1Aphela lapha amazwi okubonga kaTobiti.
Isiyalezo Sokugcina SikaTobiti
2UTobiti wafa ngokuthula eseneminyaka eyi-112 ubudala, wangcwatshwa ngolukhulu udumo nenhlonipho eNinive. Wayeneminyaka engama-62 lapho eba yimpumputhe, kwathi emva kokuba esephinde wabona waphila enempumelelo, enza imisebenzi yomusa, emdumisa njalo uNkulunkulu futhi ebuvuma njalo ubukhosi bakhe. 3Lapho esezakufa wabiza indodana yakhe uThobiyase wamnikeza umyalo ethi: “Mntanami, thatha izingane zakho, 4uphuthume ulibangise eMediya, ngokuba ngiyalikholwa impela izwi likaNkulunkulu elakhulunywa nguNahumi ngeNineve, ukuthi zonke lezo zinto ziyokwehlela i-Asiriya neNineve, nokuthi zonke izinto ezakhulunywa ngabaphrofethi bakwa-Israyeli, uNkulunkulu abathumela, ziyokwenzeka, futhi akukho nelilodwa lamazwi abo elingayikwenzeka, kodwa konke kuyakwenzeka ngesikhathi esifaneleyo. Ngakho-ke uyakuphepha uma useMediya kunokuba lapha e-Asiriya naseBhabhiloni. Ngokuba ngiyazi futhi ngiyakholwa ukuthi konke akushiloyo uNkulunkulu kuyakwenzeka; akukho gama nelilodwa lesi profetho elingayikuphumelela. Bonke abakithi, izakhamuzi zezwe lakwa-Israyeli, ziyakuhlakazwa zithunjwe ezweni elihle; izwe lonke lakwa-Israyeli liyakuba yincithakalo, ngisho iSamariya neJerusalema imbala. Ithempeli likaNkulunkulu elikulo liyakushiswa ngomlilo licekelwe phansi, liyakuba yincithakalo isikhashana.
5“Kepha uNkulunkulu uyakuphinda abe nomusa kubo, futhi uNkulunkulu uyakubabuyisela ezweni lakwa-Israyeli; bayakulakha ithempeli likaNkulunkulu kodwa aliseyikufana nelokuqala kuze kufike ukugcwaliseka kwesikhathi. Emuva kwalokhu bayakubuya bonke ekuthunjweni, balakhe iJerusalema nethempeli likaNkulunkulu, njengokusho kwabaphrofethi bakwa-Israyeli. 6Ngemuva kwalokho izizwe zonke zomhlaba ziyakuphenduka zikhonze uNkulunkulu ngeqiniso. Bonke bayakushiya izithombe zabo, ezabaholela ekoneni; bese kuthi ngokulunga bamkhonze uNkulunkulu ophakade. 7Wonke amadodana akwa-Israyeli ayosinda kulezo zinsuku, emkhumbula uNkulunkulu ngokweqiniso ayakubuthelwa ndawonye; ayakubuyela eJerusalema ezweni lika-Abhrahama, ahlale khona ngokuphepha kuze kube phakade futhi labo abathanda uNkulunkulu ngokweqiniso bayakunikezwa umusa, kodwa labo abenza isono nabangenabulungisa bayakushabalala ebusweni bomhlaba.
8“Manje-ke bantwana bami, ngiyaniyala, mkhonzeni uNkulunkulu ngeqiniso nenze lokho okuthokozisayo phambi kwakhe, nakubantwana benu nabo ngiyala ukuba benze okulungileyo nomusa, ukuze kuthi labo abamkhumbulayo uNkulunkulu badumise igama lakhe ngokwethembeka ngezikhathi zonke nangamandla abo onke. 9Ngakho-ke wena mntanami, phuma eNineve, ungahlali lapha. Noma ngaluphi usuku oyongcwaba ngalo unyoko eduze kwami ungabe usalala busuku phakathi kwemingcele yalo muzi. Ngokuba ngiyabona ukuthi kukhona ukonakala okuningi lapha, nokuthi buningi ububi obenziwa lapha, abantu bebenza ngaphandle kokuba namahloni.
10“Bheka, Ndodana, lokho uNadabi akwenza ku-Ahikari owayemkhulisile. Kambelwanga yini emhlabathini esaphila na? Ngokuba uNkulunkulu wamthela ngehlazo ngokuphatha kwakhe kabi u-Ahikari. U-Ahikari waholelwa ekukhanyeni kanti uNadabi waya ebumnyameni obuphakade, ngokuba wazama ukubulala u-Ahikari. U-Ahikari ngokwenza umusa waphunyuka ogibeni lokufa uNadabi ayemcuphe ngalo, kodwa uNadabi wabanjwa wugibe ayelucuphe yena, wagcina ngokuchithwa. 11Ngakho-ke bantwana bami, niyabona ukuthi ukwenza isihawu kunamphumela muni, nokuthi ukungabi nabulungisa kuholelaphi, ekufeni! Nokho, bheka manje sengiphelelwa ngumoya.”
Base bembeka embhedeni wakhe, wafa; bamngcwaba ngenhlonipho enkulu. 12Lapho nonina kaThobiyase esefile, wamngcwaba eduze noyise. Kwase kuthi yena kanye nomkakhe babuyela eMediya bahlala e-Ekbhathana noRaguweli umukhwe wakhe. 13Wabaphatha kahle nangenhlonipho, wabangcwaba e-Ekbhathana eMediya futhi wadla ifa likaRaguweli kanye nelikayise uTobiti. 14Wafa ehlonishwa kakhulu eneminyaka eyi-117. 15Ngaphambi kokuba afe wabona futhi wezwa ngokuchithwa kweNineve, wabona nabathunjwa balo beqhutshwa besiwa eMediya, labo ababethunjwe ngu-Akhi-Aharosi nkosi yaseMediya. UThobiyase wamdumisa uNkulunkulu ngakho konke ayekwenzile kubantu baseNineve nabase-Asiriya; ngaphambi kokuba afe wathokoza ngokwenzeka eNineve, wayibonga iNkosi uNkulunkulu phakade naphakade.
