1 Imilando 21
1 USathane wasesukuma emelana loIsrayeli, wavusa uDavida ukuthi abale uIsrayeli.
Satan interfered to cause trouble for Israel. He provoked David to do 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 told Joab and the army commanders, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so I can have a total 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 people a hundred times over. Your Majesty, aren't they all your subjects? Why do you want to do this? Why should you make Israel guilty?”
4 Kodwa ilizwi lenkosi laba lamandla phezu kukaJowabi. Ngakho uJowabi waphuma, wahambahamba phakathi kukaIsrayeli wonke; wafika eJerusalema.
But the king was adamant so Joab left and went all over Israel. Eventually 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 he gave David the number of people censused. In Israel there were 1,100,000 fighting men who could handle a sword, and 470,000 in Judah.
6 Kodwa uLevi loBhenjamini kababalanga phakathi kwabo, ngoba ilizwi lenkosi lalinengeka kuJowabi.
However, Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the census total, because he disagreed with what the king had ordered.
7 Njalo kwaba kubi emehlweni kaNkulunkulu mayelana lalindaba; ngakho wamtshaya uIsrayeli.
The Lord considered the census a bad thing to do and he punished Israel for it.
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 committed a terrible sin by doing this. Please take away the guilt of your servant, for I have been very stupid.”
9 INkosi yasikhuluma kuGadi umboni kaDavida isithi:
The Lord told 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'm giving you three options. Choose one of them, and that's what I'll do to you.’”
11 UGadi wasefika kuDavida wathi kuye: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Zikhethele:
So Gad went and told David, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Make your choice:
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.
either three years of famine; or three months of devastation, running from the swords of your enemies; or three days of the Lord's sword—in other words three days of plague in the land, with an angel of the Lord causing destruction throughout the whole of Israel.’ Now you have to decide how I should reply to the one who sent me.”
13 UDavida wasesithi kuGadi: Ngicindezelwe kakhulu; ake ngiwele esandleni seNkosi, ngoba izisa zayo zinengi kakhulu; kodwa kangingaweli esandleni somuntu.
David replied to Gad, “This is an awful situation for me! Please, let the Lord decide my punishment, for he is so merciful. Don't let me be punished by people.”
14 Ngakho iNkosi yathuma umatshayabhuqe wesifo koIsrayeli; kwasekusiwa abantu abazinkulungwane ezingamatshumi ayisikhombisa.
So the Lord a plague on Israel, and 70,000 Israelites died.
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.
God also sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But just as the angel was about to destroy it, the Lord saw it, and he relented from causing such a disaster. He told the destroying angel, “That's enough. You can stop now.” Right then the angel of the Lord was standing beside 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 looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, holding his drawn sword extended over Jerusalem, David and the elders, wearing sackcloth, fell on their faces.
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.
David said to God, “Wasn't it me who ordered the census of the people? I'm the one who has sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Lord my God, please punish me and my family, but don't punish your people with this plague.”
18 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuGadi katshele uDavida ukuthi uDavida kenyuke ayekwakhela iNkosi ilathi ebaleni lokubhulela likaOrinani umJebusi.
Then the angel of the Lord told Gad to tell David to go 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 and did what Gad had told him in the name of the Lord.
20 UOrinani enyemukula wabona ingilosi; lamadodana akhe amane ayelaye acatsha. UOrinani wayebhula-ke ingqoloyi.
Ornan was busy threshing wheat. He turned around and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him went and hid.
21 UDavida esefika kuOrinani, uOrinani wakhangela wambona uDavida, waphuma ebaleni lokubhulela, wakhothamela uDavida ngobuso emhlabathini.
When David arrived, Ornan looked out and saw David. He left the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.
22 UDavida wasesithi kuOrinani: Nginika indawo yebala lokubhulela ukuze ngakhele iNkosi ilathi kuyo; nginike yona ngemali egcweleyo, ukuze inhlupheko imiswe ebantwini.
David said to Ornan, “Please let me have the threshing floor. I'll buy it at its full price. Then I can build an altar to the Lord here so that the plague on the people may be stopped.”
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.
“Take it, and Your Majesty can do whatever you want with it,” Ornan told David. “You can have the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing boards for firewood, and the wheat for a grain offering. I'll give it all to you.”
24 Kodwa inkosi uDavida yathi kuOrinani: Hatshi, kodwa ngizathenga lokuthenga ngemali egcweleyo; ngoba kangiyikuthathela iNkosi okwakho, loba nginikele iminikelo yokutshiswa ngaphandle kwentengo.
“No, I insist, I will pay the full price,” replied King David “I won't take for the Lord what is yours or present burnt offerings that didn't cost me anything.”
25 UDavida wasemnika uOrinani ngaleyondawo amashekeli angamakhulu ayisithupha egolide ngesisindo.
So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold for the place.
26 UDavida waseyakhela khona iNkosi ilathi, wanikela iminikelo yokutshiswa leminikelo yokuthula, wayibiza iNkosi; yasimphendula ngomlilo ovela emazulwini phezu kwelathi lomnikelo wokutshiswa.
David built an altar to the Lord there and presented burnt offerings and friendship offerings. He called on the Lord in prayer, and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
27 INkosi yasilaya ingilosi; yasibuyisela inkemba yayo esikhwameni sayo.
Then the Lord told the angel to put his sword back into its sheath.
28 Ngalesosikhathi uDavida esebonile ukuthi iNkosi imphendule ebaleni lokubhulela likaOrinani umJebusi, wanikela khona imihlatshelo.
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.
At that time the tent of the Lord that Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering, were at the high place in Gibeon.
30 Kodwa uDavida wayengelakho ukuhamba phambi kwalo ukudinga uNkulunkulu, ngoba wethuswa yinkemba yengilosi yeNkosi.
But David did not want to go there to ask God's will, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.
