Imisebenzi 7 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

Ukuziphendulela kukaStefane

¹ Umpristi omkhulu wasesithi: Lembala lokhu kunjalo na?

² UStefane wathi: Bobaba labazalwane, lalelani. UNkulunkulu wenkazimulo wabonakala kubaba uAbrahama eseMesopotamiya, engakakhi eHarani,

³ wathi kuye: Suka elizweni lakini lasezihlotsheni zakho, uye elizweni engizakukutshengisa lona.

⁴ Wasesuka elizweni lamaKaladiya, wakha eHarani. Kwathi ngemva kokufa kukayise, uNkulunkulu wamsusa lapho, wamhlalisa kulelilizwe elakhe kilo lina.

⁵ Kodwa kamnikanga ilifa kilo, ngitsho lelingangonyawo, kodwa wathembisa ukumnika lona libe ngelakhe lelenzalo yakhe emva kwakhe, lanxa wayengakabi lamntwana.

⁶ UNkulunkulu wakhuluma kanje, wathi: Inzalo yakho izakuhlala elizweni labanye abazakuyenza izigqili, bayiphathe kubi iminyaka engamakhulu amane.

⁷ Kodwa lesosizwe abazakuba yizigqili kuso ngizakusilahla mina, kutsho uNkulunkulu; emva kwalokho bazakuphuma, bangikhonze kulindawo.

⁸ Wasemnika isivumelwano sokusoka; ngakhoke uAbrahama wazala uIsaka, wamsoka ngosuku lwesificaminwembili; uIsaka wazala uJakobe, uJakobe wazala okhokho abalitshumi lambili.

⁹ Okhokho babelomona ngoJosefa, bamthengisa eGibithe; kodwa uNkulunkulu wayelaye,

¹⁰ wamkhulula kuzo zonke inhlupheko zakhe, wamnika umusa lokuhlakanipha phambi kukaFaro inkosi yaseGibithe; yena wamenza abe ngumbusi weGibithe lowendlu yakhe yonke.

¹¹ Kwasekufika indlala elizweni lonke laseGibithe lelaseKanani, lokuhlupheka okukhulu; okhokho baswela ukudla.

¹² UJakobe esezwile ukuba kukhona amabele eGibithe, wathumela okhokho okokuqala.

¹³ Ngokwesibili uJosefa waziveza kubafowabo; labakibo kaJosefa babonakaliswa kuFaro.

¹⁴ UJosefa wasethumela ukubiza uyise uJakobe lazo zonke izihlobo zakhe, abantu abangamatshumi ayisikhombisa lanhlanu.

¹⁵ UJakobe wehlela eGibithe; wafela khona yena labokhokho.

¹⁶ Bathwalelwa eShekema, bangcwatshwa khona elibeni uAbrahama ayelithenge ngemali yesiliva kumadodana kaHamori eShekema.

¹⁷ Kwathi sesisondele isikhathi sesithembiso uNkulunkulu ayesenze kuAbrahama, banda abantu, baba banengi eGibithe,

¹⁸ kwaze kwavela enye inkosi eGibithe eyayingamazi uJosefa.

¹⁹ Yona yasiphatha ngobuqili isizwe sakithi, yabahlupha okhokho ngokubalahlisa abantwana babo ukuze bangaphili.

²⁰ Ngalesosikhathi kwazalwa uMose, waba muhle phambi kukaNkulunkulu; wondliwa endlini kayise inyanga ezintathu;

²¹ eselahliwe, indodakazi kaFaro yamthola, yazondlela yena ukuba abe yindodana yayo.

²² UMose wafundiswa konke ukuhlakanipha kwamaGibithe; waba lamandla ngamazwi langemisebenzi yakhe.

²³ Kwathi eseleminyaka engamatshumi amane ezelwe, kwafika enhliziyweni yakhe ukuba ahambele abafowabo, abakoIsrayeli.

²⁴ Wabona omunye wabo ephathwa kubi, wamvikela ekuhlutshweni ngokutshaya umGibithe, wambulala.

²⁵ Wayethemba ukuba abafowabo bazaqedisisa ukuthi uNkulunkulu ubanika inkululeko ngesandla sakhe; kodwa kabaqedisisanga.

²⁶ Ngosuku olulandelayo wafica ababili besilwa, wazama ukubalamula, wathi: Madoda, lingabazalwane; liphathanelani kubi na?

²⁷ Kodwa lowo owayemona umakhelwana wakhe wamsunduza esithi: Ubekwe ngubani ukuba ube ngumbusi lomthonisisi phezu kwethu na?

²⁸ Usufuna ukungibulala lami, njengokuba ubulele umGibithe izolo na?

²⁹ Ngenxa yalamazwi uMose wabaleka, waba ngowezizwe elizweni laseMidiyani, lapho azala khona amadodana amabili.

³⁰ Kwathi sekudlule iminyaka engamatshumi amane, kwabonakala kuye enkangala yasentabeni iSinayi isithunywa phakathi kwelangabi lomlilo esihlahleni.

³¹ Kwathi uMose esekubonile wamangala; esasondela ukuba acinge, kwezwakala ilizwi leNkosi, lathi:

³² NginguNkulunkulu wabokhokho benu, uNkulunkulu kaAbrahama lokaIsaka lokaJakobe. UMose wathuthumela, kazaba lesibindi sokukhangela.

