AmaNani 22 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

UBalaki loBalami

¹ Abantu bakoIsrayeli basuka lapho, bayamisa emagcekeni aseMowabi, ngaphetsheya kweJordani, eduze leJeriko.

² UBalaki indodana kaZipori wabona konke uIsrayeli akwenze kumaAmori.

³ UMowabi wayebesaba abakoIsrayeli kakhulu, ngoba babebanengi. Watshaywa luvalo ngenxa yabo.

⁴ UMowabi wathi kubalisa bamaMidiyani: Impi le izaqothula konke esilakho, njengenkabi edla bonke utshani edlelweni. Ngakho uBalaki indodana kaZipori, owayeyinkosi yamaMowabi ngalesosikhathi,

⁵ wathuma izigijimi ukubiza uBalami indodana kaBeyori, owayesePethori eduze lomfula iYufrathi, elizweni lamaAmavi, wathi: Khangela, lababantu abavela eGibithe bagcwele ilizwe, futhi sebehlala maqondana lami.

⁶ Woza khathesi, ungiqalekisele lababantu, ngoba bayangahlula; mhlawumbe singaba lamandla okubanqoba, sibaxotshe elizweni, ngoba ngiyazi ukuthi lowo ombusisayo wena ubusisiwe, lalowo omqalekisayo uqalekisiwe.

⁷ Abalisa bamaMowabi labalisa bamaMidiyani bahamba bephethe imali yokuvumisa; bafika kuBalami, bambikela ilizwi likaBalaki.

⁸ Wathi kubo: Hlalani lapha lobubusuku, ngizakulitshela lokho iNkosi ezakutsho kimi. Izikhulu zamaMowabi zahlala loBalami.

⁹ UNkulunkulu wafika kuBalami, wathi: Ngobani lamadoda akuwe na?

¹⁰ UBalami waphendula wathi kuNkulunkulu: UBalaki, indodana kaZipori, inkosi yaseMowabi, uthumele ilizwi kimi esithi:

¹¹ Khangela, lababantu abaphume eGibithe bagcwele ilizwe; woza khathesi, ungiqalekisele bona; mhlawumbe ngingaba lamandla okulwa labo, ngibaxotshe.

¹² UNkulunkulu wathi kuBalami: Ungabohamba labo; ungabaqalekisi labobantu, ngoba babusisiwe.

¹³ UBalami wavuka ekuseni, wathi kuzo izikhulu zikaBalaki: Buyelani elizweni lakini, ngoba iNkosi iyangalela ukuhamba lani.

¹⁴ Ngakho izikhulu zamaMowabi zasuka, zaya kuBalaki, zathi: UBalami uyala ukuza lathi.

¹⁵ UBalaki wabuya wathuma izikhulu ezinengi ezidumileyo kulezakuqala.

¹⁶ Zafika kuBalami zathi kuye: UBalaki indodana kaZipori uthi: Ake ungavumeli lutho ukukuvimbela ukuba uze kimi.

¹⁷ Ngoba isibili ngizakukunika udumo, ngikwenze lokho ozakungitshela khona. Woza, ungiqalekisele lababantu.

¹⁸ Kodwa uBalami waphendula wathi encekwini zikaBalaki: Lanxa uBalaki ebezakungipha indlu yakhe igcwele isiliva legolide, bengingayikweqa ilizwi leNkosi uNkulunkulu wami lakokuncinyane nje.

¹⁹ Hlalani lapha lani lobubusuku, ukuba ngazi ukuthi iNkosi izakuthini kimi futhi.

²⁰ UNkulunkulu weza kuBalami ebusuku wathi kuye: Uba amadoda efika ukukubiza, vuka uhambe lawo; kodwa wenze lokho engikutshela khona kuphela.

²¹ UBalami wavuka ekuseni, wabophela ubabhemi wakhe, wahamba lezikhulu zamaMowabi.

