1 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba baye babeka abalindi phezu kwamabanjwa amaLeymenayithi, baza babanyanzela ukuba babheke phambili baze bangcwabe abafileyo babo, ewe, kananjalo nabafileyo bamaNifayithi ababebulewe; waza uMoronayi wabeka amadoda phezu kwawo ukuba awalinde ngeli lixa eya kuba esenza imisebenzi yawo.

2 Waza uMoronayi waya kuso isixeko sikaMyuleki kunye noLihayi, waza waluthabatha ulawulo lwesixeko waza walunikela kuLihayi. Ngoku qaphelani, loLihayi waye eyindoda eyaye ikunye noMoronayi kwinxalenye engakumbi yawo onke amadabi akhe; kwaye waye eyindoda efanayo noMoronayi, kwaye babegcotyiswa lukhuseleko lomnye nomnye; ewe, babethandana omnye nomnye, kananjalo bethandwa ngabo bonke abantu bakaNifayi.

3 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba emva kokuba amaLeymenayithi egqibile ukungcwaba abafileyo babo kananjalo nabafileyo bamaNifayithi, bamatshela emva kulo ilizwe iNdyebo; waza uTiyanikumi, ngemiyalelo kaMoronayi, wababangela okokuba mabaqalise ukusebenza nzima ukomba umsele orhangqe ilizwe, okanye isixeko, iNdyebo.

4 Kwaye wababangela okokuba mabakhe udonga oluphantsi lokukhusela lwemithi; phezu kodonga lwangaphakathi lomngxuma; kwaye bakhuphela ngaphandle komngxuma umhlaba ngakudonga olungaphantsi lokukhusela lwemithi; kwaye njalo baye bawabangela amaLeymenayithi ukuba asebenze ade abe asirhangqile isixeko iNdyebo macala onke ngodonga olomeleleyo lwemithi nomhlaba, lwaba lude ngokugqithileyo.

5 Kwaye esi sixeko saba yinqaba egqithileyo kunangaphambili emva koko; kwaye kwesi sixeko baye bawalinda amabanjwa amaLeymenayithi; ewe, kwanangaphakathi kodonga abathi bawabangela ukuba balwakhe ngezabo izandla. Ngoku uMoronayi wayenyanzelekile ukuba awabangele amaLeymenayithi ukuba asebenze, ngenxa yokuba kwakulula ukuwalinda ngeli lixa ayekumsembenzi wawo; kwaye wayeyifuna yonke imikhosi yakhe xa kufuneka enze uhlaselo phezu kwamaLeymenayithi.

6 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba uMoronayi njalo wazuza uloyiso phezu komnye wemikhosi eyakhe yamikhulu yamaLeymenayithi, kwaye wayezuze nolawulo lwesixeko sikaMyuleki, esaye sisesinye sezona nqaba ziluqilima zamaLeymenayithi kulo ilizwe likaNifayi; kwaye njalo ke wayethe wakha kanjalo inqaba yokugcina amabanjwa akhe.

7 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba akazange aphinde azame ukulwa idabi kunye namaLeymenayithi kuloo nyaka, kodwa waye wasebenzisa amadoda akhe ekulungiseleleni imfazwe, ewe, kwaye nasekwenzeni iinqaba zokulinda ngokuchasene namaLeymenayithi, ewe, kananjalo ehlangula abafazi babo nabantwana babo endlaleni nembandezelo, kwaye ebonelela nemikhosi yakhe ngokutya.

8 Kwaye ngoku kwenzekile okokuba imikhosi yamaLeymenayithi, kulwandle olusentshonalanga, emazantsi, ngeli lixa angekhoyo uMoronayi ngesizathu sobuqhophololo obuthile phakathi kwamaNifayithi, obathi babangela ukreqo phakathi kwawo, aye azuza umhlaba phezu kwamaNifayithi, ewe, kangangokuba ayezuze ulawulo lwenani elithile lezixeko zabo kuloo mmandla welizwe.

9 Kwaza njalo ngenxa yobugwenxa phakathi kwabo, ewe, ngenxa yokreqo nobuqhophololo phakathi kwabo babekwa kwezona meko zinobungozi ngakumbi.

