Inhlakanipho kaSolomoni 14

₁Lapho elungisela uhambo olwandle olumagagasi alo angathi ayabila, ukhuleka okhunini lomuthi oluthambile kunalolo olwenze umkhumbi ozobe umthwele. ₂Ngokuba kwakuyisifiso senzuzo esahlela ukwakhiwa kwalo mkhumbi, ukuhlakanipha kuyingcweti eyawakhayo, ₃kodwa kungukubonelela kwakho, Baba, okuqondisa umkhondo wawo, ngokuba uwunikile indlela ekujuleni kolwandle, nendlela ephephile phakathi kwamagagasi.

₄Ubonisa ukuthi unokusindisa noma kuyiphi ingozi, ukuze kuthi nalowo ongenabuciko akwazi ukungena olwandle ngomkhumbi. ₅Kuyintando yakho ukuba imisebenzi yokuhlakanipha kwakho ibonakale; ngakho-ke abantu babeka impilo yabo ngisho nasokhunini oluncane, bantweze bedabula amadlambi olwandle baze bafike bephephile emhlabathini. ₆Yilokhu okwenzeka ekuqaleni lapho isizwe esinamandla sishabalala emhlabeni, ithemba lomhlaba laphunyula layobhaca emkhunjini ngaphansi kweso lakho, ngokuqondiswa yisandla sakho, lashiya emhlabeni imbewu yokuqhuba isizukulwane esisha. ₇Ngokuba sibusisiwe isiqu somuthi okuza ngaso ukulunga.

₈Nokho siqalekisiwe isithombe esenziwe ngezandla, kanjalo nalowo osenzileyo ngenxa yokuba esenzile, nale nto ebhubhayo ngokuba ibizwe ngonkulunkulu. ₉Ngokunjalo okunye okunengekayo kuNkulunkulu, yilabo abangakholwa nokungakholwa kwabo; ₁₀ngokuba okwenziweyo kuyakujeziswa kanye nalowo okwenzileyo. ₁₁Ngakho-ke uNkulunkulu uyakuhambela nezithombe zabangakholwayo, ngokuba nakuba kuyingxenye yokudalwe nguNkulunkulu, kuphenduke isinengiso, unoxhaka wemiphefumulo yesintu, nogibe lwezinyawo zabayiziwula.

₁₂Ngokuba umqondo nje wokwakha isithombe, wawuyisiqalo sobufebe, nokusungulwa kwaso, kwaba ngukonakala kwempilo; ₁₃ngokuba izithombe zazingekho kusuka ekuqaleni, futhi azinakuhlala ingunaphakade. ₁₄Izithombe zangena emhlabeni, ngobuze bengqondo yesintu, ngakho-ke kuhleliwe ukushabalaliswa kwazo ngokushesha. ₁₅Ngokuba uyise, egwinywe lusizi lokufa kwendodana yakhe engalindele, wenza umfanekiso womntwana wakhe, owayefe ngokuzuma okukhulu; waqala ukuwuhlonipha njengonkulunkulu okwabe kungumuntu ofileyo, wedlulisela ozalweni lwakhe inkonzo eyokwenziwa nokuthi bomukelwa kanjani abangena kuyo.

₁₆Ngakho leli siko lobumnyama lakhula laqina ngokuqhubeka kwesikhathi, lagcinwa njengomthetho. Nxa kukhulume ubukhosi, izithombe ezibaziweyo zazikhulekelwa. ₁₇Uma abantu bengabuhloniphi ubukhosi obuphakathi kwabo, ngenxa nje yokuba behlala buqama kunabo kuyinto abangayiphuphi ukuthi bungaqhamuka babubone, ngakho-ke babenza isithombe esibonakalayo senkosi ababeyihlonipha, ukuze kuthi ngogqozi lwabo badlisele enkosini abangayiboni, kube ngathi bayayibona. ₁₈Kuthi ngobuciko bombazi kugqugquzeleke nalabo abangayazi inkosi ukuba baqinise ukukhonza kwabo. ₁₉Ngokuba yena, ethanda ukuthokozisa umbusi wenza ngobuciko bakhe ukuba umfuziselo wenkosi uveze ubuhle obukhulu; ₂₀kwase kuthi izinkumbi, zidonswa ngubuhle bomsebenzi wakhe, zaqala ukukhulekela lo mfanekiso zawukhonza, wona lo ababewuhloniphe njengomuntu.

₂₁Lokhu kwaba yisihibe esifihlakele esintwini, ngokuba abantu, begqilazwe ngamashwa, noma ubukhosi, banikeza izithombe zamatshe nezokhuni igama elingafanele lihlanganyelwe namuntu.

₂₂Ngokungathi kwakunganele ukona kwabo ngolwazi lukaNkulunkulu, kodwa noma babephila ngezimpi ngenxa yokungazi kwabo, babubiza lobo bubi ngokuthula. ₂₃Ngokuba noma babebulala izingane zabo enkonzweni yokungeniswa kwabo, begubha imikhosi efihlakele yezimfihlakalo, beba nemigubho exakile ihambisana namasiko axakile, ₂₄babengasayihloniphi impilo yabo futhi bagcine imishado yabo imsulwa, kodwa kunalokho babebulalana ngokucashile, badabukisane ngokuthi omunye alale nomfazi womunye; ₂₅kukho konke lokhu okuyingxoviya nokubulalana, ukweba nokonakala, ukubola nokungabi nalukholo, ingozi nokuqamba amanga, ₂₆ukudideka ngalokho okuhle, nokukhohlwa yilokho iNkosi ebenzele khona, ukungcoliseka kwemiphefumulo, ukuheluka kwesinene, ingxoviya emishadweni, ubufebe, nokuphuza nokuphinga okuxakile.

₂₇Ngokuba nxa ukukhonzwa kwezithombe kungenakugagulwa, lokho kuyisiqalo nesiphetho sabo bonke ububi. ₂₈Ngokuba abazikhonzayo bagcwala amadlingozi ekudumiseni kwabo, baphrofethe amanga, baphile ngokungalungi bajwayele ukuqamba amanga, ₂₉ngokuba bethembela ezithombeni ezingenampilo, bafunga izifungo ezigcwele ububi, balindele ukungajeziswa ngalokho. ₃₀Nokho ngeziphambeko ezimbili ubulungisa buyakubafica: ngokuba abacabanganga kahle ngoNkulunkulu lapho bezinikela ezithombeni, futhi ngokuba begcwele ububi bafunga ngokungeyikho nangokwedelela ubungcwele bukaNkulunkulu. ₃₁Ngokuba lapho ababi bona, bayakuthungathwa hhayi ngamandla alokho abantu abakufungayo, kodwa yisijeziso esifaneleyo kulabo abonayo.