1 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba ndaye ndabheka phambili phakathi kwamaNifayithi, kwaye ndaye ndaguquka kwisifungo endandisenzile sokokuba andisokuze ndiphinde ndiwancedise; aza andinika ulawulo kwakhona lwemikhosi yawo, kuba babendicingela ngokungathi ndandinako ukuwahlangula kuzo iimbandezelo zawo.

2 Kodwa qaphelani, mna ndandingenathemba, kuba ndandizazi izigwebo zeNkosi ezazimele ukwehla phezu kwabo; kuba abazange baguquke kubugwenxa babo, kodwa baye batsala nzima ebomini babo bengabizi kwesoo Siqu sabadalayo.

3 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba amaLeymenayithi aye eza ngokuchasene nathi njengokuba sasisabele kwisixeko saseYordan; kodwa qaphelani, badudulelwa emva ukuze bangasithabathi isixeko ngelo lixa.

4 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba baye beza ngokuchasene nathi kwakhona, kwaye saye sasigcina isixeko. Kananjalo kwakukho nezinye izixeko ezaye zigcinwe ngamaNifayithi, iinqaba ezo ezaye zawanqamla ukuze angabinako ukungena elizweni elalime phambi kwethu, ukuba babatshabalalise abemi belizwe lethu.

5 Kodwa kwenzekile okokuba nayiphina imihlaba esasithe sadlula ngakuyo, nabemi bayo babengahlanganiselwanga ngaphakathi, batshatyalaliswa ngamaLeymenayithi, needolophu zabo, needolophana, zaza izixeko zatshiswa ngomlilo; aza njalo amakhulu amathathu anamashumi asixhenxe anesithoba eminyaka adlula.

6 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba kowamakhulu amathathu anamashumi asibhozo unyaka amaLeymenayithi aye eza kwakhona ngokuchasene nathi ukulwa idabi, kwaye saye sema ngokuchasene nawo ngenkalipho; kodwa konke kwaba lilize, kuba ayemakhulu kakhulu amanani awo kangangokuba aye abanyathela abantu bamaNifayithi phantsi kweenyawo zawo.

7 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba saye kwakhona sasaba, kwaye abo ukusaba kwabo kwakunesantya esingaphezulu kunesamaLeymenayithi baye basinda, baza abo ukusaba kwabo kwakungakogqithi okwamaLeymenayithi batshayelelwa phantsi baza batshatyalaliswa.

8 Kwaye ngoku qaphelani, mna, Mormoni, andinqweneli kuhlupha miphefumlo yabantu ngokuphosa phambi kwabo umbono onjalo ukoyikeka wegazi nendyikityha njengalowo wawubekwe phambi kwamehlo am; kodwa mna, ndisazi okokuba ezi zinto ngokuqinisekileyo kufuneka zazisiwe, nokokuba zonke izinto ezifihliweyo kufuneka zityhilwe phezu kwamaphahla ezindlu—

9 Kananjalo nokokuba ulwazi lwezi zinto kufuneka lufike kuyo intsalela yaba bantu, kananjalo nakubo abeeNtlanga, eyathi iNkosi kumele basisasaze esi sizwe kwaye esi sizwe kumele sibalelwe njengento engento phakathi kwabo—ke ngoko ndibhala isishwankathelo esincinane, ndingalingi kunika ngxelo izeleyo yezinto endizibonileyo, ngenxa yomyalelo endiwufumeneyo, kananjalo nokokuba ningabi nakuba nalusizi lukhulu ngenxa yenkohlakalo yaba bantu.

10 Kwaye ngoku qaphelani, oku ndikuthetha kuyo imbewu yabo, kananjalo nakubo abeeNtlanga abanenkathalo ngendlu kaSirayeli, abaqondayo kwaye besazi apho iintsikelelo zabo zivela khona.

11 Kuba ndiyazi okokuba abanjalo baya kuba lusizi ngentlekele yendlu kaSirayeli; ewe, baya kuba lusizi ngentshabalalo yaba bantu; baya kuba lusizi kuba aba bantu bengaguqukanga ukuze babe nokuba bawolelwe ezingalweni zikaYesu.

