1 iiMaccabees
6:1 Ngelo xesha ukumkani uAntiyochus, ehambahamba amazwe aphezulu
weva ukuba iElimayi kwilizwe lasePersi yayisisixeko esikhulu
edume ngobutyebi, isilivere, negolide;
6:2 Kwaye kukho itempile etyebileyo kakhulu, enamagqubu angaphezulu
igolide, nezigcina-sifuba, namakhaka, awathi uAleksandire, unyana kaFilipu, wawalawula
Ukumkani waseMakedoni, owayelawula kuqala phakathi kwamaGrike, wayeshiye apho.
6:3 Weza ke wafuna ukuwuthimba umzi, nokuwuphanga; kodwa yena
ababanga nako, ngenxa yokuba babelunyukiselwe abo basemzini.
6:4 wenyuka, yamchasa ekulweni; yena wasaba, wemka naye khona
Ubunzima obukhulu, waza wabuyela eBhabhiloni.
6:5 Kweza ke owamzisela iindaba ezilungileyo kwelasePersi, ukuba
imikhosi, eyayilihlasele ilizwe lakwaYuda, yasaba;
6:6 Wathi ke uLisiya, lowo waphuma kuqala enamandla amakhulu, wakhukuliseka
yamaYuda; nokokuba bomelezwa sisikrweqe nangamandla;
noqweqwe lwamaxhoba ababewafumene emikhosini ababenayo
tshatyalalisiwe:
6:7 Kananjalo ukuba belichithile isikizi, abemise phezu kwalo
nesibingelelo esiseYerusalem, nesiyijikelezileyo ingcwele
neendonga eziphakamileyo njengokwangaphambili, neBhetsura yomzi wakhe.
6:8 Uthe akuweva ukumkani la mazwi, wakhwankqiswa, wankwantya kakhulu.
waza wamlalisa esingqengqelweni sakhe, wagula ngokuba buhlungu.
ngokuba ibingamfikelanga njengoko ebeyilindele.
6:9 Wahlala khona apho imihla emininzi;
waye ke yena wachaza ukuba makabulawe.
6:10 Wababiza ke bonke abahlobo bakhe, wathi kubo, Balele
Uphelile amehlo am, nentliziyo yam ityhafile kukukhathazeka okukhulu.
6:11 Ndathi ke mna ngaphakathi kwam, Ndifike embandezeloni na, nokuba kunjani na?
ngumkhukula omkhulu weenkxwaleko, endikuwo ngoku. kuba bendinobutyebi, kwaye
zintanda ngamandla am.
6:12 Ngoku ke ndiyabukhumbula ububi endabenzayo eYerusalem, endabuthabathayo
zonke iimpahla zegolide nezesilivere ezikuyo, zathunyelwa kuwo
batshabalalise abemi bakwaYuda ngaphandle kwesizathu.
6:13 Ndiyabona ke ngoko, ukuba zifikelwe ngenxa yoko ezi mbandezelo
nam, yabona, ndiyaphela sisingqala esikhulu ezweni lolunye uhlanga.
6:14 Wabiza ngoko uFilipu, omnye wakubahlobo bakhe, lowo wamenza umphathi
yonke indawo yakhe,
6:15 Wamnika isithsaba, nengubo yakhe yokwaleka, nomsesane wakhe wokutywina, wesuka wenjenjeya
kufuneka akhulise unyana wakhe uAntiochus, aze amondlele ubukumkani.
6:16 Wafela khona ukumkani uAntiochus, ngomnyaka wekhulu elinamanci mane anesithoba.
6:17 Ke kaloku uLisiya, esazi ukuba ukumkani ufile, wamisa uAntiochus wakhe
unyana awamkhulisayo esemncinane, ukuba abe ngukumkani esikhundleni sakhe, nowakhe
igama wathi Eupator.
6:18 Kwathi ngelo xesha, abasenqabeni ende, babavalela oonyana bakaSirayeli ngeenxa zonke
ehlala engxamele indawo yengcwele, esoloko efuna ukwenzakalisa nokomelela
yeentlanga.
6:19 Wathi ngoko uYuda, efuna ukubatshabalalisa, wababiza bonke abantu
kunye ukuba babangqinge.
6:20 Bahlanganisana ke, babangqinga ngekhulu elinamanci mahlanu
ngonyaka, kwaye wenza iinduli zokutyholwa ngabo, kunye nezinye iinjini.
