Numeri 14:1-45
14 Emva koko ibandla lonke lenza isijwili, abantu bakhala ubusuku bonke.+
2 Onke amaSirayeli akhalaza, egxeka uMoses noAron,+ esithi: “Akwaba sasifele eYiputa, okanye sivele sifele kule ntlango!
3 Kutheni uYehova esizise kweli lizwe ukuze sibulawe ngekrele?+ Abafazi nabantwana bethu baza koxuthwa.+ Akungconwanga sibuyele eYiputa ke?”+
4 Axelelana le nto: “Masizikhetheleni umntu oza kusikhokela, sibuyeleni eYiputa!”+
5 Athi akutsho, uMoses noAron baqubuda emhlabeni, lonke ibandla lamaSirayeli libukele.
6 UYoshuwa+ unyana kaNun noKalebhi+ unyana kaYefune, ababeyokuhlola ilizwe, bazikrazula iimpahla zabo,
7 baza bathi kulo lonke ibandla lamaSirayeli: “Ilizwe ebesiye kulihlola, lilizwe elihle kakhulu.+
8 Ukuba uYehova uyakholwa sithi, nakanjani uza kusisa kwela lizwe ligcwele ubisi nobusi, asinike lona.+
9 Kufuneka nje ningamjikeli uYehova, yaye sanukuboyika abantu bela lizwe+ kuba siza kubathi nqwam nqwam.* Akukho nto ibakhuselayo ibe uYehova ukunye nathi,+ sanukuboyika.”
10 Kodwa ke, lonke ibandla lalizimisele ukubabetha ngamatye.+ Kwasuka kwabonakala uzuko lukaYehova ententeni yokuhlangana, lwabonwa ngabo bonke abantu bakwaSirayeli.+
11 Emva koko uYehova wathi kuMoses: “Kuza kude kube nini aba bantu bendidelela?+ Kuza kude kube nini bengakholwa kum nangona ndibenzela imimangaliso* emininzi kangaka?+
12 Ngoku ndicinga ukubabetha ngesifo esingubhubhani, ndibatshabalalise, ndize wena ndikwenze uhlanga olukhulu nolunamandla kunabo.”+
13 Kodwa uMoses wathi kuYehova: “Laa maYiputa owabakhupha kuwo abantu bakho ngamandla akho, aza kuyiva loo nto,+
14 aze athethe ngayo nabemi beli lizwe. Nabo sebevile ukuba uphakathi kwamaSirayeli+ yaye aye akubona wena Yehova ngamehlo awo.+ UnguYehova, ilifu lakho liphezu kwawo, kwaye emini uwakhokela uselifini, uze ebusuku uwakhokele usemlilweni.+
15 Ukuba ubabulala bonke aba bantu, nakanjani iintlanga eziluvileyo udumo lwakho ziza kuthi:
16 ‘UYehova uye wohluleka ukubangenisa kwilizwe ebebafungele ukuba uza kubanika lona, yiyo loo nto ebabulalele entlango.’+
17 Ndiyakucela Yehova, wenze acace ukuba makhulu amandla akho njengokuba wathembisayo xa wathi:
18 ‘UYehova ongakhawuleziyo ukucaphuka, ophuphuma luthando olungagungqiyo,+ oxolela isono nesiphoso, kodwa ongasoze angamohlwayi umntu owonileyo. Wohlwaya oonyana ngenxa yesono sootata babo, wohlwaya nesizukulwana sesithathu nesesine.’+
19 Ndiyakucela ubaxolele aba bantu kuba unothando olungagungqiyo, njengokuba ubusoloko ubaxolela ukususela eYiputa kude kube ngoku.”+
20 Emva koko uYehova wathi: “Xa usitsho ke, ndiyabaxolela.+
21 Kodwa ke ndiphila nje, wonke umhlaba uza kugcwaliswa luzuko lukaYehova.+
22 Kodwa bonke abantu abalubonayo uzuko lwam nemimangaliso*+ endayenza eYiputa nasentlango, sekunjalo baqhubeka bendidelela+ kwada kwakalishumi, bengalimameli ilizwi lam,+
23 soze balibone ilizwe endalifungela ootata babo. Nangoku, akukho nomnye kwabo bandidelelayo oza kulibona.+
