Deuteronomy 9
1 Hear, Israel! You are to pass over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to the sky,
Zwana, Israyeli; uzachapha iJordani lamuhla, ukungenela ukudla ilifa lezizwe ezinkulu lezilamandla kulawe, imizi emikhulu ebiyelwe ngemithangala efika emazulwini.
2 a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard say, “Who can stand before the sons of Anak?”
Abantu abakhulu labade, abantwana bamaAnaki wena obaziyo, wena osuzwile ngabo kuthiwa: Ngubani ongema phambi kwabantwana bakaAnaki?
3 Know therefore today that the LORD your God is he who goes over before you as a devouring fire. He will destroy them and he will bring them down before you. So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as the LORD has spoken to you.
Ngakho yazi lamuhla ukuthi yiNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho echapha phambi kwakho, engumlilo oqothulayo; yona izabachitha, njalo yona izabehlisela phansi phambi kwakho; njalo lizabaxotsha basuke elifeni labo, libabhubhise masinyane, njengokutsho kweNkosi kuwe.
4 Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out from before you, “For my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land;” because the LORD drives them out before you because of the wickedness of these nations.
Ungakhulumi enhliziyweni yakho, lapho iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho isibaxotshile phambi kwakho, usithi: Ngenxa yokulunga kwami iNkosi ingingenise ukudla ilifa lelizwe leli. Kodwa ngenxa yobubi balezizizwe iNkosi izixotsha zisuke elifeni lazo phambi kwakho.
5 Not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart do you go in to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God does drive them out from before you, and that he may establish the word which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
Kakungenxa yokulunga kwakho kumbe ngenxa yobuqotho benhliziyo yakho ukuthi ungene ukudla ilifa lelizwe lazo; kodwa ngenxa yobubi balezizizwe iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho izixotsha zisuke elifeni lazo phambi kwakho, lokuthi iqinise ilizwi iNkosi eyalifungela oyihlo, uAbrahama, uIsaka loJakobe.
6 Know therefore that the LORD your God does not give you this good land to possess for your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.
Yazi-ke ukuthi kakungenxa yokulunga kwakho ukuthi iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ikunika lelilizwe elihle ukuthi udle ilifa lalo; ngoba uyisizwe esilentamo elukhuni.
7 Remember, and do not forget, how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD.
Khumbula, ungakhohlwa, ukuthi wayithukuthelisa iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho enkangala; kusukela osukwini owaphuma ngalo elizweni leGibhithe laze lafika kulindawo, beliyivukela iNkosi.
8 Also in Horeb you provoked the LORD to wrath, and the LORD was angry with you to destroy you.
LeHorebe layithukuthelisa iNkosi, yaze yalithukuthelela iNkosi ukulichitha.
9 When I had gone up onto the mountain to receive the stone tablets, even the tablets of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water.
Sengenyukele entabeni ukwemukela izibhebhe zamatshe, izibhebhe zesivumelwano iNkosi eyasenza lani, ngasengihlala entabeni insuku ezingamatshumi amane lobusuku obungamatshumi amane, angidlanga sinkwa, anginathanga manzi.
10 The LORD delivered to me the two stone tablets written with God’s finger. On them were all the words which the LORD spoke with you on the mountain out of the middle of the fire in the day of the assembly.
INkosi yasinginika lezozibhebhe ezimbili zamatshe zilotshwe ngomunwe kaNkulunkulu, laphezu kwazo kulotshiwe ngokwamazwi wonke iNkosi eyayiwakhulume lani entabeni, iphakathi komlilo ngosuku lokuhlangana.
11 It came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights that the LORD gave me the two stone tablets, even the tablets of the covenant.
Kwasekusithi ekupheleni kwensuku ezingamatshumi amane lobusuku obungamatshumi amane, iNkosi yangipha izibhebhe ezimbili zamatshe, izibhebhe zesivumelwano.
12 The LORD said to me, “Arise, get down quickly from here; for your people whom you have brought out of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned away from the way which I commanded them. They have made a molten image for themselves!”
INkosi yasisithi kimi: Sukuma wehle ngokuphangisa usuke lapha, ngoba abantu bakho owabakhupha eGibhithe bonakalisile, baphambukile ngokuphangisa endleleni engabalaya yona, bazenzela isithombe esibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa.
13 Furthermore the LORD spoke to me, saying, “I have seen these people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people.
