1 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba uLimhayi nabantu bakhe babuyele kwisixeko sikaNifayi, kwaye baqalisa ukuhlala elizweni kwakhona ngoxolo.

2 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba emva kweentsuku ezininzi amaLeymenayithi aqalisa kwakhona ukuvuseleleka emsindweni ngokuchasene namaNifayithi, kwaye baqalisa ukuza kwimida yelizwe elibarhangqileyo.

3 Ngoku bebengekhe balinge ukubabulala, ngenxa yesifungo awathi wasenza ukumkani wabo kuLimhayi; kodwa babeya kubabetha ezidleleni zabo, baze basebenzise igunya phezu kwabo; baza baqalisa ukubathwalisa imithwalo enzima phezu kwemiqolo yabo, kwaye babaqhube njengoko babeya kwenza kulo iesile elisisimumu—

4 Ewe, konke oku kwenzeka ukuze kuzaliseke ilizwi leNkosi.

5 Kwaye ngoku iimbandezelo zamaNifayithi zazinkulu, kwaye kwakungekho ndlela yokuba bangazikhuzipha ezandleni zawo, kuba amaLeymenayithi ayebarhangqe macala onke.

6 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba abantu baqalisa ukumbombozela kuye ukumkani ngenxa yeembandezelo zabo; kwaye baqalisa ukunqwenela ukuba baye edabini ngokuchasene nabo. Kwaye baye bamhlupha kabuhlungu ukumkani ngezikhalazo zabo; ke ngoko wabanikela ukuba benze ngokweminqweno yabo.

7 Kwaye bazihlanganisa kunye kwakhona, baze bazinxiba izikrweqe zabo, baze babheka phambili ngokuchasene namaLeymenayithi ukuze babaqhubele ngaphandle kwelizwe labo.

8 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba amaLeymenayithi aye ababetha, kwaye abaqhubela emva, kwaye abulala abaninzi babo.

9 Kwaye ngoku kwabakho isililo nesijwili esikhulu phakathi kwabantu bakaLimhayi, umhlolokazi elilela umyeni wakhe, unyana nentombi belilela uyise wabo, nabazalwana babazalwana babo.

10 Ngoku kwakukho abahlolokazi abaninzi kakhulu elizweni, kwaye babelila ngamandlakazi imihla ngemihla, kuba uloyiko olukhulu lwamaLeymenayithi lwafika phezu kwabo.

11 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba izikhalo zabo ezaziqhubeka zaye zaxhokonxela emsindweni intsalela yabantu bakaLimhayi ngokuchasene namaLeymenayithi; kwaye bahamba kwakhona ukuya kulwa idabi, kodwa baqhutyelwa emva kwakhona, behlungiswa yilahleko enkulu.

12 Ewe, baphindela kwakhona nangalo elesithathu ixesha, kwaye bahlungiseka kwangohlobo lwangaphambili; kwaye abo babengabulawanga babuyela kwakhona kwisixeko sikaNifayi.

13 Kwaye baye bazithoba nanjengothuli, bezinikezele kwidyokhwe yobukhoboka, belulamele ukubethwa, nokuqhutyelwa ngapha nangapha, kwaye bethwele ubunzima, ngokweminqweno yeentshaba zabo.

14 Kwaye baye bazithobela nakuzo iinzulu zentobeko; baza bakhala ngamandlakazi kuye uThixo; ewe, kwakubo bonke ubude bemini baye bakhala kuThixo wabo ukuze abakhulule baphume kwiimbandezelo zabo.

15 Kwaye ngoku iNkosi ayikhawulezanga ukusiva isikhalo sabo ngenxa yobugwenxa babo; nangona kunjalo iNkosi yaye yaziva izikhalo zabo, kwaye yaqalisa ukuzithambisa iintliziyo zamaLeymenayithi aze aqalisa ukunyenyisa imithwalo yabo; kanti ke iNkosi ayizange ibone kufanelekile ukuba ibakhulule baphume ebukhobokeni.

16 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba baqalisa ukuphumelela ngamaqondo-ngamaqondo elizweni, kwaye baqalisa ukulima iinkozo ngobuninzi, nemihlambi nempahla emfutshane, nemihlambi yeenkomo, ukuze bangabandezeleki yindlala.

17 Ngoku kwakukho inani elikhulu labafazi, ngaphezu kwelamadoda; ke ngoko ukumkani uLimhayi wayalela ukuba ndoda nganye inikele ekuxhaseni abahlolokazi nabantwana babo, ukuze bangabi nakufa yindlala; kwaye oku bakwenza ngenxa yobuninzi benani labo ababebulewe.

18 Ngoku abantu bakaLimhayi bazigcina kunye beyimbumba kangangoko babenako, kwaye bazikhusela iinkozo zabo nemihlambi yabo;

19 Kwaye nokumkani ngokwakhe akazange abe nokuzithemba ngaphandle kweendonga zesixeko, ngaphandle kokuthabatha abalindi bakhe babenaye, esoyikela ukuba ngandlela ithile angaba nokuwela ezandleni zamaLeymenayithi.

