< Abahluleli 6 >
1 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebesenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi; iNkosi yasibanikela esandleni sikaMidiyani iminyaka eyisikhombisa.
2 Lesandla sikaMidiyani saba lamandla phezu kukaIsrayeli. Ngenxa kaMidiyani abantwana bakoIsrayeli bazenzela imihume esezintabeni, lembalu, lezinqaba.
3 Kwasekusithi uIsrayeli esehlanyele, enyuka amaMidiyani lamaAmaleki labantwana bempumalanga, benyuka bamelana labo,
4 bamisa inkamba maqondana labo, bachitha izithelo zelizwe, uze ufike eGaza, njalo kabatshiyanga okondlayo koIsrayeli loba imvu loba inkabi loba ubabhemi.
5 Ngoba bona benyuka lezifuyo zabo lamathente abo, bafika njengokugcwala kwentethe ngobunengi, okokuthi bona lamakamela abo babengelanani; basebengena elizweni ukulichitha.
6 UIsrayeli wasesiba ngumyanga kakhulu ngenxa yamaMidiyani, labantwana bakoIsrayeli bakhala eNkosini.
7 Kwasekusithi lapho abantwana bakoIsrayeli bekhala eNkosini ngenxa yamaMidiyani,
8 iNkosi yathuma umprofethi kubantwana bakoIsrayeli, owathi kibo: Itsho njalo iNkosi, uNkulunkulu wakoIsrayeli: Mina ngalenyusa lisuka eGibhithe ngalikhupha endlini yobugqili,
9 ngalihluthuna esandleni samaGibhithe, lesandleni sabo bonke abalicindezelayo, ngabaxotsha phambi kwenu, ngalinika ilizwe labo,
10 ngathi kini: NgiyiNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu; lingesabi onkulunkulu bamaAmori elihlala elizweni lawo. Kodwa kalililalelanga ilizwi lami.
11 Kwasekufika ingilosi yeNkosi, yahlala ngaphansi kwesihlahla se-okhi esiseOfira, esasingesikaJowashi umAbiyezeri, lendodana yakhe uGidiyoni yayibhula ingqoloyi esikhamelweni sewayini, ukuze iyifihlele amaMidiyani.
12 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasibonakala kuye, yathi kuye: INkosi ilawe, qhawe elilamandla.
13 UGidiyoni wasesithi kuyo: Hawu Nkosi yami, uba iNkosi ilathi, kungani konke lokhu kusehlele? Kanti zingaphi zonke izimangaliso zayo abasitshela zona obaba besithi: INkosi kayisenyusanga siphuma eGibhithe yini? Kodwa khathesi iNkosi isidelile, yasinikela esandleni samaMidiyani.
14 INkosi yasiphendukela kuye yathi: Hamba ngalamandla akho, ukhulule uIsrayeli esandleni samaMidiyani. Kangikuthumanga yini?
15 Wasesithi kuyo: Hawu Nkosi yami, ngizamkhulula ngani uIsrayeli? Khangela, usendo lwami lungumyanga koManase, njalo ngingomncinyane endlini kababa.
16 INkosi yasisithi kuye: Ngoba ngizakuba lawe, uzawatshaya-ke amaMidiyani njengendodanye.
17 Wasesithi kuyo: Uba khathesi ngithole umusa emehlweni akho, ngenzela isibonakaliso sokuthi nguwe okhuluma lami.
18 Ake ungasuki lapha, ngize ngibuye kuwe, ngikhuphe isipho sami, ngisibeke phambi kwakho. Yasisithi: Mina ngizahlala uze uphenduke.
19 UGidiyoni wasengena, walungisa izinyane lembuzi, lezinkwa ezingelamvubelo nge-efa lempuphu, inyama wayifaka esitsheni, lomhluzi wawufaka embizeni, wakukhuphela kuyo ngaphansi kwesihlahla se-okhi, wakusondeza.
20 Ingilosi kaNkulunkulu yasisithi kuye: Thatha inyama lezinkwa ezingelamvubelo, ukubeke phezu kwalelidwala, ubusuthela umhluzi. Wasesenza njalo.
21 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasiselula isihloko somqwayi owawusesandleni sayo, yathinta inyama lezinkwa ezingelamvubelo; kwasekusenyuka umlilo uphuma edwaleni, wadla inyama lezinkwa ezingelamvubelo. Lengilosi yeNkosi yasuka emehlweni akhe.
