Amanani 14
1 Lenhlangano yonke yasiziphakamisa, yazwakalisa ilizwi layo; abantu basebekhala inyembezi ngalobobusuku.
That night all the community wept loudly.
2 Bonke abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebengunguna bemelene loMozisi loAroni; lenhlangano yonke yathi kubo: Kungathi ngabe safela elizweni leGibhithe, kumbe kungathi ngabe safela kule inkangala!
All the people of Israel criticized Moses and Aaron. The whole community said to them, “We wish we had died in the land of Egypt, or here in this wilderness!
3 Njalo kungani iNkosi isilethe kulelilizwe ukuthi siwe ngenkemba? Omkethu labantwanyana bethu bazakuba yimpango. Bekungebe ngcono kithi ukubuyela eGibhithe yini?
Why did Yahweh bring us to this land to die by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become victims. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?”
4 Basebesithi omunye komunye: Asimiseni inhloko, sibuyele eGibhithe.
They said to each another, “Let us choose another leader, and let us return to Egypt.”
5 UMozisi loAroni basebesithi mbo ngobuso babo phambi kwebandla lonke lenhlangano yabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
Then Moses and Aaron lay facedown before all the assembly of the community of the people of Israel.
6 UJoshuwa indodana kaNuni loKalebi indodana kaJefune ababengabalabo abahlola ilizwe, basebedabula izembatho zabo,
Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were some of those sent to examine the land, tore their clothes.
7 bakhuluma kunhlangano yonke yabantwana bakoIsrayeli besithi: Ilizwe esadabula kulo ukuze silihlole yilizwe elihle kakhulukazi.
They spoke to all the community of the people of Israel. They said, “The land that we passed through and examined is a very good land.
8 Uba iNkosi ithokoza ngathi, izasingenisa kulelilizwe, isinike lona, ilizwe eligeleza uchago loluju.
If Yahweh is pleased with us, then he will take us into this land and give it to us. The land flows with milk and honey.
9 Kuphela lingayivukeli iNkosi; futhi lina lingesabi abantu belizwe, ngoba bayikudla kwethu. Umthunzi wabo usukile kubo; leNkosi ilathi; lingabesabi.
But do not rebel against Yahweh, and do not fear the people in the land, for they are bread to us. Their protection will be removed from them, because Yahweh is with us. Do not fear them.”
10 Kodwa inhlangano yonke yathi kabakhandwe ngamatshe. Inkazimulo yeNkosi yasibonakala ethenteni lenhlangano kubo bonke abantwana bakoIsrayeli.
Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of Yahweh appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.
11 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Koze kube nini lababantu bengidelela? Koze kube nini bengangikholwa, ngazo zonke izibonakaliso engizenze phakathi kwabo?
Yahweh said to Moses, “How long must this people despise me? How long must they fail to trust me, despite all the signs of my power that I have done among them?
12 Ngizabatshaya ngomatshayabhuqe wesifo, ngibathathele ilifa, ngikwenze ube yisizwe esikhulu lesilamandla kulabo.
I will attack them with plague, disinherit them, and make from your own clan a nation that will be greater and mightier than they are.”
13 UMozisi wasesithi eNkosini: Khona amaGibhithe azakuzwa; ngoba wenyuse lababantu phakathi kwawo ngamandla akho.
Moses said to Yahweh, “If you do this, then the Egyptians will hear about it, because you rescued this people from them by your power.
14 Njalo azatshela abahlali balelilizwe. Bazwile ukuthi wena Nkosi uphakathi kwalababantu, ukuthi wena Nkosi ubonwa ubuso ngobuso, lokuthi iyezi lakho lima phezu kwabo, uhamba phambi kwabo usensikeni yeyezi emini lensikeni yomlilo ebusuku.
They will tell it to this land's inhabitants. They have heard that you, Yahweh, are present with this people, because you are seen face to face. Your cloud stands over our people. You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.
