INcwadi ka-Alma
Unyana ka-Alma

1 Ngoku kwenzekile okokuba kowokuqala unyaka wolawulo lwabagwebi phezu kwabantu bakaNifayi, ukususela kweli lixa ukuya phambili, ukumkani uMozaya ekubeni ^aehambe indlela yawo wonke umhlaba, ekubeni elwe ukulwa umlo omhle, ehamba ethe ngqo phambi koThixo, engashiyanga namnye ukuba alawule esikhundleni sakhe; nangona kunjalo wayemise ^bimithetho, kwaye yavunywa ngabantu; ke ngoko babebophelelekile ukuba bayithobele imithetho awathi wayenza.

2 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba kunyaka wokuqala wolawulo luka-Alma kuso isihlalo-sokugweba, kwakukho ^aindoda eyathi yaziswa kuye ukuba igwetywe, indoda eyaye inomzimba omkhulu, kwaye iqapheleka ngokomelela kwayo okukhulu.

3 Kwaye yayihamba-hamba phakathi kwabantu, ishumayela kubo oko ^ayayikubiza ngokuba lilizwi likaThixo, ^bicinezela ibandla; ivakalisa ebantwini okokuba wonke umbingeleli notitshala umele ukuba ^cathandwe; kwaye ^dabamelanga ukuba basebenze ngezandla zabo, kodwa nje bamele ukubonelelwa ngabantu.

4 Kananjalo wangqina ebantwini okokuba lonke uluntu lumele lusindiswe ngomhla wokugqibela, kwaye nokokuba akukho mfuneko yakoyika nakungcangcazela, kodwa nje mababe nokuphakamisa iintloko zabo kwaye bavuye; kuba iNkosi idale bonke abantu, kananjalo ikhulule bonke abantu; kwaye, ekugqibeleni, bonke abantu bamele bafumane ubomi obungunaphakade.

5 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba waye wazifundisa ezi zinto kangangokuba abantu abaninzi baye bakholelwa kumazwi akhe, baba baninzi kangangokuba bade baqalisa ukumbonelela baza bamnika nemali.

6 Kwaye waqalisa ukukhukhumala likratshi lentliziyo yakhe, nokunxiba izinxibo zexabiso eliphezulu, ewe, kwaye wade waqalisa ukumisa ^aibandla ngokohlobo lwentshumayelo yakhe.

7 Kwaye kwenzekile njengoko wayehamba, ukuya kushumayela kwabo babekholelwa kumazwi akhe, wadibana nendoda eyaye iyeyebandla likaThixo, ewe, kwanayo enye yotitshala babo; waza waqalisa ukuphikisana nayo kabukhali, ukuze abe nokulahlekisa abantu bebandla; kodwa indoda leyo yamelana naye, imkhalimela ^angamazwi kaThixo.

8 Ngoku igama lendoda leyo ^alalinguGidiyon; kwaye yayinguye owayesisixhobo sokusebenza ezandleni zikaThixo ekuhlanguleni abantu bakaLimhayi baphume ebukhobokeni.

9 Ngoku, ngenxa yokuba uGidiyon wathi wamelana naye ngamazwi kaThixo waba nomsindo ngakuGidiyon, waza warhola ikrele lakhe waza waqalisa ukumbetha. Ngoku uGidiyon ekubeni sele ekhulile ngeminyaka emininzi, ke ngoko akazange abenako ukumelana nezithonga zakhe, ke ngoko ^awabulawa ngekrele.

10 Kwaye indoda leyo yambulalayo yathatyathwa ngabantu bebandla, yaza yaziswa phambi kuka-Alma, ukuba ^aigwetywe ngokwamatyala ethe yawenza.

11 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba yema phambi kuka-Alma yaza yazithethelela ngokukhalipha okukhulu.

12 Kodwa uAlma wathi kuye: Qaphela, eli lilixa lokuqala ukuba ^aububingeleli bobuqhinga buqaliswe phakathi kwaba bantu. Kwaye qaphela, akunatyala nje kuphela lobubingeleli bobuqhinga, kodwa uzame ukubunyanzelisa ngekrele; kwaye ukuba ububingeleli bobuqhinga bebunokunyanzeliswa phakathi kwaba bantu beluya kuphelela kwintshabalalo yabo bonke.