24 Kodwa ngenxa yokuba uKalebhi+ isicaka sam eye wohluka kwabanye waza waqhubeka endilandela ngentliziyo yakhe yonke, nakanjani na ndiza kumsa kwilizwe ebeyokulihlola, ize inzala yakhe ihlale kulo.+
25 Ngenxa yokuba ama-Amaleki namaKanan+ ehlala entlanjeni,* ngomso phindelani entlango nihambe ngendlela egqitha kuLwandle Olubomvu.”+
26 Emva koko uYehova wathi kuMoses noAron:
27 “Kuza kude kube nini eli bandla labenzi bubi lindikhalazela?+ Ndiyivile indlela amaSirayeli andikhalazela ngayo.+
28 Uze uthi kuwo, ‘uYehova uthi: “Ndiphila nje, yonke laa nto beniyithetha, ndiza kuyenza!+
29 Niza kufela kule ntlango.+ Wonke umntu owabhaliswayo eneminyaka eyi-20 ukuya phezulu, uza kufela kule ntlango, nonke nina baye bandikhalazela.+
30 Akukho nomnye kuni oza kungena kwilizwe endafungayo ukuba niza kuhlala kulo,+ ngaphandle kukaKalebhi unyana kaYefune noYoshuwa unyana kaNun.+
31 “‘“Abantwana benu ebenisithi baza kuxuthwa,+ ngabo abaza kungena, balazi ilizwe eniye analifuna.+
32 Kodwa nina niza kufela kule ntlango.
33 Oonyana benu baza kuba ngabelusi entlango iminyaka eyi-40,+ yaye baza kuva ubunzima ngenxa yokungathembeki kwenu, nide nife nonke.+
34 Ekubeni ilizwe nalihlola ngeentsuku eziyi-40,+ usuku luza kumela unyaka, usuku lumele unyaka. Ngoko leyo yiminyaka eniza kuva ngayo ubunzima ngenxa yezono zenu, iminyaka eyi-40,+ nitsho nazi ukuba kwenzeka ntoni kumntu olwa nam.*
35 “‘“Mna Yehova ndikuthethile oku. Nantsi into endiza kuyenza kweli bandla labenzi-bubi abaye baqokelelana, bendikhalazela. Baza kuphelela kule ntlango, bafele kuyo.+
36 Amadoda awayethunywe nguMoses ukuba ayokuhlola ilizwe, aza abuya abangela lonke ibandla ukuba limkhalazele ngenxa yezinto ezimbi awazithethayo ngelo lizwe,+
37 loo madoda athetha izinto ezimbi ngelo lizwe, uYehova uza kuwabulala ngesibetho.+
38 Kodwa uYoshuwa unyana kaNun noKalebhi unyana kaYefune, ababehamba nabo babeyokuhlola ilizwe, bona abazukufa.”’”+
39 Uthe uMoses akuthetha la mazwi kuwo onke amaSirayeli, abantu benza isijwili esikhulu.
40 Ngaphezu koko, bavuka ekuseni bazama ukunyuka intaba besithi: “Sonile, kodwa ke ngoku sikulungele ukunyuka siye kulaa ndawo uYehova wayethethe ngayo.”+
41 Kodwa uMoses wathi: “Kutheni nigqitha ngapha kwento uYehova ayithethileyo? Ayizukuphumelela le nto niyenzayo.
42 Sanukunyuka kuba uYehova akahambi nani; yaye niza koyiswa ziintshaba zenu.+
43 Ama-Amaleki namaKanan anilindile,+ aza kunibulala ngekrele. UYehova akazukuba kunye nani, kuba niye nayeka ukumlandela uYehova.”+
44 Sekunjalo, benyuka ngenkani+ kodwa ke ityeya yesivumelwano kaYehova ayizange imke enkampini, noMoses akazange emke.+
45 Ngoko ama-Amaleki namaKanan awayehlala kuloo ntaba, ehla, abaxabela bathi saa bada bayokufika eHorma.+
Umbhalo osemazantsi
^ Ngokoqobo, “bakukutya kuthi.”
^ Ngokoqobo, “imiqondiso.”
^ Ngokoqobo, “nemiqondiso.”
^ Okanye “ethafeni.”
^ Okanye “olutshaba lwam.”
