abafowethu kanye namadodana ka-Ishmayeli futhi ngokunjalo nabafazi babo baqala ukuzijabulisa, kangangokuthi baqala ukugida, kanye nokuhlabelela, futhi bakhuluma ngokukhulu ukwedelela, yebo, baze bakhohlwa nanokuthi imaphi amandla ayebalethe lapho; yebo, baphakama ngenxa yokwedelela okukhulu.
10 Futhi mina, Nefi, ngaqala ukwesaba kakhulu ukuthi hleze iNkosi isithukuthelele, futhi isishaye ngenxa yobubi bethu, nokuthi funa sigwinywe siye ekujuleni kolwandle; ngalokho-ke, mina, Nefi, ngaqala ukukhuluma nabo ngesikhulu isizotha; kodwa bheka abangithukuthelela, bethi: Ngeke sivume ukuthi umfowethu omncane babuse phezu kwethu.
11 Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi uLamani kanye noLemuweli bangithatha futhi bangibopha ngezintambo, futhi bangiphatha ngesikhulu isihluku; nokho, iNkosi ayakuvumela lokho ukuze ikhombise amandla ayo, ekugcwaliseni amazwi ayo eyayiwakhulumile mayelana nababi.
12 Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi emva kokuthi sebengibophile kangangokuthi ngangingasakwazi nokunyakaza, ainkombandlela, esasiyilungiselwe yiNkosi yama ukusebenza.
13 Ngalokho-ke, abazanga ukuthi kwakufanele bawugwedle umkhumbi bawuyise ngalaphi, kangangokuthi kwasuka isiphepho esikhulu, yebo, esikhulu futhi esesabekayo kakhulu isivunguvungu, futhi asaqhutshwa saphindiswa emuva phezu kwamanzi ibanga eliyizinsuku ezintathu; futhi baqala ukwesaba kakhulu hleze baminze olwandle; nokho abazange bangiqaqe.
14 Futhi kwathi ngosuku lwesine, sisaqhutshwa sibhekiswa emuva, isivunguvungu saqala ukuba sibi kakhulu.
15 Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi sase sizogwinywa siye ekujuleni kolwandle. Futhi emva kokuthi sesiqhutshwe saya emuva phezu kwamanzi ibanga eliyizinsuku ezine, abafowethu baqala aukubona ukuthi izahlulelo zikaNkulunkulu zase ziphezu kwabo, futhi nokuthi kwakufanele babhubhe ngaphandle kokuthi baphenduke ebubini babo; ngalokho-ke, beza kimi, futhi bazixegisa izintambo ezazisezihlakaleni zami, futhi bheka zase zivuvukele kakhulu; futhi ngokunjalo namaqakala ami ayevuvukele kakhulu, babubukhulu ubuhlungu obabulapho.
16 Nokho, ngabheka kuNkulunkulu wami, futhi angamdumisa usuku lonke; futhi angizange ngiyivungamele iNkosi ngenxa yezinkathazo zami.
17 Manje ubaba, uLehi, wayesho izinto eziningi kubo, futhi ngokunjalo nakuwo amadodana aka-Ishmayeli; kodwa, bheka, bafuthelana kakhulu besongela lowo owayengikhulumela; futhi abazali bami sebekhulile ngeminyaka, futhi sebezwe olukhulu usizi ngenxa yezingane zabo, behlela phansi, yebo, ngisho nasemibhedeni yabo yokugula.
18 Ngenxa yokudabuka kwabo kanye nosizi olukhulu, kanye nobubi babafowethu, basondezwa eduzane nokuba bafe ukuze bahlangane noNkulunkulu wabo; yebo, impunga yabo kwase kusondele ukuthi ilale phansi othulini; yebo, kwasekuseduze ngisho nokuthi balahlwe benosizi engcwabeni lamanzi.
19 Futhi uJakobe kanye noJosefa nabo, bebancane, besadinga ukondliwa okukhulu, badabuka ngenxa yezinkathazo zikanina; futhi ngokunjalo anomkami nezinyembezi kanye nemithandazo yakhe, futhi ngokunjalo nezingane zami, azizange zizithambise izinhliziyo zabafowethu ukuthi bangikhulule.
20 Futhi kwakungekho lutho ngaphandle kwamandla kaNkulunkulu, ayebasabisa ngokubhubha, ayengathambisa izinhliziyo zabo; ngalokho-ke, ngesikhathi bebona ukuthi kwase kusondele ukuthi bagwinywe bayoshona ezinzulwini zolwandle baphenduka ngaleyonto ababeyenzile, kangangokuthi bangikhulula.
21 Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi emva kokuthi sebengikhululile, bheka, ngathatha inkombandlela, futhi nempela yasebenza njengoba ngangifisa. Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi ngathandaza eNkosini; futhi emva kokuthi sengithandazile umoya wanqamuka, kanye nesiphepho sanqamuka, futhi kwaba khona ukuthula okukhulu.
22 Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi mina, Nefi, ngawuqondisa umkhumbi, kangangoba saqhubekela ezweni lesethembiso.
23 Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi emva kokuthi sesihambe ibanga eliyizinsuku eziningi nempela safika aezweni lesethembiso; futhi saqhubekela phambili ezweni, futhi samisa amatende ethu; futhi salibiza ngezwe lesethembiso.
24 Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi nempela saqala salima umhlabathi, futhi saqala ukutshala imbewu; yebo, nempela sayifaka yonke imbewu yethu emhlabathini, esasifike nayo siphuma ezweni laseJerusalema. Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi yamila kahle kakhulu; ngalokho-ke sabusiswa ngenala.
25 Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi sathola khona ezweni lesethembiso, ngesikhathi sihamba ehlane, ukuthi kwakukhona izilwane ehlathini ezinhlobonhlobo, inkomazi kanye nenkabi, kanye nembongolo kanye nehhashi, nembuzi kanye nembuzi yasendle, kanye nazo zonke izinhlobo zezilwane zasendle, ezaziwusizo kubantu. Futhi sathola yonke inhlobo yensimbi esatshe, eyegolide neyesiliva, kanye neyethusi.