2 USamuyeli 24
1 Lwaselubuya lwamvuthela uIsrayeli ulaka lukaJehova, wabavusela uDavida, esithi: Hamba ubale uIsrayeli loJuda.
Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He stirred up David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”
2 Ngakho inkosi yathi kuJowabi induna yebutho eyayilaye: Hamba khathesi ubhode ezizweni zonke zakoIsrayeli, kusukela koDani kuze kube seBherishebha, libale abantu ukuze ngazi inani labantu.
So the king said to Joab the commander of his army, who was with him, “Go now throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and register the troops, so that I may know their number.”
3 UJowabi wasesithi enkosini: Aluba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ingandisa ebantwini, loba bebanengi kangakanani, kuphindwe ngokulikhulu, ukuthi amehlo enkosi yami, inkosi, akubone. Kodwa inkosi yami, inkosi, ithokozelani kulinto?
But Joab replied to the king, “May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”
4 Kodwa ilizwi lenkosi lalilamandla phezu kukaJowabi laphezu kwezinduna zebutho. Ngakho uJowabi lenduna zebutho baphuma phambi kwenkosi ukuze babale abantu, uIsrayeli.
Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army departed from the presence of the king to count the troops of Israel.
5 Basebechapha iJordani, bamisa inkamba eAroweri, ngakwesokunene komuzi ophakathi kwesifula seGadi, lamaqondana leJazeri.
They crossed the Jordan and camped near Aroer, south of the town in the middle of the valley, and proceeded toward Gad and Jazer.
6 Basebefika eGileyadi lelizweni leTahetimi-Hodishi; bafika eDani-Jahani, babhoda ngaseSidoni,
Then they went to Gilead and the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and on to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon.
7 bafika enqabeni yeTire lemizini yonke yamaHivi leyamaKhanani; baphuma baya eningizimu yakoJuda, eBherishebha.
They went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to the Negev of Judah, to Beersheba.
8 Sebebhode badabula ilizwe lonke, bafika eJerusalema ekupheleni kwenyanga eziyisificamunwemunye lensuku ezingamatshumi amabili.
At the end of nine months and twenty days, having gone through the whole land, they returned to Jerusalem.
9 UJowabi waseyinika inkosi inani lokubalwa kwabantu; njalo kwakukhona koIsrayeli amaqhawe ayizinkulungwane ezingamakhulu ayisificaminwembili ahwatsha inkemba; lamadoda akoJuda ayengamadoda ayizinkulungwane ezingamakhulu amahlanu.
And Joab reported to the king the total number of the troops. In Israel there were 800,000 men of valor who drew the sword, and in Judah there were 500,000.
10 Inhliziyo kaDavida yasimtshaya emva kokuthi esebale abantu. UDavida wasesithi eNkosini: Ngonile kakhulu ngalokho engikwenzileyo. Ngakho-ke, Nkosi, ngiyakuncenga, susa ububi benceku yakho, ngoba ngenze ngobuthutha obukhulu.
After David had numbered the troops, his conscience was stricken and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
11 Kwathi uDavida esevukile ekuseni, kwafika ilizwi leNkosi kuGadi umprofethi, umboni kaDavida, lisithi:
When David got up in the morning, a revelation from the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer:
12 Hamba uthi kuDavida: Itsho njalo iNkosi ithi: Ngikubekela okuthathu; zikhethele okukodwa kukho, ukuthi ngikwenze 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.’”
13 UGadi wasefika kuDavida, wamtshela wathi kuye: Kufike kuwe yini iminyaka eyisikhombisa yendlala elizweni lakini? Loba ubalekele izitha zakho inyanga ezintathu zixotshana lawe? Ingabe kube khona umatshayabhuqe wesifo okwensuku ezintathu elizweni lakini? Khathesi cabanga, ubone ukuthi yimpendulo bani engizayibuyisela kongithumileyo.
So Gad went and said to David, “Do you choose to endure three years of famine in your land, three months of fleeing the pursuit of your enemies, or three days of plague upon your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should reply to Him who sent me.”
14 UDavida wasesithi kuGadi: Ngicindezelekile kakhulu; ake siwele esandleni seNkosi, ngoba izisa zayo zinkulu, kodwa kangingaweli esandleni somuntu.
David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed. Please, let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”
15 Ngakho iNkosi yasibeka umatshayabhuqe wesifo kuIsrayeli, kusukela ekuseni kwaze kwaba sesikhathini esimisiweyo; kwasekusifa ebantwini abantu abayizinkulungwane ezingamatshumi ayisikhombisa kusukela koDani kwaze kwaba seBherishebha.
So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.
16 Lapho ingilosi iselulela isandla sayo eJerusalema ukuyibhubhisa, iNkosi yazisola ngalobobubi, yathi engilosini eyayibhubhisa abantu: Sekwanele. Khathesi finyeza isandla sakho. Ingilosi yeNkosi yayisebaleni lokubhulela likaArawuna umJebusi.
But when the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 UDavida wasekhuluma eNkosini lapho ebona ingilosi eyayitshaya abantu, wathi: Khangela, mina ngonile, njalo mina ngenze okubi; pho, lezizimvu zenzeni? Isandla sakho ake simelane lami njalo simelane lendlu kababa.
When David saw the angel striking down the people, he said to the LORD, “Surely I, the shepherd, have sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house.”
18 UGadi wasefika kuDavida ngalolosuku, wathi kuye: Yenyuka, umisele iNkosi ilathi ebaleni lokubhulela likaArawuna umJebusi.
And that day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19 UDavida wasesenyuka njengokutsho kukaGadi, njengokulaya kweNkosi.
So David went up at the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded.
20 UArawuna waselunguza, wabona inkosi lenceku zayo beqhubeka besiza kuye; uArawuna wasephuma wakhothama phambi kwenkosi ngobuso bakhe emhlabathini.
When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed facedown before the king.
21 UArawuna wasesithi: Kungani inkosi yami, inkosi, ize encekwini yayo? UDavida wasesithi: Ukuthi ngithenge kuwe ibala lokubhulela, ukuthi ngakhele iNkosi ilathi, ukuze inhlupheko ithinteke ingafiki ebantwini.
“Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” Araunah said. “To buy your threshing floor,” David replied, “that I may build an altar to the LORD, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.”
22 UArawuna wasesithi kuDavida: Inkosi yami, inkosi, kayithathe inikele lokho okuhle emehlweni ayo; bona, nanzi inkabi zomnikelo wokutshiswa, lezimbulo lezinto zenkabi kube zinkuni.
Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever seems good and offer it up. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
23 Konke lokhu, nkosi, uArawuna wakunika inkosi; uArawuna wasesithi enkosini: INkosi uNkulunkulu wakho kayikwemukele.
O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”
24 Inkosi yasisithi kuArawuna: Hatshi, kodwa ngizakuthenga lokukuthenga kuwe ngentengo; njalo kangiyikunikela iminikelo yokutshiswa engangibizanga lutho eNkosini uNkulunkulu wami. UDavida waselithenga ibala lokubhulela lezinkabi ngamashekeli esiliva angamatshumi amahlanu.
“No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25 UDavida wasesakhela khona iNkosi ilathi, wanikela iminikelo yokutshiswa leminikelo yokuthula. Ngakho iNkosi yancengeka ngelizwe, inhlupheko yasithinteka phezu kukaIsrayeli.
And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted.
