UDutheronomi 1
1 La ngamazwi akhulunywa nguMosi kubo bonke abako-Israyeli enkangala, empumalanga yeJodani, lokhu kuyikuthi, e-Arabha, maqondana leSufi, phakathi kwePharani leThofeli, eLabhani, eHazerothi kanye laseDizahabi.
These are the words which Moses said to all Israel on the far side of Jordan, in the waste land in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran on the one side, and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab on the other.
2 (Loluhambo luthatha insuku ezilitshumi lanye ukusuka eHorebhi kusiya eKhadeshi Bhaneya ngomgwaqo odlula eNtabeni yaseSeyiri.)
It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea.
3 Ngomnyaka wamatshumi amane, ngosuku lwakuqala lwenyanga yetshumi lanye, uMosi wamemezela kwabako-Israyeli konke lokho uThixo ayemlaye ngakho ngabo.
Now in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses gave to the children of Israel all the orders which the Lord had given him for them;
4 Lokhu kwakungemva kokuba esenqobe uSihoni inkosi yama-Amori, owayebusa eHeshibhoni, njalo wayesenqobe e-Edreyi u-Ogi inkosi yaseBhashani, owayebusa e-Ashitharothi.
After he had overcome Sihon, king of the Amorites, ruling in Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan, ruling in Ashtaroth, at Edrei:
5 Empumalanga kweJodani elizweni laseMowabi, uMosi waqalisa ukufundisa ngalo umthetho, esithi:
On the far side of Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses gave the people this law, saying,
6 “UThixo uNkulunkulu wethu wakhuluma lathi siseHorebhi wathi, ‘Selihlale isikhathi eseneleyo kule intaba.
The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, You have been long enough in this mountain:
7 Dilizani izihonqo zenu ledlulele elizweni lamaqaqa lama-Amori; yanini kubo bonke abangomakhelwane e-Arabha, ezintabeni, emawatheni angentshonalanga, eNegebi lilandelele ukhumbi, liye ezweni lamaKhenani kanye laseLebhanoni, lidabule lize liyefika emfuleni omkhulu, iYufrathe.
Make a move now, and go on your way into the hill-country of the Amorites and the places near it, in the Arabah and the hill-country and in the lowlands and in the South and by the seaside, all the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.
8 Khangelani, sengiliphile lelilizwe. Ngenani lilithumbe lelilizwe uThixo afunga wathi uzalipha okhokho benu, u-Abhrahama, u-Isaka, uJakhobe kanye lezizukulwane zabo emva kwabo.’”
See, all the land is before you: go in and take for yourselves the land which the Lord gave by an oath to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their seed after them.
9 “Ngalesosikhathi ngathi kini, ‘Lina lingumthwalo omkhulu kakhulu onzima ukuthi ngiwuthwale ngingedwa.
At that time I said to you, I am not able to undertake the care of you by myself;
10 UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu usengezelele amanani enu okokuthi lamuhla selilingana lezinkanyezi zemkhathini.
The Lord your God has given you increase, and now you are like the stars of heaven in number.
11 Sengathi uThixo, uNkulunkulu wabokhokho benu, angalibusisa njalo alandise ngokuphindwe kankulungwane njengokuthembisa kwakhe!
May the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times greater in number than you are, and give you his blessing as he has said!
12 Kodwa ngingazithwala njani inhlupho zenu lemithwalo yenu kanye lezingxabano zenu ngingedwa na?
How is it possible for me by myself to be responsible for you, and undertake the weight of all your troubles and your arguments?
13 Khethani amadoda akhaliphileyo, azwisisayo lahloniphekayo phakathi kwezizwana zakini zonke, mina ngizawabeka alikhokhele.’
Take for yourselves men who are wise, far-seeing, and respected among you, from your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.
14 Langiphendula lathi, ‘Lokho ofisa ukukwenza kulungile.’
And you made answer and said to me, It is good for us to do as you say.
15 Ngakho ngathatha abakhokheli bezizwana zenu, amadoda akhaliphileyo njalo ahloniphekayo, ngabanika amandla phezu kwenu ukuze babe ngabalawuli bezinkulungwane, bamakhulu, bamatshumi amahlanu, betshumi kanye lokuba yizikhulu zezizwana zenu.
So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men and respected, and made them rulers over you, captains of thousands and captains of hundreds and captains of fifties and captains of tens, and overseers of your tribes.
