UJoshuwa 22 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

Ialtare ngaseJordani

¹ UJoshuwa wasebiza abakoRubeni labakoGadi lengxenye yesizwe sabakoManase,

² wathi kubo: Likwenzile konke lokho uMose inceku yeNkosi eyalilaya khona, lalilalela ilizwi lami kukho konke engalilaya khona;

³ kalibalahlanga abafowenu kulezinsuku ezinengi; kuze kube lamuhla linanzelele ukugcina ukulaya kweNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu.

⁴ Khathesike iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu ibanikile abafowenu ukuphumula njengokubathembisa kwayo. Ngakhoke buyelani emakhaya enu elizweni lakini, alinika lona uMose inceku yeNkosi ngaphetsheya kweJordani.

⁵ Liqapheiise ukugcina umlayo lomthetho uMose inceku yeNkosi alilaya wona, ukuba lithande iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, lihambe endleleni zayo zonke, ligcine imilayo yayo, libambelele kuyo, liyikhonze ngenhliziyo yenu yonke langomoya wenu wonke.

⁶ Wasebabusisa uJoshuwa ebayekela behamba, basuka baya emakhaya abo.

⁷ Ingxenye yesizwe sakoManase uMose wayeyinike indawo eBashani; kodwa enye ingxenye uJoshuwa wayeyinike indawo phansi kwabafowabo elizweni ngasempumalanga kweJordani. Nxa uJoshuwa ebathumela emakhaya abo, wababusisa,

⁸ wathi kibo: Buyelani emakhaya enu lilenotho enengi lenkomo ezinengi lesiliva legolide lethusi lensimbi lezigqoko ezinengi; lahlukaniselane impango yezitha zenu labafowenu.

⁹ AbakoRubeni labakoGadi lengxenye yesizwe sakoManase babuyela emakhaya behlukana labakoIsrayeli eShilo elizweni laseKanani, baya elizweni laseGileyadi elaliyilizwe labo ababelinikwe nguMose ngomlayo weNkosi.

¹⁰ Ekufikeni kwabo eGelilothi eliseKanani ngaseJordani abakoRubeni labakoGadi lengxenye yesizwe sakoManase bakha khona ialtare elikhulu ngaseJordani, lalilialtare elikhulu okumangalisayo.

¹¹ AbakoIsrayeli bezwa kuthiwa: AbakoRubeni labakoGadi lengxenye yesizwe sakoManase bakhile ialtare ngasemngceleni welizwe laseKanani eGelilothi ngaseJordani endaweni engeyabakoIsrayeli.

¹² Kwathi nxa abakoIsrayeli bekuzwa lokhu, ixuku lonke labantu labuthana eShilo ukuba lilwe labo.

¹³ Bathumela kwabakoRubeni labakoGadi lengxenye yesizwe sakoManase elizweni laseGileyadi uFiniyasi indodana kaEleyazare umpristi,

¹⁴ ehamba lenduna ezilitshumi, inye esizweni sinye sakoIsrayeli, yileyo laleyo iyinhloko yomuzi ezizweni zakoIsrayeli.

¹⁵ Bafika kwabakoRubeni labakoGadi lengxenye yesizwe sakoManase elizweni laseGileyadi, bathi kibo:

¹⁶ Ibandla lonke leNkosi lithi: Iyini linkohliso eliyenze kuNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli ekuphambukeni kwenu lamhla ekuyilandeleni iNkosi ngokuzakhela ialtare lamhla, lihlamuka iNkosi na?

¹⁷ Khumbulani isono sethu sasePeyori esingazihlambululi kuso okwathi ngenxa yaso kwehlela phezu kwebandla leNkosi umkhuhlane. Sasisincinyane yini

¹⁸ ukuba liphambuke lamhla ekuyilandeleni iNkosi na? Uba liyihlamuka iNkosi lamhla, izalithukuthelela lonke ibandla lakoIsrayeli kusasa.