12 Ngoku ezi zinto zibhalelwa intsalela yendlu kaYakobi; kwaye zibhalwe ngolu hlobo, ngenxa yokuba ziyaziwa nguThixo okokuba inkohlakalo ayisayi kuzizisa ngaphambili kubo; kwaye ziya kufihlwa phezulu eNkosini ukuze zibe nokuza ngaphambili ngelakhe ilixa elifanelekileyo.

13 Kwaye lo ngumyalelo endithe ndawufumana; kwaye qaphelani, ziya kuza ngaphambili ngokomyalelo weNkosi, xa sukuba iya kubona kulungile, ngobulumko bayo.

14 Kwaye qaphelani, ziya kuya kubo abangakholwayo bamaYuda; kwaye kungale njongo ziya kuya—ukuze abe nokuthundezwa okokuba uYesu unguye uKrestu, uNyana woThixo ophilayo; ukuze uBawo abe nokuzisa, ngokwakhe oyena uyiNtanda kakhulu ngokugqithileyo, enkulu neyanaphakade injongo yakhe, ekubuyiseleni amaYuda, okanye yonke indlu kaSirayeli, kulo ilizwe lelifa lawo, eyathi iNkosi uThixo wawo yawanika lona, ekuzalisekiseni umnqophiso wayo;

15 Kananjalo nokokuba imbewu yaba bantu ibe nokukholelwa ngokuphelele ngakumbi kwivangeli yakhe, eya kuthi ibheke phambili kubo isuka kwabeeNtlanga; kuba aba bantu baya kusasazwa, kwaye baya kuba sisizwe esintsundu, esinyhuku-nyhuku, nesingathandekiyo, ngaphaya kwenkcazelo yoko kwakukhe kwabakho phakathi kwethu, ewe, noko kwakukhe kwabakho phakathi kwamaLeymenayithi, kwaye oku kungenxa yokungakholwa kwabo nokukhonza izithixo.

16 Kuba qaphelani, uMoya weNkosi sele uphezile ukuhlala kunye nooyise; kwaye abanaye uKrestu noThixo ehlabathini; kwaye baqhutyelwa ngapha nangapha njengomququ phambi komoya.

17 Babekhe ngelinye ilixa baba ngabantu abonwabisayo, kwaye babenaye uKrestu njengomalusi wabo; ewe, kwaye babekhokelwa kwananguye uThixo uBawo.

18 Kodwa ngoku, qaphelani, sikhokelelwa ngapha nangapha nguSathana, kwananjengomququ uphetshethwa ngumoya, okanye nanjengokuba inqanawa iphoswa ngapha nangapha phezu kwamaza, ingenayo iseyile okanye i-ankile, okanye ingenayo nantoni na enokuthi iqhutywe ngayo; kwaye kwananjengokuba injalo, nabo banjalo.

19 Kwaye qaphelani, iNkosi izibambile iintsikelelo zabo, engebabezifumene elizweni, izibambele abeeNtlanga abaya kulilawula ilizwe.

20 Kodwa qaphelani, kuya kwenzeka okokuba baya kuqhutywa baze basasazwe ngabo abeeNtlanga; kwaye emva kokuba beqhutyiwe baze basasazwa ngabo abeeNtlanga, qaphelani, iya kuthi ke iNkosi iwukhumbule umnqophiso eyawenzayo kuye uAbraham nakuyo yonke indlu kaSirayeli.

21 Kananjalo iNkosi iya kuyikhumbula imithandazo yamalungisa, eyayinyuselwe kuyo ngenxa yabo.

22 Kwaye ke, Owu nina beeNtlanga, ningathini na ukuma phambi kwamandla kaThixo, ngaphandle kokuba niya kuguquka nize nibuye kuzo iindlela zenu ezimbi?

23 Anazi na okokuba nisezandleni zikaThixo? Anazi na okokuba unawo onke amandla, kwaye ngomyalelo wakhe owoyikekayo umhlaba uya kusongwa njengencwadi esongwayo?

24 Ke ngoko, guqukani, nize nizithobe phambi kwakhe, hleze aphume eze ngesigwebo ngokuchasene nani—hleze intsalela yembewu kaYakobi ibheke phambili phakathi kwenu njengengonyama, ize iniqwenge nibe ziziqwenga, kwaye akukho bani uya kuhlangula.