15 Uba ubulala lababantu njengomuntu oyedwa, izizwe ezizwe ngendumela yakho zizakhuluma zisithi:
Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations that have heard of your fame will speak and say,
16 Ngoba iNkosi yayingelakho ukungenisa lababantu elizweni eyabafungela lona, ngakho ibabulele enkangala.
'Because Yahweh could not take this people into the land that he swore to give them, he has killed them in the wilderness.'
17 Khathesi-ke, ngiyancenga, kawabe makhulu amandla eNkosi yami, njengokutsho kwakho usithi:
Now, I beg you, use your great power. For you have said,
18 INkosi iyaphuza ukuthukuthela, njalo inkulu emuseni, ithethelela ububi leziphambeko, kodwa engayikumyekela lokumyekela olecala, iphindisela ububi baboyise phezu kwabantwana kwesesithathu lesesine isizukulwana.
'Yahweh is slow to anger and abundant in covenant faithfulness. He forgives iniquity and transgression. He will by no means clear the guilty when he brings the punishment of the ancestors' sin on their descendants, to the third and fourth generation.'
19 Thethelela, ngiyancenga, ububi balababantu njengobukhulu bomusa wakho, lanjengalokho ubathethelele lababantu kusukela eGibhithe kuze kube khathesi.
Pardon, I plead with you, this people's sin because of the greatness of your covenant faithfulness, just as you have always forgiven this people from the time they were in Egypt until now.”
20 INkosi yasisithi: Sengibathethelele njengokwelizwi lakho.
Yahweh said, “I have pardoned them in keeping with your request,
21 Kodwa isibili, njengalokhu ngiphila, umhlaba wonke uzagcwala ngenkazimulo yeNkosi.
but truly, as I live, and as all the earth will be filled with my glory,
22 Ngoba wonke amadoda abone inkazimulo yami lezibonakaliso zami engazenza eGibhithe lenkangala, langilingileyo lezizikhathi ezilitshumi, kawezwanga ilizwi lami,
all those people who saw my glory and the signs of power that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness—they have still tempted me these ten times and have not listened to my voice.
23 isibili kabayikubona ilizwe engalifungela oyise; futhi kakho owalabo abangideleleyo ozalibona.
So I say that they will certainly not see the land about which I made an oath to their ancestors. Not one of them who despised me will see it,
24 Kodwa inceku yami uKalebi, ngoba omunye umoya ubulaye, wangilandela ngokupheleleyo; ngakho ngizamngenisa elizweni ayengene kilo; lenzalo yakhe izakudla ilifa lalo.
except for my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit. He has followed me fully; I will bring him into the land which he went to examine. His descendants will possess it.
25 (AmaAmaleki lamaKhanani ahlala-ke esigodini.) Kusasa phendukani, lisuke liziyele enkangala ngendlela yoLwandle oluBomvu.
(Now the Amalekites and Canaanites lived in the valley.) Tomorrow turn and go to the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Reeds.”
26 INkosi yasikhuluma kuMozisi lakuAroni isithi:
Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He said,
27 Koze kube nini ngilalinhlangano embi, engingungunelayo? Ngizwile ukungunguna kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli abangunguna ngakho bemelene lami.
“How long must I tolerate this evil community that criticizes me? I have heard the complaining of the people of Israel against me.
28 Tshono kibo uthi: Sibili njengoba ngiphila, kutsho iNkosi, njengalokhu likhulume endlebeni zami, ngizakwenza njalo kini.
Say to them, 'As I live,' says Yahweh, 'as you have spoken in my hearing, I will do this to you:
29 Izidumbu zenu zizawela enkangala le, labo bonke ababaliweyo benu, njengokwenani lonke lenu, kusukela koleminyaka engamatshumi amabili langaphezulu, lina abangingunguneleyo;
Your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, all you who complained against me, you who were counted in the census, the whole number of the people from twenty years old and upward.
30 sibili lina kaliyikungena elizweni engiliphakamisele isandla sami ukulihlalisa kulo, ngaphandle kukaKalebi indodana kaJefune loJoshuwa indodana kaNuni.
