1 Kwaye ngoku kwenzekile kwinyanga yeshumi elinanye koweshumi elinesithoba unyaka, ngomhla weshumi enyangeni, imikhosi yamaLeymenayithi yabonwa isondela ngaselizweni laseAmoniha.

2 Kwaye qaphelani, isixeko sasakhiwe okutsha, kwaye uMoronayi wayemise umkhosi ngasemideni yesixeko, kwaye wawunqumbe umhlaba ngapha nangapha ukuba ubakhusele kwiintolo namatye amaLeymenayithi; kuba qaphelani, ayesilwa ngamatye nangeentolo.

3 Qaphelani, ndithe isixeko saseAmoniha besakhiwe okutsha. Ndithi kuni, ewe, kwezinye iindawo besakhiwe okutsha; kwaye ngenxa yokokuba amaLeymenayithi ayekhe asitshabalalisa ngenxa yobugwenxa babantu, acinga okokuba kwakhona siya kuba lixhoba elilula kuwo.

4 Kodwa qaphelani, lwaba njani udano lwawo ukuba lukhulu; kuba qaphelani, amaNifayithi aye omba umqolo womhlaba owajikelezileyo, owawuphakame kangangokuba amaLeymenayithi ayengenako ukugibisela amatye awo neentolo zawo kubo ukuze zibe nokusebenza, engenako nokuza phezu kwawo ngaphandle kokuba kube kungendawo yawo yokungena.

5 Ngoku ngeli lixa abaphathi-mikhosi abaziintloko bamaLeymenayithi babekhwankqiseke ngokugqithisileyo, ngenxa yobulumko bamaNifayithi ekulungiseni iindawo zawo zokhuseleko.

6 Ngoku iinkokeli zamaLeymenayithi zazicinge, ngenxa yobukhulu bamanani awo, ewe, bacinga okokuba banganelungelo elilodwa lokuza phezu kwabo njengokuba ngaphambili babesenza njalo; ewe, kananjalo ayezilungiselele ngamakhaka, nangeentsimbi eziziingcina-sifuba; kananjalo ayezilungiselele ngeengubo zezikhumba, ewe, iingubo ezishinyene kakhulu ukuba zigqume ubuze bawo.

7 Kwaye bezilungiselele njalo babecinga okokuba bangawongamela lula kwaye babazise abazalwana babo phantsi kwedyokwe yobukhoboka, okanye bababulale kwaye bababulale ngendyikityha ngokwentando yawo.

8 Kodwa qaphelani, ngokukhwankqiseka kwawo okukhulu, babewalungele, ngohlobo olungazanga lwaziwa phakathi kwabantwana bakaLihayi. Ngoku babewalungele amaLeymenayithi, ukuze balwe ngokohlobo lweemfundiso zikaMoronayi.

9 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba amaLeymenayithi, okanye ama-Amalikhayayithi, ayekhwankqiseke ngokugqithisileyo ngohlobo lwawo lokulungiselela imfazwe.

10 Ngoku, ukuba ukumkani uAmalikhaya wayehlile waphuma kulo ilizwe likaNifayi, entloko yomkhosi wakhe, mhlawumbi ngewayewabangele amaLeymenayithi ukuba abe awahlasele amaNifayithi kwisixeko saseAmoniha; kuba qaphelani, wayengalikhathalelanga igazi labantu bakhe.

11 Kodwa qaphelani, uAmalikhaya akazange ehle ngokwakhe ukuza kulwa. Kwaye qaphelani, abaphathi-mikhosi bakhe abaziintloko abazange balinge ukuwahlasela amaNifayithi kuso isixeko saseAmoniha, kuba uMoronayi wayeluguqule ulawulo lwemicimbi phakathi kwamaNifayithi, kangangokuba amaLeymenayithi ayedanile ngenxa yeendawo zawo zokubalekela kwaye ayengenako ukuza; phezu kwawo.

12 Ke ngoko abalekela entlango, aza athabatha iinkampu zawo aza amatshela ngakulo ilizwe likaNowa, elicingela okokuba liyeyona ndawo ilandelayo yabo yokuza ngokuchasene namaNifayithi.

13 Kuba ayengazi okokuba uMoronayi uyinqabisile, okanye wakhe iinqaba zokhuseleko, zazo zonke izixeko kuwo wonke umhlaba orhangqileyo; ke ngoko, bamatshela phambili kulo ilizwe likaNowa benokuzimisela okuzingisileyo; ewe, abaphathi-mkhosi bawo abaziintloko beza ngaphambili baza benza isifungo sokokuba baya kubatshabalalisa abantu beso sixeko.

14 Kodwa qaphelani, ekukhwankqisekeni kwabo, isixeko sikaNowa, ebesikade kude kube ngoku siyindawo ebuthathaka, sithe ngoku, ngenzame zikaMoronayi, somelela, ewe, kwanokude sodlule nokomelela kwesixeko iAmoniha.

15 Kwaye ngoku, qaphelani, obu yayibubulumko kuMoronayi; kuba wayeyicingile into yokuba babeza koyika esixekweni saseAmoniha; kwaye njengokuba isixeko sikaNowa besikade kude kube leli lixa siyeyona ndawo ibuthathaka, ke ngoko babeza kumatshela khona ukuya kulwa; kwaza njalo kwaba ngokweminqweno yakhe.

16 Kwaye qaphelani, uMoronayi wayenyule uLihayi ukuba abe ngumphathi-mkhosi oyintloko phezu kwamadoda eso sixeko; kwaye yayikwanguloo Lihayi owalwa namaLeymenayithi kwintlambo esempuma yomlambo iTsidon.

