Amanani 14
1 Ngalobobusuku abantu bonke emphakathini baphakamisa amazwi abo bakhala kakhulu.
That night all the community wept loudly.
2 Bonke abako-Israyeli bakhonona besola uMosi lo-Aroni, lonke ibandla lathi kubo, “Ngabe sahle sazifela eGibhithe, kumbe khonapha enkangala!
All the people of Israel criticized Moses and Aaron. The whole community said to them, “We wish we had died in the land of Egypt, or here in this wilderness!
3 Kungani uThixo esilethe kulelilizwe ukuthi sife sibulawa ngenkemba na? Amakhosikazi ethu kanye labantwabethu bazakuba yimpango. Kambe kakungcono yini ukuthi sibuyele eGibhithe na?”
Why did Yahweh bring us to this land to die by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become victims. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?”
4 Bakhulumisana besithi, “Asikhetheni omunye umkhokheli asibuyisele eGibhithe.”
They said to each another, “Let us choose another leader, and let us return to Egypt.”
5 Ngakho uMosi lo-Aroni bathi mbo ngobuso phansi phambi kwabantu bako-Israyeli bonke ababebuthene lapho.
Then Moses and Aaron lay facedown before all the assembly of the community of the people of Israel.
6 Kwathi uJoshuwa indodana kaNuni kanye loKhalebi indodana kaJefune, ababengabanye balabo ababeyehlola ilizwe, badabula izigqoko zabo
Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were some of those sent to examine the land, tore their clothes.
7 bathi kubo bonke abako-Israyeli ababebuthene, “Ilizwe esadabula kulo salihlola lihle kakhulu.
They spoke to all the community of the people of Israel. They said, “The land that we passed through and examined is a very good land.
8 Nxa uThixo ethokoza ngathi, uzasikhokhelela kulo, ilizwe eligeleza uchago loluju, njalo uzakusinika lona.
If Yahweh is pleased with us, then he will take us into this land and give it to us. The land flows with milk and honey.
9 Kuphela nje lingamhlamukeli uThixo. Futhi lingabesabi abantu bakulelolizwe, ngoba sizabadla sibaqede. Kabaselaso isivikelo, kodwa uThixo ulathi. Lingabesabi.”
But do not rebel against Yahweh, and do not fear the people in the land, for they are bread to us. Their protection will be removed from them, because Yahweh is with us. Do not fear them.”
10 Kodwa ibandla wonke wathi kabakhandwe ngamatshe. Inkazimulo kaThixo yasibonakala kubo bonke abako-Israyeli ethenteni lokuhlangana.
Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of Yahweh appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.
11 UThixo wasesithi kuMosi, “Koze kube nini abantu laba bengeyisa na? Kuzaze kube nini bengangikholwa, loba sengenze izinto ezimangalisayo phakathi kwabo na?
Yahweh said to Moses, “How long must this people despise me? How long must they fail to trust me, despite all the signs of my power that I have done among them?
12 Ngizabatshaya ngomkhuhlane ngibabhubhise, kodwa wena ngizakwenza ube yisizwe esikhulu njalo esilamandla kulabo.”
I will attack them with plague, disinherit them, and make from your own clan a nation that will be greater and mightier than they are.”
13 UMosi wasesithi kuThixo, “AmaGibhithe azakuzwa lokhu! Abantu laba bakhutshwa nguwe phakathi kwabo ngamandla akho.
Moses said to Yahweh, “If you do this, then the Egyptians will hear about it, because you rescued this people from them by your power.
14 Ngakho bazatshela abakhileyo kulelilizwe ngalesisehlakalo. Bavele sebezwile ukuthi wena, Oh Thixo, ulabo lababantu njalo lokuthi wena, Thixo, ubonakale uqondene labo ubuso ngobuso, lokuthi iyezi lakho lihlala liphezu kwabo, njalo lokuthi uhamba phambi kwabo ngensika yeyezi lakho emini kuthi ebusuku ngensika yomlilo.
They will tell it to this land's inhabitants. They have heard that you, Yahweh, are present with this people, because you are seen face to face. Your cloud stands over our people. You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.
