ABagwebi 11:1-40
11 UYifeta+ umGiliyadi wayeligorha lemfazwe; wayengunyana womfazi othengisa ngomzimba, utata wakhe inguGiliyadi.
2 Kodwa nomfazi kaGiliyadi wamzalela oonyana. Bathi bakukhula, bamgxotha uYifeta baza bathi kuye: “Awuzukufumana lifa apha endlini katata, kuba ungunyana womnye umfazi.”
3 Ngoko uYifeta wemka ebaleka abantakwabo, waya kuhlala kwilizwe lakwaTobhi. Kweza kuye amadoda angasebenziyo, amlandela.
4 Emva kwethuba, ama-Amoni alwa noSirayeli.+
5 Athi akulwa noSirayeli, ngoko nangoko abadala baseGiliyadi baya kulanda uYifeta kwilizwe lakwaTobhi.
6 Bathi kuYifeta: “Yiza ube yinkumanda yethu, ukuze sikwazi ukulwa nama-Amoni.”
7 Kodwa uYifeta wathi kubadala baseGiliyadi: “Ayinini na aba babendonyanya nada nandigxotha nasendlini katata?+ Kutheni ke ngoku nisiza kum xa nisengxakini?”
8 Abadala baseGiliyadi bathi kuYifeta: “Yiloo nto kanye esenze sabuyela kuwe. Ukuba uhamba nathi, ulwe nama-Amoni, uza kuba yinkokheli yethu sonke thina bemi baseGiliyadi.”+
9 UYifeta wathi kubo: “Ukuba ndibuyela kuni, ndilwe nama-Amoni, aze uYehova andincede ndiwoyise, ndiza kuba yintloko yenu!”
10 Abadala baseGiliyadi bathi kuye: “UYehova makabe lingqina* phakathi kwethu ukuba asenzanga njengokuba usitsho.”
11 Ngoko uYifeta wahamba nabadala baseGiliyadi, baza abantu bamenza inkokheli nenkumanda yabo. Ibe uYifeta wawaphinda onke amazwi akhe phambi koYehova eMizpa.+
12 UYifeta wathumela abathunywa kukumkani wama-Amoni,+ esithi: “Ndikwenze ntoni,* le nto uzokuhlasela ilizwe lam?”
13 Ngoko ukumkani wama-Amoni wathi kubathunywa bakaYifeta: “Kungenxa yokuba uSirayeli wathatha umhlaba wam ukuphuma kwakhe eYiputa,+ ukusuka eArnon+ ukuya eYabhoki kuye kuqhina ngeYordan.+ Wubuyiseni ke ngoxolo.”
14 Kodwa uYifeta waphinda wabathumela aba bathunywa kukumkani wama-Amoni
15 ukuba bayokuthi kuye:
“Nantsi into ethethwa nguYifeta: ‘USirayeli zange awuthathe umhlaba wamaMowabhi+ nowama-Amoni,+
16 kuba ekuphumeni kwakhe eYiputa, uSirayeli wahamba entlango waya kutsho kuLwandle Olubomvu+ waza waya eKadeshe.+
17 Ngoko uSirayeli wathumela abathunywa kukumkani wakwaEdom,+ esithi: “Siyacela, sivumele sinqumle kulo mhlaba wakho,” kodwa ukumkani wakwaEdom akazange amamele. Wathumela nakukumkani wakwaMowabhi,+ kodwa naye akazange avume. Ngoko uSirayeli wahlala apho eKadeshe.+
18 Ukusuka apho wahamba entlango, walicezela ilizwe lakwaEdom+ nelizwe lakwaMowabhi. Waya ngakwimpuma yelizwe lakwaMowabhi,+ wamisa inkampu kummandla wakwa-Arnon; akazange awuwele umda wakwaMowabhi, kuba iArnon yayingumda wakwaMowabhi.+
19 “‘Emva koko uSirayeli wathumela abathunywa kuSihon ukumkani wama-Amori, ukumkani waseHeshbhon, wathi kuye: “Siyacela, sivumele sinqumle emhlabeni wakho siye endaweni yethu.”+
20 Kodwa uSihon wayengayiginyi ncam into yokunqumla kukaSirayeli emhlabeni wakhe, ngoko wahlanganisa bonke abantu bakhe waza wamisa inkampu eYahatsa, walwa noSirayeli.+
21 Kodwa uYehova uThixo kaSirayeli wamnikela esandleni sikaSirayeli uSihon nabo bonke abantu bakhe, waza uSirayeli wamoyisa, wawuthimba wonke umhlaba wama-Amori awayehlala kuloo mmandla.+
22 Wawuthatha ngaloo ndlela ke wonke umhlaba wama-Amori ukusuka eArnon ukuya eYabhoki kuye kuqhina ngentlango yeYordan.+
23 “‘Xa inguYehova uThixo kaSirayeli owagxotha ama-Amori phambi kwabantu bakhe amaSirayeli,+ ucinga ukuba ke wena ungakwazi ukuwagxotha amaSirayeli?