²² UNkulunkulu wamthukuthelela ngenxa yokuthi wayevumile ukuhamba; isithunywa seNkosi sema endleleni ukuba simvimbele. Wayegade ubabhemi wakhe, lenceku zakhe ezimbili zilaye.

²³ Ubabhemi wasesibona isithunywa seNkosi simi endleleni, siphethe umhedla esandleni saso; ubabhemi waphambuka endleleni, wangena ensimini. Kodwa uBalami wamtshaya ubabhemi ukumbuyisela endleleni.

²⁴ Isithunywa seNkosi sasesisima endleleni endaweni eminyeneyo phakathi kwezivini, kukhona ngapha langapha umthangala.

²⁵ Lapho ubabhemi ebona isithunywa seNkosi wagudla umthangala, walimaza unyawo lukaBalami; ngakho wabuya wamtshaya futhi.

²⁶ Isithunywa seNkosi sahamba phambili, sema endaweni eminyeneyo lapho kwakungekho khona indlela yokuphendukela ngakwesokunene langakwesokhohlo.

²⁷ Nxa ubabhemi ebona isithunywa seNkosi, walala phansi. UBalami wathukuthela, wamtshaya ubabhemi ngenduku yakhe.

²⁸ INkosi yasivula umlomo kababhemi, wathi kuBalami: Ngenzeni kuwe ukuba ungitshaye kathathu na?

²⁹ UBalami wathi kubabhemi: Kungoba udlale ngami. Kungathi ngabe ngilomhedla, bengizakukubulala.

³⁰ Ubabhemi wathi kuBalami: Angisuye ubabhemi wakho omgade konke ukuphila kwakho kuze kube lamhla na? Ngake ngenze nje kuwe na? Yena wathi, Atshi.

³¹ INkosi yasivula amehlo kaBalami, wabona isithunywa seNkosi simi endleleni siphethe umhedla waso; wakhothamisa ikhanda lakhe, wathi mbo ngobuso phansi.

³² Isithunywa seNkosi sathi kuye: Umtshayeleni ubabhemi wakho kathathu na? Khangela, ngizile ukukuvimbela, ngoba indlela yakho imbi kimi;

³³ ubabhemi wangibona, waphambuka phambi kwami kathathu. Uba ubengaphambukanga, ngabe ngikubulele, ngamyekela yena ukuba aphile.

³⁴ UBalami wathi kuso isithunywa seNkosi: Ngonile, ngoba bengingazi ukuthi umi endleleni ukungivimbela. Ngakhoke uba loluhambo lulubi kuwe, ngizabuyela emuva.

³⁵ Isithunywa seNkosi sathi kuye: Hamba lalawomadoda; kodwa ukhulume kuphela lelolizwi engizakukutshela lona. UBalami wasehamba lezikhulu zikaBalaki.

³⁶ UBalaki esezwile ukuthi uBalami uyeza, waphuma ukuyamhlangabeza eAri elaseMowabi ngaseArinoni elingumkhawulo welizwe lakhe, ngasekucineni komkhawulo.

³⁷ UBalaki wathi kuBalami: Kangithumelanga ilizwi ukukubiza na? Pho, kawufikanga kimi ngani na? Uthi kangilamandla okukunika udumo na?

³⁸ UBalami wathi kuBalaki: Khangela, sengifikile kuwe. Ngingakhulumani khathesi na? Ilizwi uNkulunkulu alifaka emlonyeni wami yilo engizakulikhuluma.

³⁹ UBalami wasehamba loBalaki, bafika eKiriyathi‐Huzothi.

⁴⁰ UBalaki wanikela ngomhlatshelo wezinkabi lezimvu, wathuma okunye kwazo kuBalami lakuzo izikhulu ezilaye.

⁴¹ Kusisa uBalaki wamthatha uBalami, wamkhwelisa endaweni ephakemeyo yokukhonzela ethiwa iBamothi‐Bali, wabona lapho ingxenye yezihonqo zabakoIsrayeli.