15 Pho ungababhubhisa abantu bonke laba ngasikhathi sinye, izizwe esezizwile ngalezizindaba ngawe zizakuthi,
Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations that have heard of your fame will speak and say,
16 ‘UThixo wehlulekile ukungenisa abantu laba elizweni abathembisa lona ngesifungo; ngakho usebabhubhisele enkangala.’
'Because Yahweh could not take this people into the land that he swore to give them, he has killed them in the wilderness.'
17 Amandla kaThixo kabonakaliswe khathesi, njengokutsho kwakho ukuthi:
Now, I beg you, use your great power. For you have said,
18 ‘UThixo uyaphuza ukuthukuthela, ugcwele ngothando njalo uyathethelela isono lokuhlamuka. Kodwa kayikubayekela abalecala bengajeziswanga; ujezisa abantwana ngenxa yezono zaboyise kuze kube kusizukulwane sesithathu lesesine.’
'Yahweh is slow to anger and abundant in covenant faithfulness. He forgives iniquity and transgression. He will by no means clear the guilty when he brings the punishment of the ancestors' sin on their descendants, to the third and fourth generation.'
19 Thethelela isono salababantu, ngenxa yothando lwakho olukhulu, ubaxolele njengokubaxolela kwakho kusukela ngesikhathi abasuka ngaso eGibhithe kuze kube khathesi.”
Pardon, I plead with you, this people's sin because of the greatness of your covenant faithfulness, just as you have always forgiven this people from the time they were in Egypt until now.”
20 UThixo waphendula wathi, “Sengibathethelele njengesicelo sakho.
Yahweh said, “I have pardoned them in keeping with your request,
21 Impela njengoba ngiphila, lanjengoba inkazimulo kaThixo igcwalise umhlaba wonke,
but truly, as I live, and as all the earth will be filled with my glory,
22 akulamuntu loyedwa owabona inkazimulo yami kanye lezibonakaliso zezimanga engazenza eGibhithe lasenkangala kodwa kaze angilalela njalo wangilinga okungaba ngamahlandla alitshumi,
all those people who saw my glory and the signs of power that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness—they have still tempted me these ten times and have not listened to my voice.
23 akukho loyedwa wabo ozalibona ilizwe engalithembisa okhokho babo ngesifungo. Futhi kakho loyedwa ongidelelayo ozalibona.
So I say that they will certainly not see the land about which I made an oath to their ancestors. Not one of them who despised me will see it,
24 Kodwa ngenxa yokuthi inceku yami uKhalebi ulomoya owehlukileyo njalo ungilandela ngenhliziyo yakhe yonke, ngizamngenisa elizweni afika kulo, lizakuba yilifa lezizukulwane zakhe.
except for my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit. He has followed me fully; I will bring him into the land which he went to examine. His descendants will possess it.
25 Njengoba ama-Amaleki lamaKhenani ehlala ezigodini, lina phendukani kusasa liqonde enkangala ngendlela yasoLwandle oLubomvu.”
(Now the Amalekites and Canaanites lived in the valley.) Tomorrow turn and go to the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Reeds.”
26 UThixo wathi kuMosi lo-Aroni:
Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He said,
27 “Koze kube nini lababantu abangalunganga bekhonona bengisola na? Sengizwile ukusola lokukhonona kwabako-Israyeli.
“How long must I tolerate this evil community that criticizes me? I have heard the complaining of the people of Israel against me.
28 Ngakho batshele uthi, ‘Njengoba ngiphila impela, kutsho uThixo, ngizakwenza kini zona lezozinto engilizwe lizikhuluma.
Say to them, 'As I live,' says Yahweh, 'as you have spoken in my hearing, I will do this to you:
29 Izidumbu zenu zizagcwala enkangala yonale, lina lonke elabalwayo ngesikhathi sokubalwa kwabantu elileminyaka yokuzalwa engamatshumi amabili kusiya phezulu labo bonke abakade bekhonona bengisola.
Your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, all you who complained against me, you who were counted in the census, the whole number of the people from twenty years old and upward.
30 Kakho loyedwa wenu ozangena elizweni engafunga ngokuphakamisa isandla ukuthi libe likhaya lenu, ngaphandle kukaKhalebi indodana kaJefune loJoshuwa indodana kaNuni.
