1 Amazwi awathi uYakobi, umntakwabo Nifayi, wawathetha kubo abantu bakaNifayi, emva kokufa kukaNifayi:

2 Ngoku, bazalwana bam abathandekayo, mna, Yakobi, malunga nemfanelo endiphantsi kwayo kuThixo, ukuze ndikhulise ubizo lwam ngobungcathu, nokuba ndibe nokukhupha izono zenu ezingubeni zam, ndiyenyuka ndiza etempileni ngale mini ukuze ndilivakalise kuni ilizwi likaThixo.

3 Kwaye nina ngokwenu niyazi ukuba kude kube kaloku nje ndibe nenkuthalo kumsebenzi wobizo lwam; kodwa mna ngale mini ndidakumbile yiminqweno emikhulu engakumbi nenkxalabo ngenxa yentlalo-ntle yemiphefumlo yenu kunokuba bendinjalo kude kube kaloku nje.

4 Kuba qaphelani, ngokwakalokunje, benisoloko nilithobele ilizwi leNkosi, ebe ndininike lona.

5 Kodwa qaphelani, ndiphulaphuleni, kwaye nazi okokuba ngoncedo loMdali onamandla onke wezulu nomhlaba ndinako ukunixelela malunga neengcinga zenu, niqalisa kanjani ukwenza isono, sono eso esibonakala simasikizi kakhulu kum, ewe, kwaye simasikizi kuThixo.

6 Ewe, kuyawuhlungisa umphefumlo wam kwaye kundenze ndirhwaqele ludano phambi kobukho boMenzi wam, okokuba kufuneka ndingqine kuni malunga nenkohlakalo yeentliziyo zenu.

7 Kananjalo kuyandihlungisa ukuba kufuneka ndisebenzise ubukhali obungaka obungafanelekanga bokuthetha malunga nani, phambi kwabafazi benu nabantwana benu, abaninzi babo beneemvakalelo ezibuthathaka ngokugqithisileyo kwaye benyulu kwaye be-ethe-ethe phambi koThixo, into leyo emkholisayo uThixo;

8 Kwaye kukhangeleka kum ngokungathi benyuke beza apha ukuze beve ilizwi elikholisayo likaThixo, ewe, ilizwi eliphilisa umphefumlo owonzakeleyo.

9 Ngako oko, kuyawusinda umphefumlo wam ukuba kufuneka ndinyanzeleke, ngenxa yomyalelo ongqongqo endiwufumene kuThixo, ekubeni ndiniluleke ngokunxulumene nolwaphulo-mthetho lwenu, ukuze ndandise amanxeba abo basele benzakele, endaweni yokubathuthuzela kwaye ndiphilise amanxeba abo; baze abo bangonzakalanga, endaweni yokuba bazondle ngelizwi elikholisayo likaThixo babe nezinkempe ezifakiweyo ukuze zihlabe imiphefumlo yabo kwaye zenzakalise iingqondo zabo ezi ethe-ethe.

10 Kodwa, nangona bukho ubukhulu bomsebenzi, kufuneka ndenze ngokwemiyalelo engqongqo kaThixo, kwaye ndinixelele malunga nenkohlakalo yenu namasikizi, kubukho babo bantliziyo zimsulwa, nabantliziyo zaphukileyo, kwaye bephantsi kotshawuzo lweliso eligqobhozayo loThixo uSomandla.

11 Ngako oko, kufuneka ndinixelele inyaniso ngokunxulumene nokucaca kwelizwi likaThixo. Kuba qaphelani, ekubuzeni kwam eNkosini, leza nje ilizwi kum, lisithi: Yakobi, phakama unyuke uye etempileni ngengomso, uze uvakalise ilizwi endiya kunika lona kwaba bantu.

12 Kwaye ngoku qaphelani, bazalwana bam, eli lilizwi endilivakalisayo kuni, okokuba abaninzi benu sebeqalisile ukufuna igolide, nesilivere, nalo lonke uhlobo lwentsimbi ekrwada enexabiso, kulo eli lizwe, eli lilizwe lesithembiso kuni nakuyo imbewu yenu, ezixhaphake ngakumbi.

13 Kwaye isandla solwazelelelo sikaThixo sincume phezu kwenu ngokukholisa ngakumbi, kangangokuba nizuze ubutyebi obuninzi; kwaye ngenxa yokuba abanye benu bezuze ngobuninzi ngakumbi, kunoko kwabazalwana benu niphakamele kwikratshi leentliziyo zenu, kwaye ninxiba iintamo eziqinileyo neentloko ezinyukileyo ngenxa yokuxabiseka kwezivatho zenu, nize nibatshutshise abazalwana benu ngenxa yokuba nicinga ukuba nilunge ngaphezu kwabo.

14 Kwaye ngoku, bazalwana bam, ingaba nicinga okokuba uThixo uyanigwebela kuyo le nto? Qaphelani, ndithi kuni, Hayi. Kodwa uyanigweba, kwaye ukuba niyazingisa kwezi zinto izigwebo zakhe kufuneka zize ngokukhawuleza phezu kwenu.

15 Owu ukuba ebenganibonisa ukuba unako ukunigqobhoza, kwaye ngokutshawuza nje okunye kweliso lakhe unako ukunitshabalalisa nibe luthuli!

16 Owu ukuba ebenganikhupha kobu bugwenxa namasikizi. Kwaye, Owu ukuba beningamamela kulo ilizwi lemiyalelo yakhe, nize ningayekeli eli kratshi leentliziyo zenu liyitshabalalise imiphefumlo yenu!

