UYoshuwa undulula uRubhen noGadi nesiqingatha sikaManase
1UYoshuwa wabiza isizwe sakwaRubhen nesakwaGadi kunye nesiqingatha sesakwaManase sasempuma, 2wathi: “Nikufezile konke enakuyalelwa sisicaka *sikaNdikhoyo uMosis, nayithobela yonke imiyalelo yam. 3Unanamhla aniwashiyanga enyanyeni amawenu, koko ninyamekele ukuthobela umthetho kaNdikhoyo uThixo wenu. 4Ngoku ke uNdikhoyo uThixo wenu uwaphumzile amawenu, njengoko wathembisayo. Ke ngoko godukani niye kumhlaba ongowenu ongakwicala elingasempumalanga yeJordan, lowo nawunikwa nguMosis isicaka sikaNdikhoyo. 5Kambe maze ninyaniseke ngokupheleleyo ekuwuthobeleni umyalelo nomthetho eniwuwiselwe nguMosis isicaka sikaNdikhoyo, othi: ‘Mthande uNdikhoyo uThixo wakho; mthobele ezintweni zonke, uyigcine imiyalelo yakhe, unamathele kuye, umkhonze ngomxhelo wonke nangomoya wakho wonke.’ ”
6Emva koko ke uYoshuwa wabasikelela wabandulula bagoduka. 7Kaloku uMosis wayabele isiqingatha sesizwe sakwaManase umhlaba eBhashan, kanti ke yena uYoshuwa wabela esinye isiqingatha sesizwe sakwaManase umhlaba ongasentshona kweJordan kunye namawabo.
UYoshuwa wabandulula wabasikelela wathi: 8“Ngoku nigoduka nizizityebi, ninemfuyo eninzi, nesiliva, negolide, ubhedu, nentsimbi, nemfumba yezambatho. Ze niwabele amawenu kumaxhoba eniwafumene ezintshabeni.”
9AmaRubhen namaGadi nesiqingatha samaManase bagoduka. Amanye amaSirayeli bawashiya apho eShilo kwelamaKanana, basinga kwelakowabo eGiliyadi, ababeyifumene ngokomyalelo kaNdikhoyo kuMosis.
Ukusonjululwa kwengxaki yeqonga lamadini
10Zathi zakufika eGeliloti ngaseJordan eKanana izizwe zakwaRubhen nakwaGadi noManase osempuma, zakha into enkulu yeqonga lamadini apho phezu komlambo. 11AmaSirayeli eva kusithiwa: “Khangelani uRubhen noGadi nesiqingatha sikaManase bakhe iqonga lamadini emdeni welaseKanana nganeno apha eGeliloti phezu komlambo iJordan!” 12Yakuvakala loo nto lonke ibandla lakwaSirayeli lahlangana eShilo, lizilungiselela ukuhlasela izizwe ezingaphesheya, empumalanga yeJordan.
13AmaSirayeli athuma umbingeleli uPineyasi unyana kaElazare kwaRubhen nakwaGadi nakwaManase ongaphesheya eGiliyadi. 14UPineyasi wahamba neshumi lamadoda aziinkokheli zezizwe ezilishumi zakwaSirayeli. La madoda ayeziintloko zezindlu. 15Baya kufika eGiliyadi kwaRubhen, kwaGadi, nakwaManase ongasempuma, bafika bathi: 16“Sithetha nje, sithetha egameni lebandla likaNdikhoyo liphela. Niyenzeleni into embi kangaka ngokungathembeki kuThixo kaSirayeli? Yini na ukuba nityeke kuNdikhoyo ngokuzakhela iqonga lamadini, nivukelane naye ngoku? 17Khange bube sisifundo na ubugwenxa obenzeke ePehore Kaloku uNdikhoyo wabetha ibandla xa lilonke ngobhubhani. Ngaba unanamhla anikahlanjululwa na kobo bugwenxa, 18le nto nityekayo ekumlandeleni uNdikhoyo? Xa namhlanje nimvukela uNdikhoyo, ngomso kosa eliqumbele lonke ibandla lakwaSirayeli. 19Xa umhlaba wenu ugqwalisekile, ngani ningaweli iJordan nje, niye apho simiyo *isibingelelo sikaNdikhoyo ezweni lakhe, nize kuma apha phakathi kwethu? Yekani ukumvukela uNdikhoyo nize nathi nisifake kolo vukelo lwenu ngokwenza qonga limbi lingelilo likaNdikhoyo uThixo wethu. 20Ngaba senikulibele ukungathembeki kuka-Akana unyana kaZera, owathatha amaxhoba amakatshatyalaliswe, kwaza ngenxa yeso senzo kohlwaywa lonke ibandla lakwaSirayeli? UAkana akazange afe yedwa ngenxa yesono sakhe.”
