1UGogiyase wathatha izi-5 000 zamabutho ahamba ngezinyawo kanye nenkulungwane yalawo agibele amahhashi waphuma nawo ebusuku 2ukuze ahlasele isikhungo sabaJuda engazelele. Labo ababesuka enqabeni babahola. 3Kepha uJudase wezwa ngaleli cebo, wayesephuma namabutho akhe wahlasela amabutho enkosi ayese-Emawuse 4isaphumile ingxenye eyayihambe noGogiyase. 5Lapho uGogiyase efika ngobusuku engena esikhungweni sikaJudase, wafica kukhala ibhungezi. Ngakho-ke waphuma wabathungatha ezintabeni, ngokuba wathi: “La madoda ayabaleka phambi kwethu.”
6UJudase waqhamuka ethafeni namabutho akhe ayizinkulungwane ezintathu, nokho ayengenazo kahle izikhali ezanele njengokufisa kwawo. 7Basibona isikhungo sabezizwe, siqinile futhi sivikelekile, sinabagibele amahhashi ngaphandle kwaso; amadoda ayeqeqeshiwe kwezempi. 8Kodwa uJudase wathi kulabo ababehamba naye: “Ningesabi ubuningi babo noma nethuswe ukugasela kwabo. 9Khumbulani ukuthi okhokho bethu bahlengwa kanjani olwandle olubomvu, lapho uFaro nempi yakhe bebajijimeza. 10Kepha manje, masikhale emazulwini, sibone ukuthi ngeke yini asibheke ngesihawu akhumbule nesivumelwano sakhe nawokhokho bethu bese eyicoboshisa le mpi ephambi kwethu namhlanje. 11Ngalokho bonke abezizwe bayokwazi ukuthi ukhona onguMkhululi noMhlengi ka-Israyeli.”
12Lapho abezizwe bebheka bababona beza ukubahlasela 13baphuma esikhungweni sabo ukulwa nabo. Amadoda ayenoJudase ayeseshaya amacilongo 14yase iyabambana njalo. Abezizwe behlulwa, base bebalekela emathafeni 15bonke ababengasemuva bawa ngenkemba. Babagadulukisa baze bayongena nabo eGazara, kanye nasemathafeni ase-Idumeya, kanye nase-Azotusi naseJaminiya; kwawa ngalolo lusuku izi-3 000 zabezizwe. 16UJudase namabutho akhe base bephenduka ekubaxosheni. 17Wathi kubantu: “Ningabi nomona wempango, ngokuba kusenempi phambi kwethu, 18uGogiyase namabutho akhe baseduze kwethu ezintabeni. Kepha yimani silwe nesitha, emva kwalokho sesingabutha impango singenaluvalo.”
19Kwathi eqeda nje uJudase ukusho lamazwi yathushuka ekaGogiyase, ivela ezintabeni. 20Babona ukuthi impi yabo yehluliwe yavathela ngejubane, nokuthi abaJuda babeshisa isikhungo sabo, ngokuba intuthu eyayibonakala yayixoxa indaba eyenzekile. 21Lapha bekubona lokhu, bagcwala uvalo olukhulu, kwathi nalapho bebona impi kaJudase imile emathafeni, ilungele ukulwa 22babalekela ezweni lamaFilistiya. 23Ngakho-ke uJudase wabuyela esikhungweni sabo ukuthatha impango, bathatha igolide nesiliva eliningi izimpahla ezidayiwe ngokusasibhakabhaka nokububende kanye nengcebo eningi. 24Ekubuyeni kwabo bahuba amaculo nezindumiso zibhekiswe eZulwini: “Ngokuba ulungile, nesihawu sakhe simi phakade.”
25U-Israyeli wakhululwa kanjalo ngalolo suku.
Ukunqotshwa KukaLusiyase
26Labo kwabezizwe abaphunyulayo bahamba bayobikela uLusiyase konke okwenzekileyo. 27Lapho ekuzwa lokhu, wamangala futhi waphelelwa lithemba, ngokuba kungenzekanga ku-Israyeli njengokuba ebethembile, nokuba futhi kungenzekanga njengoba inkosi ibiyalile. 28Kepha kwathi ngonyaka olandelayo waphinda wahlanganisa izi-60 000 zamabutho ahamba ngezinyawo kanye nezi-5 000 zabagibele amahhashi ukuze ahambe abacindezele.
29Bafika e-Idumiya base begoba amadlangala eBhethi-zuri, kepha uJudase wabhekana nabo ehambisana namadoda ayizi-10 000. 30Lapho ebona ukuthi impi yabo inamandla kakhulu, wakhuleka, ethi: “Ubusisekile Wena, Mhlengi ka-Israyeli, owacoboshisa ukuhlasela kweqhawe elinamandla ngesandla senceku yakho uDavide, wanikela isikhungo samaFilistiya esandleni sikaJonathani indodana kaSawule, nasesandleni sendoda eyayiludibi lwakhe. 31Izungeze le mpi ngesandla sabantu bakho aba-Israyeli, bathele ngamahloni ngamabutho abo nangabagibele amahhashi babo 32bagcwalise ngovalo; kuncibilikise okwengcina ukwethembela emandleni abo; ubenze baqhaqhazele ekuchithweni kwabo. 33Badicilele phansi ngenkemba yalabo abakuthandayo, futhi wenze ukuba bonke abazi igama lakho bakudumise ngamahubo.”
