< UDutheronomi 1 >

1 La ngamazwi akhulunywa nguMosi kubo bonke abako-Israyeli enkangala, empumalanga yeJodani, lokhu kuyikuthi, e-Arabha, maqondana leSufi, phakathi kwePharani leThofeli, eLabhani, eHazerothi kanye laseDizahabi.
These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suf, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
2 (Loluhambo luthatha insuku ezilitshumi lanye ukusuka eHorebhi kusiya eKhadeshi Bhaneya ngomgwaqo odlula eNtabeni yaseSeyiri.)
It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.
3 Ngomnyaka wamatshumi amane, ngosuku lwakuqala lwenyanga yetshumi lanye, uMosi wamemezela kwabako-Israyeli konke lokho uThixo ayemlaye ngakho ngabo.
In the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him in commandment to them,
4 Lokhu kwakungemva kokuba esenqobe uSihoni inkosi yama-Amori, owayebusa eHeshibhoni, njalo wayesenqobe e-Edreyi u-Ogi inkosi yaseBhashani, owayebusa e-Ashitharothi.
after he had struck Sihon the king of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth, at Edrei.
5 Empumalanga kweJodani elizweni laseMowabi, uMosi waqalisa ukufundisa ngalo umthetho, esithi:
Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began to declare this law, saying,
6 “UThixo uNkulunkulu wethu wakhuluma lathi siseHorebhi wathi, ‘Selihlale isikhathi eseneleyo kule intaba.
“The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying, ‘You have lived long enough at this mountain.
7 Dilizani izihonqo zenu ledlulele elizweni lamaqaqa lama-Amori; yanini kubo bonke abangomakhelwane e-Arabha, ezintabeni, emawatheni angentshonalanga, eNegebi lilandelele ukhumbi, liye ezweni lamaKhenani kanye laseLebhanoni, lidabule lize liyefika emfuleni omkhulu, iYufrathe.
Turn, and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the places near there: in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the lowland, in the South, by the seashore, in the land of the Canaanites, and in Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.
8 Khangelani, sengiliphile lelilizwe. Ngenani lilithumbe lelilizwe uThixo afunga wathi uzalipha okhokho benu, u-Abhrahama, u-Isaka, uJakhobe kanye lezizukulwane zabo emva kwabo.’”
Behold, I have set the land before you. Go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers—to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob—to give to them and to their offspring after them.’”
9 “Ngalesosikhathi ngathi kini, ‘Lina lingumthwalo omkhulu kakhulu onzima ukuthi ngiwuthwale ngingedwa.
I spoke to you at that time, saying, “I am not able to bear you myself alone.
10 UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu usengezelele amanani enu okokuthi lamuhla selilingana lezinkanyezi zemkhathini.
The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as the stars of the sky for multitude.
11 Sengathi uThixo, uNkulunkulu wabokhokho benu, angalibusisa njalo alandise ngokuphindwe kankulungwane njengokuthembisa kwakhe!
May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you!
12 Kodwa ngingazithwala njani inhlupho zenu lemithwalo yenu kanye lezingxabano zenu ngingedwa na?
How can I myself alone bear your problems, your burdens, and your strife?
13 Khethani amadoda akhaliphileyo, azwisisayo lahloniphekayo phakathi kwezizwana zakini zonke, mina ngizawabeka alikhokhele.’
Take wise men of understanding who are respected amongst your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.”
14 Langiphendula lathi, ‘Lokho ofisa ukukwenza kulungile.’
You answered me, and said, “The thing which you have spoken is good to do.”
15 Ngakho ngathatha abakhokheli bezizwana zenu, amadoda akhaliphileyo njalo ahloniphekayo, ngabanika amandla phezu kwenu ukuze babe ngabalawuli bezinkulungwane, bamakhulu, bamatshumi amahlanu, betshumi kanye lokuba yizikhulu zezizwana zenu.
So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and respected men, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, captains of hundreds, captains of fifties, captains of tens, and officers, according to your tribes.