6:21 Ke kaloku baphuma abathile bakubon' ukuba bangqingiwe, baye inxenye kubo
bamanyanisa abantu abangahloneli Thixo bakwaSirayeli;
6:22 Baya ke kukumkani, bathi, Koda kube nini na uphambi kwakho
nigwebe, niphindezele na abazalwana bethu?
6:23 Besivuma ukumkhonza uyihlo, nokwenza njengoko athanda ngako kuthi;
nokuthobela imiyalelo yakhe;
6:24 Kungoko bathi abohlanga lwakowethu bayingqinga inqaba, baphanziswa
ukusuka kuthi: ngaphezu koko njengoko babenako ukukhanyisa babulala, kwaye
walonakalisa ilifa lethu.
6:25 kananjalo abasolulanga isandla sabo kuthi kuphela, kodwa kananjalo
emideni yabo.
6:26 Yabona, bayingqingile namhla inqaba ende eYerusalem, ukuba bayithimba
Ingcwele neBhete-tsura baye bayinqabisa.
6:27 ngoko ke, ukuba akubakhawulelanga kwamsinya, baya kukwenza
izinto ezinkulu kunezi, aninako ukuzilawula.
6:28 Akukuva oko ukumkani, waqumba, wabahlanganisa bonke
abahlobo bakhe, nabathetheli bomkhosi wakhe, nabaphetheyo
ihashe.
6:29 Beza kuye bevela kwezinye izikumkani, naseziqithini zolwandle.
amaqela amajoni aqeshiweyo.
6:30 Ngoko ke inani lomkhosi wakhe aba likhulu lamawaka omqikela, yaye
amashumi amabini amawaka abakhweli bamahashe, namashumi amathathu anesibini eendlovu azilolongayo
idabi.
6:31 bona balityhutyha iIdume, bamisa ngaseBhete-tsura, abayimisayo
yahlasela iintsuku ezininzi, isenza iinjini zemfazwe; kweza abaseBhete-tsura
wabakhupha, wabatshisa ngomlilo, walwa ngobukroti.
6:32 Kwathi ke, wakunduluka uYuda enqabeni ende, wamisa eBhatsakariya.
malunga nomkhosi wokumkani.
6:33 Waza ukumkani wavuka ekuseni kakhulu, wafika equbisana nomkhosi wakhe
uBhatsakariya, apho imikhosi yakhe yayilungiselele ukulwa, yavuthela ixilongo
amaxilongo.
6:34 Kwaye ukuze ekugqibeleni baxhokonxe iindlovu ukulwa, babonisa
kubo, igazi leediliya nelamaqunu.
6:35 Bawahlula amarhamncwa eminqubeni, kwaba yinto yonke;
indlovu bamisela iwaka lamadoda, exhobe ngeengubo zentsimbi, kwaye
bethwele izigcina-ntloko zobhedu ezintlokweni zabo; yaye ngaphandle koko, kuzo zonke izilo
kwamiselwa abakhweli bamahashe abangamakhulu amahlanu, kwabalungileyo.
6:36 Ezi ke zazisele zilungile ngamaxesha onke, naphi na apho lalikhona irhamncwa, yaye
apho lalisiya khona irhamncwa, zaya nazo, azimki
yena.
6:37 Naphezu kweenkomo ezo bekukho iinqaba ezinde zemithi, ezigqumayo
elowo ke ebhinqiswe iqhinga, ekho
kwanamashumi amathathu anesibini amagorha alwayo nawo;
ecaleni kweIndiya elalimlawula.
6:38 Ke bona abamahashe abaseleyo, bawamisa ngapha nangapha
kwicala kumacandelo amabini omkhosi ebanika imiqondiso ukuba benze ntoni, kwaye
ibotshelelwe phakathi kwamaqela.
6:39 Kwathi, ekukhanyeni kwelanga kumakhaka egolide, nawobhedu, ezintabeni
Bengezela ngawo, bebengezela njengezikhuni zomlilo.
6:40 Ngoko inxalenye yomkhosi wokumkani isasazeke ezintabeni eziphakamileyo
inxalenye ephantsi kweentlambo, bahamba bekhuselekile, belungelelene.
6:41 Ngako oko bonke abo balivayo isandi sengxokolo yabo nokuhamba kwabo
kwashukuma isihlwele, nokukrazula kwezikhali;
umkhosi wawumkhulu kakhulu, unamandla.
