Deuteronomy 9
1 “Hear, O Israel: You are passing over the Jordan today to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to the heavens,
“Zwana, We Israyeli. Khathesi ususiyachapha iJodani ukuze ungene uyethathela izizwe ezinkulu ezilamandla kulawe, ezilamadolobho amakhulu alemiduli etshaya emkhathini.
2 a people great and tall, sons of Anakim, whom you have known, and [of whom] you have heard: Who stations himself before sons of Anak?
Abantu bakhona balamandla njalo bade, ngama-Anakhi. Liyakwazi konke ngabo njalo selike layizwa indumela yabo yokuthi: ‘Ngubani ongamelana lama-Anakhi?’
3 And you have known today that your God YHWH [is] He who is passing over before you [as] a consuming fire; He destroys them, and He humbles them before you, and you have dispossessed them, and destroyed them quickly, as YHWH has spoken to you.
Kodwa qinisekani lamuhla ngoba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu nguye ozachapha phambi kwenu njengomlilo otshisa ubhuqe. UThixo uzababhubhisa; uzabanyathela phambi kwenu. Lizabaxotsha libabhubhise masinyane, njengokuthembisa kukaThixo.
4 You do not speak in your heart (in your God YHWH’s driving them away from before you), saying, In my righteousness YHWH has brought me in to possess this land; but in YHWH dispossessing these nations from your presence, [it is because of] their being wicked.
Ngemva kokuba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu esebanqobile phambi kwenu, lingabozikhohlisa lisithi, ‘UThixo ungilethe lapha ukuba ngilithathe libe ngelami lelilizwe ngenxa yokulunga kwami.’ Akunjalo, kungenxa yezono zalezizizwe okuzakwenza ukuthi uThixo azisuse phambi kwakho.
5 [It is] not in your righteousness and in the uprightness of your heart [that] you are going in to possess their land, but in YHWH dispossessing these nations from your presence, [it is because of] their being wicked, and in order to establish the word which YHWH has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob;
Akusikho ukuthi kungenxa yokulunga kwakho loba ukuziphatha ngobuntu bakho okuzakwenza ungene kulelolizwe ulithathe; kodwa kungenxa yezono zalezozizwe, uThixo uNkulunkulu wakho uzazixotsha phambi kwakho lezizizwe ukuze kugcwaliseke isifungo uThixo wakho asenza kuboyihlo, u-Abhrahama, u-Isaka kanye loJakhobe.
6 and you have known that [it is] not in your righteousness [that] your God YHWH is giving this good land to you to possess it, for you [are] a people stiff of neck.
Zwisisa manje, ukuthi akungenxa yokulunga kwakho ukuthi uThixo uNkulunkulu wakho ukunika lelilizwe ukuba libe ngelakho, ngoba lina simo senu lingontamozilukhuni.”
7 Remember [and] do not forget that [with] which you have made your God YHWH angry in the wilderness; from the day that you have come out of the land of Egypt until your coming to this place, you have been rebellious against YHWH;
“Khumbulani lokhu njalo lingakhohlwa ukuthi lamthukuthelisa njani uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu enkangala waze wazonda. Kusukela ngosuku elasuka ngalo eGibhithe lize lizofika lapha, belilokhu lihlamukela uThixo.
8 even in Horeb you have made YHWH angry, and YHWH shows Himself angry against you—to destroy you.
EHorebhi lavusa ulaka lukaThixo ngalokho wazonda okokuthi wayezalibhubhisa.
9 In my going up into the mountain to receive the tablets of stone (tablets of the covenant which YHWH has made with you), then I abide on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I have not eaten bread and I have not drunk water;
Kwathi ekukhweleni kwami intaba ngisiyakwamukela izibhebhedu zamatshe, izibhebhedu zesivumelwano uThixo asenza lani, ngahlala entabeni okwensuku ezingamatshumi amane lobusuku obungamatshumi amane; angidlanga sinkwa njalo angizange nginathe amanzi.
10 and YHWH gives to me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them [is] according to all the words which YHWH has spoken with you on the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, in the day of the assembly.
UThixo wanginika izibhebhedu zamatshe ezimbili okwakulotshwe kuzo ngomunwe kaNkulunkulu. Kulezizibhebhedu kwakulotshwe yonke imilayo eyayethulwe nguThixo kini phezu kwentaba ephakathi komlilo, ngosuku lombuthano.
11 And it comes to pass, at the end of forty days and forty nights, YHWH has given the two tablets of stone to me—tablets of the covenant.
Ekupheleni kwensuku ezingamatshumi amane njalo lobusuku obungamatshumi amane, uThixo wangipha izibhebhedu zamatshe ezimbili, izibhebhedu zesivumelwano.
12 Then YHWH says to me, Rise, go down, hurry from here, for your people whom you have brought out of Egypt have done corruptly; they have quickly turned aside from the way which I have commanded them—they have made a molten thing for themselves!
UThixo wangitshela wathi, ‘Suka lapha wehle ngokuphangisa, ngoba abantu bakho owabakhupha eGibhithe sebexhwalile. Sebephambukile masinyane kulokho engangibalaye ngakho njalo sebezibumbele isithombe.’
13 And YHWH speaks to me, saying, I have seen this people, and behold, it [is] a people stiff of neck.
UThixo wathi kimi, ‘Sengibabonile lababantu, njalo bangontamozilukhuni ngeqiniso!