13 Kwaye wena uphalaze igazi lendoda elilungisa, ewe, indoda eyenze okulunge kakhulu phakathi kwaba bantu; kwaye ukuba besingakusindisa igazi lakhe lingabizwa phezu kwethu ^angempindezelo.

14 Ke ngoko ^augwetyelwa ukufa, ngokwasemthethweni esathi sawunikwa nguMozaya, ukumkani wethu wokugqibela; kwaye uvunyiwe ngaba bantu; ke ngoko aba bantu kufuneka babambelele kuwo umthetho.

15 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba bamthabatha; kwaye igama lakhe ^alalinguNehore; baza bamthwala bamsa phezu kwencopho yenduli eyiManti, waza apho wenziwa, okanye ngenye indlela waye wavuma, phakathi kwamazulu nomhlaba, okokuba into ebeyifundisa ebantwini yayiphikisana nelizwi likaThixo; kwaye apho wanyamezela ^bukufa okulihlazo.

16 Nangona kunjalo, oku akuzange kukuphelise ukunwenwa kobubingeleli bobuqhinga kulo lonke ilizwe; kuba kwakukho abaninzi ababezithanda izinto ezililize zehlabathi, kwaye babheka phambili beshumayela iimfundiso ezingeyonyani; kwaye oku bakwenza ngenxa ^ayobutyebi nembeko.

17 Nangona kunjalo, zange balinge ^aukuxoka, ukuba babusaziwa, ngenxa yokoyika umthetho, kuba amaxoki ayesohlwaywa; ke ngoko babezenza ngathi bashumayela ngokwenkolo yabo; kwaye ngoku umthetho wawungenakuba namandla kuye nawuphina umntu ^bngenkolo yakhe.

18 Kwaye babengenakuze balinge ^anokuba babe ngenxa yokoyika umthetho, kuba abanjalo babe sohlwaywa; bengenakuze balinge nokuphanga, nakubulala, kuba lowo ^bubulalayo wayesohlwaywa ^cngokufa.

19 Kodwa kwenzekile okokuba nabani na ongenguye owebandla likaThixo waqalisa ukutshutshisa abo babengabebandla likaThixo, baza bathabathela kubo igama likaKrestu.

20 Ewe, baye babatshutshisa, kwaye babavisa iintlungu ngalo lonke uhlobo lamazwi, kwaye konke oku kwakungenxa yentobeko yabo; ngenxa yokuba babengenakratshi emehlweni abo, kwaye nangenxa yokuba babesabelana ngelizwi likaThixo, omnye kunye nomnye, ngaphandle ^akwemali kwaye nangaphandle kwexabiso.

21 Ngoku kwaye kukho umthetho ongqongqo phakathi kwabantu bebandla, wokuba akumele kubekho nawuphi na umntu, ongowebandla, ovukela kwaye ^aatshutshise abo babengengabo abebandla, nokokuba akufanele kubekho ntshutshiso phakathi kwabo.

22 Nangona kunjalo, babakhona abaninzi phakathi kwabo abaqalisa ukuba nekratshi, baza baqalisa ukuphikisana shushu neentshaba zabo, ngokude kubekho izithonga; ewe, babebethana omnye nomnye ngamanqindi.

23 Ngoku oku kwakukunyaka wesibini wolawulo luka-Alma, kwaye kwakungunobangela weembandezelo ezininzi kulo ibandla; ewe, kwakungunobangela wokulingwa okuninzi ebandleni.

24 Kuba iintliziyo zabaninzi zaziqaqadekile, kwaye namagama abo ^aayecinyiwe, ukuze bangabuye bakhunjulwe phakathi kwabantu bakaThixo. Kananjalo abaninzi ^bbazikhwebula phakathi kwabo.

