UDutheronomi 9

1 Zwana, Israyeli; uzachapha iJordani lamuhla, ukungenela ukudla ilifa lezizwe ezinkulu lezilamandla kulawe, imizi emikhulu ebiyelwe ngemithangala efika emazulwini.

Hear, Israel; you are about to cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, and cities that are great and fortified up to heaven,

2 Abantu abakhulu labade, abantwana bamaAnaki wena obaziyo, wena osuzwile ngabo kuthiwa: Ngubani ongema phambi kwabantwana bakaAnaki?

a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard people say, 'Who can stand before the sons of Anak?'

3 Ngakho yazi lamuhla ukuthi yiNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho echapha phambi kwakho, engumlilo oqothulayo; yona izabachitha, njalo yona izabehlisela phansi phambi kwakho; njalo lizabaxotsha basuke elifeni labo, libabhubhise masinyane, njengokutsho kweNkosi kuwe.

Know therefore today that Yahweh your God is he who goes over before you like a devouring fire; he will destroy them, and he will subdue them before you; so will you drive them out and make them to perish quickly, as Yahweh has said to you.

4 Ungakhulumi enhliziyweni yakho, lapho iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho isibaxotshile phambi kwakho, usithi: Ngenxa yokulunga kwami iNkosi ingingenise ukudla ilifa lelizwe leli. Kodwa ngenxa yobubi balezizizwe iNkosi izixotsha zisuke elifeni lazo phambi kwakho.

Do not say in your heart, after Yahweh your God has thrust them out from before you, 'It was because of my righteousness that Yahweh has brought me in to possess this land,' for it was because of the wickedness of these nations that Yahweh is driving them out from before you.

5 Kakungenxa yokulunga kwakho kumbe ngenxa yobuqotho benhliziyo yakho ukuthi ungene ukudla ilifa lelizwe lazo; kodwa ngenxa yobubi balezizizwe iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho izixotsha zisuke elifeni lazo phambi kwakho, lokuthi iqinise ilizwi iNkosi eyalifungela oyihlo, uAbrahama, uIsaka loJakobe.

It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you are going in to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that your God is driving them out from before you, and so that he may make come true the word that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

6 Yazi-ke ukuthi kakungenxa yokulunga kwakho ukuthi iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ikunika lelilizwe elihle ukuthi udle ilifa lalo; ngoba uyisizwe esilentamo elukhuni.

Know therefore, that Yahweh your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people.

7 Khumbula, ungakhohlwa, ukuthi wayithukuthelisa iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho enkangala; kusukela osukwini owaphuma ngalo elizweni leGibhithe laze lafika kulindawo, beliyivukela iNkosi.

Remember and do not forget how you provoked Yahweh your God to anger in the wilderness; from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against Yahweh.

8 LeHorebe layithukuthelisa iNkosi, yaze yalithukuthelela iNkosi ukulichitha.

Also at Horeb you provoked Yahweh to anger, and Yahweh was angry enough with you to destroy you.

9 Sengenyukele entabeni ukwemukela izibhebhe zamatshe, izibhebhe zesivumelwano iNkosi eyasenza lani, ngasengihlala entabeni insuku ezingamatshumi amane lobusuku obungamatshumi amane, angidlanga sinkwa, anginathanga manzi.

When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that Yahweh made with you, I stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water.

10 INkosi yasinginika lezozibhebhe ezimbili zamatshe zilotshwe ngomunwe kaNkulunkulu, laphezu kwazo kulotshiwe ngokwamazwi wonke iNkosi eyayiwakhulume lani entabeni, iphakathi komlilo ngosuku lokuhlangana.

Yahweh gave to me the two tablets of stone written with his finger; on them was written everything just like all the words that Yahweh announced to you on the mountain out of the middle of the fire on the day of the assembly.

11 Kwasekusithi ekupheleni kwensuku ezingamatshumi amane lobusuku obungamatshumi amane, iNkosi yangipha izibhebhe ezimbili zamatshe, izibhebhe zesivumelwano.

It happened at the end of those forty days and forty nights that Yahweh gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant.

12 INkosi yasisithi kimi: Sukuma wehle ngokuphangisa usuke lapha, ngoba abantu bakho owabakhupha eGibhithe bonakalisile, baphambukile ngokuphangisa endleleni engabalaya yona, bazenzela isithombe esibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa.

Yahweh said to me, 'Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people, whom you brought out of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned aside out of the path that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a cast figure.'

13 INkosi yasikhuluma kimi isithi: Ngibabonile lababantu, khangela-ke, bangabantu abantamo zilukhuni.

Furthermore, Yahweh spoke to me and said, 'I have seen this people; they are a stubborn people.