You will certainly not go into the land that I promised to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
31 Mayelana labantwana benu labo elathi bazakuba yimpango, ngizabangenisa elizweni lelo elilalileyo ukuze bathokoze kulo.
But your little ones who you said would be victims, I will take them into the land. They will experience the land that you have rejected!
32 Kodwa lina, izidumbu zenu zizawohlokela kule inkangala.
As for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness.
33 Abantwabenu bazakuba ngabelusi lapha okweminyaka engamatshumi amane, behlupheka ngenxa yokungathembeki kwenu, kuze kungcwatshwe isidumbu sokucina enkangala.
Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years. They must bear the consequences of your acts of rebellion until the end of your corpses in the wilderness.
34 Okweminyaka engamatshumi amane, umnyaka munye umele usuku lunye elahlola ngalo ilizwe, lizahlupheka ngenxa yezono zenu lize lazi ukuthi kuyinto enjani nxa mina ngimelana lani.’
Just as the number of the days during which you examined the land—forty days, you must likewise bear the consequences of your sins for forty years—one year for every day, and you must know what it is like for me to oppose you.
35 Mina Thixo, sengikhulumile, njalo ngempela ngizazenza lezizinto ebantwini laba bonke, abamanyeneyo bemelana lami. Bazabhubha kuyonale inkangala; bazafela khonapha.”
I, Yahweh, have spoken. I will certainly do this to all this evil community that is gathered together against me. They will be completely cut off, and here they will die.'”
36 Ngakho amadoda ayethunywe nguMosi ukuthi ayehlola ilizwe, lawo athi ekuphendukeni kwawo amemethekisa umbiko omubi owabangela ukuthi abantu bakhonone besola uMosi,
So the men Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made the entire community grumble against Moses by spreading a bad report about the land—
37 lawomadoda amemethekisa umbiko ongalunganga mayelana lelizwe atshaywa ngomkhuhlane afa phambi kukaThixo.
these men who had brought out a bad report about the land were struck down, and they died of a plague before Yahweh.
38 Emadodeni ayeyehlola ilizwe, kwasila kuphela uJoshuwa indodana kaNuni kanye loKhalebi indodana kaJefune.
Of those men who had gone to spy out the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive.
39 Kwathi lapho uMosi esebikele bonke abako-Israyeli, bakhala kabuhlungu.
When Moses reported these words to all the people of Israel, they mourned very deeply.
40 Ngosuku olulandelayo ekuseni kakhulu baqonda elizweni lamaqaqa. Bathi, “Sonile, sizakuya kuleyondawo esayithenjiswa nguThixo.”
They rose up early in the morning and went to the top of the mountain and said, “Look, we are here, and we will go to the place that Yahweh has promised, for we have sinned.”
41 Kodwa uMosi wathi kubo, “Kungani lingalaleli umlayo kaThixo na? Lokhu elikwenzayo akusoze kuphumelele!
But Moses said, “Why are you now violating Yahweh's command? You will not succeed.
42 Lingakhuphuki, ngoba uThixo kalisekeli. Lizakwehlulwa yizitha zenu,
Do not go, because Yahweh is not with you to prevent you from being defeated by your enemies.
43 ngoba lizaqondana lama-Amaleki kanye lamaKhenani khonale. Ngenxa yokuthi limhlamukele uThixo, yena kayikuba lani ngakho lizabhujiswa ngenkemba.”
The Amalekites and Canaanites are there, and you will die by the sword because you turned back from following Yahweh. So he will not be with you.”
44 Loba kunjalo, baqhubeka beqonde elizweni lamaqaqa benganakile, loba uMosi kumbe umtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaThixo kungasukanga ezihonqweni.
But they presumed to go up into the hill country; however, neither Moses nor the ark of the covenant of Yahweh left the camp.
45 Ngakho ama-Amaleki lamaKhenani ayehlala kulelolizwe lamaqaqa ehla abahlasela, ababhuqa ebaxotsha baze bayafika eHoma.
Then the Amalekites came down, and also the Canaanites who lived on those hills. They attacked the Israelites and defeated them all the way to Hormah.