³³ INkosi yathi kuye: Khumula amanyathelo enyaweni zakho, ngoba indawo omi kiyo ingumhlabathi ongcwele.

³⁴ Ngikubonile impela ukuhlutshwa kwabantu bami abaseGibithe, ngizwile ukububula kwabo; ngehlile ukuba ngibakhulule. Wozake, ngizakukuthuma eGibithe.

³⁵ UMose lo abamalayo besithi: Ubekwe ngubani ukuba ube ngumbusi lomthonisi na? — nguye uNkulunkulu amthumayo ngesandla sesithunywa esabonakala kuye esihlahleni, ukuba abe ngumbusi lomkhululi.

³⁶ Yena lowo wabakhupha esenze izimangaliso lezibonakaliso eGibithe, lasoLwandle oluBomvu, lasenkangala iminyaka engamatshumi amane.

³⁷ Nguye lowo uMose owathi kwabakoIsrayeli: UNkulunkulu uzakulivusela umprofethi kubazalwane benu onjengami.

³⁸ Nguye lowo owayesebandleni enkangala kanye lesithunywa ekhuluma laso entabeni iSinayi kanye labokhokho, wamukela amazwi okuphila, ukuze asinike thina.

³⁹ Okhokho kabavumanga ukumlalela, kodwa bamsunduzela eceleni, babuyela eGibithe ngenhliziyo zabo,

⁴⁰ bathi kuAroni: Senzele onkulunkulu abazakuhamba phambi kwethu; ngoba uMose lowo owasikhupha elizweni laseGibithe, kasazi ukuba wehlelwe yini.

⁴¹ Benza ithole ngalezonsuku, baletha umhlatshelo esithombeni, bajabula ngemisebenzi yezandla zabo.

⁴² Kodwa uNkulunkulu wabafulathela, wabanikela ukuba bakhonze izinkanyezi, njengokulotshiweyo encwadini yabaprofethi ukuthi: Laletha kimi imihlatshelo leminikelo iminyaka engamatshumi amane enkangala lina ndlu kaIsrayeli na?

⁴³ Atshi, lathatha ithente likaMoloki lenkanyezi kankulunkulu wenu uRefani, imifanekiso elayenza ukuba likhuleke kuyo. Ngizakulithuthela ngaphambili kweBabiloni.

⁴⁴ Okhokho babelalo ithente lobufakazi enkangala njengokulayela kwalowo owakhuluma kuMose ukuba alenze ngomfanekiso ayewubonile;

⁴⁵ okhokho kanye loJoshuwa balamukela balingenisa elizweni lezizwe uNkulunkulu azixotsha phambi kwabo, lalikhona kwaze kwaba sensukwini zikaDavida.

⁴⁶ Yena wafumana umusa emehlweni kaNkulunkulu, wacela ukuzuzela uNkulunkulu kaJakobe idumba.

⁴⁷ Kodwa nguSolomoni owamakhela indlu.

⁴⁸ Kanti oPhezukonke kahlali ezindlini ezenziwe ngezandla njengokutsho komprofethi ukuthi:

⁴⁹ Izulu liyisihlalo sami sobukhosi, lomhlaba uyisigcabha senyawo zami; lizakungakhela indlu enjani, kutsho iNkosi, ingabe yiyiphi indawo yami yokuphumula na?

⁵⁰ Isandla sami kasizenzanga zonke lezizinto na?

⁵¹ Lina abanhliziyo ezilukhuni, abangasokanga enhliziyweni lasendlebeni, limelana njalo loMoya oNgcwele; njengabokhokho benu linjalo lani.

⁵² Nguwuphi owabaprofethi okhokho benu abangamzingelanga na? Bababulala labo abamemezela ngaphambili ukuza koLungileyo, eselimnikele lambulala,

⁵³ lina elamukela umlayo ngokulaya kwezithunywa, kodwa kaliwulondolozanga.

Ukufa kukaStefane

⁵⁴ Bathi sebezwile lezizinto, bahlabeka enhliziyweni, bamgedlela amazinyo.

⁵⁵ Kodwa yena egcwele uMoya oNgcwele wajolozela ezulwini, wabona inkazimulo kaNkulunkulu, loJesu emi ngakwesokunene sikaNkulunkulu,

⁵⁶ wathi: Khangelani, ngibona izulu livulekile, leNdodana yomuntu imi ngakwesokunene sikaNkulunkulu.

⁵⁷ Kodwa bamemeza ngelizwi elikhulu, bavala indlebe zabo, bonke batheleka phezu kwakhe,

⁵⁸ basebemkhuphela ngaphandle komuzi, bamkhanda ngamatshe. Ofakazi babeka ingubo zabo ngasenyaweni zensizwa ethiwa nguSawuli.

⁵⁹ Bamkhanda ngamatshe uStefane ekhuleka esithi: Nkosi Jesu, yamukela umoya wami.

⁶⁰ Waseguqa phansi, wamemeza ngelizwi elikhulu, esithi: Nkosi, ungababaleli lesisono. Esetshilo lokhu wafa. USawuli wayevumelene labo ngokubulawa kwakhe.