20 Kwaye wenza okokuba abantu bakhe balikhusele ilizwe balirhangqe, ukuze ngandlela zithile babe nokubathabatha abo babingeleli ababesabele entlango, aba bebe iintombi zamaLeymenayithi, kwaye nababebangele intshabalalo enkulu kangaka ukuba ize phezu kwabo.

21 Kuba babenqwenela ukubathabatha ukuze babohlwaye; kuba babeze elizweni likaNifayi ngobusuku, kwaye bemka neenkozo zabo kwaye nezininzi izinto zabo ezixabisekileyo, ke ngoko babalalela bebalindele.

22 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba akubangakho ziphazamiso phakathi kwamaLeymenayithi nabantu bakaLimhayi, kwada kwaba lilixa awathi uAmon nabazalwana bakhe bafika elizweni.

23 Kwaye ukumkani xa ebe ngaphandle kwamasango esixeko kunye nomlindi wakhe, bamfumana uAmon nabazalwana bakhe; kwaye becinga akokuba babe ngababingeleli bakaNowa ke ngoko wenza okokuba bathatyathwe, baze babotshelelwe, kwaye baphoswe entolongweni. Kwaye ukuba babengababingeleli bakaNowa ngewayenze okokuba babulawe.

24 Kodwa wathi akufumanisa ukuba babengengabo, kodwa babengabazalwana bakhe, kwaye babevela kwilizwe laseZarahemla, wazaliswa luvuyo olugqithise kakhulu.

25 Ngoku ukumkani uLimhayi wayethumele, ngaphambi kokufika kuka-Amon, inani elincinane lamadoda ukuba ayokukhangela ilizwe laseZarahemla; kodwa ababanganako ukulifumana, baza balahleka entlango.

26 Nangona kunjalo, baye bafumana ilizwe elalikade linabantu; ewe, ilizwe elaye lizaliswe ngamathambo awomileyo; ewe, ilizwe elalikade linabantu kwaye abatshatyalaliswayo; kwaye bona, becinga okokuba yayililizwe laseZarahemla, babuyela kwilizwe likaNifayi, kwaye befike kwimida yelizwe iintsuku ezingephi phambi kokufika kuka-Amon.

27 Kwaye babeze nembali, kwa imbali yabo bantu babefumene amathambo abo; kwaye yayikrolwe kumacwecwe esinyithi esikrwada.

28 Kwaye ngoku uLimhayi kwakhona wazaliswa luvuyo akufumanisa ngomlomo ka-Amon okokuba ukumkani uMozaya wayenesipho esivela kuThixo, anokuthi ngaso atolike imikrolo elolohlobo; ewe, kwaye noAmon kanjalo waye wagcoba.

29 Kanti ke uAmon nabazalwana bakhe bazaliswa lusizi ngenxa yokuba abazalwana babo abaninzi kangako babebulewe;

30 Kananjalo nangenxa yokokuba ukumkani uNowa nababingeleli bakhe babenza abantu ukuba benze izono ezininzi kangaka nobugwenxa ngokuchasene noThixo; kananjalo baye balusizi ngokufa kuka-Abhinadayi; kananjalo ngokumka kuka-Alma kunye nabo bantu bahamba naye, ababemise ibandla likaThixo ngamandla negunya likaThixo, nokholo kumazwi athe athethwa nguAbhinadayi.

31 Ewe, baye balusizi ngokumka kwabo, kuba babengazi apho basabela khona. Ngoku babeya kumanyana nabo ngovuyo, kuba nabo ngokwabo babengene kumnqophiso noThixo ukuba bamsebenzele kwaye bayigcine imiyalelo yakhe.

32 Kwaye ngoku kwathi kwakufika uAmon, ukumkani uLimhayi kanjalo wangena kumnqophiso noThixo, nabaninzi kanjalo kubantu bakhe, ukuba bamsebenzele kwaye bayigcine imiyalelo yakhe.

33 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba ukumkani uLimhayi nabaninzi babantu bakhe babenqwenela ukubhaptizwa; kodwa kwakungekho namnye elizweni owayenalo igunya elivela kuThixo. Kwaye uAmon wakwala ukwenza ezi zinto, ezicingela ukuba usisicaka esingafanelekanga.

34 Ke ngoko abazange ngelo lixa bazibumbe babe libandla, belindele uMoya weNkosi. Ngoku babenqwenela ukuba bangaba njengoAlma nabazalwana bakhe, ababesabele entlango.

35 Babenqwenela ukubhaptizwa njengengqina nobungqina bokuba babezimisele ukumsebenzela uThixo ngeentliziyo zabo zonke; nangona kunjalo balihlehlisa ixesha; kwaye ingxelo yobhaptizo lwabo iya kunikwa emva koku.

36 Kwaye ngoku yonke imizamo ka-Amon nabantu bakhe, nokumkani uLimhayi nabantu bakhe, yayiyeyokuzikhulula baphume ezandleni zamaLeymenayithi nasebukhobokeni.