1 Imilando 21
1 USathane wasesukuma emelana loIsrayeli, wavusa uDavida ukuthi abale uIsrayeli.
Then Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.
2 Ngakho uDavida wathi kuJowabi lakubabusi babantu: Hambani libale uIsrayeli kusukela eBherishebha kuze kufike koDani, lilethe kimi ukuze ngazi inani labo.
So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan and bring me a report, so that I may know their number.”
3 UJowabi wasesithi: INkosi kayandise ebantwini bayo njengoba benjalo ngokulikhulu. Nkosi yami, nkosi, abasizo bonke yini izinceku zenkosi yami? Inkosi yami ikufunelani lokhu? Izakuba licala ngani kuIsrayeli?
But Joab replied, “May the LORD multiply His troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all servants of my lord? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”
4 Kodwa ilizwi lenkosi laba lamandla phezu kukaJowabi. Ngakho uJowabi waphuma, wahambahamba phakathi kukaIsrayeli wonke; wafika eJerusalema.
Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and traveled throughout Israel, and then he returned to Jerusalem.
5 UJowabi wasenika uDavida inani lokubalwa kwabantu. Njalo wonke uIsrayeli wayengamadoda azinkulungwane ezizinkulungwane lezinkulungwane ezilikhulu ahwatsha inkemba; loJuda wayengamadoda azinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amane lamatshumi ayisikhombisa ahwatsha inkemba.
And Joab reported to David the total number of the troops. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword, including 470,000 in Judah.
6 Kodwa uLevi loBhenjamini kababalanga phakathi kwabo, ngoba ilizwi lenkosi lalinengeka kuJowabi.
But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count, because the king’s command was detestable to him.
7 Njalo kwaba kubi emehlweni kaNkulunkulu mayelana lalindaba; ngakho wamtshaya uIsrayeli.
This command was also evil in the sight of God; so He struck Israel.
8 UDavida wasesithi kuNkulunkulu: Ngonile kakhulu ngoba ngenze linto. Kodwa khathesi, ake wedlulise ububi benceku yakho, ngoba ngenze ngobuthutha obukhulu.
Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. Now I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
9 INkosi yasikhuluma kuGadi umboni kaDavida isithi:
And the LORD instructed Gad, David’s seer,
10 Hamba ukhulume kuDavida uthi: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Mina ngikubekela okuthathu; zikhethele okunye kukho engizakwenza kuwe.
“Go and tell David that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am offering you three options. Choose one of them, and I will carry it out against you.’”
11 UGadi wasefika kuDavida wathi kuye: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Zikhethele:
So Gad went and said to David, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You must choose
12 Kumbe iminyaka emithathu yendlala; loba inyanga ezintathu uqedwa ebusweni bezitha zakho lenkemba yezitha zakho ikufice; kumbe insuku ezintathu inkemba yeNkosi, ngitsho umatshayabhuqe wesifo, elizweni, lengilosi yeNkosi ichitha kuwo wonke umngcele wakoIsrayeli. Ngakho-ke bona ukuthi yimpendulo bani engizayibuyisela kongithumileyo.
between three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies and overtaken by their swords, or three days of the sword of the LORD—days of plague upon the land, with the angel of the LORD ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should reply to Him who sent me.”
13 UDavida wasesithi kuGadi: Ngicindezelwe kakhulu; ake ngiwele esandleni seNkosi, ngoba izisa zayo zinengi kakhulu; kodwa kangingaweli esandleni somuntu.
David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed. Please, let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”
14 Ngakho iNkosi yathuma umatshayabhuqe wesifo koIsrayeli; kwasekusiwa abantu abazinkulungwane ezingamatshumi ayisikhombisa.
So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.
15 UNkulunkulu wasethuma ingilosi eJerusalema ukuyibhubhisa; njalo isayibhubhisa, iNkosi yabona yazisola ngalobobubi, yasisithi kuyo ingilosi ebhubhisayo: Kwanele, khathesi buyisa isandla sakho. Ingilosi yeNkosi yayimi-ke ebaleni lokubhulela likaOrinani umJebusi.