You will certainly not go into the land that I promised to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
31 Kodwa abantwanyana benu elathi ngabo bazakuba yimpango, ngizabangenisa, bazalazi ilizwe elalilahlayo.
But your little ones who you said would be victims, I will take them into the land. They will experience the land that you have rejected!
32 Lina-ke, izidumbu zenu zizawela kulinkangala.
As for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness.
33 Labantwana benu bazakuba ngabelusi enkangala iminyaka engamatshumi amane, bathwale ukuphinga kwenu, izidumbu zenu zize ziphele enkangala.
Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years. They must bear the consequences of your acts of rebellion until the end of your corpses in the wilderness.
34 Njengokwenani lezinsuku elahlola ngazo ilizwe, insuku ezingamatshumi amane, usuku ngomnyaka, usuku ngomnyaka, lizathwala ububi benu, iminyaka engamatshumi amane, lazi ukufulathela kwami.
Just as the number of the days during which you examined the land—forty days, you must likewise bear the consequences of your sins for forty years—one year for every day, and you must know what it is like for me to oppose you.
35 Mina Nkosi ngikhulumile. Isibili ngizakwenza lokhu kulinhlangano yonke embi ebuthene imelene lami; kulinkangala bazaphela, bafele khona.
I, Yahweh, have spoken. I will certainly do this to all this evil community that is gathered together against me. They will be completely cut off, and here they will die.'”
36 Njalo amadoda uMozisi awathumayo ukuhlola ilizwe, esephenduka, enza inhlangano yonke yamngungunela ngokuletha umbiko omubi mayelana lelizwe,
So the men Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made the entire community grumble against Moses by spreading a bad report about the land—
37 lamadoda aletha umbiko omubi ngelizwe afa ngenhlupheko phambi kweNkosi.
these men who had brought out a bad report about the land were struck down, and they died of a plague before Yahweh.
38 Kodwa uJoshuwa indodana kaNuni loKalebi indodana kaJefune, kulawomadoda ayeyehlola ilizwe, asala ephila.
Of those men who had gone to spy out the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive.
39 Njalo uMozisi wakhuluma la amazwi kubo bonke abantwana bakoIsrayeli; abantu basebelila kakhulu.
When Moses reported these words to all the people of Israel, they mourned very deeply.
40 Basebevuka ekuseni kakhulu, benyukela engqongeni yentaba, besithi: Khangelani silapha, sizakwenyukela endaweni iNkosi eyithembisileyo; ngoba sonile.
They rose up early in the morning and went to the top of the mountain and said, “Look, we are here, and we will go to the place that Yahweh has promised, for we have sinned.”
41 Kodwa uMozisi wathi: Kungani-ke liseqa umlayo weNkosi? Ngoba kakuyikuphumelela.
But Moses said, “Why are you now violating Yahweh's command? You will not succeed.
42 Lingenyuki, ngoba iNkosi kayikho phakathi kwenu, ukuze lingatshaywa phambi kwezitha zenu.
Do not go, because Yahweh is not with you to prevent you from being defeated by your enemies.
43 Ngoba amaAmaleki lamaKhanani alapho phambi kwenu; njalo lizakuwa ngenkemba, ngoba njengoba liphendukile ekulandeleni iNkosi, iNkosi kayiyikuba lani.
The Amalekites and Canaanites are there, and you will die by the sword because you turned back from following Yahweh. So he will not be with you.”
44 Kodwa ngokuziqhenya benyukela engqongeni yentaba, kodwa umtshokotsho wesivumelwano seNkosi loMozisi kawuphumanga phakathi kwenkamba.
But they presumed to go up into the hill country; however, neither Moses nor the ark of the covenant of Yahweh left the camp.
45 AmaAmaleki asesehla, lamaKhanani ahlala kulezozintaba, abatshaya, abahlakaza kwaze kwaba seHorma.
Then the Amalekites came down, and also the Canaanites who lived on those hills. They attacked the Israelites and defeated them all the way to Hormah.
