Ukuvinjezelwa KweBhethuliya
1Ngakusasa uHolofernesi wathuma impi yakhe yonke, nabo bonke abantu bakhe kanye nalabo ababezihlanganise naye ukuba basuke lapho babegobe khona amadlangala bahlasele iBhethuliya, badle ngokushesha izintuba zezindlela ezikhuphukela ezintabeni, balwe nabakwa-Israyeli. 2Ngakho-ke ngalolo lusuku wonke amadoda anamandla asuka lapho ayegobe amadlangala khona. Umumo wamabutho ayehamba ngezinyawo ayeyizi-170 000, kanti ayegibele amahhashi eyizi-12 000, kungabalwa amabutho ayehamba ngezinyawo nemithwalo ayeyithwele, kwakuyisixuku esikhulu kakhulu.
3Bagoba amadlangala esigodini eduze naseBhethuliya, maduze nomthombo, bahlakazeka ngobubanzi bempi yabo bagcwala iDothayimi kwaze kwabaseBhelbhayimi. Ubude bempi yabo babusuka eBhethuliya kuze kufike eKhuwamonosi elibhekene ne-Esdrayeloni. 4Lapho ama-Israyeli ebona ubuningi bempi yabo, angenwa itwetwe elikhulu athi omunye komunye: “Bazobuqothula njengomlilo, ubuso bezwe lonke, izintaba eziphakeme nezimfunda ngisho namagquma imbala kungemelane nobuningi babo.”
5Nokho yilowo nalowo wabamba izikhali zakhe, kwathi ukuba baphembe imililo emibhoshongweni yabo bahlala ubusuku bonke beqaphile. 6Ngosuku lwesibili uHolofernesi wahola impi yonke yabagibele amahhashi phambi kuka-Israyeli eBhethuliya. 7Wahlola indlela ekhuphukela emizini yabo, wahlola nemithombo yabo yamanzi, wayidla bengazelele wabeka abalindi bamabutho kuyo, wayesebuyela kubantu bakhe. 8Amakhosi onke akwa-Edomi kanye nabaholi bonke bakwaMowabi nabakhuzi bempi bangasogwini beza kuye bathi: 9“Lalela konke esizokusho, nkosi yethu, ukuze impi yakho ingalahlekelwa ngamandla ayo. 10Laba bantu, bakwa-Israyeli, abethembele emikhontweni kodwa ekuphakameni kwentaba abakhe kuyo, ngokuba akulula ukufinyelela eziqongweni zezintaba zabo.
11“Ngakho-ke nkosi yami, ungalwi nabo ngendlela ejwayelekile, uma wenze njalo akuyikuwa noyedwa wempi yakho. 12Hlala emadlangaleni akho, kanye nawo onke amabutho akho anamandla; thumela amabutho akho adle imithombo yamanzi asuka ezintabeni, 13ngokuba zonke izakhamuzi zaseBhethuliya zifumana amanzi azo kule mithombo. Bayakubulawa ngukoma, bese benikela imizi yabo kuwe. Okwamanje thina nabantu bethu sizakukhuphukela eziqongweni zezintaba eziseduze silinde khona ukuze sibone ukuthi akuphumi noyedwa emzini wabo. 14Bona nomkabo, nabantababo, bayakubhuqwabhuqwa yindlala baphele, bahlakazeke emigwaqeni abahlala kuyo ingafiki nakufika inkemba. 15Ngakho-ke uyakubuyisela okubi kubo, ngokuba beqinise amakhanda kabaze beza ukukwamukela ngokuthula.”
16La mazwi amthokozisa uHolofernesi kanye nazo zonke izinceku zakhe ezazinaye, wayeseyala ukuba kwenziwe njengokuba beshilo. 17Impi yabakwa-Amoni nezi-5 000 zabase-Asiriya yaya phambili, yaze yagoba amadlangala esigodini, yashaqa imithombo eletha amanzi kwa-Israyeli. 18Abakwa-Edomi nabakwa-Amoni bakhuphuka babuthisa kwelezintaba elibukana neDothani; bathumela amanye amadoda abo ngaseningizimu nangasempumalanga, ukuyela ngase-Egrebheli, eliseduze neShusi elisemithonjeni yaseMokhimuri. Abanye bempi yase-Asiriya basala ezimfundeni eziphansi, bagcwalisa ubuso bomhlaba, ngamatende abo, nezinqola zempahla yabo kwakusabalele indawo yonke njengobuningi bempi yabo, babeyimpi enkulu ngokumangalisayo.
19Abakwa-Israyeli base bekhala eNkosini uNkulunkulu wabo, ngokuba base bedangele emiphefumulweni yabo, lokhu zonke izitha zabo zase zibazungezile, futhi kungekho ntuba yokuphunyuka kuzo. 20Yonke impi yase-Asiriya, amabutho ahamba ngezinyawo, lawo agibele izinqola zempi kanye nagibele amahhashi, yahlala ibazungezile izinsuku ezingama34, zaze zoma zonke izimbiza zamanzi zezakhamuzi zaseBhethuliya; 21kanjalo nemithombo yabo, kwakungasekho lusuku lapho babenamanzi anele ukuba baphuze, ngokuba amanzi abo okuphuza ayelinganisiwe. 22Izingane zabo, nabesifazane kanye nezinsizwa baphelelwa ngamandla ngenxa yokoma, babewa ezitaladini kanye nasemasangweni omuzi; bengasenawo amandla.
23Ngakho-ke bonke abantu, izinsizwa, abesifazane, nabantwana, babuthana ku-Uziya nakumphathi womuzi bakhala ngezwi elikhulu bathi phambi kwazo zonke izingwevu: 24“UNkulunkulu makahlulele phakathi kwenu nathi! ngokuba nenze okubi kakhulu kithi ngokungalaleli kwenu anaze nenza uxolo nabase-Asiriya. 25Ngokuba manje asinamuntu ongasisiza; ngalokho uNkulunkulu usinikele ezandleni zabo ukuze sihlakazwe phambi kwabo somile futhi sikhathele kakhulu. 26Manje-ke babizeni ninikele kubo wonke lo muzi ube yimpango kubantu bakaHolofernesi kanye nempi yakhe.
27“Ngokuba kungcono kithi ukuba sibe yimpango kubo, sibe zigqila zabo isibili, kodwa ukuphila kwethu kuyakuhlengeka futhi asiyikubona ngamehlo ethu abancane bethu, nomkethu, nezingane zethu befa phambi kwethu. 28Sibiza izulu nomhlaba noNkulunkulu uqobo, iNkosi yokhokho bethu, ejezisa izono zethu nezokhokho bethu, ukuba babe ngofakazi phakathi kwethu nani, ukuthi yenzani namuhla njengazo zonke lezi zinto esizishilo kini!”
29Kwase kuba khona ukukhala nokulila okukhulu kwababebuthene, bakhala eNkosini uNkulunkulu ngezwi elikhulu. 30Kepha u-Uziya wathi kubo: “Yimani isibindi, bafowethu! Make siqinisele izinsuku nje zibe yisihlanu; hleze iNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu iphenduke ibe nesihawu kithi, ngokuba ayinakusilahla kuze kube sekugcineni. 31Kepha uma zedlula lezo zinsuku, futhi singalufumani usizo, ngiyokwenza njengamazwi enu.”
32Wayesebahlakaza abantu ukuba baphindele ezikanekisweni zabo, ezindongeni nasemibhoshongweni yomuzi. Abesifazane nezingane wabaphindisela emakhaya. Kwakukhona usizi olukhulu emzini.