16 Njalo ngapha isiqondiso kubahluleli ngalesosikhathi ngathi: ‘Hluzani ingxabano phakathi kwabafowenu njalo lahlulele ngokufaneleyo, kungakhathalekile ukuthi yingxabano phakathi kwabako-Israyeli bodwa loba kungowako-Israyeli oxabana lowezizweni.
I commanded your judges at that time, saying, “Hear cases between your brothers and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the foreigner who is living with him.
17 Lingathathi hlangothi ekwahluleleni; hluzani amacala abancinyane labakhulu ngokufananayo. Lingesabi loba ngubani, ngoba ukwahlulela ngokukaNkulunkulu. Kuthi icala elinzima lililethe kimi, ngizalihluza ngilahlulele.’
You shall not show partiality in judgement; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgement is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.”
18 Njalo ngalesosikhathi ngalitshela konke okwakumele likwenze.”
I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.
19 “Kwathi-ke, njengoba uThixo wethu wayesilayile, sasuka eHorebhi saqonda ezweni lama-Amori elilamaqaqa sadabula inkangala enkulu eyesabekayo eseliyibonile, saze sayafika eKhadeshi Bhaneya.
We travelled from Horeb and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw, by the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh Barnea.
20 Ngakho ngathi kini, ‘Selifikile elizweni lama-Amori elamaqaqa, ilizwe uThixo uNkulunkulu wethu asinika lona.
I said to you, “You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God gives to us.
21 Khangelani, uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uselinike lelilizwe. Hambani lilithumbe njengoba uThixo, uNkulunkulu wabokhokho benu alitshela. Lingesabi; lingadangali.’
Behold, the LORD your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the LORD the God of your fathers has spoken to you. Don’t be afraid, neither be dismayed.”
22 Kusenjalo lina lonke leza kimi lathi, ‘Asithumeni amadoda ahambe phambili ayehlola lelolizwe abuye azositshengisa indlela esizangena ngayo kanye leyokuthumba amadolobho esizafikela kuwo.’
You came near to me, everyone of you, and said, “Let’s send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we must go up, and the cities to which we shall come.”
23 Lokho kwakhanya kungumbono omuhle kimi; lakanye ngakhetha abalitshumi lababili phakathi kwenu, indoda eyodwa esizwaneni ngasinye.
The thing pleased me well. I took twelve of your men, one man for every tribe.
24 Basuka baya ezweni lamaqaqa njalo bafika bahlola isihotsha sase-Eshikholi.
They turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the valley of Eshcol, and spied it out.
25 Bathatha ezinye izithelo zelizwe babuya lazo kithi, njalo bethula umbiko othi, ‘Yilizwe elihle uThixo uNkulunkulu wethu asipha lona.’”
They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us, and brought us word again, and said, “It is a good land which the LORD our God gives to us.”
26 “Kodwa lina lalingazimiselanga ukuhamba; lahlamukela uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ngokungalaleli umlayo wakhe.
Yet you wouldn’t go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God.
27 Lina lakhonona lisemathenteni enu lathi, ‘UThixo uyasizonda; kutsho ukuthi wasikhipha eGibhithe ukuze asinikele ezandleni zama-Amori ukuthi asibhubhise.
You murmured in your tents, and said, “Because the LORD hated us, he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us.
28 Singaya ngaphi na? Abafowethu sebesithelele ubuthakathaka. Bathi bona, “Abantu bakhona balamandla njalo bade kulathi; amadolobho akhona makhulu, alemiduli etshaya emkhathini. Size sabona lama-Anakhi khonale.”’
Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our heart melt, saying, ‘The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to the sky. Moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there!’”
29 Mina ngasengisithi kini, ‘Lingethuki; lingabesabi.
Then I said to you, “Don’t be terrified. Don’t be afraid of them.
30 UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ohamba phambi kwenu uzalilwela, njengalokho alenzela khona eGibhithe lizibonela ngamehlo enu,
The LORD your God, who goes before you, he will fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,
31 njalo lasenkangala. Khonale lazibonela ukuthi uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu walithwala, njengobaba ethwala indodana yakhe, uhambo lwenu lonke laze lafika lapha.’
and in the wilderness where you have seen how that the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went, until you came to this place.”
