UThobiyase Ulungiselela Uhambo
1UThobiyase wase emphendula uyise uTobiti wathi: “Ngiyakukwenza konke ongitshele khona, baba; 2kodwa ngiyokwenza njani ukuba ngithole isiliva elikuGabayeli, lokhu engangazi futhi nami ngingamazi na? Luphawu luni engiyakumnika lona ukuze angibone, angethembe bese enginika isiliva na? Futhi kangiyazi indlela eya eMediya nokuthi kufinyelelwa kanjani khona.”
3UTobiti wase eyiphendula indodana yakhe uThobiyase ethi: “Wanginikeza uphawu oluyisiqiniseko, nami ngamnika olwami. Sehlukaniselana kwaba yilowo wathatha ingxenye, enye ngayibeka nesiliva. Sekuphele iminyaka engama-20 ngalibeka leli siliva. Ngakho-ke mntanami, zitholele indoda ethembekile uhambe nayo, siyakuyikhokhela iholo nize nibuye. Kepha landa lelo siliva elikuGabayeli.”
UThobiyase Uhlangana Nengelosi URafayeli
4UThobiyase wahamba wayofuna indoda azohamba nayo ukuya eMediya, indoda eyayiyazi indlela. Waphuma wafumana ingelosi uRafayeli imi ngaphambi kwakhe, engaboni ukuthi yingelosi kaNkulunkulu. 5UThobiyase wathi kuyo: “Uvelaphi nsizwa?”
Yaphendula yathi: “Emadodaneni ka-Israyeli, abafowenu ngize lapha ukuzosebenza.”
UThobiyase wayesethi kuye: “Uyayazi yini indlela eya eMediya na?”
6Yaphendula yathi: “Yebo sengike ngaya khona izikhathi eziningi; ngiyijwayele futhi ngiyayazi nemigwaqo yakhona. Ngikwejwayele ukuya eMediya, ngifike ngihlale nomhlobo wami, uGabayeli ohlala eRagesi eMediya. Iluhambo lwezinsuku ezimbili kusuka e-Ekbhathana kuya eRagesi; ngenxa yokuba isezintabeni, kanti ibe i-Ekbhathana iphakathi nethafa.”
7UThobiyase wayesethi kuyo: “Ngilinde nsizwa kengiyotshela ubaba; ngokuba ngiyadinga ukuba uhambe nami, futhi ngiyakukukhokhela iholo lakho.”
8Yaphendula yathi: “Kulungile, ngizakukulinda, kodwa ungalibali.”
9Ngakho-ke uThobiyase waya watshela uyise wathi kuye: “Ngiyitholile indoda engenye yabafowethu amadodana ka-Israyeli!” UTobiti wamphendula wathi: “Ibize le ndoda ingene, mntanami, ukuze ngazi ngayo nangomndeni wayo nokuthi ingeyasiphi isizwe, futhi yethembeke ngokwanele yini ukuthi ingahamba nawe.”
UTobiti Uhlangana NoRafayeli
10UThobiyase waphuma wayibiza le ndoda, wathi kuyo: “Nsizwa, ubaba uyakubiza.”
Nebala yangena, uTobiti wayibingelela kuqala. Yaphendula yathi: “Kuyintokozo enkulu ukukubona.”
Kepha uTobiti waphendula wathi: “Ntokozoni mina esangihlalele na? Ngiyindoda engasenamehlo; angikwazi nokubona nakukhanya kwezulu, kodwa ngilala ebumnyameni njengabafileyo abangasakuboni ukukhanya. Nakuba ngisaphila, ngiphakathi kwabafileyo. Ngiyabezwa abantu kodwa angikwazi ukubabona.”
Kepha insizwa yathi: “Mana isibindi; isikhathi sisondele sokuba uNkulunkulu akuphilise; yima isibindi.”
UTobiti wayesethi kuyo: “Indodana yami uThobiyase ifisa ukuya eMediya. Ungahamba nayo uyikhombise indlela na? Ngiyakukukhokhela iholo lakho, mfowethu.”
Yaphendula yathi: “Ngingahamba naye futhi ngiyayazi yonke imigwaqo, ngenxa yokuba ngihlala ngiya eMediya ngakho ngihlala nginqamula la mathafa, ngizijwayele nezintaba zakhona kanye nayo yonke imigwaqo yakhona.”
11UTobiti wayesethi kuyo: “Mfowethu, ungowamuphi umndeni futhi ungowasiphi isizwe na? Ngitshele mfowethu.”
12Yaphendula yathi: “Ufunelani ukwazi isizwe sami na?”
Kepha uTobiti wathi: “Ngifuna ukuba nesiqiniseko, mfowethu, ukuthi uyindodana kabani nokuthi lingubani ibizo lakho.”
13Yaphendula yathi: “Ngingu-Azariya, indodana ka-Ananiya omkhulu omunye wabahlobo bakho.”
14UTobiti wayesethi kuyo: “Ngiyakwemukela! UNkulunkulu abe nawe, mfowethu. Ungaphatheki kabi ngenxa yami, ngenxa yokuba ngifuna ukuba nesiqiniseko ngokhokho bakho. Sekuchachile ukuthi uyisihlobo, futhi ungowolibo oluhle noluhlonophekile. Ngokuba ngangibazi o-Ananiya noNathani, amadodana amabili kaShemeliya omkhulu, ayevame ukuya nami eJerusalema siyokhonza nawo lapho, futhi kawadukiswanga. Abomndeni wakho bangabantu abalungile kakhulu; uvela olibeni oluhle kakhulu. Ngiyakwemukela!”
15UTobiti waqhubeka wathi: “Ngiyakukukhokhela idrakhma ngosuku njengeholo lakho kanye nazo zonke izindleko zakho nendodana yami. Ngakho-ke hambani nendodana yami, 16futhi ngiyakunezela okuthile eholweni lakho.”
17URafayeli waphendula wathi: “Ngizakuhamba nayo; ngakho-ke ungesabi. Sizakuhamba sibuye siphila, ngenxa yokuba indlela iphephile.”
Ngakho uTobiti wathi kuyo: “INkosi mayikubusise, mfowethu.”
Wayesebiza indodana yakhe wathi kuyo: “Ndodana, lungisa umphako wendlela nihambe nomfowenu. Sengathi uNkulunkulu osezulwini anganipha indlela enhle nifike niphephile lapho niya khona, aphinde anibuyise niphilile; nengelosi yakhe, ihambe nani ndodana yami, niphile.”
Ngaphambi kokuba bahambe uThobiyase wanga uyise nonina. UTobiti wathi: “Ndlelanhle mfana wami.”
18Kepha unina waqala ukukhala, wathi kuTobiti, “Kungani ukuba uhambise umntanami na? Akasilo yini udondolo lwethu lapha ephuma engena phambi kwamehlo ethu na? 19Unganqwabeli imali phezu kwenye kodwa mayibe yisihlengo sendodana yethu. 20Ngoba impilo esiphe yona iNkosi iyasenelisa thina.”
21UTobiti wathi kuye: “Ungakhathazeki indodana yethu izohamba iphila ibuye iphila. Ngelinye ilanga amehlo akho ayoyibona ibuya iphilile. Thula! Ungesabi dadewethu. 22Ngokuba ingelosi kaNkulunkulu izohamba nabo, nohambo lwayo luzakuba yimpumelelo babuye bephila.”
23Wayeseyeka ukukhala.
