Deuteronomy 9
1 Hear, O Israel: Thou shalt go over the Jordan this day; to possess nations very great, and stronger than thyself, cities great, and walled 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 Enacims, whom thou hast seen, and heard of, against whom no man is able to stand.
Abantu abakhulu labade, abantwana bamaAnaki wena obaziyo, wena osuzwile ngabo kuthiwa: Ngubani ongema phambi kwabantwana bakaAnaki?
3 Thou shalt know therefore this day that the Lord thy God himself will pass over before thee, a devouring and consuming fire, to destroy and extirpate and bring them to nothing before thy face quickly, as he hath spoken to thee.
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 Say not in thy heart, when the Lord thy God shall have destroyed them in thy sight: For my justice hath the Lord brought me in to possess this land, whereas these nations are destroyed for their wickedness.
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 For it is not for thy justices, and the uprightness of thy heart that thou shalt go in to possess their lands: but because they have done wickedly, they are destroyed at thy coming in: and that the Lord might accomplish his word, which he promised by oath to thy fathers Abraham, Isaac, and 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 thy God giveth thee not this excellent land in possession for thy justices, for thou art a very stiffnecked 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 forget not how then provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that thou camest out of Egypt unto this place, thou hast always strove against the Lord.
Khumbula, ungakhohlwa, ukuthi wayithukuthelisa iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho enkangala; kusukela osukwini owaphuma ngalo elizweni leGibhithe laze lafika kulindawo, beliyivukela iNkosi.
8 For in Horeb also thou didst provoke him, and he was angry, and would have destroyed thee,
LeHorebe layithukuthelisa iNkosi, yaze yalithukuthelela iNkosi ukulichitha.
9 When I went up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, the tables of the covenant which the Lord made with you: and I continued in the mount forty days and nights, neither eating bread, nor drinking water.
Sengenyukele entabeni ukwemukela izibhebhe zamatshe, izibhebhe zesivumelwano iNkosi eyasenza lani, ngasengihlala entabeni insuku ezingamatshumi amane lobusuku obungamatshumi amane, angidlanga sinkwa, anginathanga manzi.
10 And the Lord gave me two tables of stone written with the finger of God, and containing all the words that he spoke to you in the mount from the midst of the Are, when the people were assembled together.
INkosi yasinginika lezozibhebhe ezimbili zamatshe zilotshwe ngomunwe kaNkulunkulu, laphezu kwazo kulotshiwe ngokwamazwi wonke iNkosi eyayiwakhulume lani entabeni, iphakathi komlilo ngosuku lokuhlangana.
11 And when forty days were passed, and as many nights, the Lord gave me the two tables of stone, the tables of the covenant,
Kwasekusithi ekupheleni kwensuku ezingamatshumi amane lobusuku obungamatshumi amane, iNkosi yangipha izibhebhe ezimbili zamatshe, izibhebhe zesivumelwano.
12 And said to me: Arise, and go down from hence quickly: for thy people, which thou hast brought out of Egypt, have quickly forsaken the way that thou hast shewn them, and have made to themselves a molten idol.
INkosi yasisithi kimi: Sukuma wehle ngokuphangisa usuke lapha, ngoba abantu bakho owabakhupha eGibhithe bonakalisile, baphambukile ngokuphangisa endleleni engabalaya yona, bazenzela isithombe esibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa.
13 And again the Lord said to me: I see that this people is stiffnecked:
INkosi yasikhuluma kimi isithi: Ngibabonile lababantu, khangela-ke, bangabantu abantamo zilukhuni.
14 Let me alone that I may destroy them, and abolish their name from under heaven, and set thee over a nation, that is greater and stronger than this.
Ngiyekela ukuze ngibabhubhise, ngesule ibizo labo lisuke ngaphansi kwamazulu; njalo ngizakwenza ube yisizwe esilamandla lesikhulu kulabo.
15 And when I came down from the burning mount, and held the two tables of the covenant with both hands,
Ngasengiphenduka ngisehla entabeni, lentaba yayivutha umlilo; lezibhebhe zombili zesivumelwano zazisezandleni zami zombili.
16 And saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God, and had made to yourselves a molten calf, and had quickly forsaken his way, which he had shewn you:
Ngasengibona, khangelani-ke, lalonile eNkosini uNkulunkulu wenu, lalizenzele ithole elibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa, laliphambukile ngokuphangisa endleleni iNkosi eyayililayile.
17 I cast the tables out of my hands, and broke them in your sight.
Ngasengibamba izibhebhe zombili, ngazilahla ezandleni zami zombili, ngazibulala phambi kwamehlo enu.
18 And I fell down before the Lord as before, forty days and nights neither eating bread, nor drinking water, for all your sins, which you had committed against the Lord, and had provoked him to wrath:
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 feared his indignation and anger, wherewith being moved against you, he would have destroyed you. And the Lord heard me this time also.
Ngoba ngangisesaba ukuthukuthela lolaka iNkosi eyayilithukuthelela ngakho ukulibhubhisa; kodwa iNkosi yangizwa langalesosikhathi.
20 And he was exceeding angry against Aaron also, and would have destroyed him, and I prayed in like manner for him.
INkosi yasimthukuthelela kakhulu uAroni ukuze imbhubhise; kodwa ngamkhulekela loAroni ngalesosikhathi.
21 And your sin that you had committed, that is, the calf, I took, and burned it with fire, and breaking it into pieces, until it was as small as dust, I threw it into the torrent, which cometh down from the mountain.
Ngasengithatha isono senu, ithole elalilenzile, ngalitshisa ngomlilo, ngalichoboza, ngalicholisisa laze laba lincinyane njengothuli; ngaphosa uthuli lwalo esifuleni esasisehla entabeni.
22 At the burning also, and at the place of temptation, and at the graves of lust you provoked the Lord:
LeTabera, leMasa, leKiribothi-Hathava laliyithukuthelisa iNkosi.
23 And when he sent you from Cadesbarne, saying: Go up, and possess the land that I have given you, and you slighted the commandment of the Lord your God, and did not believe him, neither would you hearken 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 But were always rebellious from the day that I began to know you.
Lalivele liyivukele iNkosi kusukela osukwini engalazi ngalo.
25 And I lay prostrate before the Lord forty days and nights, in which I humbly besought him, that he would not destroy you as he had threatened:
Ngasengiziwisela phansi phambi kweNkosi insuku ezingamatshumi amane lobusuku obungamatshumi amane, engaziwisela phansi ngazo, ngoba iNkosi yayithe izalichitha.
26 And praying, I said: O Lord God, destroy not thy people, and thy inheritance, which thou hast redeemed in thy greatness, whom thou hast brought out of Egypt with a strong hand.
Ngasengikhuleka eNkosini ngathi: Nkosi Jehova, ungabachithi abantu bakho lelifa lakho, obahlenge ngobukhulu bakho, owabakhupha eGibhithe ngesandla esilamandla.
27 Remember thy servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: look not on the stubbornness of this people, nor on their wickedness and sin:
Khumbula inceku zakho, uAbrahama, uIsaka, loJakobe; ungakhangeli inkani yalababantu lobubi babo lesono sabo,
28 Lest perhaps the inhabitants of the land, out of which thou hast brought us, say: The Lord could not bring them into the land that he promised them, and he hated them: therefore he brought them out, that he might 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 Who are thy people and thy inheritance, whom thou hast brought out by thy great strength, and in thy stretched out arm.
Kube kanti bangabantu bakho lelifa lakho, owabakhupha ngamandla akho amakhulu langengalo yakho eyeluliweyo.