10 Kwaye ngoku qaphelani, ndinokuthile nje endifuna ukukuthetha malunga nabantu baka-Amon, ababe, ekuqaleni, bengamaLeymenayithi; kodwa ngoAmon nabazalwana bakhe, okanye ngenye indlela ngamandla nelizwi likaThixo, baguqukela eNkosini; kwaye bathotyelwe ezantsi elizweni laseZarahemla, kwaye ukususela oko bakhuselwa ngamaNifayithi.

11 Kwaye ngenxa yesifungo sabo bathintelwe ekuthabatheni izikhali ngokuchasene nabazalwana babo; kuba babenze isifungo sokokuba abasokuze baphalaze gazi ngokungakumbi; kwaye ngokwesifungo sabo ngebabetshabalele; ewe, ngebabeziyekele ukuba bawele ezandleni zabazalwana babo, ukuba kwakungengalo usizi nothando olugqithileyo awayenalo uAmon nabazalwana bakhe ngabo.

12 Kwaye kungesi sizathu bathi baziswa ezantsi kulo ilizwe laseZarahemla; kwaye ukususela oko bakhuselwa ngamaNifayithi.

13 Kodwa kwenzekile okokuba bakuba beyibona ingozi, neembandezelo ezininzi neenkxwaleko awathi amaNifayithi azinyamezela ngabo, bachukumiseka ngovelwano baza banqwenela ukuthabatha izikhali ekukhuseleni ilizwe labo.

14 Kodwa qaphelani, njengokuba babesele beza kuthabatha izikhali zemfazwe, boyiswa zizicengo zikaHilamani nabazalwana bakhe, kuba babesele beza kusaphula isifungo ababesenzile.

15 Kwaye uHilamani woyika hleze ngokwenza njalo bangaphulukana nemiphefumlo yabo; ke ngoko bonke abo babengene kulo mnqophiso banyanzeleka ukuba bababone abazalwana babo benyovula kwiimbandezelo zabo, kwiimeko zabo ezinobungozi ngeli lixa.

16 Kodwa qaphelani, kwenzekile okokuba babenoonyana abaninzi, ababengangenanga kumnqophiso wokokuba babengasayi kuthabatha zikhali zamfazwe ukuba bazikhusele ngokuchasene neentshaba zabo; ke ngoko baye baqokelelana ngeli lixa, ngobuninzi kangangokuba babenako ukuba bathabathe izikhali, kwaye bazibiza ngokuba bangamaNifayithi.

17 Baza bangena kumnqophiso wokuba balwele inkululeko yamaNifayithi, ewe, ukukhusela ilizwe ekubekeni phantsi ubomi babo; ewe, bade banqophisa okokuba abasokuze bayinikezele inkululeko yabo, kodwa baya kulwa kuzo zonke iimeko ukukhusela amaNifayithi kunye nabo ebukhobokeni.

18 Ngoku qaphelani, kwakungamawaka amabini abo bafana baselula, abathi bangena kuwo lo mnqophiso baza bazithabatha izikhali zabo zemfazwe ukukhusela ilizwe labo.

19 Kwaye ngoku qaphelani, njengokuba kude kubengoko bengazange baba yingxaki kumaNifayithi, basuka ngoku ngesi sigaba sexesha kanjalo baba luncedo olukhulu; kuba bazithabatha izikhali zabo zemfazwe, baza banqwenela okokuba uHilamani abe yinkokeli yabo.

20 Kwaye bonke babe ngamadodana aselula, kwaye babe khaliphe ngokugqithisileyo ngenkalipho, kananjalo ngokomelela nangenkuthalo; kodwa qaphelani, akuzange kuphelele apho—babe ngamadoda awayenyanisekile ngamaxesha onke nakuyo nantoni na ababeyiphathiswe ngethemba.

21 Ewe, babengamadoda enyaniso nangcathu, kuba babefundisiwe ukuba bagcine imiyalelo kaThixo nokuba bahambe ngokuthe tye phambi kwakhe.

22 Kwaye ngoku kwenzekile okokuba uHilamani waye wamatsha esentloko yamawaka akhe amabini angamagatyana amajoni, ekuncediseni abantu emideni yelizwe emazantsi ngakulwandle olusentshona.

23 Waza njalo waphela owamashumi amabini anesibhozo unyaka wolawulo lwabagwebi phezu kwabantu bakaNifayi.