Icandelo 135
Ekwaziseni ukudela ukufa kukaJoseph Smith uMprofeti nomntakwabo, uHyrum Smith uSolusapho, eCarthage, eIllinois, Juni 27, 1844. Olu xwebhu lalibandakanywe ekupheleni kohlelo lowe-1844 lweMfundiso neMinqophiso, olwaluseza kulungela upapasho xa uJoseph noHyrum Smith babulawayo.
1–2, UJoseph noHyrum badela ukufa e Carthage Jail; 3, Isikhundla esibalaseleyo soMprofeti siyathakazelelwa; 4–7, Igazi labo elimsulwa lingqina ngenyaniso nobunyulu bomsebenzi.
1 Ukutywina ubungqina bale ncwadi neNcwadi kaMormoni, sazisa ukudela ukufa kukaJoseph Smith uMprofeti, noHyrum Smith uSolusapho. Badutyulwa entolongweni iCarthage, ngowama-27 Juni, 1844, malunga nentsimbi yesihlanu emva kwemini, liqela lezaphuli-mthetho elixhobileyo—liziqabe mnyama—elalingabantu abasukela kwi-150 kuye kuma-200. UHyrum wadutyulwa kuqala waza wawa ngokuzolileyo, edanduluka: Ndingumntu ofileyo! UJoseph watsiba efestileni; waza wadutyulwa wafa kulo mzamo, edanduluka: Owu Nkosi Thixo wam! Bobabini badutyulwe emva kokuba befile, ngohlobo olunobungonyamelo, baza bobabini bafumana iimbumbulu ezine.
2 UJohn Taylor noWillard Richards, ababini babaLishumi elineSibini, babekuphela kwabantu egumbini ngoko; owokuqala wangxwelerhwa ngohlobo olunengcwangu ngeembumbulu ezine, kodwa ukususela ngoko waphila; owesibini, ngolwazelelelo lukaThixo, waphuncuka enomgqobho edyasini yakhe.
3 UJoseph Smith, uMprofeti neMboni yeNkosi, wenze ngakugqithisileyo, kunaye nawuphina omnye umntu owakha wahlala kweli hlabathi, ngaphandle koYesu kuphela, esenzela usindiso lwabantu abakulo. Kwithuba elifutshane nje leminyaka engamashumi amabini, uzise ngaphambili iNcwadi kaMormoni, awayiguqulelayo ngesipho namandla kaThixo, kwaye ube yindlela yokuyipapasha kumazwekazi amabini; uthumele ukuzaliseka kwevangeli yanaphakade, eyayiqulathwe kwiimbombo zone zomhlaba; uzise ngaphambili izityhilelo nemiyalelo eyakha le ncwadi yeMfundiso neMinqophiso, namanye amaxwebhu amaninzi alumkileyo nemiyalelo eyakha ukunceda abantwana babantu; wahlanganisa amawaka amaninzi abaNgcwele beMihla yokuGqibela, waseka isixeko esikhulu, kwaye washiya udumo negama elingenako ukutshatyalaliswa. Waphila ngokukhulu, kwaye wafa ngokukhulu emehlweni kaThixo nabantu bakhe; kwaye njengabona baninzi babathanjiswa beNkosi kumaxesha amandulo, utywine ubizo lwakhe nemisebenzi yakhe ngegazi elilelakhe; nangokunjalo umntakwabo uHyrum. Ebomini babengohlukananga, nasekufeni abohlukaniswanga!
