1 Imilando 21
1 USathane wasemelana labako-Israyeli njalo wafuqela uDavida ukuba abale abantu bako-Israyeli.
Now Satan, designing evil against Israel, put into David's mind the impulse to take the number of Israel.
2 Ngakho uDavida wathi kuJowabi kanye labalawuli bamabutho, “Hambani liyebala u-Israyeli kusukela eBherishebha kusiya koDani. Beseliphenduka lizongitshela ukuze ngazi ukuthi bangaki khonale.”
And David said to Joab and the captains of the people, Now let all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, be numbered; and give me word so that I may be certain of their number.
3 Kodwa uJowabi waphendula wathi, “Sengathi uThixo angandisa amabutho akhe ngokuphindwe okwedlula ikhulu. Mhlekazi wami nkosi, kambe kabasibantu benkosi yami bonke laba? Inkosi yami ifunelani ukukwenza lokhu? Kungani ithanda ukwehlisela icala phezu kwabako-Israyeli?”
And Joab said, May the Lord make his people a hundred times more in number than they are; but, my lord king, are they not all my lord's servants? why would my lord have this done? why will he become a cause of sin to Israel?
4 Loba kwakunjalo, uJowabi wakhulelwa yilizwi lenkosi, ngakho uJowabi walibhoda lonke elako-Israyeli wasebuyela eJerusalema.
But the king's word was stronger than Joab's. So Joab went out and went through all Israel and came to Jerusalem.
5 UJowabi wafika wabikela uDavida inani lamadoda ayengalwa empini: Kulolonke elako-Israyeli kwakulamadoda ayisigidi lezinkulungwane ezilikhulu ayelakho ukuthi angayiphatha inkemba, kubalwa labazinkulungwane ezingamakhulu amane alamatshumi ayisikhombisa koJuda.
And Joab gave David the number of all the people; all the men of Israel, able to take up arms, were one million, one hundred thousand men; and those of Judah were four hundred and seventy thousand men, able to take up arms.
6 Kodwa ekubaleni kwakhe uJowabi kazange ahlanganise abaLevi labakaBhenjamini, ngoba umlayo wenkosi wawumnenga.
But Levi and Benjamin were not numbered among them, for Joab was disgusted with the king's order.
7 Kanti njalo lowomlayo wawuyisono phambi kukaNkulunkulu, lakanye wamjezisa u-Israyeli.
And God was not pleased with this thing; so he sent punishment on Israel.
8 Ngakho uDavida wasesithi kuNkulunkulu, “Ngonile kakhulu phambi kwakho ngokwenza lokhu. Ngakho, ngiyakuncenga, susa umlandu lo encekwini yakho. Ngenze ubuwula obukhulu kakhulu.”
Then David said to God, Great has been my sin in doing this; but now, be pleased to take away the sin of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.
9 UThixo wakhuluma loGadi, umboni kaDavida, wathi:
Then the word of the Lord came to Gad, David's seer, saying,
10 “Hamba uyetshela uDavida ukuthi, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo: Ngikunika ukuthi ukhethe phakathi kokuthathu. Khetha okukodwa okumele ngikwehlisele khona mina.’”
Go and say to David, The Lord says, Three things are offered to you: say which of them you will have, so that I may do it to you.
11 Ngakho uGadi waya kuDavida wathi kuye, “Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo: ‘Zikhethele wena okufunayo:
So Gad came to David and said to him, The Lord says, Take whichever you will:
12 iminyaka emithathu yendlala, loba izinyanga ezintathu zokududulwa uxotshwa yizitha zakho, ngenkemba zazo zikukhulela, loba insuku ezintathu zokumelana lenkemba kaThixo, kuyikuthi kuyabe kuyisifo elizweni, ingilosi kaThixo iletha incithakalo kulolonke elako-Israyeli.’ Ngakho, khathesi khetha ukuthi ngifike ngithini kulo ongithumileyo.”
Three years when there will not be enough food; or three months of war, when you will go in flight before your haters, being in great danger of the sword; or three days of the sword of the Lord, disease in the land, and the angel of the Lord taking destruction through all the land of Israel. Now give thought to the answer I am to take back to him who sent me.
13 UDavida wathi kuGadi, “Ngisosizini olukhulu kakhulu; kungangcono ngizinikele ezandleni zikaThixo, ngoba umusa wakhe mkhulu kakhulu; kodwa unganginikeli ezandleni zabantu.”
And David said to Gad, This is a hard decision for me to make: let me come into the hands of the Lord, for great are his mercies: let me not come into the hands of men.
14 Ngakho uThixo wathumela isifo ko-Israyeli, kwafa amadoda azinkulungwane ezingamatshumi ayisikhombisa ko-Israyeli.
So the Lord sent disease on Israel, causing the death of seventy thousand men.
15 Njalo uNkulunkulu wasethumela ingilosi ukuba iyechitha iJerusalema. Kodwa ingilosi ithe isakwenza lokho, uThixo wazisola ngencithakalo eyayizakwenzakala wahle wakhuza ingilosi eyayizabhubhisa abantu wathi, “Kwanele! Susa isandla sakho.” Ingilosi kaThixo ngalesosikhathi yayisimi esizeni sika-Onani umJebusi.