34Zase zithelekelana zombili izinhla, kwawa lapho amadoda ayizi-5 000 kwekaLusiyase. 35Lapho uLusiyase ekubona ukuwa kwempi yakhe futhi ebona isibindi elwa ngaso ekaJudase, nokuthi babezimisele kanjani ukuphila nokufa begcwele inhlonipho, wahlehla neyakhe balibangisa e-Antiyokhi wayofuna amadoda akhokhelwayo ukuze aphinde ayolwa namaJuda esenempi enkulukazi.
Ukuhlanzwa Kwethempeli
36UJudase nabafowabo base bethi: “Bheka izitha zethu zichithiwe; masikhuphuke siyohlanza indawo engcwele futhi siphinde siyibusise.”
37Ngakho-ke yonke impi yahlangana yakhuphukela entabeni yaseZiyoni. 38Ekufikeni lapho babona ukuthi indawo engcwele iyincithakalo, ne-althare lingcolisiwe, namasango ashisiwe. Emagcekeni sekumile izihlahla sekungathi lihlathi, njengasezintabeni. Babona futhi izindlu zabaphristi zidiliziwe. 39Base bedabula izingubo zabo, balila ngokulila okukhulu; bazithela ngomlotha 40bawa phansi ngobuso emhlabathini. Lapho sekunikezwe isibonakaliso ngecilongo bakhala bebhekise eZulwini. 41Ngakho-ke uJudase wamisa amadoda ukuba alwe nalabo abasenqabeni aze aqede ukuhlanza indawo engcwele. 42Wakhetha abaphristi abamsulwa ababezinikele emthethweni 43base beyihlanza indawo engcwele, basusa onke amatshe angcolisiwe bawabeka endaweni yokungcola. 44Babonisana ukuthi bazokwenze njani nge-Althare leminikelo yokushiswa, elalingcolisiwe. 45Bakubona kungcono ukuba balibhidlize, ukuze lingahlali liyichilo kubo kwaphakade lokuthi abezizwe balingcolisa. Ngakho-ke balibhidliza 46baqoqela ndawonye amatshe endaweni efanele egqumeni lethempeli, kuze kuvele umphrofethi ozakubatshela ukuba benze njani ngawo.
47Base bethatha amatshe angabaziwe njengokuba kuyala umthetho, base bakha i-althare elisha elifuze elakuqala, 48bayivuselela nendawo engcwele, balungisa nengaphakathi lethempeli, nendawo yegceke ebusisiweyo. 49Benza izitsha ezingcwele ezintsha, babuyisa izibani zokukhanyisa, i-althare lempepho, kanye netafula balibuyisela endlini engcwele. 50Base benikela ngempepho e-althare bakhanyisa nezibani ezintini zazo, zona zaletha ukukhanya ethempelini. 51Babeka isinkwa etafuleni base belengisa nesihenqo. Bawuqeda kanjalo umsebenzi ababezimisele ukuwenza. 52Ekuseni kakhulu zingama-25 enyangeni yesishiyagalolunye, okuyinyanga kaKisilevi, ngomnyaka we-148 53bavuka banikela umnikelo, phezu kwe-althare elisha ababelakhile, njengokuyala komthetho.
54Ngesikhathi esifanayo, nangosuku abezizwe abalingcolisa ngalo i-althare, langcweliswa kuhutshwa amahubo ngamahabhu, ngemitshingo nangemiqangala. 55Bonke abantu bawa ngobuso bamkhonza bemdumisa oyiZulu, owayebagcinile. 56Ngakho-ke bagubha umkhosi wokubusiswa kwe-althare izinsuku eziyisishiyagalombili, banikela iminikelo yokushiswa ngenkulu intokozo, banikela futhi neminikelo yokubonga ukuphila kanye nokubonga. 57Bahlobisa ingaphambili lethempeli ngemiqhele yegolide, kanye namahawana amancane; balungisa amasango nezindlu zawo belungisela abaphristi, bafaka nezivalo. 58Kwakunokujabula okukhulu phakathi kwabantu, kwathi ihlazo elalilethwe ngabezizwe lasuswa kubo. 59UJudase nabafowabo nayo yonke inhlangano ka-Israyeli, bamisa ukuba minyaka yonke ngesikhathi esifanayo kugujwe umkhosi wokubusiswa kwe-althare ngokuthokoza nangenjabulo enkulu izinsuku eziyisishiyagalombili, kusukela ngosuku lwama-25 lwenyanga kaKisilevi.
60Ngaleso sikhathi bayiqinisa intaba iZiyoni ngezingange nangemibhoshongo emide nxazonke, ukuze bavimbe abezizwe ukuba bangaphinde bacekele phansi umuzi njengoba babenzile ngaphambili. 61UJudase wamisa ibutho lapho ukuba lilinde umuzi, waqinisa futhi neBethi Zuri ukuze ihlale ilindiwe, nokuba abantu baze babe nenqaba eqinileyo ebhekene ne-Idumiya.