25 Ngoku esi yayisisilingo esikhulu kwabo babeme nkqo elukholweni; nangona kunjalo, babezinzile kwaye bengagungqi ekugcineni imiyalelo kaThixo, kwaye bayithwala ^angomonde intshutshiso eyayifunjwe phezu kwabo.

26 Kwaye xa ababingeleli besimka beshiya ^aimisebenzi yabo ukuya kugqithisa ilizwi likaThixo ebantwini, abantu kanjalo babeyishiya imisebenzi yabo ukuya kuphulaphula ilizwi likaThixo. Kwaye xa umbingeleli eligqithisile ilizwi likaThixo kubo babuyela bonke kwakhona ngenkuthalo emisebenzini yabo; nombingeleli, engazithabathi ngokuba ungaphezulu kunabo abaphulaphuli, kuba nomshumayeli wayengekho ngaphezulu kunaye umphulaphuli; notitshala engekho ngaphezulu kunomfundi; kwaye njalo babelingana, kwaye bonke babesebenza, wonke umntu ^bngokokomelela kwakhe.

27 Kwaye ^ababenikela ngezinto zabo, wonke umntu ngokwa loo nto anayo, ^bkwabangamahlwempu, nabasweleyo, nemilwelwe, nababandezelekileyo; kwaye babenganxibi zinxibo zaxabiso likhulu, kanti ke babecocekile kwaye bekhangeleka kakuhle.

28 Kwaye baye bayimisa njalo imicimbi yebandla; baza njalo baqalisa ukuba noxolo rhoqo kwakhona, nangona babenazo iintshutshiso.

29 Kwaye ngoku, ngenxa yokuzinza kwebandla baqalisa ukuba ^azizityebi ngokugqithisileyo, benezinto zonke ngobuninzi nantoni na ababeyiswele—ubuninzi bempahla emfutshane nemihlambi yeenkomo, amathole atyetyisiweyo azo zonke iintlobo, kananjalo nobuninzi beenkozo, nobegolide, nobesilivere, nobezinto ezixabisekileyo, nobuninzi ^bbesilika nelineni eyolukwe ngokucekethekileyo entle, nalo lonke uhlobo olulungileyo noluqhelekileyo lwelaphu.

30 Kwaye njalo, ^akwiimeko zabo zokuphumelela, abazange bagxothe nabanina ^bowayeze, okanye ababelambile, okanye ababenxaniwe, okanye ababegula, okanye ababengondlekanga; kwaye abazange bazibeke iintliziyo zabo phezu kobutyebi; ke ngoko babenesisa kubo bonke, kunye abadala nabancinane, kunye ababophelelekileyo nabakhululekileyo, kunye amadoda nabafazi, nokuba bangaphandle kwebandla okanye phakathi ebandleni, ^cbengakhethi buso bamntu malunga nabo basweleyo.

31 Kwaye njalo baye baphumelela baza baba nobutyebi ngaphezulu kakhulu kunabo abo babengengabo abebandla labo.

32 Kuba abo babengengabo abebandla baye bazanelisa ngobugqwirha, ^anangokunqula izithixo okanye ^bngobunqenerha, ^cneentetho ezingento, nakubo ^doomona nokrutha-kruthwano; benxiba izinxibo zexabiso elikhulu; ^ebekhukhumele likratshi emehlweni abo; betshutshisa, bexoka, besiba, bephanga, besenza uhenyuzo, kwaye bebulala, nalo lonke uhlobo lwenkohlakalo; nangona kunjalo, umthetho wawunyanzeliswa phezu kwabo bonke abo babewaphula, kangangoko kwakunokwenziwa.

33 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba ngokwenza njalo benyanzelisa umthetho phezu kwabo, wonke umntu efumana isohlwayo ngokwaloo nto athe wayenza, baye bazola ngakumbi, kwaye abazange balinga nokwenza nayiphina inkohlakalo ukuba ibisaziwa; ke ngoko, kwabakho uxolo kakhulu phakathi kwabantu bakaNifayi kwada kwaba ngowesihlanu unyaka wolawulo lwabagwebi.