24 Andithi uyigcina kuwe nantoni na uthixo wakho uKemoshe+ akunike yona? Ngoko nabani na uYehova uThixo wethu amgxothileyo phambi kwethu nathi siza kumgxotha.+
25 Ngaba wena ungcono kunoBhalaki+ unyana kaTsipore, ukumkani wakwaMowabhi? Ngaba yena wakha waxabana noSirayeli, okanye walwa naye?
26 Ngoxa uSirayeli wayehlala eHeshbhon nakwiidolophu eziphantsi kwayo*+ naseArohere nakwiidolophu eziphantsi kwayo nakuzo zonke izixeko ezingaselunxwemeni lwaseArnon iminyaka eyi-300, kwakutheni ukuze ningazami ukuzixutha ngelo xesha?+
27 Andikhange ndikwenze nto, nguwe ondonileyo ngokundihlasela oku kwakho. UYehova uMgwebi+ makagwebe namhlanje phakathi kwamaSirayeli nama-Amoni.’”
28 Kodwa ukumkani wama-Amoni akazange ammamele uYifeta.
29 UYifeta wafikelwa ngumoya kaYehova,+ waza wanqumla eGiliyadi nakwaManase wayokutsho eMizpe yaseGiliyadi, wasuka eMizpe yaseGiliyadi+ waya kuma-Amoni.
30 UYifeta wenza isifungo+ kuYehova wathi: “Ukuba uwanikela kum ama-Amoni,
31 nabani na ophuma ngomnyango wendlu yam ezokundihlangabeza xa ndibuya kuma-Amoni ndiseluxolweni, uza kuba ngokaYehova;+ ndiza kumnikela njengomnikelo otshiswayo.”+
32 Ngoko uYifeta wayokulwa nama-Amoni, waza uYehova wawanikela esandleni sakhe.
33 Wawavuthulula ewaxabela ukusuka eArohere ukuya eMiniti, izixeko eziyi-20, ukuya kutsho eAbheli-keramim. Aba ayoyiswa ke ama-Amoni ngaloo ndlela ngamaSirayeli.
34 Ekugqibeleni uYifeta wagoduka waya eMizpa,+ kwaye jonga! Kwaphuma intombi yakhe izokumhlangabeza, idanisa, ibetha negubu! Yayikuphela komntwana wakhe, engenanyana nantombi ngaphandle kwayo.
35 Wathi akuyibona, wazikrazula iimpahla zakhe wathi: “Awu, ntombi yam! Uyaphule intliziyo yam,* kuba ndinikele ngawe. Kaloku ndimthembisile uYehova, ibe andinakubuya mva.”+
36 Kodwa yathi kuye: “Tata, ukuba umthembisile uYehova, ndenze loo nto ubumthembise yona,+ ekubeni uYehova ekuphindezelele kwiintshaba zakho ama-Amoni.”
37 Emva koko yathi kutata wayo: “Ndicela nje into ibe nye: Ndiyeke kangangeenyanga ezimbini, ndihambe ndiye ezintabeni, ndililele ukuba ndingasoze nditshate,* mna namantombazana angabahlobo bam.”
38 Wathi: “Ungahamba!” Ngoko yemka iinyanga ezimbini, yaya ezintabeni kunye nabahlobo bayo ukuze ililele ukuba ingasoze itshate.
39 Ekupheleni kweenyanga ezimbini, yabuyela kutata wayo, waza yena wenza ngokwesifungo sakhe.+ Ayizange ilale nandoda. Kwabakho esi sithethe* kwaSirayeli:
40 Unyaka nonyaka iintombi zakwaSirayeli zazisiya kwintombi kaYifeta umGiliyadi, ukuze ziyincome iintsuku ezine ngonyaka.
Umbhalo osemazantsi
^ Ngokoqobo, “makamamele.”
^ Ngokoqobo, “Yintoni enam nawe?”
^ Okanye “eziyijikelezileyo.”
^ Ngokoqobo, “Undenze ndagoba.”
^ Ngokoqobo, “ndiza kuba yintombi engazange yalala nandoda.”
^ Okanye “lo mthetho.”
