Ukuthembeka KukaMathathiyase
1Ngalezo zinsuku uMathathiyase indodana kaJohane kaSimoni, umphristi womndeni kaJowaribi, wasuka eJerusalema wakha eModeyini. 2Wayenamadodana ayisihlanu: uJohane owayebizwa ngokuthi nguGadi, 3uSimoni owayebizwa ngokuthi nguThasi, 4uJudase owayebizwa ngokuthi nguMakhabhizi, 5u-Eliyeza owayebizwa ngokuthi ngu-Avarani, kanye noJonathani owayebizwa ngokuthi ngu-Aphusi. 6Wabona lokhu kuhlambalaza okwakwenziwa kwaJuda naseJerusalema 7waze wathi: “Sekwanele! Ngazalelwani ukuba ngibone lokhu, ukubhidlizwa nokuchithwa kwabantu bami nomuzi ongcwele, nokuba ngiphile kuwo ngesikhathi usunikelwe esitheni, nendawo engcwele inikelwe kwabezizwe na? 8Ithempeli lawo selifana nomuntu ongenasithunzi; 9izindebe zalo ezinhle kakhulu zithathiwe zaya ekuthunjweni. Izinsana zalo zibulewe ezitaladini, nabasha ngenkemba yesitha.
10“Yisiphi isizwe esingabi yizindlalifa zezigodlo zaso nesingabuthi impango yaso na? 11Yonke imihlobiso ithathiwe kulo; alisakhululekile, seliphenduke isigqila. 12Ake ubuke nje, indawo yethu engcwele, ubuhle bethu, nomqhele wethu kufana namabibi; abezizwe bakungcolisile konke. 13Siphilelani nje nempela na?”
14UMathathiyase namadodana akhe badabula izingubo zabo, bembatha amasaka, balila kakhulu. 15Amanxusa enkosi ayephoqelela ukuba kugcinwe umthetho ophathelene nabahlubuki, afika emzini waseModeyini ezobaphoqa ukuba benze imihlatshelo. 16Abaningi kwa-Israyeli baya kubo, kodwa uMathathiyase namadodana akhe babesemhlanganweni.
17Izithunywa zenkosi zakhuluma kuMathathiyase ngale ndlela: “Wena ungumholi, omkhulu nohlonishwayo kulo muzi, futhi wesekiwe ngamadodana akho nabafowenu. 18Ngakho-ke mawube ngowokuqala ukuza ukwenza lokho inkosi ekuyalile, bonke abezizwe kanye nabo bonke abantu bakwaJuda nalabo abasele eJerusalema asebekwenzile. Wena namadodana akho niyobalwa njengabangani benkosi, futhi wena namadodana akho niyakuhlonishwa ngesiliva nangegolide nezipho eziningi.”
19Kepha uMathathiyase waphendula ngezwi elikhulu wathi: “Noma ngabe zonke izizwe eziphila phansi komthunzi welanga ngaphansi kwenkosi ziyilalele, futhi zakhetha ukulalela nemithetho yayo, abaningi babo bahlubuka inkolo yawokhokho babo. 20Mina kanye namadodana ami, nabafowethu siyoqhubeka siphile ngesivumelwano sawokhokho. 21Makube kude nathi ukuba silahle umthetho nemiyalo yabo. 22Asinakulilalela izwi lenkosi lokuba sihlubuke enkolweni yethu kungaba siye kwesokunene noma kwesokhohlo.”
23Lapho eseqedile ukusho la mazwi, umJuda waphumela obala ebonwa nguwonk' uwonke ukuba anikele e-althare laseModeyini njengesiyalelo senkosi. 24Lapho uMathathiyase ekubona lokhu, wagcwala intukuthelo emangalisayo, inhliziyo yakhe yabila. Walukhombisa ulaka lwakhe; ngokugijima ambulale lo esese-althare. 25Ngaso leso sikhathi wabulala nezithunywa zenkosi ezazizobaphoqelela ukuba benze imihlatshelo, wabhidliza i-althare. 26Wagcwala kanjalo intshisekelo ngenxa yomthetho, njengokuba noFinehasi enza kuZimri indodana kaSalu.
Impi Yobushokobezi KaMathathiyase
27Ngakho-ke uMathathiyase wase ekhamuluka ngezwi elikhulu kuyo yonke imizi, ethi: “Wonke umuntu onogqozi nomqhanagu ngomthetho nosisekelayo isivumelwano aphume nami!”
28Ngakho-ke yena namadodana akhe babaleka bayobhaca ezintabeni bashiya konke ababenakho emuzini. 29Ngaleso sikhathi abaningi ababefuna ukulunga nobulungisa baphumela ehlane bahlala lapho 30bona, kanye namadodana abo, nabafazi babo, nemfuyo yabo, ngenxa yobuningi bezinhlupheko ababebhekene nazo. 31Kwabikwa lokhu enkosini nasezikhulwini zayo, kanye nasemabuthweni ayeseJerusalema emuzini kaDavide, ukuthi labo abenqabile ukulalela umyalo wenkosi sebephumile bayobhaca ehlane. 32Abaningi babaxosha, babehlula; bagoba amadlangala maqondana nabo base belungisela ukulwa nabo ngosuku lwesabatha. 33Bathi kubo: “Sekwanele! Phumani nizokwenza lokho inkosi ekuyalile, ukuze niphile.”
34Kepha bona bathi: “Asinakuphuma, futhi asinakukwenza okuyalwe yinkosi ukuze singcolise usuku lwesabatha.”