22 UGidiyoni wasebona ukuthi yayiyingilosi yeNkosi. UGidiyoni wathi: Maye, Nkosi Jehova! Ngenxa yokuthi ngibone ingilosi yeNkosi ubuso ngobuso.
23 Kodwa iNkosi yathi kuye: Ukuthula kakube kuwe, ungesabi, kawuyikufa.
24 UGidiyoni waseyakhela iNkosi ilathi lapho, walibiza ngokuthi uJehova-shalomi. Kuze kube lamuhla lisesekhona eOfira lamaAbiyezeri.
25 Kwasekusithi ngalobobusuku iNkosi yathi kuye: Thatha ijongosi lenkunzi engekayihlo, ngitsho ijongosi lesibili elileminyaka eyisikhombisa, udilize ilathi likaBhali elingelikayihlo, lesixuku esiphansi kwalo usigamule;
26 wakhele iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ilathi phezu kwengqonga yalinqaba, njengokwejwayelekileyo; ubusuthatha ijongosi lesibili, unikele umnikelo wokutshiswa ngenkuni zesixuku ozasigamula.
27 UGidiyoni wasethatha amadoda alitshumi ezincekwini zakhe, wenza njengokutsho kweNkosi kuye; kodwa kwathi ngenxa yokuthi wayesesaba indlu kayise lamadoda omuzi ukukwenza emini, wakwenza ebusuku.
28 Lapho amadoda omuzi evuka ekuseni kakhulu, khangela, ilathi likaBhali lalidiliziwe, lesixuku esasiphansi kwalo sesiganyuliwe, lejongosi lesibili lanikelwa phezu kwelathi elaselakhiwe.
29 Basebesithi omunye komunye: Ngubani owenze loludaba? Nxa sebedingile bebuza bathi: UGidiyoni indodana kaJowashi wenze loludaba.
30 Amadoda omuzi asesithi kuJowashi: Khupha indodana yakho ukuze ife, ngoba idilizile ilathi likaBhali, langoba igamule isixuku esasiphansi kwalo.
31 Kodwa uJowashi wathi kubo bonke ababemi ngakuye: Lina lizamlwela uBhali yini, kumbe lina limsindise? Omlwelayo uzabulawa kusesekuseni. Uba engunkulunkulu, kazilwele, ngoba ilathi lakhe lidiliziwe.
32 Ngakho ngalolosuku wambiza ngokuthi nguJerubali, esithi: UBhali kalwe laye, ngoba ulidilizile ilathi lakhe.
33 Lawo wonke amaMidiyani lamaAmaleki labantwana bempumalanga babuthana ndawonye, bachapha, bamisa inkamba esigodini seJizereyeli.
34 LoMoya weNkosi wembesa uGidiyoni; wavuthela uphondo, lamaAbiyezeri abizwa emva kwakhe.
35 Wasethuma izithunywa kuye wonke uManase, labo futhi babizwa emva kwakhe. Wasethuma izithunywa koAsheri lakoZebuluni lakoNafithali; basebesiza ukubahlangabeza.
36 UGidiyoni wasesithi kuNkulunkulu: Uba uzasindisa uIsrayeli ngesandla sami njengokutsho kwakho,
37 khangela, ngizabeka uboya bezimvu obugundiweyo ebaleni lokubhulela; uba amazolo ezakuba phezu koboya obugundiweyo kuphela, lokoma emhlabathini wonke, ngizakwazi-ke ukuthi uzamsindisa uIsrayeli ngesandla sami, njengokutsho kwakho.
38 Kwasekusiba njalo. Lapho evuka ngovivi kusisa, wacindezela uboya obugundiweyo, wakhama amazolo eboyeni obugundiweyo, umganu ogcwele amanzi.
39 UGidiyoni wasesithi kuNkulunkulu: Ulaka lwakho lungangivutheli, ngizakhuluma khathesi kuphela; ake ngihlole khathesi kuphela ngoboya obugundiweyo; ake kube lokoma eboyeni obugundiweyo kuphela, lemhlabathini wonke kakube lamazolo.
40 UNkulunkulu wasesenza njalo ngalobobusuku; ngoba kwaba lokoma eboyeni obugundiweyo kuphela, kodwa emhlabathini wonke kwaba lamazolo.