14 Desist from Me, and I destroy them, and blot out their name from under the heavens, and I make you become a nation more mighty and numerous than it.
Ngiyekela ukuze ngibabhubhise njalo ngesule amabizo abo ngaphansi kwamazulu. Njalo ngizakwenza ube yisizwe esilamandla futhi esikhulu kulesabo.’
15 And I turn and come down from the mountain, and the mountain is burning with fire, and the two tablets of the covenant [are] on my two hands,
Ngasengiphenduka ngehla entabeni yona ivutha ilangabi lomlilo. Kanti njalo izibhebhedu zombili zesivumelwano zazisezandleni zami.
16 and I see, and behold, you have sinned against your God YHWH; you have made a molten calf for yourselves; you have quickly turned aside from the way which YHWH has commanded you.
Ngathi ngiyakhangela ngabona ukuthi lonile phambi kukaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu; laselizibumbele isithombe esibunjwe ngesimo sethole. Laseliphambukile masinyane lasuka endleleni uThixo ayelilaye ngayo.
17 And I lay hold on the two tablets, and cast them out of my two hands, and break them before your eyes,
Ngalokho ngathatha izibhebhedu zombili ezazisezandleni zami ngazisakazela phansi, zaphahlazeka zaba yizicucu phambi kwenu.
18 and I throw myself before YHWH, as at first, [for] forty days and forty nights; I have not eaten bread and I have not drunk water, because of all your sins which you have sinned by doing evil in the eyes of YHWH, to make Him angry.
Kanti-ke njalo ngazilahla ngawa phambi kukaThixo okwensuku ezingamatshumi amane njalo lobusuku obungamatshumi amane; angidlanga sinkwa njalo angizange nginathe amanzi, ngenxa yezono zonke elaselizidalile, lisenza okubi emehlweni kaThixo njalo lamthukuthelisa waze wazonda.
19 For I have been afraid because of the anger and the fury with which YHWH has been angry against you, to destroy you; and YHWH also listens to me at this time.
Ngesaba intukuthelo lolaka lukaThixo, ngoba wayezonde kangangokuba wayengalibhubhisa. Kodwa-ke futhi uThixo wangilalela.
20 And YHWH has showed Himself very angry with Aaron, to destroy him, and I also pray for Aaron at that time.
UThixo wamthukuthelela u-Aroni kangangokuba wayengamtshabalalisa, kodwa-ke ngalesosikhathi laye u-Aroni ngamkhulekela.
21 And I have taken your sin, the calf which you have made, and I burn it with fire, and beat it, grinding well until it [is] small as dust, and I cast its dust into the brook which is going down out of the mountain.
Ngabuye ngathatha into yokona kwenu, ithole leli elalilibumbile, ngalitshisa emlilweni. Ngasengilichoboza njalo ngalichola laba yimpuphu ecoleke njengothuli ngaluhaza esifuleni esigeleza entabeni.
22 And in Taberah, and in Massah, and in Kibroth-Hattaavah, you have been making YHWH angry;
Laphinda njalo lamthukuthelisa uThixo eThabhera, laseMasa kanye laseKhibhrothi Hathava.
23 also in YHWH’s sending you from Kadesh-Barnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given to you; then you provoke the mouth of your God YHWH, and have not given credence to Him, nor listened to His voice.
Kanti uThixo wathi elisusa eKhadeshi Bhaneya, wathi, ‘Qhubekani njalo liyethatha ilizwe engilinike lona.’ Kodwa lahlamukela umlayo kaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu. Alizange limethembe loba ukumlalela.
24 You have been rebellious against YHWH from the day of my knowing you.
Belivele limhlamukela uThixo kusukela ngiqalisa ukulazi.
25 And I throw myself before YHWH—the forty days and the forty nights when I had thrown myself—because YHWH has commanded to destroy you;
Ngazilahla ngawa phambi kukaThixo okwensuku ezingamatshumi amane kanye lobusuku obungamatshumi amane ngoba uThixo wayethe uzalibhubhisa.
26 and I pray to YHWH, and say, Lord YHWH, do not destroy Your people and Your inheritance whom You have ransomed in Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a strong hand;
Ngakhuleka njalo kuThixo ngathi, ‘Oh! Thixo Wobukhosi, ungabhubhisi abantu bakho, ilifa lakho owalihlenga ngamandla akho amakhulu wabakhipha eGibhithe ngesandla sakho esilamandla.
27 be mindful of Your servants, of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob; do not turn to the stiffness of this people, and to its wickedness, and to its sin,
Khumbula izinceku zakho u-Abhrahama, u-Isaka kanye loJakhobe. Xola ebuqholweni balababantu, ebubini lasezonweni zabo.
28 lest the land from which You have brought us out says, Because of YHWH’s want of ability to bring them into the land of which He has spoken to them, and because of His hating them, He brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.
Nxa kungenjalo ilizwe owasisusa kilo lizakuthi, “Ngoba uThixo wehluleka ukubangenisa elizweni ayebathembise lona, njalo langenxa yokuthi wayebazonda, wabakhupha ukuze bayefela enkangala.”
29 And they [are] Your people and Your inheritance, whom You have brought out by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm!”
Kodwa ngabantu bakho, abayilifa lakho owalikhupha ngamandla akho amakhulu langengalo yakho eyeluliweyo.’”
