Abahluleli 9 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

Ukubusa kukaAbimeleki

¹ UAbimeleki indodana kaJerubali waya eShekema ezihlotsheni zikanina, wathi kulo lonke usendo lwendlu kanina:

² Ake litsho kubo bonke abaseShekema lithi: Yikuphi okungcono kini ukuba wonke amadodana kaJerubali angamatshumi ayisikhombisa alibuse, kumbe libuswe ngoyedwa na? Khumbulani futhi ukuba mina ngingowegazi lenu.

³ Izihlobo zikanina zamkhulumela wonke lamazwi kubo bonke abantu baseShekema; bathanda ukumlandela uAbimeleki ngoba bathi: Ungowakithi.

⁴ Bamnika inhlamvu zesiliva ezingamatshumi ayisikhombisa abazithatha endlini kaBali‐Berithi; uAbimeleki wafumbathisa ngazo abantu abakhohlakeleyo labayizigebengu ukuba bamlandele.

⁵ Wasesiya endlini kayise eOfira, wabulalela abafowabo amadodana kaJerubali angamatshumi ayisikhombisa phezu kwedwala linye; kodwa uJothamu indodana encinyane kaJerubali wasala ngoba wacatsha.

⁶ Abantu bonke baseShekema labo bonke baseBeti‐Milo babuthana, basuka bayabeka uAbimeleki abe yinkosi ngasesihlahleni esikhulu eShekema.

⁷ Lapho ekuzwa uJothamu, wasuka wayakuma phezu kwentaba yaseGerizimi, wamemeza wathi: Ngilalelani lina baseShekema ukuze uNkulunkulu alilalele.

⁸ Kwathi ngesinye isikhathi izihlahla zabuthana ukuzibekela inkosi; zathi esihlahleni seoliva: Sibuse.

⁹ Kodwa isihlahla seoliva sathi kuzo: Ngizatshiya amafutha ami aletha udumo kubonkulunkulu lebantwini, ngiyezunguzeka phezu kwezihlahla na?

¹⁰ Izihlahla zasezisithi esihlahleni somkhiwa: Woza wena usibuse.

¹¹ Kodwa isihlahla somkhiwa sathi kuzo: Ngizatshiya ubumnandi bami lezithelo zami ezinhle, ngiyebusa izihlahla na?

¹² Izihlahla zasezisithi esihlahleni sevini: Woza wena usibuse.

¹³ Kodwa isihlahla sevini sathi kuzo: Ngizatshiya iwayini lami elithokozisa onkulunkulu labantu, ngiyebusa izihlahla na?

¹⁴ Izihlahla zonke zasezisithi embabazaneni: Woza wena usibuse.

¹⁵ Imbabazane yathi ezihlahleni: Uba lingibeka ngoqotho ukuba ngibe yinkosi yenu, wozani licatshe ngaphansi komthunzi wami; uba kungenjalo, umlilo uzaphuma embabazaneni utshise izihlahla zomkusu zaseLebanoni.

¹⁶ UJothamu wasesithi: Lenzile ngoqotho langeqiniso yini ekubekeni uAbimeleki abe yinkosi na? Lenzile okuhle ngoJerubali lendlu yakhe na? Limnikile ubaba okumfaneleyo

¹⁷ yena owalilwelayo, wadela ukuphila kwakhe, walophula ezandleni zamaMidiyani na?

¹⁸ Lamhla seliyivukele indlu yakhe, labulalela amadodana akhe angamatshumi ayisikhombisa phezu kwedwala linye, labeka uAbimeleki indodana yencekukazi yakhe ukuba abe yinkosi yabaseShekema ngoba eyisihlobo senu.

¹⁹ Uba lenzile okuliqiniso lokuqotho ngoJerubali langendlu yakhe lamhla, thokozani ngoAbimeleki, laye athokoze ngani;

²⁰ kodwa uba kungenjalo, kakuphume umlilo kuAbimeleki utshise abaseShekema labaseBeti‐Milo, kuphume umlilo kwabaseShekema labaseBeti‐Milo utshise uAbimeleki.

²¹ UJothamu wasesuka ebaleka, waya eBeri, wahlala khona, ngenxa yokwesaba uAbimeleki umfowabo.

²² UAbimeleki wabusa uIsrayeli iminyaka emithathu.

²³ UNkulunkulu wathumela umoya omubi phakathi kukaAbimeleki labantu baseShekema, bamvukela uAbimeleki,

²⁴ ukuze ububi obenziwa kumadodana kaJerubali angamatshumi ayisikhombisa bubuyele kuye umfowabo owawabulalayo lasebantwini baseShekema abamkhuthaza ukubulala abafowabo.

²⁵ Abantu baseShekema babeka abantu ukuba bamchathamele ezingqongeni zentaba, baphanga bonke abedlula kibo ngaleyondlela; loAbimeleki wakubikelwa lokho.

²⁶ Kwasuka uGali indodana kaEbedi kanye lezihlobo zakhe, waya eShekema; abaseShekema bamthemba.

²⁷ Basuka baya emasimini, bakha izithelo zamavini ezivinini zabo, benza iwayini ngazo, benza idili, bangena endlini kankulunkulu wabo, badla banatha, bamthuka uAbimeleki.