17 Kwaye ngoku qaphelani kwenzekile, okokuba akuba amaLeymenayithi efumanisile okokuba uLihayi wayelawula isixeko kwakhona aye adana, kuba ayemoyika uLihayi ngokugqithisileyo; nangona kunjalo abaphathimkhosi bawo abaziintloko babefungile ngesifungo ukuba basihlasele isixeko; ke ngoko, bayisondeza imikhosi yabo.

18 Ngoku qaphelani, amaLeymenayithi ayengenako ukufikelela kwiinqaba zabo zokhuseleko nangayiphina enye indlela ngaphandle kokuba kube kungesango, ngenxa yokuphakama kodonga olwaye lunqunjiwe, nobunzulu bomsele owawombiwe ngapha nangapha, ngaphandle kokuba kube kungesango.

19 Kwaye ayelungiselele njalo amaNifayithi ukuze atshabalalise bonke abaya kuthi bazame ukuqabela ukuba bangene kwinqaba nangayiphina enye indlela, ngokuthi bagibisele amatye phezulu kubo neentolo.

20 Njalo ke bazilungiselela, ewe, iqela lawona madoda abo awomeleleyo, kunye namakrele awo nezilingi, ukuba bawise phantsi bonke abo baya kuzama ukungena endaweni yabo yokhuseleko ngendawo yokungena; kwaye njalo babezilungiselele ukuba bazikhusele ngokuchasene namaLeymenayithi.

21 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba abaphathi-mkhosi bamaLeymenayithi bayisondeza imikhosi yabo phambi kwendawo yokungena, yaza yaqalisa ukulwa namaNifayithi, ukuba bangena kwindawo yawo yokhuseleko; kodwa qaphelani, badudulelwa emva amaxesha ngamaxesha, kangangokuba baye babulawa ngendyikityha enkulu.

22 Ngoku akufumanisa okokuba awanako ukuzuza amandla phezu kwamaNifayithi ngendlela yokungena, aqalisa ukuzidiliza iindonga zomhlaba ukuze abe nokuzuza indlela yokungena ukuya kuyo imikhosi yawo, ukuze abe nethuba elilinganayo lokulwa; kodwa qaphelani, kuzo ezi nzame batshatyalaliswa ngamatye neentolo ezazigityiselwa kuwo; baza endaweni yokudiba imisele yabo ngokuwisa iindonga zomhlaba, yazaliswa ukuma kumgangatho othile ngezidumbu zawo nemizimba eyonzakeleyo.

23 Njalo ke amaNifayithi abanawo onke amandla phezu kweentshaba zawo; kwaye njalo ke amaLeymenayithi aye azama ukuwatshabalalisa amaNifayithi bade abaphathi-mikhosi babo abaziintloko babulawa bonke; ewe, kwaye ngaphezulu kwewaka lamaLeymenayithi abulawa; ngeli lixa, kwelinye icala, kwakungekho nomphefumlo omnye wamaNifayithi owawubulewe.

24 Kwakukho malunga namashumi amahlanu ababonzakele, ababechaneke kwiintolo zamaLeymenayithi angena ngendlela yokungena, kodwa babekhuselwe ngamakhaka abo, neentsimbi zabo eziziingcina-sifuba, nezikrweqe zentloko, kangangokuba amanxeba abo ayesemilenzeni, amaninzi awo ayenobungozi.

25 Kwaye kwenzekile, okokuba akuba amaLeymenayithi ebona okokuba abaphathi-mikhosi bawo abaziintloko babulewe bonke basaba bangena entlango. Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba babuyela kulo ilizwe likaNifayi, ukuba bazise ukumkani wabo, uAmalikhaya, owaye engumNifayithi ngokuzalwa, malunga nokulahlekelwa kwabo okukhulu.

26 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba waba nomsindo ngokugqithisileyo kunye nabantu bakhe, ngenxa yokuba engawuzuzanga umnqweno wakhe phezu kwamaNifayithi; engabazisanga phantsi kwedyokhwe yobukhoboka.

27 Ewe, wayenomsindo ngokugqithisileyo, kwaye waye wamqalekisa uThixo, noMoronayi kanjalo, efunga ngesifungo okokuba uya kulisela igazi lakhe, kwaye oku kungenxa yokokuba uMoronayi eyigcinile imiyalelo kaThixo ekulungiseleleni ukhuseleko lwabantu bakhe.

28 Kwaye kwenzekile, okokuba kwelinye icala, abantu bakaNifayi baye bayibulela iNkosi uThixo wabo, ngenxa yamandla akhe angenamlinganiselo ekubahlanguleni ezandleni zeentshaba zabo.

29 Waza njalo waphela oweshumi elinesithoba unyaka wolawulo lwabagwebi phezu kwabantu bakaNifayi.

30 Ewe, kwaye kwabakho uxolo oluzingisileyo phakathi kwabo, nempumelelo egqithisileyo ebandleni ngenxa yenyameko nenkuthalo abayinikelayo kulo ilizwi likaThixo, elathi lavakaliswa kubo nguHilamani, noShibloni, noKoreyantan, noAmon nabazalwana bakhe, ewe, kwaye nangabo bonke abo babemiselwe ngohlobo olungcwele lukaThixo, bebhaptizelwe enguqukweni, baza bathunyelwa phambili ukuba bashumayele phakathi kwabantu.