17 Bacingeni abazalwana benu ngokufana nani, kwaye niziqhelanise nabo bonke nize nikhululeke ngezinto zenu eziphathekayo, ukuze nabo babe zizityebi njengani.

18 Kodwa phambi kokuba nifune ubutyebi, funani nina ubukumkani bukaThixo.

19 Kwaye emva kokuba nizuze ithemba kuKrestu niya kubuzuza ubutyebi, ukuba niya bufuna; kwaye niya kubufuna ngenjongo yokwenza okulungileyo—ukuze nambathise abaze, nokudlisa abalambileyo, nokukhulula kwabathinjwa, nokunikezela uncedo kwabagulayo nababandezelekileyo.

20 Kwaye ngoku, bazalwana bam, ndithethile nani malunga nekratshi; kwaye abo kuni bathe babandezela ummelwane wabo, baza bamtshutshisa ngenxa yokuba bebenekratshi ezintliziyweni zabo, ngezinto athe uThixo waninika zona, nithini ke ngaloo nto?

21 Anicingi na okokuba izinto ezinjalo zimasikizi kuye owadala inyama yonke? Kwaye umntu ngamnye unexabiso emehlweni akhe njengomnye. Kwaye yonke inyama yeyothuli; kwaye ngenjongo enye uyidalile, ukuze ibe nokuyigcina imiyalelo yakhe ize imzukise ngonaphakade.

22 Kwaye ngoku ndiyapheza ukuthetha nani malunga neli kratshi. Kwaye ukuba bekungengokuba kufuneka ndithethe nani ngokunxulumene nolona lwaphulo-mthetho lugabadeleyo, intliziyo yam ibiya kugcoba ngokugqithisileyo ngenxa yenu.

23 Kodwa ilizwi likaThixo liya ndisinda ngenxa yolwaphulo-mthetho olugabadeleyo lwenu. Kuba qaphelani, itsho njalo iNkosi: Aba bantu baqalisa ukuya besiba nobugwenxa; abaziqondi izibhalo, kuba bazama isizathu sokuzigwebela ngezenzo zobuhenyu, ngenxa yezinto ezazibhaliwe ngokunxulumene noDavide, noSolomon unyana wakhe.

24 Qaphelani, uDavide noSolomon ngokwenene babenabafazi abaninzi namashweshwe, into leyo eyayimasikizi phambi kwam, itsho iNkosi.

25 Ngako oko, itsho njalo iNkosi, ndibakhokele aba bantu ukuphuma ngaphandle kwelizwe laseYerusalem, ngamandla engalo yam, ukuze ndiphakamisele kum isebe elinobulungisa lisuka kwisiqhamo sesinqe sikaYosefu.

26 Ngako oko, mna iNkosi uThixo andisayi kusiyekela esi sizwe ukuba senze njengabo bakudala.

27 Ngako oko, bazalwana bam, ndiphulaphuleni kwaye nimamele ilizwi leNkosi: Kuba akusayi kubakho nanye indoda phakathi kwenu engasayi kuba namfazi mnye kuphela; kwaye amashweshwe anisayi kuba nawo;

28 Kuba mna, iNkosi uThixo, ndiyavuyiswa bubunyulu babafazi. Kwaye uhenyuzo lungamasikizi phambi kwam; itsho njalo iNkosi yeMikhosi.

29 Ngako oko, aba bantu baya kuyigcina imiyalelo yam, itsho iNkosi yeMikhosi, okanye liya kuqalekiswa ilizwe ngenxa yabo.

30 Kuba ukuba ndiya kuthanda, itsho iNkosi yeMikhosi, ndiya kuphakamisela kum imbewu, ndiya kubayalela abantu bam; ngenye indlela baya kuziphulaphula ezi zinto.

31 Kuba qaphelani, mna, iNkosi, ndilubonile usizi, kwaye ndasiva isikhalo seentombi zabantu bam elizweni laseYerusalem, ewe, nakuwo onke amazwe abantu bam, ngenxa yenkohlakalo namasikizi abayeni bazo.

32 Kwaye andisayi kuzivumela, itsho iNkosi yeMikhosi, ukuba izikhalo zeentombi ezintle zaba bantu, endithe ndabakhokela baphuma kwilizwe laseYerusalem, zinyuke zize kum ngokuchasene namadoda abantu bam, itsho iNkosi yeMikhosi.

33 Kuba abayi kuzikhokelela ekuthinjweni iintombi zabantu bam ngenxa yobu ethe-ethe bazo, ngaphandle kokuba ndiya kubahambela ngesiqalekiso esibuhlungu, nokokude ndibatshabalalise, kuba abasayi kwenza luhenyuzo, njengabo bakudala, itsho iNkosi yeMikhosi.

34 Kwaye ngoku qaphelani, bazalwana bam, niyazi okokuba le miyalelo yayinikezelwe kubawo wethu, uLihayi; ngako oko, beniyazi kwangaphambili; kwaye nizizisele isigwebo esikhulu; kuba nenze ezi zinto ebeningamele kuzenza.

35 Qaphelani, nenze ubugwenxa obukhulu kakhulu kunawo amaLeymenayithi, abantakwethu. Nizaphule iintliziyo zabafazi benu aba-ethe-ethe, naza nalahlekana nentembeko yabantwana benu, ngenxa yemizekelo yenu engalunganga phambi kwabo; kwaye izingqala zeentliziyo zabo zonyukela phezulu kuThixo ngokuchasene nani. Kwaye ngenxa yobungqongqo belizwi likaThixo, elehlela ezantsi ngokuchasene nani, iintliziyo ezininzi zaye zafa, zoselwa ngamanxeba anzulu.