AbaJuda Ayahlushwa Ngenxa Yokukholwa Kwawo
1Emveni kwesikhashana, inkosi yathumela umAtheni omdala ukuzophoqa abajuda ukuba alahle umthetho wokhokho bawo futhi angabe esaphila ngokwemithetho kaNkulunkulu; 2futhi alingcolise ithempeli eliseJerusalema, alibize ngokuthi ithempeli lika-Olimpiyusi Zeyusi, nokuba kuthi leli elaliseGerizimi kuthiwe yithempeli likaZeyusi umngane wezihambi, njengoba benza abantu abahlala kuleyo ndawo. 3Kwakukubi futhi kwesabeka kakhulu ukuhlasela kobubi. 4Ngokuba ithempeli laligcwele ubufebe namadili abezizwe, ababezitika ngezifebe futhi belala nabesifazane ngaphakathi kwendawo engcwele, ngaphandle kwalokho baletha nezinto ukuba bazokwenza imihlatshelo eyayingafanele. 5I-althare lalembozwe yiminikelo enengekayo eyayingavunyelwe emthethweni. 6Abantu babengasakwazi ukugcina isabatha, nokugubha imikhosi yokhokho babo, nokuba nje bavume ubuzwe babo bobuJuda.
7Lapho kugujwa nyanga zonke usuku lokuzalwa kwenkosi, ayethathwa abajuda, ephoqwa engafuni, ukuba ayohlanganyela emihlatshelweni; nalapho kungumkhosi kaDiyonisiyase, ayephoqwa ukuba agqoke imigexo yezimbali nokuba ahambe odwendweni lokuhlonipha uDiyonisiyase. 8Kwathi kulandelwa isiphakamiso sabasePhitholemiyase kwakhishwa isimemezelo saya kuyo yonke imizi yamaGriki angomakhelwane sokuba nawo alandele umkhuba ofanayo mayelana namaJuda futhi bawenze ahlanganyele emihlatshelweni, 9nokuba bawabulale lawo angafuni ukukhetha ukuguqukela ezindleleni nasemasikweni amaGriki. Ngakho-ke kuyabonakala ukuthi lwalungakanani usizi nokuhlupheka okwabehlela. 10Okunye nje, abesifazane ababili bamangalelwa ngokuba besoke izingane zabo. Benziwa umbukwane phakathi komuzi kanye nezingane zabo zilenga emabeleni abo, base bebalengisa ogangeni lomuzi bebheke phansi. 11Abanye ababehlangene emigedeni eseduzane, ukuze bagcine usuku lwesikhombisa bengabonwa, badayiswa kuFiliphu bashiswa ndawonye, ngokuba ukholo lwabo alubavumelanga ukuba bazivikele, ngenxa yokuhlonipha kwabo lolu suku olungcwele.
Inkosi Iyajezisa Futhi Ibuye Ikhombise Umusa
12Ngakho-ke ngiyabancenga labo abafunda le ncwadi ukuba bangadikibaliswa ukuzwa ngalezi zinhlekelele, kodwa ukuba bazi ukuthi lokhu kujeziswa kwakungenzelwe ukubabhubhisa kodwa ukubaqeqesha abantu bakithi. 13Okuseqinisweni, kuluphawu lwesihe esikhulu ukuba abangalungile bangayekelwa isikhathi eside, kodwa ukuba bajeziswe ngokushesha. 14Ngokuba mayelana nezinye izizwe iNkosi ilindela ngokubekezela ukuze izijezise sezizezona ngokwedlula ukwenza; kodwa thina ayisiphathi ngaleyo ndlela, 15ukuze impindiselo kithi ingabi semuva kwesikhathi lapho izono zethu sezilukhumbintethe. 16Ngakho-ke ayiwususi umusa wayo kithi. Nanxa isishaya ngezinhlupheko, kodwa ayibashiyi abantu bayo. 17Lokhu esikushilo sengathi kungaba yisikhumbuzo; simelwe kesiqhubeke nendaba.
U-Eliyazare Ufela Ukukholwa Kwakhe
18U-Eliyezare omunye wonobhala owayesesikhundleni esiphezulu, indoda eyase ikhulile kakhulu futhi ihloniphekile, yayiphoqwa ukuba ivule umlomo wayo idle inyama yengulube. 19Kepha yena, encama ukufa ehloniphekile kunokufa ethunazekile, wakhuphuka waziyela mathupha ogibeni lokuhlukunyezwa, wayiphimisa leyo nyama, 20njengoba bonke abanesibindi sokuzenqaba izinto abangafanele ukuzidla bemelwe ukwenza njalo, noma ngabe bakuthanda kangakanani ukuphila. 21Labo ababephethe lowo mhlatshelo ongafanelekile bamdonsela eceleni ngenxa yokuba engumuntu owaziwayo nohlonishwayo, ukuba eze ngasese nenyama eqokwe nguye, futhi efanele ukuba angayidla, bese ezenzisa sengathi udla inyama yomhlatshelo abayalwe ngayo yinkosi, 22ukuze ngokwenze njalo, aphephe ekufeni, futhi aphathwe kahle ngenxa yobungani obudala nabo.
23Kepha yena wenza isinqumo esikhulu, esifanele ubudala bakhe nesithunzi seminyaka nobumpunga bezinwele zakhe afinyelele kukho ngemisebenzi yakhe ehloniphekile, nangempilo yakhe kusukela ebusheni bakhe; nangaphezu kwalokho nangenxa yomthetho ongcwele owanikezwa nguNkulunkulu: washesha wakhuluma ebatshela ukuthi abavele bamuse kwagoqanyawo. 24Wathi: “Ukuzenzisa okunjalo akusifanele isikhathi sethu sisaphila, ngokuba baningi abasebasha abayocabanga ukuthi u-Eliyezare eminyakeni yakhe engamashumi ayisishiyagalolunye wahlubukela kwenye inkolo, 25futhi ngokuzenzisa kwami, ukuze ngiphile isikhashana nje, bayakudukiswa yilesi senzo sami, ngibe nami ngizingcolisa futhi ngizithela ngehlazo ebudaleni bami. 26Noma ngabe okwamanje ngiyaphunyuka ekujezisweni ngabantu, nokho noma ngiyaphila noma ngiyafa anginakuphunyuka ezandleni zikaSomandla. 27Ngakho-ke uma nginikela impilo yami ngesibindi manje, ngiyakuzibonakalisa ukuthi ngibufanele ubudala bami 28ngishiyele abasebasha isibonelo esihle sokuthi kunjani ukufa, ukufa okuhle ungaphoqiwe futhi ngokuhlonipheka ngenxa yokwesaba umthetho ongcwele.”
Lapho esekushilo lokhu, waya ngokushesha ogibeni lokuhlukunyezwa. 29Labo ababemphathe kahle ngaphambili, bamjikela baqala ukumphatha ngesihluku, ngokuba amazwi awakhuluma ayefana nawomuntu osangene kubo. 30Kwathi esezakufa emuva kokushaywa okuningi, wabubula kakhulu wathi: “Kuyakhanya eNkosini ekwazini kwayo okungcwele ukuthi, noma bengingasindiswa ekufeni, ngibhekene nobuhlungu obukhulu emzimbeni ngenxa yokushaywa, kodwa emphefumulweni wami ngiyathokoza ukuba ngihlupheke kanje ngokuba ngesaba yona.”
31Ngakho-ke wafa ngale ndlela, eshiya ekufeni kwakhe isibonelo esihle kakhulu kanye nesikhumbuzo sobuqhawe, kungekubo nje abancane kuphela kodwa nasesizweni sonke sakubo.
