2 USamuyeli 24
1 Lwaselubuya lwamvuthela uIsrayeli ulaka lukaJehova, wabavusela uDavida, esithi: Hamba ubale uIsrayeli loJuda.
Again the anger of Yahweh was ignited against Israel, and he moved David against them saying, “Go, count 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.
The king said to Joab the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count all the people, so that I may know the total number of men fit for battle.”
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?
Joab said to the king, “May Yahweh your God multiply the number of people a hundred times, and may the eyes of my master the king see it take place. But why does my master the king want this?”
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 was final against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders went out from the king's presence to count the people of Israel.
5 Basebechapha iJordani, bamisa inkamba eAroweri, ngakwesokunene komuzi ophakathi kwesifula seGadi, lamaqondana leJazeri.
They crossed over the Jordan and encamped near Aroer, south of the city in the valley. Then they traveled on through Gad to Jazer.
6 Basebefika eGileyadi lelizweni leTahetimi-Hodishi; bafika eDani-Jahani, babhoda ngaseSidoni,
They came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi, then on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon.
7 bafika enqabeni yeTire lemizini yonke yamaHivi leyamaKhanani; baphuma baya eningizimu yakoJuda, eBherishebha.
They reached the stronghold of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to the Negev in Judah at Beersheba.
8 Sebebhode badabula ilizwe lonke, bafika eJerusalema ekupheleni kwenyanga eziyisificamunwemunye lensuku ezingamatshumi amabili.
When they had gone throughout all the land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
9 UJowabi waseyinika inkosi inani lokubalwa kwabantu; njalo kwakukhona koIsrayeli amaqhawe ayizinkulungwane ezingamakhulu ayisificaminwembili ahwatsha inkemba; lamadoda akoJuda ayengamadoda ayizinkulungwane ezingamakhulu amahlanu.
Then Joab reported the total of the count of the fighting men to the king. There were in Israel 800,000 brave men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000 men.
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.
Then David's heart afflicted him after he had counted the men. So he said to Yahweh, “I have greatly sinned by doing this. Now, Yahweh, take away your servant's guilt, for I have acted very foolishly.”
11 Kwathi uDavida esevukile ekuseni, kwafika ilizwi leNkosi kuGadi umprofethi, umboni kaDavida, lisithi:
When David rose up in the morning, the word of Yahweh came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,
12 Hamba uthi kuDavida: Itsho njalo iNkosi ithi: Ngikubekela okuthathu; zikhethele okukodwa kukho, ukuthi ngikwenze kuwe.
“Go say to David: 'This is what Yahweh says: “I am giving you three choices. Choose one of them.”'”
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 to David and said to him, “Will three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months from your enemies while they pursue you? Or will there be three days of plague in your land? Now decide what answer I should return to him who sent me.”
14 UDavida wasesithi kuGadi: Ngicindezelekile kakhulu; ake siwele esandleni seNkosi, ngoba izisa zayo zinkulu, kodwa kangingaweli esandleni somuntu.
Then David said to Gad, “I am in deep trouble. Let us fall into Yahweh's hands rather than into the hand of man, for his merciful actions are very great.”
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 Yahweh sent a plague on Israel from the morning to a fixed time, and seventy thousand people died from Dan to Beersheba.
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.
When the angel reached out with his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, Yahweh changed his mind because of the harm it would cause, and he said to the angel who was destroying people, “Enough! Now draw back your hand.” At that time the angel of Yahweh was standing at 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.
Then David spoke to Yahweh when he saw the angel who had attacked the people, and said, “I have sinned, and I have acted perversely. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand punish me and my father's family!”
18 UGadi wasefika kuDavida ngalolosuku, wathi kuye: Yenyuka, umisele iNkosi ilathi ebaleni lokubhulela likaArawuna umJebusi.
Then Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar for Yahweh at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19 UDavida wasesenyuka njengokutsho kukaGadi, njengokulaya kweNkosi.
So David went up as Gad instructed him to do, as Yahweh had commanded.
20 UArawuna waselunguza, wabona inkosi lenceku zayo beqhubeka besiza kuye; uArawuna wasephuma wakhothama phambi kwenkosi ngobuso bakhe emhlabathini.
Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants approaching. So Araunah went out and bowed to the king with his face to the ground.
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.
Then Araunah said, “Why has my master the king come to me, his servant?” David replied, “To buy your threshing floor, so I can build an altar for Yahweh, so that the plague may be removed from the people.”
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, “Take it as your own, my master the king. Do with it what is good in your sight. Look, here are oxen for the burnt offering and threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
23 Konke lokhu, nkosi, uArawuna wakunika inkosi; uArawuna wasesithi enkosini: INkosi uNkulunkulu wakho kayikwemukele.
All this, my king, I, Araunah, will give to you.” Then he said to the king, “May Yahweh 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.
The king said to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it at a price. I will not offer as a burnt offering to Yahweh anything that costs 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.
David built an altar for Yahweh there and offered on it burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. So Yahweh answered the prayer on behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was confined.