INkosi yasikhuluma kimi isithi: Ngibabonile lababantu, khangela-ke, bangabantu abantamo zilukhuni.
14 Leave me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under the sky; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.”
Ngiyekela ukuze ngibabhubhise, ngesule ibizo labo lisuke ngaphansi kwamazulu; njalo ngizakwenza ube yisizwe esilamandla lesikhulu kulabo.
15 So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire. The two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands.
Ngasengiphenduka ngisehla entabeni, lentaba yayivutha umlilo; lezibhebhe zombili zesivumelwano zazisezandleni zami zombili.
16 I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the LORD your God. You had made yourselves a molded calf. You had quickly turned away from the way which the LORD had commanded you.
Ngasengibona, khangelani-ke, lalonile eNkosini uNkulunkulu wenu, lalizenzele ithole elibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa, laliphambukile ngokuphangisa endleleni iNkosi eyayililayile.
17 I took hold of the two tablets, and threw them out of my two hands, and broke them before your eyes.
Ngasengibamba izibhebhe zombili, ngazilahla ezandleni zami zombili, ngazibulala phambi kwamehlo enu.
18 I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you sinned, in doing that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, to provoke him to anger.
Ngasengiziwisela phansi phambi kweNkosi njengakuqala, insuku ezingamatshumi amane lobusuku obungamatshumi amane, ngingadli sinkwa, nginganathi manzi, ngenxa yaso sonke isono senu elisonileyo, lisenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi, liyithukuthelisa.
19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which the LORD was angry against you to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me that time also.
Ngoba ngangisesaba ukuthukuthela lolaka iNkosi eyayilithukuthelela ngakho ukulibhubhisa; kodwa iNkosi yangizwa langalesosikhathi.
20 The LORD was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him. I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.
INkosi yasimthukuthelela kakhulu uAroni ukuze imbhubhise; kodwa ngamkhulekela loAroni ngalesosikhathi.
21 I took your sin, the calf which you had made, and burned it with fire, and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. I threw its dust into the brook that descended out of the mountain.
Ngasengithatha isono senu, ithole elalilenzile, ngalitshisa ngomlilo, ngalichoboza, ngalicholisisa laze laba lincinyane njengothuli; ngaphosa uthuli lwalo esifuleni esasisehla entabeni.
22 At Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth Hattaavah you provoked the LORD to wrath.
LeTabera, leMasa, leKiribothi-Hathava laliyithukuthelisa iNkosi.
23 When the LORD sent you from Kadesh Barnea, saying, “Go up and possess the land which I have given you,” you rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and you did not believe him or listen to his voice.
Lalapho iNkosi yalithuma lisuka eKadeshi-Bhaneya isithi: Yenyukani, lidle ilifa lelizwe engilinike lona, laselihlamukela umlayo weNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, kaliyikholwanga, kalilalelanga ilizwi layo.
24 You have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you.
Lalivele liyivukele iNkosi kusukela osukwini engalazi ngalo.
25 So I fell down before the LORD the forty days and forty nights that I fell down, because the LORD had said he would destroy you.
Ngasengiziwisela phansi phambi kweNkosi insuku ezingamatshumi amane lobusuku obungamatshumi amane, engaziwisela phansi ngazo, ngoba iNkosi yayithe izalichitha.
26 I prayed to the LORD, and said, “Lord GOD, do not destroy your people and your inheritance that you have redeemed through your greatness, that you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.
Ngasengikhuleka eNkosini ngathi: Nkosi Jehova, ungabachithi abantu bakho lelifa lakho, obahlenge ngobukhulu bakho, owabakhupha eGibhithe ngesandla esilamandla.
27 Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not look at the stubbornness of this people, nor at their wickedness, nor at their sin,
Khumbula inceku zakho, uAbrahama, uIsaka, loJakobe; ungakhangeli inkani yalababantu lobubi babo lesono sabo,
28 lest the land you brought us out from say, ‘Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which he promised to them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.’
hlezi ilizwe owasikhupha kilo lithi: Ngenxa yokuthi iNkosi yayingelamandla okubangenisa elizweni eyabathembisa lona, langenxa yokuthi ibazonda, yabakhupha ukuze ibabulalele enkangala.
29 Yet they are your people and your inheritance, which you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.”
Kube kanti bangabantu bakho lelifa lakho, owabakhupha ngamandla akho amakhulu langengalo yakho eyeluliweyo.
