1 Qaphelani, ngoku kwenzekile okokuba akuba uNifayi ewathethile la mazwi, amadoda athile awayephakathi kwabo abaleka aya kuso isihlalo-sokugweba ; ewe, kwabakho nkqu isihlanu sabo bayayo, baza bathi phakathi kwabo, njengoko babehamba:

2 Qaphelani, ngoku siza kuyazi ngokuqinisekileyo okokuba ingaba le ndoda ingumprofeti kwaye noThixo uyiyalele ukuba iprofethe izinto ezimangalisa kangaka kuthi. Qaphelani, asikholelwa ukuba wenze njalo; ewe, asikholelwa okokuba ungumprofeti; nangona kunjalo, ukuba le nto ayithethileyo malunga nomgwebi oyintloko iyinyani, yokokuba ufile, ke siyakukholelwa okokuba namanye amazwi awathethileyo ayinyani.

3 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba babaleka ngamandlakazi abo, baza bangena ngaphakathi kuso isihlalo-sokugweba ; kwaye qaphelani, umgwebi oyintloko wayewele emhlabeni, kwaye wayelele egazini lakhe.

4 Kwaye ngoku qaphelani, bakukubona oku bakhwankqiseka ngokugqithisileyo, kangangokuba bawela emhlabeni; kuba babengawakholelwanga amazwi awayewathethile uNifayi malunga nomgwebi oyintloko.

5 Kodwa ngoku, bakubona bakholelwa, lwaza uloyiko lwabafikela hleze zonke izigwebo athe uNifayi wazithetha zize phezu kwabantu; ke ngoko baye bangcangcazela, baza bawela emhlabeni.

6 Ngoku, ngoko-nangoko akuba umgwebi ebulewe—ekubeni ehlatywe ngumntakwabo onxibe isinxibo semfihlakalo, waza wasaba, zaza izicaka zabaleka zaza zaxelela abantu, besenza isikhalo sokubulala phakathi kwabo;

7 Kwaye qaphelani abantu baye bazihlanganisa kunye kuyo indawo yesihlalo sokugweba—kwaye qaphelani, ekukhwankqisekeni kwabo babona loo madoda mahlanu awayewele emhlabeni.

8 Kwaye ngoku qaphelani, abantu babengazi nto malunga nesihlwele esasihlanganisene kunye esitiyeni sikaNifayi; ke ngoko bathi phakathi kwabo: La madoda ngawo la abulele umgwebi, kwaye uThixo uwabethile ukuze angasabi kuthi.

9 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba baye bawabamba, baza bawabophelela baza bawaphosa entolongweni. Kwaza kwabakho isibhengezo esithunyelwayo ngaphandle sokokuba umgwebi wayebulewe, nokokuba ababulali bathatyathiwe baza baphoswa entolongweni.

10 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba ngengomso abantu baye bazihlanganisa kunye ukuba balile kwaye bazile ukutya, ekungcwatyweni koyena uyintloko umgwebi owayebulewe.

11 Baza njalo kanjalo abo bagwebi ababesesitiyeni sikaNifayi, baza baweva amazwi akhe, kanjalo nabo babehlanganisene kunye emngcwabeni.

12 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba babuza phakathi kwabantu, besithi: Baphi abahlanu ababethunyelwe ukubuzisa malunga nomgwebi oyintloko okokuba wayefile kusini na? Baza baphendula baza bathi: Malunga nesihlanu enithi nisithumele, asazi nto; kodwa kukho abahlanu abangababulali, esibaphose entolongweni.

13 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba abagwebi banqwenela okokuba mabaziswe; baza baziswa, kwaye qaphelani yayisisihlanu esasithunyelwe; kwaye qaphelani abagwebi babuza kubo ukuze bazi malunga nalo mba, baza babaxelela konke ababekwenzile, besithi:

14 Sabaleka saza safika kuyo indawo yesihlalo sokugweba, sakuba sibone zonke izinto nanjengokuba uNifayi wayengqinile, sakhwankqiseka kangangokuba sawela emhlabeni; kwaye xa savukayo ekukhwankqisekeni kwethu, qaphelani basiphosa entolongweni.

15 Ngoku, ngokufa kwale ndoda, asazi nto ngalowo uyenzileyo; sazi okungaka kuphela, sabaleka saza safika njengomnqweno wenu, kwaye qaphelani wayefile, ngokwamazwi kaNifayi.

16 Kwaye ngoku kwenzekile okokuba abagwebi baye bawuchaza umba lowo kubo abantu, baza badanduluka ngokuchasene noNifayi, besithi: Qaphelani, siyazi okokuba lo Nifayi kunokuba uvumelene namntu uthile ukuba abulale umgwebi, aze ke abe nokuyibhengeza kuthi, ukuze abe nokusiguqulela kuyo inkolo yakhe, ukuze abe nokuziphakamisa ukuba abe yindoda enamandlakazi, eyonyulwe nguThixo, nomprofeti.

17 Kwaye ngoku qaphelani, siza kuyiphanda le ndoda, kwaye iza kulivuma ityala layo ize isazise umbulali wokwenyani walo mgwebi.

18 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba isihlanu sakhululwa ngosuku lo mngcwabo. Nangona kunjalo, baye babakhalimela abagwebi kuwo amazwi ababewathethile ngokuchasene noNifayi, baza baxoxa kunye nabo ngabanye ngabanye, kangangokuba baye baboyisa.