Then God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem, but as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and relented from the calamity, and He said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 UDavida wasephakamisa amehlo akhe, wabona ingilosi yeNkosi imi phakathi komhlaba lamazulu lenkemba yayo ehwatshiweyo esandleni sayo iyelulele phezu kweJerusalema. UDavida labadala begqoke-ke amasaka bathi mbo ngobuso babo.
When David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.
17 UDavida wasesithi kuNkulunkulu: Kakusimi yini othe kababale abantu? Yebo yimi owonileyo owenze okubi sibili. Kodwa lezizimvu zenzeni? Nkosi Nkulunkulu wami, isandla sakho ake sibe phezu kwami laphezu kwendlu kababa, kodwa hatshi phezu kwabantu bakho ukuthi bahlutshwe.
And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave the order to count the people? I am the one who has sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, please let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house, but do not let this plague remain upon Your people.”
18 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuGadi katshele uDavida ukuthi uDavida kenyuke ayekwakhela iNkosi ilathi ebaleni lokubhulela likaOrinani umJebusi.
Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 UDavida wasesenyuka ngelizwi likaGadi alikhuluma ngebizo leNkosi.
So David went up at the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD.
20 UOrinani enyemukula wabona ingilosi; lamadodana akhe amane ayelaye acatsha. UOrinani wayebhula-ke ingqoloyi.
Now Ornan was threshing wheat when he turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves.
21 UDavida esefika kuOrinani, uOrinani wakhangela wambona uDavida, waphuma ebaleni lokubhulela, wakhothamela uDavida ngobuso emhlabathini.
David came to Ornan, and when Ornan looked out and saw David, he left the threshing floor and bowed facedown before David.
22 UDavida wasesithi kuOrinani: Nginika indawo yebala lokubhulela ukuze ngakhele iNkosi ilathi kuyo; nginike yona ngemali egcweleyo, ukuze inhlupheko imiswe ebantwini.
Then David said to Ornan, “Grant me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar to the LORD. Sell it to me for the full price, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.”
23 UOrinani wasesithi kuDavida: Zithathele, inkosi yami inkosi kayenze okuhle emehlweni ayo; khangela, ngiyanika inkabi zibe yiminikelo yokutshiswa, lezimbulo zibe zinkuni, lengqoloyi ibe ngumnikelo wokudla. Ngiyanika konke.
Ornan said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever seems good. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering—I will give it all.”
24 Kodwa inkosi uDavida yathi kuOrinani: Hatshi, kodwa ngizathenga lokuthenga ngemali egcweleyo; ngoba kangiyikuthathela iNkosi okwakho, loba nginikele iminikelo yokutshiswa ngaphandle kwentengo.
“No,” replied King David, “I insist on paying the full price, for I will not take for the LORD what belongs to you, nor will I offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
25 UDavida wasemnika uOrinani ngaleyondawo amashekeli angamakhulu ayisithupha egolide ngesisindo.
So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold for the site.
26 UDavida waseyakhela khona iNkosi ilathi, wanikela iminikelo yokutshiswa leminikelo yokuthula, wayibiza iNkosi; yasimphendula ngomlilo ovela emazulwini phezu kwelathi lomnikelo wokutshiswa.
And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. He called upon the LORD, who answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
27 INkosi yasilaya ingilosi; yasibuyisela inkemba yayo esikhwameni sayo.
Then the LORD spoke to the angel, who put his sword back into its sheath.
28 Ngalesosikhathi uDavida esebonile ukuthi iNkosi imphendule ebaleni lokubhulela likaOrinani umJebusi, wanikela khona imihlatshelo.
At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there.
29 Ngoba ithabhanekele leNkosi uMozisi ayelenze enkangala lelathi lomnikelo wokutshiswa ngalesosikhathi kwakusendaweni ephakemeyo eGibeyoni.
For the tabernacle of the LORD that Moses had made in the wilderness and the altar of burnt offering were presently at the high place in Gibeon,
30 Kodwa uDavida wayengelakho ukuhamba phambi kwalo ukudinga uNkulunkulu, ngoba wethuswa yinkemba yengilosi yeNkosi.
but David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