²⁸ UGali indodana kaEbedi wathi: Ungubani uAbimeleki, singobani thina abaseShekema ukuba asibuse na? Indodana kaJerubali loZebuli induna yayo babengabuswa ngabantu bakaHamori uyise kaShekema na? Pho, thina uzasibusa njani na?

²⁹ Uba lababantu bebephethwe yimi, bengizamkhupha uAbimeleki. Bengizakuthi kuye: Butha impi yakho, uphume ulwe.

³⁰ Kwathi uZebuli umbusi womuzi esizwa amazwi kaGali indodana kaEbedi, wathukuthela.

³¹ Wathuma izithunywa kuAbimeleki eAruma, wathi: UGali indodana kaEbedi lezihlobo zakhe bafikile eShekema, sebekuvusela umuzi ukulwa lawe.

³² Ngakhoke phuma ebusuku wena labantu abakuwe, liyecathama egangeni.

³³ Kuzakuthi ekuseni ilanga seliphumile, livuke liwuhlasele umuzi, kuthi lapho yena labantu alabo bephuma ukulwa lani lenze njengokubona kwenu.

³⁴ UAbimeleki labo bonke abantu ababelaye bavuka ebusuku, balichathamela iShekema ngezigaba ezine.

³⁵ UGali indodana kaEbedi waphuma wema ngasesangweni lomuzi. UAbimeleki labantu ababelaye bavuka ekuchathameni kwabo.

³⁶ Kwathi uGali ebabona, wathi kuZebuli: Khangela, nampaya abantu besehla entabeni. Kodwa uZebuli wathi kuye: Ubona amathunzi ezintaba kungathi ngabantu.

³⁷ UGali wathi futhi: Khangela, nampaya abantu besiza okhalweni lwamaqaqa, elinye ixuku livelela ngasesihlahleni sabavumisayo.

³⁸ UZebuli wasesithi: Kungaphi ukukloloda kwakho wena owathi ungubani uAbimeleki ukuba asibuse na? Laba kayisibo obadeleleyo na? Phuma uyekulwa labo.

³⁹ UGali wasephuma ekhokhele abantu baseShekema, walwa loAbimeleki.

⁴⁰ UAbimeleki wamxotsha, wabaleka; bafa abanengi kwaze kwafika esangweni.

⁴¹ UAbimeleki wabuyela eAruma. UZebuli wamxotsha uGali lezihlobo zakhe, ukuba bangahlali eShekema.

⁴² Ngosuku olulandelayo abantu baya egangeni, loAbimeleki wakubikelwa.

⁴³ Wathatha abantu bakhe, wabahlukanisa baba ngamaxuku amathathu, wacathama egangeni. Wabona abantu bephuma emzini, wabasukela wababulala.

⁴⁴ UAbimeleki lexuku elalilaye baqhubeka bayakuma esangweni lomuzi, amaxuku amabili asukela bonke ababesegangeni, ababulala.

⁴⁵ UAbimeleki walwa lomuzi lonke lolosuku, wawuthumba, wabulala bonke ababekiwo, wawudilizela phansi, wawenza waba lugwadule.

⁴⁶ Lapho besizwa lokhu, bonke abantu ababesenqabeni yaseShekema bangena endlini eyinqaba yethempeli likaEli‐Berithi.

⁴⁷ UAbimeleki wabikelwa ukuthi bonke abantu ababesenqabeni yaseShekema babuthene lapho.

⁴⁸ Wakhwela entabeni yaseZalimoni labo bonke ababelaye; wathatha ihloka, wagamula amahlahla, wawetshata emahlombe akhe, wathi ebantwini ababelaye: Lokhu elibona ngikwenza, kwenzeni lani masinyane.

⁴⁹ Ngakho bonke abantu bagamula amahlahla, bamlandela uAbimeleki bawabeka endlini eyinqaba, bayithungela ngomlilo; kwathi bonke abantu ababesenqabeni yaseShekema bafa, ababephosa babeyinkulungwane abesilisa labesifazana.

⁵⁰ UAbimeleki wasesiya eThebezi, walihlasela walithumba.

⁵¹ Kwakukhona inqaba phakathi komuzi, bonke abantu bomuzi abesilisa labesifazana babalekela kuyo, bazivalela phakathi; basebesiya ophahleni lwenqaba.

⁵² UAbimeleki wafika enqabeni, wayihlasela, wasondela emnyango wenqaba ukuba ayitshise ngomlilo.

⁵³ Owesifazana othile wamwisela ngelitshe lokuchola ekhanda, wamdabula ukhakhayi.

⁵⁴ Yena wasebiza masinyane insizwa eyayiphatha izikhali zakhe, wathi kuyo: Hwatsha umhedla wakho ungibulale funa abantu bathi ngami: Wabulawa ngowesifazana. Leyonsizwa yasimgwaza, wahle wafa.

⁵⁵ Kwathi abakoIsrayeli sebebona ukuthi uAbimeleki usefile, basuka bonke baya emizini yabo.

⁵⁶ UNkulunkulu wamphindisela ngokunjalo uAbimeleki ububi abenza kuyise ngokubulala abafowabo abangamatshumi ayisikhombisa.

⁵⁷ Futhi uNkulunkulu wabuyisela bonke ububi babantu baseShekema phezu kwabo, behlelwa yisiqalekiso sikaJothamu indodana kaJerubali.