1 Nyana wam othandekayo, ndikubhalela kwakhona ukuze ube nokwazi okokuba ndisaphila; kodwa ndibhala nje noko ngoko kuhlungisayo.

2 Kuba qaphela, ndibe nedabi elibuhlungu kunye namaLeymenayithi, esithe kulo asoyisa; kwaye uArkheyantasi uwe ngekrele, kananjalo noLurami noEmroni; ewe, kwaye silahlekelwe linani elikhulu lamadoda ethu akhethekileyo.

3 Kwaye ngoku qaphela, nyana wam, ndinoloyiko hleze amaLeymenayithi abe aya kubatshabalalisa aba bantu; kuba abaguquki, kwaye uSathana uyabavuselela ngamaxesha onke emsindweni omnye kunye nomnye.

4 Qaphela, ndisebenza kunye nabo ngamaxesha onke; kwaye xa sukuba ndithetha ilizwi likaThixo ^akabukhali bayangcangcazela kwaye babenomsindo ngokuchasene nam; kwaye xa sukuba ndingasebenzisi bukhali bayaziqaqadekisa iintliziyo zabo ngokuchasene nalo; ngako oko, ndinoloyiko hleze uMoya weNkosi ube uphezile ^bukuzama-zamana nabo.

5 Kuba babanomsindo ngokugqithisileyo kangangokuba kukhangeleka kum ngokungathi abanaloyiko lakufa; kwaye baphulukene nothando lwabo, omnye ngakomnye; kwaye ^abanxanelwe igazi nempindezelo lonke ixesha.

6 Kwaye ngoku, nyana wam othandekayo, nangona beqaqadekile, masisebenze ^angenkuthalo; kuba ukuba singapheza ^bukusebenza, singaziswa phantsi kokugwetywa; kuba sinomsebenzi ekufuneka siwenze ngeli lixa sikulo mnquba womdongwe, ukuze sibe nokuloyisa utshaba lobulungisa bonke, size siyiphumze imiphefumlo yethu kubukumkani bukaThixo.

7 Kwaye ngoku ndibhala nje noko ngokunxulumene neembandezelo zaba bantu. Kuba ngokolwazi endilufumeneyo ku-Amoroni, qaphela, amaLeymenayithi anamabanjwa amaninzi, athe awathabatha enkcochoyini kaSheriza; kwaye bekukho amadoda, abafazi, nabantwana.

8 Kwaye abayeni noyise babobafazi nabantwana ababebabulele; baza bondla abafazi ngenyama yabayeni babo, nabantwana ngenyama yoyise babo; kwaye kungekho manzi ngaphandle nje kwentwana, ababanika yona.

9 Kwaye nangona kukho eli sikizi likhulu lamaLeymenayithi, alilogqithi elo labantu bethu eMoriyantam. Kuba qaphela, ezininzi iintombi zamaLeymenayithi bazithabatha zaba ngamabanjwa, kwaye emva kokuba bebahluthe oko kwakuthandeka ngakumbi kwaye kunexabiso ngaphezu kwazo zonke izinto, ^aezibubunyulu ^bnesidima—

10 Kwaye emva kokuba beyenzile le nto, baye bababulala ngolona hlobo lukhohlakele kakhulu, bethuthumbisa imizimba yabo kwanokuya ekufeni; baza emva kokuba bekwenzile oku babimbithele inyama yabo ngokungathi zizilwanyana zasendle, ngenxa yokuqaqadeka kweentliziyo zabo; kwaye bakwenza oku njengomqondiso wobukroti.

11 Owu nyana wam othandekayo, kungani na ukuba abantu babenako ukuba nje, ngokungathi abanankcubeko—

12 (Kwaye kuphela yiminyakana embalwa edluleyo, kwaye babengabantu abachubekileyo nabathandekayo)

13 Kodwa Owu nyana wam, kungani na ukuba abantu babenako ukuba nje, abavuyo lwabo lukwisikizi elingaka—

14 Singanako njani na ukulindela ukuba uThixo uya ^akusibamba isandla sakhe ngesigwebo ngokuchasene nathi?

15 Qaphela, intliziyo yam iyadanduluka: Yeha kubo aba bantu. Phuma ngesigwebo, Owu Thixo, uze uzifihle izono zabo, nenkohlakalo, namasikizi zisuke phambi kobuso bakho!

