1 iiMaccabees
8:1 Ke kaloku uYuda weva amaRoma, ukuba anamandla yaye anobukroti
amadoda, nabasukuba bebamkela ngothando bonke abazimanya nabo
wenze umnqophiso woxolo nabo bonke abeza kubo;
8:2 Kwaye ukuba babe ngamadoda anobukroti. Waxelelwa ke nokwazo
iimfazwe nezenzo ezizukileyo ababezenza phakathi kwamaGalati, nendlela
babeboyisile, babazisa phantsi kwerhafu;
8:3 Kwaye oko bakwenzayo kwilizwe laseSpani, ukuze bawine
imigodi yesilivere negolide ekhoyo;
8:4 Kwaye ngokokuzeyisa kwabo, bawuthimbela kuyo yonke indawo.
nakuba ibikude kakhulu kubo; kwanookumkani ababeza kulwa nabo
bethabathela esiphelweni sehlabathi, bada baphanziswe
wabadubaduba kakhulu, baza abanye babanikela
imbeko minyaka le:
8:5 Ngaphandle koko ke, ukuba bahlukane edabini uFilipu noPerse,
ukumkani wamaKiti, kunye nabanye abaziphakamisile kuwo;
wabeyisa;
8:6 njani kanjalo uAntiyochus, ukumkani omkhulu waseAsiya, owabahlaselayo
imfazwe, ikhulu elinamanci mabini eendlovu, nabakhweli-mahashe, kunye
zakhwankqiswa iinqwelo zokulwa, nempi eninzi kunene;
8:7 ukuba bambambe ehleli nje, banqophisana naye, nabo babelawula
emva kwakhe kufuneka ahlawule irhafu enkulu, kwaye anike abaphangi, kwaye oko
kwavunyelwana ngako,
8:8 nelizwe laseIndiya, nelaseMedi, nelaseLidiya, nelizwe lakwaMidi;
amazwe awawathabathayo kuye, awanika ukumkani uEmenes;
8:9 Ngaphezu koko, ukuba amaGrike afuna ukuza kuwatshabalalisa;
8:10 Bathi ke bona, bakuba bekwazile, bathuma indoda ethile kubo
ekulweni nabo, yabulala into eninzi kubo, yemka
babathimba abafazi babo nabantwana babo, babaphanga, babathimba
bawahlutha imihlaba yabo, bazidiliza iinqaba zabo;
baba ngabakhonzi kubo unanamhla.
8:11 Waxelelwa ke, ukuba batshabalalisa, bawisa phantsi kwabo
lawula zonke ezinye izikumkani neziqithi ezazixhathise nangaliphi na ixesha;
8:12 Ke kubahlobo babo, nabakholose ngabo, bagcina uthando;
nokuba boyisile izikumkani kunye ezikude nakufuphi, kangangokuba konke oko
beva igama labo, baboyika;
8:13 Kananjalo abo baya kubanceda ebukumkanini, balawule; kwaye nabani
babuya bafuna, banduluka; ekugqibeleni, ngokuba bakhulu
phezulu:
8:14 Kuko konke oko, bekungekho namnye kubo owayesithe na isithsaba, okanye ovathe ezimfusa;
yandiswe ngako:
8:15 kananjalo bazenzela indlu enkulu, enabathathu kuyo
amadoda alikhulu elinamanci mabini ahlala phantsi kwintlanganiso yamatyala imihla ngemihla, ebhunga ngamaxesha onke
abantu, kude kube sekupheleni banokuthi balungelelaniswe kakuhle:
8:16 Kwaye ukuba urhulumente wabo banikela indoda enye ngonyaka, ngubani
balawula kulo lonke ilizwe labo, bamlulamela lowo bonke;
kwaye kwakungekhomona nazikhweleyo phakathi kwabo.
8:17 Ezi ndawo ke, uYuda wanyula uEupolemo, unyana kaYohane;
unyana ka-Akos, noYason unyana kaElazare, wabathuma eRoma;
ukwenza umnqophiso woxolo kunye nobudlelwane nabo;
8:18 nokubabongoza, bayithabathe kubo idyokhwe; ngenxa yabo
wabona ukuba ubukumkani bamaGrike babucinezela uSirayeli ngobukhoboka.
8:19 Bahamba ke baya eRoma, kuba bekuhambo olude kakhulu, beza ke
kwindlu yebhunga, apho bathetha khona.
8:20 UJudas Maccabeus, kunye nabazalwana bakhe, kunye nabantu bamaYuda, bathumele
ukuze senze umanyano noxolo kunye nani, sibe nako
bhaliselwa amaqela akho kunye nabahlobo.
8:21 Yawakholisa loo nto ke amaRoma.
8:22 Yiyo le ke ikopi yencwadi eyabhalwayo kwakhona kwindlu yendlu yezizwe
amacwecwe obhedu, athumela eYerusalem, ukuba abe khona
babe sisikhumbuzo soxolo nemvisiswano;
8:23 Ukuphumelela okulungileyo kumaRoma, kunye nabantu bamaYuda, ngolwandle kunye
emhlabeni ngonaphakade; makube lee kubo ikrele notshaba;
8:24 ukuba kuthe kwakho imfazwe kuwo amaRoma, nokuba kuwuphi na kumaqela awo
kulo lonke ulawulo lwabo,
8:25 Abantu bamaYuda baya kubancedisa, njengoko ixesha elimisiweyo limisiwe;
ngentliziyo yabo yonke.
8:26 Abayi kubanika nto abalwa imfazwe nabo;
bancedise ngokutya, ngezixhobo, ngemali, okanye ngeenqanawa, njengoko kubonakala kulungile
kumaRoma; kodwa baya kuyigcina iminqophiso yabo ngaphandle kokuthabatha namnye
into ke ngoko.
8:27 Kwangokunjalo ke, ukuba luthe lwaqala ukulwa imfazwe nohlanga lwamaYuda,
amaRoma aya kubanceda ngentliziyo yabo yonke, ngokwexesha
baya kumiselwa bona;
8:28 Abayi kunikwa kudla kwabo badlelana nabo, nokuba kungadliwa
zikhali, nokuba yimali, nokuba ziinqanawa, ngokokuthanda kwawo amaRoma. kodwa
baya kuyigcina iminqophiso yabo, kungabikho nkohliso.
8:29 Ngokwala manqaku amaRoma enza umnqophiso ne
abantu bamaYuda.
8:30 Ukuba ke ngoko, ukuba kuthe kwagqitywa, bacinga ukuba elinye icala, nokuba lilinye
bongeze okanye banciphise nantoni na, banokuyenza ngokuthanda kwabo, kwaye
nantoni na abaya kuyongeza okanye bathe bayisusa iya kuqinisekiswa.
8:31 Ke izinto ezimbi azenzayo uDemetriyo kumaYuda, sinazo
sabhala kuye, sisithi, Kungenxa yoko le nto wayenza nzima idyokhwe yakho phezu kwethu
ngabahlobo namaqela amaYuda?
8:32 Ukuba ngoko babuya bakhalaza ngawe, sobenza
ngobulungisa, alwe nawe elwandle nasemhlabeni.