1 Imilando 21
1 USathane wasesukuma emelana loIsrayeli, wavusa uDavida ukuthi abale uIsrayeli.
An adversary arose against Israel and incited David to count Israel.
2 Ngakho uDavida wathi kuJowabi lakubabusi babantu: Hambani libale uIsrayeli kusukela eBherishebha kuze kufike koDani, lilethe kimi ukuze ngazi inani labo.
David said to Joab and to the commanders of the army, “Go, count the people of Israel from Beersheba to Dan and report back to me, 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?
Joab said, “May Yahweh make his army a hundred times greater than it is. But my master the king, do they not all serve my master? Why does my master want this? Why bring guilt on Israel?”
4 Kodwa ilizwi lenkosi laba lamandla phezu kukaJowabi. Ngakho uJowabi waphuma, wahambahamba phakathi kukaIsrayeli wonke; wafika eJerusalema.
But the king's word was enforced against Joab. So Joab left and went throughout all Israel. Then he came back 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.
Then Joab reported the total of the count of the fighting men to David. There were in Israel 1,100,000 men who drew the sword. Judah alone had 470,000 soldiers.
6 Kodwa uLevi loBhenjamini kababalanga phakathi kwabo, ngoba ilizwi lenkosi lalinengeka kuJowabi.
But Levi and Benjamin were not counted among them, for the king's command had disgusted Joab.
7 Njalo kwaba kubi emehlweni kaNkulunkulu mayelana lalindaba; ngakho wamtshaya uIsrayeli.
God was offended by this action, so he attacked Israel.
8 UDavida wasesithi kuNkulunkulu: Ngonile kakhulu ngoba ngenze linto. Kodwa khathesi, ake wedlulise ububi benceku yakho, ngoba ngenze ngobuthutha obukhulu.
David said to God, “I have greatly sinned by doing this. Now take away your servant's guilt, for I have acted very foolishly.”
9 INkosi yasikhuluma kuGadi umboni kaDavida isithi:
Yahweh told Gad, David's prophet,
10 Hamba ukhulume kuDavida uthi: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Mina ngikubekela okuthathu; zikhethele okunye kukho engizakwenza kuwe.
“Go say to David, 'This is what Yahweh says: I am giving you three choices. Choose one of them.'”
11 UGadi wasefika kuDavida wathi kuye: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Zikhethele:
So Gad went to David and said to him, “Yahweh says this, 'Choose one of these:
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, three months being pursued by your enemies and being caught by their swords, or else three days of Yahweh's sword, that is, a plague in the land, with the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the land of Israel.' Now then, decide what answer I should take 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.
Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress! Let me fall into the hand of Yahweh rather than into the hand of man, for his merciful actions are very great.”
14 Ngakho iNkosi yathuma umatshayabhuqe wesifo koIsrayeli; kwasekusiwa abantu abazinkulungwane ezingamatshumi ayisikhombisa.
So Yahweh sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand people 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 sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was about to destroy it, Yahweh watched and changed his mind about the harm. He said to the destroying angel, “Enough! Now draw back your hand.” At that time the angel of Yahweh was standing at 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.
David looked up and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand raised over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, lay facedown on the ground.
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, “Is it not I that commanded that the army be numbered? I did this wicked thing. But these sheep, what have they done? Yahweh my God! Let your hand strike me and my family, but do not let the plague remain on your people.”
18 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuGadi katshele uDavida ukuthi uDavida kenyuke ayekwakhela iNkosi ilathi ebaleni lokubhulela likaOrinani umJebusi.
So the angel of Yahweh commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and build an altar for Yahweh at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 UDavida wasesenyuka ngelizwi likaGadi alikhuluma ngebizo leNkosi.
So David went up as Gad instructed him to do in the name of Yahweh.
20 UOrinani enyemukula wabona ingilosi; lamadodana akhe amane ayelaye acatsha. UOrinani wayebhula-ke ingqoloyi.
While Ornan was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel. He and his four sons with him hid themselves.
21 UDavida esefika kuOrinani, uOrinani wakhangela wambona uDavida, waphuma ebaleni lokubhulela, wakhothamela uDavida ngobuso emhlabathini.
When David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David. He left the threshing floor and bowed to 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.
Then David said to Ornan, “Sell me this threshing floor, so I can build an altar for Yahweh. I will pay the full price, so that the plague may be removed from the people.”
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, “Take it as your own, my master the king. Do with it what is good in your sight. Look, I will give you oxen for burnt offerings, threshing sledges for wood, and wheat for the grain offering; I will 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.
King David said to Ornan, “No, I insist on buying it for the full price. I will not take what is yours and offer it as a burnt offering to Yahweh if it costs me nothing.”
25 UDavida wasemnika uOrinani ngaleyondawo amashekeli angamakhulu ayisithupha egolide ngesisindo.
So David paid 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 for Yahweh there and offered on it burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on Yahweh, who answered him with fire from heaven on the altar for burnt offerings.
27 INkosi yasilaya ingilosi; yasibuyisela inkemba yayo esikhwameni sayo.
Then Yahweh gave an order to the angel, and the angel 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 Yahweh had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he performed the sacrifice there at that same time.
29 Ngoba ithabhanekele leNkosi uMozisi ayelenze enkangala lelathi lomnikelo wokutshiswa ngalesosikhathi kwakusendaweni ephakemeyo eGibeyoni.
Now at that time, Yahweh's tabernacle, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar for burnt offerings, were at the high place at Gibeon.
30 Kodwa uDavida wayengelakho ukuhamba phambi kwalo ukudinga uNkulunkulu, ngoba wethuswa yinkemba yengilosi yeNkosi.
However, David could not go there to ask for God's direction, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of Yahweh.
