2 iiMaccabees
1:1 Mawethu, amaYuda aseYerusalem nakwelakwaYuda.
ndinqwenelele impilo entle abazalwana bakulo lonke elaseJiputa
uxolo:
1:2 Makabe nemfesane kuni uThixo, awukhumbule umnqophiso wakhe awawenzayo nani
uAbraham, uIsake, noYakobi, abakhonzi bakhe abathembekileyo;
1:3 aninike intliziyo yenu yonke, ukuze nimkhonze, niwenze ukuthanda kwakhe ngokulungileyo
isibindi kunye nengqondo evumayo;
1:4 Iintliziyo zenu nizivule ngomyalelo wakhe nemithetho yakhe, nize ninithumele uxolo.
1:5 Kwaye yiva imithandazo yakho, kwaye ube kunye nawe, kwaye ungaze unishiye phakathi
ixesha lembandezelo.
1:6 Kwaye ngoku silapha sithandazela wena.
1:7 Ngexesha lokulawula kukaDemetriyo, ekhulwini elinamanci mathandathu anesithoba
Thina maYuda sanibhalela ekuncameni kwembandezelo eyafikayo
phezu kwethu ngaloo minyaka, ukususela kwixesha likaYason neqela lakhe
bavukela ilizwe elingcwele nobukumkani;
1:8 Sayitshisa ivaranda, saphalaza igazi elimsulwa; sathandaza ke kuYehova
Nkosi, zaviwa; sabingelela imibingelelo nomgubo ocoliweyo, kunye
wazimisa izibane, wazimisa izonka.
1:9 Khangelani ke, niwenze umthendeleko weminquba ngenyanga enguKasilevu.
1:10 ngomnyaka wekhulu elinamanci asibhozo anesibhozo, abantu ababekhona
IYerusalem, nakwelakwaYuda, nentlanganiso yamatyala, noYudas, bathumela imibuliso, kwaye
impilo kuAristobhulo, inkosi kaPtolemeyu, owayengowomlibo kaPtolemeyu
ababingeleli abathanjiswayo, nakumaYuda aseYiputa;
1:11 Ekubeni ke uThixo esihlangule kwiingozi ezinkulu, siyabulela kuye
kakhulu, ngokungathi ebesilwa nokumkani.
1:12 Kuba wabakhupha abo balwe phakathi komzi ongcwele.
1:13 Kuba ekufikeni kwenkokeli ePersi, kunye nomkhosi kunye naye ukuba
babonakala bengoyiswa, babulawa kwitempile kaNanea ngobuqhophololo
yababingeleli bakaNaneya.
1:14 Kuba uAntiochus, ngokungathi wayeza kutshata naye, wafika kuloo ndawo, yaye
abahlobo bakhe ababenaye, ukuze bamkele imali egameni lekhazi.
1:15 Bendulukile ke ababingeleli bakaNaneha, wangena naye
iqela elincinane langena kwikhampasi yetempile, bayivala itempile njenge
kamsinya nje akuba uAntiochus wangena:
1:16 Bawuvula ke ucango olungaphakathi eluphahleni, bagibisela ngamatye
wabetha iindudumo, wamxabela umthetheli, waziqwenga, waziqwenga
azisuse ezintlokweni zawo, azijulele kwabangaphandle.
1:17 Makabongwe uThixo wethu ezintweni zonke, obanikeleyo abangahloneli Thixo.
1:18 Ngoko ke, thina sizimisele ukuyigcina intlambululo yobuthixo
itempile ngomhla wamashumi amabini anesihlanu wenyanga uCasleu, sacinga
Ke kwafuneka ukuba niyaziswe, ukuze nani nizigcine, njengoko zinjalo
umthendeleko weminquba, nowomlilo, esawunikwayo
UNemiya wanyusa amadini, emveni kokuba wayakha indlu netempile
isibingelelo.
1:19 Kuba xeshikweni oobawo basiwa ePersi, ababingeleli ababekho ngelo xesha
ozinikeleyo wawuthabatha umlilo wesibingelelo ngasese, wawufihla endaweni efihlakeleyo
emhadini ongenamanzi, apho bawugcina uqinile, ukuze ibe yindawo
akwaziwa ngabantu bonke.
1:20 Ke kaloku, emva kweminyaka emininzi, uthe, kwakubon' ukuba kwakholekile emehlweni kaThixo, uNeemia ethunyelwe evela kwibandla
Ke ukumkani wasePersi wathumela nababingeleli abo babezimele
bathi, bakuba basixelele, abafumananga mlilo, bakungqinga
amanzi;
1:21 Wabawisela umthetho wokuba bawurhole, bawuzise; kwaye xa i
kwakusenziwa amadini, uNeemiya wayalela ababingeleli ukuba bafefe
imithi nezinto ezibekwe phezu kwazo ngamanzi.
1:22 Xa oku kwenziwa, kwaye kwafika ixesha lokuba ilanga lakhanya, leyo ngaphambili
lifihlwe efini, kwabakho umlilo omkhulu, bada baphemba abantu bonke
wamangaliswa.
1:23 Ababingeleli bathandaza xa kudliwayo umbingelelo, ndathi mna,
ababingeleli, nabanye bonke, noYonatan eqalela, kwanabanye
ephendula kuyo, njengoko uNeemia wenzayo.
1:24 Kwaba njalo ke umthandazo; Owu Nkosi, Nkosi Thixo, uMdali wezinto zonke
izinto ezoyikekayo, namandla, nobulungisa, nenceba, nenceba
kuphela uKumkani onobubele,
1:25 Nguye yedwa umenzi wezinto zonke, nguye yedwa olilungisa, usomandla, ongunaphakade,
wena mhlanguli wamaSirayeli kuzo zonke iimbandezelo, wabanyula
ooyise, ubangcwalise;
1:26 Wamkele umbingelelo wabantu bakho bonke amaSirayeli, uwugcine
isahlulo sakho, usingcwalise.
1:27 Bahlanganisele ndawonye abo bachithachithekileyo kuthi, ubahlangule;
khonzani phakathi kweentlanga, nibone abadelekileyo, abasikiweyo;
zazi iintlanga ukuba unguThixo wethu.
1:28 Bathethise abasibandezelayo, Unekratshi;
1:29 Baphinde batyale abantu bakho endaweni yakho engcwele, njengoko wathethayo uMoses.
1:30 Ababingeleli bavuma iindumiso zombulelo.
1:31 Ke kaloku, xa idini ladliwayo, uNehemiya wayalela amanzi ukuba
kwasala ukuba kugalelwe phezu kwamatye amakhulu.
1:32 Kwathi kwakuba njalo, kwavutha umlilo, wesuka watsha
isibane esibengezela esibingelelweni.
1:33 Yaziwa ke loo nto, waxelelwa ukumkani wasePersi, ukuba aphume
indawo ababewubeke kuyo umlilo ababingeleli abaqhutywayo
kwabonakala amanzi, nokuba uNeemia wayehlambulule amadini ngawo.
1:34 Waza ukumkani, wayivala loo ndawo, wayingcwalisa, emveni kokuba eyilungisile
umcimbi.
1:35 Ukumkani wathabatha izipho ezininzi, wabapha abo abenaye
iya kwanelisa.
1:36 UNehemiya wayibiza loo nto ngokuthi, yiNafetare, kuthiwe, A
ukucocwa: kodwa abantu abaninzi bayibiza ngokuba nguNifayi.