21Oonyana bakaRubhen, noonyana bakaGadi, nesiqingatha sikaManase, benjenje ukuphendula iintloko zezizwe zakwaSirayeli: 22“Oyena unguThixo nguNdikhoyo! Ewe, oyena unguThixo nguye uNdikhoyo! Nguye owaziyo ukuba sikwenzeleni na oku, yaye nani sifuna nazi. Ukuba oku sikwenze ngokungathembeki kuNdikhoyo, okanye ngokumvukela, masingasindi ekufeni namhlanje. 23Yaye ukuba ngeli qonga sityekile ekumlandeleni uNdikhoyo ngokwenzela kulo amadini ethu atshiswayo, nawokudla, nawobudlelane, makasuke asigwebe yena ngenkqu. 24Hayi bo! Elaa qonga silenze ngenxa yexhala lokuba kwixesha elizayo abantwana benu basenokuthi kubantwana bethu: ‘Uyintoni kuni kakade uNdikhoyo uThixo kaSirayeli? 25Akanto yakwenza nani maRubhen namaGadi; wasahlula nani ngokwenza iJordan umda.’ Loo nto ke ingabangela ukuba abantwana bethu bayeke ukunqula uNdikhoyo. 26Kungoko ke satshoyo ukuthi: ‘Masakhe iqonga, kodwa kungabi ngenjongo yakunikela madini naminikelo kulo.’ 27Hayi, sisitsho nje besisenzela thina nani, nezizukulwana ezizayo, ubungqina bokuba ngenene uNdikhoyo simnqula esibingelelweni sakhe ngamadini atshiswayo, nawobudlelane, nangeminikelo. Besisenzela ukuba abantwana benu bangaze bathi kwabethu: ‘Aninasabelo nina nanto yakwenza kuNdikhoyo.’ 28Thina besiba abantwana bethu babeya kuthi xa ithe yehla into enjalo: ‘Naliya iqonga elifana nqwa neliya likaNdikhoyo lakhiwa ngoobawo. Ewe kambe, asililo lamadini neminikelo, lona lilingqina kumawethu nakumawenu.’ 29Asingeke ke thina sivukele uNdikhoyo okanye sityeke kuye ngokwakha iqonga lamadini neminikelo elilelinye. ElikaNdikhoyo uThixo wethu lona limi esibingelelweni sakhe.”
30OoPineyasi neentloko zakwaSirayeli kunye nezezindlu, banela bakuba beyivile impendulo yamaRubhen namaGadi kunye neyesiqingatha samaManase. 31Umbingeleli uPineyasi, unyana kaElazare, wathi kuwo: “Ngoku siyazi ukuba uNdikhoyo uphakathi kwethu; animvukelanga. Ngoko ke amaSirayeli ephela asindile kumsindo wakhe.”
32UPineyasi ke neentloko zamaSirayeli bemka kwaRubhen nakwaGadi eGiliyadi, babuyela eKanana, baya kwenza ingxelo kumaSirayeli. 33Aneliseka yiloo ngxelo amaSirayeli, atsho abonga uThixo; akabi sathetha ngakuhlasela awutshabalalise umhlaba wamaRubhen namaGadi.
34Baza ke abantu bakwaRubhen nakwaGadi balibiza elo qonga ngokuthi: “Lingqina kuthi sonke ukuba uNdikhoyo unguThixo.” Baza ke bathi ukulibiza liNgqina.