35Ngakho-ke eyesitha yashesha ukubahlasela 36kodwa abaphindiselanga futhi abazange bajikijele ngisho itshe nje kubo noma bavimbe izindawo ababebhace kuzo 37ngokuba bathi: “Masife sonke singenasici; izulu nomhlaba kusifakazele ukuthi nisibulala ngokungafanele.”
38Ngakho-ke babahlasela ngesabatha, bababulala, bona nabafazi babo, nezingane zabo, nemfuyo yabo, kwaba ngabantu ababalelwa enkulungwaneni. 39Lapho uMathathiyase nabangani bakhe bezwa ngalokhu, babalilela kakhulu. 40Ngakho-ke bonke bathi komakhelwane babo: “Uma sonke senza njengoba abafowethu benzile, senqabe ukulwa nabezizwe ngenxa yempilo yethu nangenxa yemiyalo yethu, bayokusichitha ngokushesha, sishabalale emhlabeni.”
41Ngakho-ke benza lesi sinqumo ngalolo lusuku: “Masilwe nanoma yimuphi oza ukusihlasela ngosuku lwesabatha; masingafi sonke njengokuba kwenzekile kubafowethu bafela endaweni ababhace kuyo.”
42Kwase kuhlangana nabo abeqembu lamaHasidiyani, amaqhawe amakhulu akwa-Israyeli, bonke abazinikela ngokukhululeka ngenxa yomthetho wabo. 43Bonke ababaleka ukuyobhaca bebalekela izingxaki zabo bazihlanganisa nabo babaqinisa. 44Bahlela impi yabo, bahlasela ngolaka izoni kanjalo nabahlubuki phakathi kwabo ababaleka bazihlanganisa nabezizwe ukuze baphephe. 45Kepha uMathathiyase nabangani bakhe baphuma behla benyuka bebhidliza ama-althare, 46basoka ngempoqo bonke abafana ababengasokile ababatholayo phakathi kuka-Israyeli. 47Bazingela abaziphakamisayo, kwathi umsebenzi waqhubeka ngempumelelo ezandleni zabo. 48Bawophula umthetho nemikhosi ezandleni zabezizwe, futhi abavumelanga izoni ukuba zibe namandla ngaphezu kwabo.
Ukufa KukaMathathiyase
49Izinsuku zasondela zokuba uMathathiyase afe, ngakho-ke wathi emadodaneni akhe: “Ukuziphakamisa nokuhlambalaza sekuqine kakhulu; lesi yisikhathi sencithakalo nesolaka olukhulu 50manje, bantabami, khombisani ukushisekela umthetho, nizinikele ngenxa yesivumelwano sawokhokho. 51Khumbulani izenzo zawokhokho, abazenza esizukulwaneni sabo, uma nenze njalo niyakwamukeliswa udumo olukhulu futhi igama lenu liyohlala likhunjulwa ingunaphakade.
52“U-Abhrahama kafunyanwanga yini ekholekile lapho elingwa kwaze kwabalelwa kuye njengokulunga na? 53UJosefa ngesikhathi sobunzima wayigcina imiyalo, waze waba yinkosi kwelaseGibhithe. 54UFineyase ukhokho wethu, ngenxa yokuba wayenentshisekelo ejulile, wanikezwa isivumelwano esingapheliyo sobuphristi, 55uJoshuwa ngenxa yokuthi afeza umyalo, waba ngumahluleli kwa-Israyeli. 56Ukhalebhu ngenxa yokuba wafakaza phambi kwebandla, wathola isabelo somhlaba. 57UDavide ngenxa yokuba wayenesihe, wanikezwa isihlalo sobukhosi ingunaphakade. 58U-Elija ngenxa yentshisekelo yakhe enkulu ngomthetho, wahlwithwa waya emazulwini. 59UHananiya, no-Azariya, noMishayeli bakholwa ngakho-ke bakhululwa esithandweni somlilo. 60UDaniyeli, ngenxa yokuba msulwa kwakhe, wophulwa emlonyeni wezingonyama.
61“Ngakho-ke bukisisani, ukuthi, ezizukulwaneni ngezizukulwane, akukho noyedwa owabeka ithemba lakhe eNkosini oweswela amandla. 62Ningawesabi amazwi ezoni, ngokuba ubukhazikhazi bazo buyophenduka bufane nendle kanye nezimpethu. 63Namhlanje bayophakanyiswa, kodwa kusasa bobe sebeshabalele bengasabonwa nangalukhalo, ngenxa yokuba bayobe sebebuyele emhlabathini, namacebo abo esebhubhe kanye nabo. 64Bantwana bami, yimani isibindi nikhule niqine emthethweni, ngokuba ngawo niyothola ukuphakanyiswa nokuhlonishwa. 65Bheka, nangu umfowenu uSimiyoni, engaziyo ukuthi unezeluleko ezinhle nezinobuhlakani; nimlalele njalo; uyakuba nguyihlo. 66UJudase uMakhabhizi selokhu aba liqhawe elinamandla kusukela ebusheni bakhe; nguye ozakunihola empini nilwe kanye nabantu abanihlaselayo.
67“Niyobuthela kini bonke abawugcinayo umthetho, niphindisele ngenxa yobubi obenziwa kubantu bakini. 68Yenzani kwabezizwe ngokuphelele lokhu abakwenze kini, futhi niyigcine imiyalo yomthetho.”
69Wayesebabusisa, wafa wabuyela koyisemkhulu. 70UMathathiyase wafa ngomnyaka wekhulu namashumi amane-nesithupha, wangcwatshwa engcwabeni loyisemkhulu khona eModeyini. Wonke u-Israyeli wamlilela ngesikhulu isililo.
