UDutheronomi 9
1 “Zwana, We Israyeli. Khathesi ususiyachapha iJodani ukuze ungene uyethathela izizwe ezinkulu ezilamandla kulawe, ezilamadolobho amakhulu alemiduli etshaya emkhathini.
Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fortified up to heaven,
2 Abantu bakhona balamandla njalo bade, ngama-Anakhi. Liyakwazi konke ngabo njalo selike layizwa indumela yabo yokuthi: ‘Ngubani ongamelana lama-Anakhi?’
A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard it said, Who can stand before the children of Anak!
3 Kodwa qinisekani lamuhla ngoba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu nguye ozachapha phambi kwenu njengomlilo otshisa ubhuqe. UThixo uzababhubhisa; uzabanyathela phambi kwenu. Lizabaxotsha libabhubhise masinyane, njengokuthembisa kukaThixo.
Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he who goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said to thee.
4 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.
Speak not thou in thy heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.
5 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.
Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD swore to thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
6 Zwisisa manje, ukuthi akungenxa yokulunga kwakho ukuthi uThixo uNkulunkulu wakho ukunika lelilizwe ukuba libe ngelakho, ngoba lina simo senu lingontamozilukhuni.”
Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.
7 “Khumbulani lokhu njalo lingakhohlwa ukuthi lamthukuthelisa njani uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu enkangala waze wazonda. Kusukela ngosuku elasuka ngalo eGibhithe lize lizofika lapha, belilokhu lihlamukela uThixo.
Remember, and forget not, how thou didst provoke the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart from the land of Egypt, until ye came to this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD.
8 EHorebhi lavusa ulaka lukaThixo ngalokho wazonda okokuthi wayezalibhubhisa.
Also in Horeb ye provoked the LORD to wrath, so that the LORD was angry with you to have destroyed you.
9 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.
When I went up to the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither ate bread nor drank water:
10 UThixo wanginika izibhebhedu zamatshe ezimbili okwakulotshwe kuzo ngomunwe kaNkulunkulu. Kulezizibhebhedu kwakulotshwe yonke imilayo eyayethulwe nguThixo kini phezu kwentaba ephakathi komlilo, ngosuku lombuthano.
And the LORD delivered to me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spoke with you in the mount from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.
11 Ekupheleni kwensuku ezingamatshumi amane njalo lobusuku obungamatshumi amane, uThixo wangipha izibhebhedu zamatshe ezimbili, izibhebhedu zesivumelwano.
And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.
12 UThixo wangitshela wathi, ‘Suka lapha wehle ngokuphangisa, ngoba abantu bakho owabakhupha eGibhithe sebexhwalile. Sebephambukile masinyane kulokho engangibalaye ngakho njalo sebezibumbele isithombe.’
And the LORD said to me, Arise, go down quickly from here; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.
13 UThixo wathi kimi, ‘Sengibabonile lababantu, njalo bangontamozilukhuni ngeqiniso!
Furthermore the LORD spoke to me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
14 Ngiyekela ukuze ngibabhubhise njalo ngesule amabizo abo ngaphansi kwamazulu. Njalo ngizakwenza ube yisizwe esilamandla futhi esikhulu kulesabo.’
Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.
15 Ngasengiphenduka ngehla entabeni yona ivutha ilangabi lomlilo. Kanti njalo izibhebhedu zombili zesivumelwano zazisezandleni zami.
So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.
16 Ngathi ngiyakhangela ngabona ukuthi lonile phambi kukaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu; laselizibumbele isithombe esibunjwe ngesimo sethole. Laseliphambukile masinyane lasuka endleleni uThixo ayelilaye ngayo.
And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly from the way which the LORD had commanded you.
17 Ngalokho ngathatha izibhebhedu zombili ezazisezandleni zami ngazisakazela phansi, zaphahlazeka zaba yizicucu phambi kwenu.
And I took the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and broke them before your eyes.
18 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.
And 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 sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
19 Ngesaba intukuthelo lolaka lukaThixo, ngoba wayezonde kangangokuba wayengalibhubhisa. Kodwa-ke futhi uThixo wangilalela.
For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, with which the LORD was angry with you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened to me at that time also.
20 UThixo wamthukuthelela u-Aroni kangangokuba wayengamtshabalalisa, kodwa-ke ngalesosikhathi laye u-Aroni ngamkhulekela.
And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.
21 Ngabuye ngathatha into yokona kwenu, ithole leli elalilibumbile, ngalitshisa emlilweni. Ngasengilichoboza njalo ngalichola laba yimpuphu ecoleke njengothuli ngaluhaza esifuleni esigeleza entabeni.
And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust: and I cast the dust of it into the brook that descended from the mount.
22 Laphinda njalo lamthukuthelisa uThixo eThabhera, laseMasa kanye laseKhibhrothi Hathava.
And at Taberah, and at Massah, and Kibrothhattaavah, ye provoked the LORD to wrath.
23 Kanti uThixo wathi elisusa eKhadeshi Bhaneya, wathi, ‘Qhubekani njalo liyethatha ilizwe engilinike lona.’ Kodwa lahlamukela umlayo kaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu. Alizange limethembe loba ukumlalela.
Likewise when the LORD sent you from Kadeshbarnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given you; then ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and ye believed him not, nor hearkened to his voice.
24 Belivele limhlamukela uThixo kusukela ngiqalisa ukulazi.
Ye have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you.
25 Ngazilahla ngawa phambi kukaThixo okwensuku ezingamatshumi amane kanye lobusuku obungamatshumi amane ngoba uThixo wayethe uzalibhubhisa.
Thus I fell down before the LORD forty days and forty nights, as I fell down at the first; because the LORD had said he would destroy you.
26 Ngakhuleka njalo kuThixo ngathi, ‘Oh! Thixo Wobukhosi, ungabhubhisi abantu bakho, ilifa lakho owalihlenga ngamandla akho amakhulu wabakhipha eGibhithe ngesandla sakho esilamandla.
I prayed therefore to the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, destroy not thy people and thy inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand.
27 Khumbula izinceku zakho u-Abhrahama, u-Isaka kanye loJakhobe. Xola ebuqholweni balababantu, ebubini lasezonweni zabo.
Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not to the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin:
28 Nxa kungenjalo ilizwe owasisusa kilo lizakuthi, “Ngoba uThixo wehluleka ukubangenisa elizweni ayebathembise lona, njalo langenxa yokuthi wayebazonda, wabakhupha ukuze bayefela enkangala.”
Lest the land from which thou hast brought us should say, Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness.
29 Kodwa ngabantu bakho, abayilifa lakho owalikhupha ngamandla akho amakhulu langengalo yakho eyeluliweyo.’”
Yet they are thy people and thy inheritance, which thou hast brought out by thy mighty power and by thy outstretched arm.