16 Njalo ngapha isiqondiso kubahluleli ngalesosikhathi ngathi: ‘Hluzani ingxabano phakathi kwabafowenu njalo lahlulele ngokufaneleyo, kungakhathalekile ukuthi yingxabano phakathi kwabako-Israyeli bodwa loba kungowako-Israyeli oxabana lowezizweni.
And at that time I gave orders to your judges, saying, Let all questions between your brothers come before you for hearing, and give decisions uprightly between a man and his brother or one from another nation who is with him.
17 Lingathathi hlangothi ekwahluleleni; hluzani amacala abancinyane labakhulu ngokufananayo. Lingesabi loba ngubani, ngoba ukwahlulela ngokukaNkulunkulu. Kuthi icala elinzima lililethe kimi, ngizalihluza ngilahlulele.’
In judging, do not let a man's position have any weight with you; give hearing equally to small and great; have no fear of any man, for it is God who is judge: and any cause in which you are not able to give a decision, you are to put before me and I will give it a hearing.
18 Njalo ngalesosikhathi ngalitshela konke okwakumele likwenze.”
And at that time I gave you all the orders which you were to do.
19 “Kwathi-ke, njengoba uThixo wethu wayesilayile, sasuka eHorebhi saqonda ezweni lama-Amori elilamaqaqa sadabula inkangala enkulu eyesabekayo eseliyibonile, saze sayafika eKhadeshi Bhaneya.
Then we went on from Horeb, through all that great and cruel waste which you saw, on our way to the hill-country of the Amorites, as the Lord gave us orders; and we came to Kadesh-barnea.
20 Ngakho ngathi kini, ‘Selifikile elizweni lama-Amori elamaqaqa, ilizwe uThixo uNkulunkulu wethu asinika lona.
And I said to you, You have come to the hill-country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us.
21 Khangelani, uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uselinike lelilizwe. Hambani lilithumbe njengoba uThixo, uNkulunkulu wabokhokho benu alitshela. Lingesabi; lingadangali.’
See now, the Lord your God has put the land into your hands: go up and take it, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has said to you; have no fear and do not be troubled.
22 Kusenjalo lina lonke leza kimi lathi, ‘Asithumeni amadoda ahambe phambili ayehlola lelolizwe abuye azositshengisa indlela esizangena ngayo kanye leyokuthumba amadolobho esizafikela kuwo.’
And you came near to me, every one of you, and said, Let us send men before us to go through the land with care and give us an account of the way we are to go and the towns to which we will come.
23 Lokho kwakhanya kungumbono omuhle kimi; lakanye ngakhetha abalitshumi lababili phakathi kwenu, indoda eyodwa esizwaneni ngasinye.
And what you said seemed good to me, and I took twelve men from among you, one from every tribe;
24 Basuka baya ezweni lamaqaqa njalo bafika bahlola isihotsha sase-Eshikholi.
And they went up into the hill-country and came to the valley of Eshcol, and saw what was there.
25 Bathatha ezinye izithelo zelizwe babuya lazo kithi, njalo bethula umbiko othi, ‘Yilizwe elihle uThixo uNkulunkulu wethu asipha lona.’”
And taking in their hands some of the fruit of the land, they came down again to us, and gave us their account, saying, It is a good land which the Lord our God is giving us.
26 “Kodwa lina lalingazimiselanga ukuhamba; lahlamukela uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ngokungalaleli umlayo wakhe.
But going against the order of the Lord your God, you would not go up:
27 Lina lakhonona lisemathenteni enu lathi, ‘UThixo uyasizonda; kutsho ukuthi wasikhipha eGibhithe ukuze asinikele ezandleni zama-Amori ukuthi asibhubhise.
And you made an angry outcry in your tents, and said, In his hate for us the Lord has taken us out of the land of Egypt, to give us up into the hands of the Amorites for our destruction.
28 Singaya ngaphi na? Abafowethu sebesithelele ubuthakathaka. Bathi bona, “Abantu bakhona balamandla njalo bade kulathi; amadolobho akhona makhulu, alemiduli etshaya emkhathini. Size sabona lama-Anakhi khonale.”’
Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts feeble with fear by saying, The people are greater and taller than we are, and the towns are great and walled up to heaven; and more than this, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.
29 Mina ngasengisithi kini, ‘Lingethuki; lingabesabi.
Then I said to you, Have no fear of them.
30 UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ohamba phambi kwenu uzalilwela, njengalokho alenzela khona eGibhithe lizibonela ngamehlo enu,
The Lord your God who goes before you will be fighting for you, and will do such wonders as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
31 njalo lasenkangala. Khonale lazibonela ukuthi uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu walithwala, njengobaba ethwala indodana yakhe, uhambo lwenu lonke laze lafika lapha.’