And God sent an angel to Jerusalem for its destruction: and when he was about to do so, the Lord saw, and had regret for the evil, and said to the angel of destruction, It is enough; do no more. Now the angel of the Lord was by the grain-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 UDavida wakhangela phezulu wabona ingilosi kaThixo imi phakathi kwezulu lomhlaba, iphethe inkemba esandleni sayo phezu kweJerusalema. Ngakho uDavida labadala, begqoke amasaka, bawa phansi ngobuso.
And David, lifting up his eyes, saw the angel of the Lord there between earth and heaven, with an uncovered sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the responsible men, clothed in haircloth, went down on their faces.
17 UDavida wathi kuNkulunkulu, “Angithi yimi engithe akubalwe amadoda okulwa na? Yimi engonileyo ngadala isono. Laba abasilutho yizimvu ezilandelayo. Benzeni? Oh Thixo Nkulunkulu wami, isandla sakho asiwele phezu kwami labendlu yami, kodwa akuthi isifo singasali ebantwini bakho.”
And David said to God, Was it not I who gave the order for the people to be numbered? It is I who have done the sin and the great wrong; but these are only sheep; what have they done? let your hand, O Lord God, be lifted up against me and against my family, but not against your people to send disease on them.
18 Ngakho ingilosi kaThixo yathuma uGadi ukuthi ayetshela uDavida ukuthi ayekwakha i-alithari likaThixo esizeni sika-Onani umJebusi.
Then the angel of the Lord gave orders to Gad to say to David that he was to go and put up an altar to the Lord on the grain-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 Lakanye uDavida walalela ilizwi elakhitshwa nguGadi ngebizo likaThixo.
And David went up, as Gad had said in the name of the Lord.
20 U-Onani esabhula ingqoloyi, wanyemukula wabona ingilosi; amadodana akhe amane ayelaye acatsha.
And Ornan, turning back, saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him went to a secret place. Now Ornan was crushing his grain.
21 Kwasekufika uDavida, kuthe u-Onani embona, watshiya ukubhula wayakhothamela uDavida elokhu ebuso bukhothamele phansi.
And when David came, Ornan, looking, saw him, and came out from the grain-floor and went down on his face to the earth before him.
22 UDavida wathi kuye, “Ake ungivumele ngibone isiza sakho sokubhulela amabele ukuze ngakhe i-alithari likaThixo, ukuze isifo esisebantwini simiswe. Ngithengisela sona ngentengo yaso egcweleyo.”
Then David said to Ornan, Give me the place where this grain-floor is, so that I may put up an altar here to the Lord: let me have it for its full price; so that this disease may be stopped among the people.
23 U-Onani wathi kuDavida, “Sithathe! Inkosi yami kayenze lokho ebona kuyithokozisa. Khangela, mina ngizaletha inkabi zomnikelo wokutshiswa, lemibhulo yokubhula izakuba zinkuni, ingqoloyi izakuba ngumnikelo wamabele. Konke lokhu ngiyakunika.”
And Ornan said to David, Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems right to him. See, I give you the oxen for burned offerings and the grain-cleaning instruments for fire-wood, and the grain for the meal offering; I give it all.
24 Kodwa inkosi uDavida yathi ku-Onani, “Hayi, ngifuna ukuthenga ngentengo egcweleyo. Angiyikuthatha okuya kuThixo okungokwakho, angiyikunikela umnikelo wokutshiswa engingawuthenganga.”
And King David said to Ornan, No; I will certainly give you the full price for it, because I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or give a burned offering without payment.
25 Ngakho uDavida wanika u-Onani amashekeli egolide angamakhulu ayisithupha ethenga leyondawo.
So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place.
26 UDavida wakhela uThixo i-alithari kuleyondawo wanikela iminikelo yokutshiswa leminikelo yobudlelwano. Wakhuleka kuThixo, uThixo wamphendula ngomlilo uvela ezulwini phezu kwe-alithari lomnikelo wokutshiswa.
And David put up an altar there to the Lord, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings with prayers to the Lord; and he gave him an answer from heaven, sending fire on the altar of burned offering.
27 Ngakho uThixo wakhuluma lengilosi, yona yasibuyisela inkemba yayo esikhwameni sayo.
Then the Lord gave orders to the angel, and he put back his sword into its cover.
28 Ngalesosikhathi, uDavida esebonile ukuthi uThixo wayemphendule esizeni sika-Onani umJebusi, wanikela iminikelo kuleyondawo.
At that time, when David saw that the Lord had given him an answer on the grain-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he made an offering there.
29 Ithabanikeli likaThixo, elalakhiwe nguMosi enkangala, kanye le-alithari leminikelo yokutshiswa ngalesosikhathi kwakusendaweni ephakemeyo eGibhiyoni.
For the House of the Lord, which Moses had made in the waste land, and the altar of burned offerings, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon.
30 Kodwa uDavida wehluleka ukuya khona ukuze abuze kuNkulunkulu ngoba wayesesaba inkemba yengilosi kaThixo.
But David was not able to go before it to get directions from the Lord, so great was his fear of the sword of the angel of the Lord.