16 Kwaye kwakhona, nyana wam, baninzi ^aabahlolokazi neentombi zabo abasele eSheriza; kwaye naloo nxalenye yemiphako amaLeymenayithi angazange ayithuthe, qaphela, umkhosi kaZenifayi uyithuthile, waza wabashiya ukuze babhadule naphina apho banganako ukufuna ukutya; kwaye abafazi abadala bawa isiqaqa ecaleni kwendlela baze bafe.

17 Kwaye umkhosi okunye nam ubuthathaka; kwaye imikhosi yamaLeymenayithi iphakathi kweSheriza kunye nam; kwaye kangangobuninzi babo abasabela kumkhosi ^aka-Aron bawele ekubeni ngamaxhoba engcwangu yabo eyoyikekayo.

18 Owu ububi babantu bam! Abanacwangco kwaye abananceba. Qaphela, ndingumntu nje kuphela, kwaye ndinokomelela nje komntu kuphela, kwaye andisenako nokunyanzelisa imiyalelo yam.

19 Kwaye basuke bomelela ekugqwethekeni kwabo; kwaye banobungcwangu ngokufanayo, bengasindisi namnye, nomdala noselula; kwaye bavuyiswa yiyo yonke into ngaphandle kwaleyo ilungileyo; kwaye imbandezelo yabafazi bethu nabantwana bethu phezu kwabo bonke ubuso belizwe yogqitha yonke into; ewe, ulwimi alunako ukuyichaza, ingenako nokubhalwa.

20 Kwaye ngoku, nyana wam, andisaphindi ndihlale kulo mbono woyikekayo. Qaphela, uyayazi inkohlakalo yaba bantu; uyayazi okokuba abanawo umgaqo wokuziphatha, kwaye bangaphaya kokuvakalelwa; kwaye nenkohlakalo yabo ^aiyayogqitha leyo yamaLeymenayithi.

21 Qaphela, nyana wam, andinako ukubathethelela kuye uThixo hleze andibethe.

22 Kodwa qaphela, nyana wam, ndiya kuthethelela kuye uThixo kwaye ndinethemba kuKrestu ukuba uya kusindiswa; kwaye ndiyathandaza kuye uThixo ukuba aze ^aabusindise ubomi bakho, ukuze ukungqine ukubuyela kwabantu bakhe kuye, okanye intshabalalo yabo epheleleyo; kuba ndiyayazi okokuba kufuneka batshabalale ngaphandle kokuba ^bbayaguquka kwaye babuyele kuye.

23 Kwaye ukuba bayatshabalala kuya kuba njengamaYeredayithi, ngenxa yeminqweno yeentliziyo zabo, ^ayokuzungula igazi ^bnempindezelo.

24 Kwaye ukuba kuyenzeka ukuba batshabalale, siyazi okokuba abaninzi kubazalwana bethu ^abakreqele ngaphaya kuwo amaLeymenayithi, kwaye nabanye abangakumbi baza kukreqela ngaphaya kuwo; ngako oko, bhala nje noko izinto ezimbalwa, ukuba usindile kwaye mna ndiya kutshabalala kwaye ndingakuboni; kodwa ndiyathemba okokuba ndingakubona kamsinyane; kuba ndineembali ezingcwele endifuna ^bukuzinikezela kuwe.

25 Nyana wam, nyaniseka kuKrestu; kwaye inga izinto endizibhalileyo azingekuhlungisi, zikusinde uze ufe; kodwa inga uKrestu angakuphakamisa, kwaye inga ^aiimbandezelo zakhe nokufa, nokubonisa kwakhe umzimba wakhe kubo oobawo, nenceba yakhe nokuzeka kade umsindo, nethemba lobuqaqawuli bakhe ^bnelobomi obungunaphakade, zingaphumla ^cengqondweni yakho ngonaphakade.

26 Kwaye lwanga ubabalo lukaThixo uBawo, otrone yakhe iphezulu emazulwini, neNkosi yethu uYesu Krestu, ohleli ^angasekunene kwamandla akhe, zide zonke izinto zibe phantsi kolawulo lwakhe, lube, kwaye luhlale kunye nawe ngonaphakade. Amen.