19 Nangona kunjalo, babangela okokuba uNifayi makathatyathwe aze abotshelelwe aze aziswe phambi kwesihlwele, baza baqalisa ukumgocagoca ngeendlela ezahlukeneyo ukuze babe nokumphikisa, ukuze babe nokumtyhola ukuze abulawe—

20 Besithi kuye: Ukwiyelenqe; ngubani le ndoda ibuleleyo? Ngoku sixelele, kwaye ulivume ityala lakho, besithi; Qaphela nantsi imali; kananjalo siya kubusindisa ubomi bakho ukuba uya kusixelela, kwaye usivume isivumelwano osenzileyo kunye nale ndoda.

21 Kodwa uNifayi wathi kubo: Owu ziyathandini, nina ningolukanga entliziyweni, zimfamandini, nani bantundini bantamo zilukhuni, ingaba niyazi na ukuba kukangakanani iNkosi uThixo wenu iya kuniyekela ukuba niza kuqhubeka ngezi ndlela zenu zesono?

22 Owu nifanele ukuba niqalise ukubhomboloza kwaye nilile, ngenxa yentshabalalo enkulu eya kuthi ngeli lixa inilindele, ngaphandle kokuba niya kuguquka.

23 Qaphelani nithi ndivumelene kunye nendoda ukuba ibulale uSezoram, umgwebi wethu oyintloko. Kodwa qaphelani, ndithi kuni, oku kungenxa yokokuba ndingqine kuni ukuze nibe nokwazi malunga nale nto; ewe, kwanangobungqina kuni, bokokuba ndazi ngenkohlakalo namasikizi aphakathi kwenu.

24 Kwaye ngenxa yokokuba ndikwenzile oko, nithi ndivumelene kunye nendoda okokuba mayenze le nto; ewe, ngenxa yokuba ndinibonise lo mqondiso ninomsindo kum, kwaye nizungula ukutshabalalisa ubomi bam.

25 Kwaye ngoku qaphelani, ndiza kunibonisa omnye umqondiso, kwaye ndibone ukuba niya kuthi ngale nto nifune ukutshabalalisa ubomi bam.

26 Qaphelani ndithi kuni: Hambani niye kuyo indlu kaSeyantam, ongumntakwabo Sezoram, nize nithi kuye—

27 Ingaba uNifayi, ozenza umprofeti, othi aprofethe ububi obungaka malunga naba bantu, uvumelene kunye nawe kusinina, enithe ngaso isivumelwano eso nabulala uSezoram, ongumntakwenu?

28 Kwaye qaphelani, uya kuthi kuni, Hayi.

29 Kwaye niya kuthi kuye: Ingaba umbulele kusinina umntakwenu?

30 Kwaye uya kuma ngoloyiko, aze angazazi oko makakuthethe. Kwaye qaphelani, uya kukhanyela kuni; kwaye uya kuzenza ngathi umangalisiwe; nangona kunjalo, uya kuthi kuni akanatyala.

31 Kodwa qaphelani, niya kumvavanya, kwaye niya kufumana igazi emibhinqweni yesambatho sakhe.

32 Kwaye nakuba nikubonile oku, niya kuthi: Livela phi eli gazi? Asazi kusini na okokuba ligazi lomntakwenu?

33 Kwaye ke uya kuthi angcangcazele, aze akhangeleke mpatsha-mpatsha, kwanokungathi ukufa kumfikele.

34 Kwaye ke niya kuthi: Ngenxa yolu loyiko nobu bumpatsha-mpatsha ethe yeza ebusweni bakho, qaphela, siyazi okokuba unetyala.

35 Kwaye ke luya kuthi uloyiko olukhulu kakhulu lumfikele; aze ke avume kuni, aze angabe aphinde akhanyele ukuba ukwenzile oku kubulala.

36 Aze ke athi kuni, mna, Nifayi, andazi nto malunga nalo mba ngaphandle kokuba ube unikelwe kum ngamandla kaThixo. Nize ke nazi okokuba ndiyindoda enyanisekileyo, nokokuba ndithunywe kuni nguThixo.

37 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba bahamba benza, kwananjengoko uNifayi watshoyo kubo. Kwaye qaphelani, amazwi lawo awathethayo ayeyinyani; kuba ngokwamazwi waye wakhanyela; kananjalo ngokwamazwi waye wavuma.

38 Kwaye waziswa ukuba aqinisekise okokuba yena ngokwakhe wayengoyena mbulali, kangangokuba abahlanu bakhululwa, kananjalo noNifayi.

39 Kwaze kwakho abanye bamaNifayithi abakholelwayo kumazwi kaNifayi; kwaye kwakukho kanjalo, abakholelwayo ngenxa yobungqina besihlanu eso, kuba babeguqulwe ngeli lixa babesentolongweni.

40 Kwaye ngoku kwakukho abanye phakathi kwabantu, abathi uNifayi wayengumprofeti.

41 Kwaye kwakukho nabanye abathi: Qaphelani, unguthixo, kuba ngaphandle kokuba abe unguthixo ebengenako ukwazi ngazo zonke izinto. Kuba qaphelani, usixelele iingcinga zeentliziyo zethu, kananjalo usixelele izinto; kwaye ukwasizisele ukwazi ngombulali wokwenene womgwebi wethu oyintloko.