6:42 Wasondela uYudas nomkhosi wakhe, wangena ekulweni;
kwabulawa kumkhosi wokumkani amadoda angamakhulu amathandathu.
6:43 NoElazare, ogama ligama linguSavaran, waqonda ukuba lilinye irhamncwa elixhobileyo.
Ngeentsimbi zasebukhosini, wayephakame kakhulu kunabo bonke abanye, ecinga ukuba
ukumkani wayephezu kwakhe;
6:44 ezibeka esichengeni, ukuze abahlangule abantu bakhe, abazuze
igama lakhe elingunaphakade:
6:45 Wabaleka phezu kwakhe ngobukroti, esazulwini sedabi.
bebulala ngasekunene nangasekhohlo, ngokokude bahlukane
ukusuka kuye macala omabini.
6:46 Kwathi, wachwechwa phantsi kwendlovu, wayiphosa phantsi, wayibulala.
Yawa phezu kwakhe indlovu, wafela khona.
6:47 Ke amanye amaYuda akukubona ukomelela kokumkani, nokuba namandla
ngogonyamelo lwemikhosi yakhe warhoxa kubo.
6:48 Wenyuka umkhosi wokumkani, waya kubakhawulela eYerusalem, nokumkani lowo
Wamisa iintente zakhe kulo kwaYuda, nakwintaba yaseZiyon.
6:49 Wenza uxolo nabaseBhete-tsura, ngokuba babephumile
isixeko, ngenxa yokuba babengenakudla apho ukuze banyamezele ukungqingwa, sona
ngumnyaka wokuphumla kwelizwe.
6:50 Ukumkani wayithabatha ke iBhete-tsura, wamisa ikampu khona ukuba iyigcine.
6:51 Ke ingcwele wayingqinga imihla emininzi, wamisa khona iintonga
ngeenjini nangeempahla zokuphosa umlilo, namatye, neziqwenga zokuphosa
iidayi kunye nezilingi.
6:52 Benza iinjini ngakuzo iinjini zabo, bazibamba
idabi ixesha elide.
6:53 Kodwa ekugqibeleni izitya zabo zingenamphako (kuba bekunjalo).
ngomnyaka wesixhenxe, nabathe bakwaYuda bakhululwa ekuthinjweni
abeeNtlanga, bayidla bayigqiba intsalela;
6:54 Kwasala abambalwa engcweleni, ngokuba ibinjenjalo indlala
beyisa, ngokokude bathi khunubembe, bonke bephela
umntu endaweni yakhe.
6:55 Ngelo xesha uLisiya weva kusithiwa uFilipu, lowo uAntiyoko ukumkani,
ngoxa wayephila, wamisela ukuba akhulise unyana wakhe uAntiochus, ukuba yena
inokuba ngukumkani,
6:56 Wabuya ePersi naseMedi, kwanomkhosi wokumkani ohambeyo
kunye naye, nokuba wayefuna ukuthabathela kuye ulawulo lwemicimbi.
6:57 Waza wangena ngobungxamo, wathi kukumkani nakubathetheli
Umkhosi neqela, Sibola imihla ngemihla, kwaye ukutya kwethu kuphelile
incinci, kwaye indawo esiyingqingayo yomelele, kunye nemicimbi ye
ubukumkani busilele phezu kwethu.
6:58 masenze ubuhlobo nabo ke ngoko, sixolelane nabo;
bona, nohlanga lwabo lonke;
6:59 banqophisene nabo, ukuba baya kuphila ngemithetho yabo, njengoko bonayo
benzé ngenxa engaphambili; kuba ngenxa yoko bacaphukile, bazenza zonke ezi zinto
izinto, ngokuba siyibhangisile imithetho yazo.
6:60 Bavumelana ke ukumkani nabathetheli; wathumela kubo
yenza uxolo; baza balamkela.
6:61 Wabafungisa ukumkani nabathetheli;
waphuma kuloo nqaba.
6:62 Waza ukumkani wangena entabeni yeZiyon; kodwa xa ebona amandla
endaweni leyo, wasaphula isifungo awasenzayo, wawisa umthetho
diliza udonga ngeenxa zonke.
6:63 Wemka ke ngobungxamo, wabuyela kwa-Antiyokwe, apho
wafumana uFilipu eyinkosi yalo mzi; walwa naye ke
wasithimba isixeko ngenkani.