U-ESTA 2

₁Emva kweendabezo ilaka lekosi u-Arhatjhiverotjhi sele libohlile, wakhumbula uVatjhithi nalokho akwenzileko kanye nalokho ekuquntwe ngaye. ₂Nje-ke iinceku zekosi ebeziyilotjha zathi: “Akufunelwe ikosi iimomondiya zamatlawu. ₃Yeke ikosi ayigunyaze iinduna eemfundeni zoke zombuswayo bona zibuthelele woke amatlawu amahle asiwe eqathaneni lebukhosini ebuphephelweni beTjhutjhani, ngaphasi kwesandla sakaHegayi omphakulwa wekosi nophethe abafazi. Amatlawana lawo akaphotjholozwe ngamakha. ₄Nje-ke akuthi lelo elizakudosa amehlo wekosi, libe yindlovukazi esikhundleni sakaVatjhithi.”

₅Ebuphephelweni beTjhutjhani bekukhona umJuda ibizo lakhe kunguMoridekayi umsa kaJayiri omsa kaTjhimeyi umsa kaKhitjhi umBhenjamini. ₆UmJuda lo ngogade athunjwe eJerusalema nabathunjwa abanye ebegade bathunjwe noJekoniya ikosi yakwaJuda. Bona bebathunjelwe eBhabheli nguNebukadinetsari ikosi yakhona. ₇UMoridekayi loyo wakhulisa uHadasa, okutjho u-Esta. U-Esta bekamntwana kasonghwanakhe kaMoridekayi, ayintandani. Lokha ababelethi baka-Esta nabahlongakalako, uMoridekayi wamthatha waba njengendodakazakhe. Umntazana lo bekanejamo begodu amuhle. ₈Nje-ke kwathi lokha ikosi nayikhupha umyalo nalokha isimemezelo sayo sesiphumile, iintombi ezinengi zalethwa bona zihlangane ngaphasi kwelawulo lakaHegayi ebuphephelweni beTjhutjhani. U-Esta naye walethwa esigodlweni sekosi, wethulwa kuHegayi ophethe abafazi. ₉U-Esta wathandeka emehlweni kaHegayi, wazuza umusa kuye. Masinyana wamfaka ehlelweni lokuphotjholozwa kanye nelokudla okukhethekileko. Wabuye wamkhethela iincekukazi ezilikhomba esigodlweni wambeka yena neencekukazi zakhezo endaweni ephambili eqathaneni lebukhosini. ₁₀U-Esta gade angakabi ukwazisa muntu ngabantu bekhabo nangobuzwe bakhe ngombana uMoridekayi gade amyale bona angakuphathi lokho. ₁₁Imihla ngemihla uMoridekayi gade anande akhambela esirhodlweni seqathana lebukhosini, ukuhlola bonyana u-Esta uvuke njani nokobana uraga njani ehlelwenelo.

₁₂Bekuba ziinyanga ezilitjhumi nambili ezijanyiselwe ukuphotjholoza beengubo: ezisithandathu kungezokutjhatjhwa ngesimonyo semire nezisithandathu zokuthelwa ngamakha nezinye iinthako zokuzimonyonga. Emva kobana amatlawu lawo sele aphotjholozwe iinyanga ezilitjhumi nambili, bekuba lidlhego lelinye nelinye kobana lingeniswe emabhayini wekosi u-Arhatjhiverotjhi. ₁₃Bekuthi lokha umntazana nakaya ekosini ngendlela leyo, anikelwe nanyana yini akhanukela ukukhamba nayo ukusuka eqathaneni lebukhosini ukuya esigodlweni sekosi. ₁₄Ngokuhlwa umntazana loyo gade angeniswa emabhayini wekosi bese ekuseni asiwe ngeqathaneni lesibili lapha kuhlala khona amakhohlo aphethwe nguTjhatjhigazi omphakulwa wekosi. Ubengeze aye ekosini godu ngaphandle kokobana ikosi ithathekile ngaye bese ithumela bona abizwe ngebizo lakhe.

₁₅Kwathi nasele kulidlhego laka-Esta, oyindodakazi ka-Abirhayili usonghwanakhe kaMoridekayi owakhulisa u-Esta njengomntanakhe, kobana ayokungena emabhayini wekosi, akhange abawe ilitho ngaphandle kwalokho elulekwe ngakho nguHegayi umphakulwa ogade eluse iqathana lebukhosini. Mbala u-Esta wakhanga boke abambonako. ₁₆U-Esta wasiwa esigodlweni ku-Arhatjhiverotjhi ikosi ngenyanga yetjhumi, okuyinyanga kaThebethi ngomnyaka wekhomba wokubusa kwakhe. ₁₇Ikosi yamthanda ukudlula boke beengubo, wazuza umusa nokuthandwa ngiyo ngaphezu kwawo woke amatlawu, kangangobana yabe yamthwesa umkhala wobukhosi, yamenza indlovukazi esikhundleni sakaVatjhithi. ₁₈Nje-ke ikosi yenzela zoke iinkhulu neenduna zayo umnyanya omkhulu. Kuhle kuhle lowo bekumnyanya ka-Esta. Yabuye yamemezela bona leso kube sikhathi sokuphumula eemfundeni begodu yapha nezipho njengombana bekulindelekile ekosini.

₁₉Kwathi lokha amatlawu nawasahlangeneko kwenzeka isiga sesibili: UMoridekayi bekasebandla esigodlweni. ₂₀Ngesikhatheso u-Esta bekangakabi ukwazisa ubuzwe bakhe namkha abantu bekhabo; lokho kwaba njengombana uMoridekayi amyalile. U-Esta bekasahlonipha uMoridekayi njenganyana nasamkhulisako. ₂₁Emihleni leyo, uMoridekayi asese sebandla esigodlweni, uBhigitani noTeretjhi, okubaphakulwa ababili bekosi ebegade babaqaphi bomnyango, bangenwa kunyenya bafuna indlela yokubulala ikosi u-Arhatjhiverothi. ₂₂Indaba leyo yafika eendlebeni zakaMoridekayi, yena wabikela indlovukazi u-Esta, nje-ke u-Esta wabikela ikosi ebizweni lakaMoridekayi. ₂₃Kuthe lokha indaba nayiphenywako ifunyaniswa bonyana injalo, amadoda lawo alengiswa womabili esigodweni. Lokho kwatlolwa phambi kwekosi encwadini yomlando wemihla ngemihla.