4 Xa uJoseph waya eCarthage eyokuzinikezela kwiimfuno zomthetho zohanahaniso, kwiintsuku ezimbini okanye ezintanthu ezandulela ukugwintwa kwakhe, wathi: “Ndiya njengemvu kumxheli; kodwa ndizolile njengentsasa yehlobo; ndinesazela esingenatyala ngakuThixo, nangakubo bonke abantu. Ndiya kufa ndimsulwa, kwaye kuya kuba kuthiwe ngam—wagetyengwa ngokungenalusini.”—Ngentsasa efanayo, emva kokuba uHyrum wazilungiselela ukuhamba—kuya kuthiwa angaxhelwa? ewe, kuba kwakunjalo—wafunda umhlathi olandelayo, kufutshane nesiphelo sesahluko seshumi elinesibini sikaEtere, eNcwadini kaMormoni, kwaye watyhila iphepha kuso:
5 Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba ndathandaza kuyo iNkosi okokuba angabanika abeeNtlanga ubabalo, ukuze babe nothando lwenene. Kwaye kwenzekile okokuba iNkosi yathi kum: Ukuba abanalo uthando lwenene akunamsebenzi kuni, nina beninyanisekile; ngako oko, izambatho zenu ziya kwenziwa zicoceke. Kwaye ngenxa yokuba nibubonile ubuthathaka benu, niya kwenziwa nomelele, kwanokude nihlale phantsi kuyo indawo endiyilungisileyo kwiindawo zokuhlala zikaBawo. Kwaye ngoku mna … ndithi salani kakuhle kubo abeeNtlanga; ewe kananjalo nakubo abazalwana bam endibathandayo, side sibe siya kuhlangana phambi kwesihlalo sokugweba sikaKrestu, apho bonke abantu baya kwazi okokuba izambatho zam azichatshazelwanga ngegazi lenu. Amangqina ngoku afile, kwaye ubungqina babo bunyanisekile.
6 UHyrum Smith wayeneminyaka engamashumi amane anesine ubudala ngoFebruwari, 1844, kwaye uJoseph Smith wayeneminyaka engamashumi amathathu anesibhozo ngoDisemba, 1843; kwaye ukususela kweli xesha kuye phambili amagama abo aya kudweliswa phakathi kwamadela kufa onqulo; kwaye umfundi kuzo zonke izizwe uya kukhunjuzwa okokuba iNcwadi kaMormoni, nale ncwadi yeMfundiso neMinqophiso zebandla, zadla elona lona gazi lilungileyo lenkulungwana yeshumi elinethoba ekubaziseleni ngaphambili usindiso lwehlabathi elonakeleyo; nokokuba xa umlilo unako ukwenzakalisa umthi oluhlaza ngenxa yozuko lukaThixo, kulula kanjani ekubeni uya kutshisa imithi eyomileyo ukuhlambulula isidiliya sokonakala. Baphilela uzuko; bafela uzuko; kwaye uzuko ngumvuzo wabo wanaphakade. Ukususela kwiminyaka ngeminyaka amagama abo aya kuya ezantsi kwizizukulwana njengamatye anqabileyo ukuze angcwaliswe.
7 Babemsulwa kulo naluphina ulwaphulo mthetho, njengoko babesoloko ngaphambili befunyaniswa, kwaye babevalelwe entolongweni kuphela ngeyelenqe labangcatshi nabantu abakhohlakeleyo; kwaye igazi labo elimsulwa kumgangatho wentolongo iCarthage litywina elibanzi elincanyatheliswe kubu “Mormoni” elingenako ukwaliwa nayeyiphina inkundla emhlabeni, kwaye igazi labo elimsulwa lichaphaza leSteyti seIllinois, ngokwaphula ukholo lweSteyti njengoko belubhambathiswe yirhuluneli, libubungqina enyanisweni yevangeli yanaphakade obungenakuphikiswa lihlabathi lonke; negazi labo elimsulwa kwibhanile yenkululeko, nakwimagna charta yeZiteyiti eziManyeneyo, lingummeli wonqulo lukaYesu Krestu, liya kuchukumisa iintliziyo zabantu abanyanisekileyo phakathi kwazo zonke izizwe; kwaye igazi labo elimsulwa, kunye negazi elimsulwa lawo onke amadela kufa phantsi kwesibingelelo uYohane awasibonayo, liya kukhala eNkosini yeMikhosi ide iphindezele elo gazi emhlabeni. Amen.