And in the waste land, where you have seen how the Lord was supporting you, as a man does his son, in all your journeying till you came to this place.
32 Lanxa kunjalo, kalizange limethembe uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu,
But for all this, you had no faith in the Lord your God,
33 yena owahamba phambi kwenu kuloluhambo, elikhokhela ngomlilo ebusuku kanti kusiba leyezi emini, elidingela izindawo zokumisa izihonqo zenu lokulitshengisa lapho okumele liye khona.
Who goes before you on your way, looking for a place where you may put up your tents, in fire by night, lighting up the way you are to go, and in a cloud by day.
34 Kwathi uThixo esezwile elalikutsho, wathukuthela, wafunga wathi:
And the Lord, hearing your words, was angry, and said with an oath,
35 ‘Kakho loyedwa kulesisizukulwane esingalunganga ozalibona lelolizwe engafungela ukulipha okhokho benu,
Truly, not one of this evil generation will see that good land which I said I would give to your fathers,
36 ngaphandle kukaKhalebi indodana kaJefune. Yena uzalibona, njalo ngizamupha yena lesizukulwane sakhe lelolizwe azafikela kilo, ngoba walalela uThixo ngenhliziyo yakhe yonke.’
But only Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, he will see it; and to him and to his children I will give the land over which his feet have gone, because he has been true to the Lord with all his heart.
37 Ngenxa yenu uThixo wangithukuthelela lami njalo wathi, ‘Wena lawe awuyikungena khona.
And, in addition, the Lord was angry with me because of you, saying, You yourself will not go into it:
38 Kodwa umsekeli wakho, uJoshuwa indodana kaNuni, uzangena kulelolizwe. Umkhuthaze yena, ngoba uzakhokhela abako-Israyeli kulo ukuba libe yilifa labo.
Joshua, the son of Nun, your servant, he will go into the land: say to him that he is to be strong, for he will be Israel's guide into their heritage.
39 Kanti njalo lalabo abancane elalisithi bazathunjwa, abantwabenu abangakehlukanisi phakathi kokubi lokuhle, bazangena kulelolizwe. Ngizabapha lona njalo bazalithatha libe ngelabo.
And your little ones, who, you said, would come into strange hands, your children, who now have no knowledge of good or evil, they will go into that land, and to them I will give it and it will be theirs.
40 Kodwa lina, phendukani njalo lisuke liqonde enkangala lilandele indlela eya oLwandle oluBomvu.’
But as for you, go back, journeying into the waste land by the way of the Red Sea.
41 Lina laphendula lathi, ‘Sonile kuThixo. Sizahamba siyekulwa, njengokulaywa kwethu nguThixo uNkulunkulu wethu.’ Ngalokho lonke lahloma ngezikhali linakana ukuthi kulula ukungena elizweni lamaqaqa.
Then you said to me, We have done evil against the Lord, we will go up to the attack, as the Lord our God has given us orders. And arming yourselves every one, you made ready to go up without care into the hill-country.
42 Kodwa uThixo wathi kimi, ‘Wothi kubo, “Lingayi ukuyakulwa, ngoba kangiyikuba lani. Lizakwehlulwa yizitha zenu.”’
And the Lord said to me, Say to them, Do not go up to the attack; for I am not among you, and you will be overcome by those who are against you.
43 Ngakho ngalitshela, kodwa kalizange lilalele. Lahlamukela umlayo kaThixo kwathi ngobuqholo benu layangena elizweni lamaqaqa.
This I said to you, but you gave no attention and went against the orders of the Lord, and in your pride went up into the hill-country.
44 Kwathi ama-Amori ayehlala kulawomaqaqa alihlangabeza alihlasela; alixotsha njengomtshitshi wenyosi, alibhuqa kusukela eSeyiri indlela yonke kusiya eHoma.
And the Amorites who were in the hill-country came out against you and put you to flight, rushing after you like bees, and overcame you in Seir, driving you even as far as Hormah.
45 Laphenduka lafika lakhala phambi kukaThixo kodwa kazange alalele ukukhala kwenu walifulathela.
And you came back, weeping before the Lord; but the Lord gave no attention to your cries and did not give ear to you.
46 Ngakho lahlala eKhadeshi okwensuku ezinengi, okwesikhathi sonke elasichitha likhonale.”
So you were kept waiting in Kadesh for a long time.