14 Ngiyekela ukuze ngibabhubhise, ngesule ibizo labo lisuke ngaphansi kwamazulu; njalo ngizakwenza ube yisizwe esilamandla lesikhulu kulabo.

Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven, and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.'

15 Ngasengiphenduka ngisehla entabeni, lentaba yayivutha umlilo; lezibhebhe zombili zesivumelwano zazisezandleni zami zombili.

So I turned around and came down the mountain, and the mountain was burning. The two tablets of the covenant were in my hands.

16 Ngasengibona, khangelani-ke, lalonile eNkosini uNkulunkulu wenu, lalizenzele ithole elibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa, laliphambukile ngokuphangisa endleleni iNkosi eyayililayile.

I looked, and behold, you had sinned against Yahweh your God. You had molded for yourselves a calf. You had quickly turned aside out of the path that Yahweh had commanded you.

17 Ngasengibamba izibhebhe zombili, ngazilahla ezandleni zami zombili, ngazibulala phambi kwamehlo enu.

I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands. I broke them before your eyes.

18 Ngasengiziwisela phansi phambi kweNkosi njengakuqala, insuku ezingamatshumi amane lobusuku obungamatshumi amane, ngingadli sinkwa, nginganathi manzi, ngenxa yaso sonke isono senu elisonileyo, lisenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi, liyithukuthelisa.

Again I lay facedown before Yahweh for forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin that you had committed, in doing that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, so as to provoke him to anger.

19 Ngoba ngangisesaba ukuthukuthela lolaka iNkosi eyayilithukuthelela ngakho ukulibhubhisa; kodwa iNkosi yangizwa langalesosikhathi.

For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which Yahweh was angry enough against you to destroy you. But Yahweh listened to me that time also.

20 INkosi yasimthukuthelela kakhulu uAroni ukuze imbhubhise; kodwa ngamkhulekela loAroni ngalesosikhathi.

Yahweh was very angry with Aaron so as to destroy him; I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.

21 Ngasengithatha isono senu, ithole elalilenzile, ngalitshisa ngomlilo, ngalichoboza, ngalicholisisa laze laba lincinyane njengothuli; ngaphosa uthuli lwalo esifuleni esasisehla entabeni.

I took your sin, the calf that you had made, and burned it, beat it, and ground it very small, until it was as fine as dust. I threw its dust into the stream that came down from the mountain.

22 LeTabera, leMasa, leKiribothi-Hathava laliyithukuthelisa iNkosi.

At Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth Hattaavah, you provoked Yahweh to wrath.

23 Lalapho iNkosi yalithuma lisuka eKadeshi-Bhaneya isithi: Yenyukani, lidle ilifa lelizwe engilinike lona, laselihlamukela umlayo weNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, kaliyikholwanga, kalilalelanga ilizwi layo.

When Yahweh sent you from Kadesh Barnea and said, 'Go up and take possession of the land that I have given you,' then you rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh your God, and you did not believe or listen to his voice.

24 Lalivele liyivukele iNkosi kusukela osukwini engalazi ngalo.

You have been rebellious against Yahweh from the day that I knew you.

25 Ngasengiziwisela phansi phambi kweNkosi insuku ezingamatshumi amane lobusuku obungamatshumi amane, engaziwisela phansi ngazo, ngoba iNkosi yayithe izalichitha.

So I lay facedown before Yahweh those forty days and forty nights, because he had said that he would destroy you.

26 Ngasengikhuleka eNkosini ngathi: Nkosi Jehova, ungabachithi abantu bakho lelifa lakho, obahlenge ngobukhulu bakho, owabakhupha eGibhithe ngesandla esilamandla.

I prayed to Yahweh and said, 'O Lord Yahweh, do not destroy your people or your inheritance whom you have redeemed through your greatness, which you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

27 Khumbula inceku zakho, uAbrahama, uIsaka, loJakobe; ungakhangeli inkani yalababantu lobubi babo lesono sabo,

Call to mind your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not look at the stubbornness of this people, nor at their wickedness, nor at their sin,

28 hlezi ilizwe owasikhupha kilo lithi: Ngenxa yokuthi iNkosi yayingelamandla okubangenisa elizweni eyabathembisa lona, langenxa yokuthi ibazonda, yabakhupha ukuze ibabulalele enkangala.

so that the land from where you brought us should say, “Because Yahweh was not able to bring them into the land that he promised to them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.”

29 Kube kanti bangabantu bakho lelifa lakho, owabakhupha ngamandla akho amakhulu langengalo yakho eyeluliweyo.

Yet they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out by your great strength and by the display of your power.'