¹⁹ Kodwa uba ilizwe lenu lingcolile, chaphelani elizweni leNkosi lapho iTabernakeli leNkosi likhona, lizizuzele indawo phakathi kwethu; kodwa lingayihlamuki iNkosi loba lisenze thina siyihlamuke ngokuzakhela ialtare elingesilo ialtare leNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu.

²⁰ Khumbulani ukuthi uAkani indodana kaZera wenza okubi ngezinto ezinikelwe eNkosini, lolaka lwehlela phezu kwalo lonke ibandla labakoIsrayeli. Kabhubhanga yedwa ngenxa yobubi bakhe.

²¹ AbakoRubeni labakoGadi lengxenye yesizwe sakoManase baphendula inhloko zezindlu zakoIsrayeli bathi:

²² INkosi inguNkulunkulu wabonkulunkulu, iNkosi inguNkulunkulu wabonkulunkulu, yona iyazi, loIsrayeli kufanele akwazi. Uba bekuyikuhlamuka loba kuyikuphambuka eNkosini lingasiyekeli lamhla.

²³ Uba besizakhele ialtare ngoba siqonde ukuyitshiya iNkosi, loba sinikelele iminikelo yokutshiswa loba iminikelo yempuphu loba iminikelo yokuthula kulo, iNkosi uqobo kayiphindisele kithi.

²⁴ Kodwa sikwenze ngokwesaba ukuthi esikhathini esizayo abantwana benu bazakuthi kwabethu: Lilani leNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli na?

²⁵ Ngoba iNkosi ilenzile iJordani laba ngumngcele phakathi kwethu lani; lina bakoRubeni labakoGadi kalilasabelo eNkosini. Abantwana benu benze abethu ukuba bayekele ukuyikhonza iNkosi.

²⁶ Ngakhoke sasesisithi: Kasakheni ialtare lingabi ngelomnikelo wokutshiswa lelomhlatshelo,

²⁷ kodwa libe ngelobufakazi phakathi kwethu lani laphakathi kwezizukulwana zethu ezizayo, ukuba siyayikhonza iNkosi ngeminikelo yethu yokutshiswa langemihlatshelo langeminikelo yokuthula, funa abantwana benu bathi kwabethu esikhathini esizayo: Kalilasabelo eNkosini.

²⁸ Sasesisithi uba bazakutsho njalo kithi lasebantwaneni bethu esikhathini esizayo, sizakuthi: Khangelani umfanekiso wealtare leNkosi elakhiwa ngobaba bengalakheli iminikelo yokutshiswa lemihlatshelo, kodwa ukuba libe yibufakazi phakathi kwethu lani.

²⁹ Kakube khatshana lathi ukuba siyihlamuke iNkosi, lokuba siphambuke lamhla ekuyilandeleni ngokwakha ialtare lomnikelo wokutshiswa lomnikelo wempuphu lomhlatshelo, elingesilo ialtare leNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu elimi phambi kweTabernakeli layo.

³⁰ Kwathi lapho uFiniyasi umpristi lezinduna zebandla eziyizinhloko zemizi yakoIsrayeli ezazilaye bewezwa amazwi akhulunywa ngabakoRubeni labakoGadi labakoManase, abathokozisa kakhulu.

³¹ UFiniyasi indodana kaEleyazare umpristi wasesithi kwabakoRubeni labakoGadi labakoManase: Lamhla siyazi ukuba iNkosi iphakathi kwethu, ngoba kalenzanga inkohliso eNkosini; libakhulule abakoIsrayeli esandleni seNkosi.

³² UFiniyasi indodana kaEleyazare umpristi lezinduna babuyela eKanani ebantwini bakoIsrayeli bevela kwabakoRubeni labakoGadi elizweni leGileyadi, bababikela.

³³ Umbiko wabo wabathokozisa abakoIsrayeli, bambonga uNkulunkulu, bayekela ukukhuluma ngokubahlasela ukuba bachithe ilizwe ababehlala kulo abakoRubeni labakoGadi.

³⁴ AbakoRubeni labakoGadi balibiza ialtare lelo ngokuthi yiBufakazi, ngoba bathi: Liyibufakazi phakathi kwethu bokuba iNkosi inguNkulunkulu.