32 Lanxa kunjalo, kalizange limethembe uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu,
Yet in this thing you didn’t believe the LORD your God,
33 yena owahamba phambi kwenu kuloluhambo, elikhokhela ngomlilo ebusuku kanti kusiba leyezi emini, elidingela izindawo zokumisa izihonqo zenu lokulitshengisa lapho okumele liye khona.
who went before you on the way, to seek out a place for you to pitch your tents in: in fire by night, to show you by what way you should go, and in the cloud by day.
34 Kwathi uThixo esezwile elalikutsho, wathukuthela, wafunga wathi:
The LORD heard the voice of your words and was angry, and swore, saying,
35 ‘Kakho loyedwa kulesisizukulwane esingalunganga ozalibona lelolizwe engafungela ukulipha okhokho benu,
“Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land which I swore to give to your fathers,
36 ngaphandle kukaKhalebi indodana kaJefune. Yena uzalibona, njalo ngizamupha yena lesizukulwane sakhe lelolizwe azafikela kilo, ngoba walalela uThixo ngenhliziyo yakhe yonke.’
except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it. I will give the land that he has trodden on to him and to his children, because he has wholly followed the LORD.”
37 Ngenxa yenu uThixo wangithukuthelela lami njalo wathi, ‘Wena lawe awuyikungena khona.
Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, “You also shall not go in there.
38 Kodwa umsekeli wakho, uJoshuwa indodana kaNuni, uzangena kulelolizwe. Umkhuthaze yena, ngoba uzakhokhela abako-Israyeli kulo ukuba libe yilifa labo.
Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
39 Kanti njalo lalabo abancane elalisithi bazathunjwa, abantwabenu abangakehlukanisi phakathi kokubi lokuhle, bazangena kulelolizwe. Ngizabapha lona njalo bazalithatha libe ngelabo.
Moreover your little ones, whom you said would be captured or killed, your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, shall go in there. I will give it to them, and they shall possess it.
40 Kodwa lina, phendukani njalo lisuke liqonde enkangala lilandele indlela eya oLwandle oluBomvu.’
But as for you, turn, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way to the Sea of Suf.”
41 Lina laphendula lathi, ‘Sonile kuThixo. Sizahamba siyekulwa, njengokulaywa kwethu nguThixo uNkulunkulu wethu.’ Ngalokho lonke lahloma ngezikhali linakana ukuthi kulula ukungena elizweni lamaqaqa.
Then you answered and said to me, “We have sinned against the LORD. We will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us.” Every man of you put on his weapons of war, and presumed to go up into the hill country.
42 Kodwa uThixo wathi kimi, ‘Wothi kubo, “Lingayi ukuyakulwa, ngoba kangiyikuba lani. Lizakwehlulwa yizitha zenu.”’
The LORD said to me, “Tell them, ‘Don’t go up and don’t fight; for I am not amongst you, lest you be struck before your enemies.’”
43 Ngakho ngalitshela, kodwa kalizange lilalele. Lahlamukela umlayo kaThixo kwathi ngobuqholo benu layangena elizweni lamaqaqa.
So I spoke to you, and you didn’t listen; but you rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and were presumptuous, and went up into the hill country.
44 Kwathi ama-Amori ayehlala kulawomaqaqa alihlangabeza alihlasela; alixotsha njengomtshitshi wenyosi, alibhuqa kusukela eSeyiri indlela yonke kusiya eHoma.
The Amorites, who lived in that hill country, came out against you and chased you as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, even to Hormah.
45 Laphenduka lafika lakhala phambi kukaThixo kodwa kazange alalele ukukhala kwenu walifulathela.
You returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD didn’t listen to your voice, nor turn his ear to you.
46 Ngakho lahlala eKhadeshi okwensuku ezinengi, okwesikhathi sonke elasichitha likhonale.”
So you stayed in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you remained.

< UDutheronomi 1 >