2 iiMaccabees
4:1 Lo ke uSimon, ebesithetha yena ngenxa engaphambili, nokuba ebengumngcatshi
imali, nelizwe lakhe, wamnyelisa uOnias, ngokungathi uyoyika
Heliodorus, kwaye ube ngumsebenzi wobu bubi.
4:2 Ngoko waba nesibindi sokumbiza ngokuba ngumngcatshi, lowo ubefanelwe kukulunga
isixeko, waza waluthantamisa olwakhe uhlanga, kwaye wayenenzondelelo ngemithetho.
4:3 Yakuba yemka intiyo yabo, yesuka yaba yelinye iqela likaSimon
kwabulawa abantu,
4:4 UOnias ebona ingozi yolu khuphiswano, nokuba uApoloniyo, njengoko
Ithe ke yona irhuluneli yaseKelosriya nelaseFenike, yaqumba, yanda
ulunya lukaSimon,
4:5 Waza waya kukumkani, kungekhona ukuze abe ngummangaleli wesizwe sakowabo;
okuhle kuzo zonke, zombini kunye nabucala:
4:6 Kuba wayebona ukuba akunakwenzeka ukuba ilizwe lithi cwaka.
waza uSimon wabushiya ubutyhakala bakhe, ukuba ukumkani akakhange akhangele oko.
4:7 Kodwa emva kokufa kukaSeleucus, xa uAntiochus, obizwa ngokuba nguEpiphanes, wathabatha
ebukumkanini, uYason umninawa ka-Onias wasebenza ngokufihlakeleyo ukuze aphakanyiswe
umbingeleli,
4:8 Idinga kukumkani ngokubongoza, amakhulu amathathu anamanci mathandathu
iitalente zesilivere, omnye ungeniselo zimashumi asibhozo eetalente.
4:9 Ngaphandle koko, wathembisa ukunika ikhulu elinamanci mahlanu ngaphezulu, ukuba uthe
unokuba nelayisenisi yokummisela indawo yokuzilolonga, kunye neye
ukuqeqeshela ubutsha ngokwesimo seentlanga, nokuba sibhale kuzo
yeYerusalem ngegama lakwa-Antiyokiya.
4:10 Akuvuma ke ukumkani, wayibamba esandleni sakhe
walawula ngoko nangoko wazisa isizwe sakhe kwisiGrike.
4:11 Amalungelo obukumkani anikwa amaYuda ngamaYuda
indlela kaYohane uyise kaEupolemo, owahamba unozakuzaku eRoma
uthando noncedo, waluthabatha; nokubeka phantsi oorhulumente ababekho
ngokomthetho wezisa amasiko amatsha ngokuchasene nomthetho;
4:12 Kuba wakha ngovuyo indawo yokuzivocavoca phantsi kwenqaba ngokwayo, kwaye
wawathoba amadodana aziintloko, wawanxibisa
umnqwazi.
4:13 Ke kaloku bekunjalo ukuphakama kwefashoni yamaGrike, nokukhula kwabahedeni
ndisenza izinto ezincamisayo, ekungcoleni kukaYason, lowo ungahloneli Thixo
uludwayi, kungekho mbingeleli mkhulu;
4:14 ukuba ababingeleli ababa nabuganga bakukhonza esibingelelweni;
bedelela itempile, bewatyeshela amadini, bangxamele ukubakho
abathathi-nxaxheba kwisibonelelo esingekho mthethweni kwindawo yokuzivocavoca, emva kwe
umdlalo weDiscus wababiza;
4:15 bengabekwanga ngokwembeko yooyise, bathanda uzuko lukaThixo
AmaGrike angcono kakhulu.
4:16 Bafikelwa yinkxwaleko enzima;
iintshaba zabo nabaphindezeli, abalandela isiko labo ngenyameko, kwaye
ababenqwenela ukuba bafane naye ezintweni zonke.
4:17 Kuba ukwenza okuchasene nomthetho kaThixo kuyinto elula;
ixesha elilandelayo liya kuzixela ezi zinto.
4:18 Ke kaloku, kwakuqhutywa umdlalo wokholo minyaka le eTire
ekho ukumkani,
4:19 UYason lo, ulitshijolo, wesuka wathuma abathunywaabathunywa, bephuma eYerusalem
kwa-Antiyokwe, ukuya kuthwala amakhulu amathathu eedrarhima zesilivere, ukuya embingelelweni
yeHercules, abathi nabathwali bayo bacinga ukuba ayifanelekanga ukuyinika
phezu kwedini, ngenxa yokuba lalingafanelekanga, kodwa laliza kugcinwa
kwezinye iintlawulo.
4:20 Le mali ngoko, ngokomthumeli, yabe imiselwe uHercules.
idini; kodwa ngenxa yabathwali bawo, yayisetyenzwa kwabacinezeli
ukwenziwa kweegali.
4:21 Ke kaloku, akuba uApoloniyo, unyana kaMenestheus, wathunyelwa eYiputa ukuba eze kucela
ukubekwa esihlalweni kukakumkani uPtolemeus Philometor, uAntiochus, emqonda
ukuba angachatshazelwa kakuhle kwimicimbi yakhe, abonelele ngokhuseleko lwakhe:
weza eYopa, wesuka khona waya eYerusalem;
4:22 apho wamkelwa ngokubekekileyo nguYason, nakuwo umzi, waba khona
zaziswa kukhanyiso, kukho intswahla enkulu, kwaza emva koko
wahamba nomkhosi wakhe baya eFenike.
4:23 Ke kaloku, emva kweminyaka emithathu, uYason wathuma uMeneyu, okaSimon
umzalwana wakhe, ukuba ayise kukumkani imali, amkhumbuze
imiba ethile eyimfuneko.
4:24 Ke yena wasiwa phambi kokumkani, akuba enze mkhulu
kuye ngenxa yembonakalo ezukileyo yamandla akhe, wazuza ububingeleli kuye
Wanikela ngaphezu kukaYason ngeetalente zesilivere ezimakhulu mathathu.
4:25 Weza ke ngelizwi lokumkani, engabalulekanga nganto
bububingeleli, kodwa bunomsindo wobuzwilakhe okhohlakeleyo, noburhalarhume bomntu
irhamncwa elikhohlakeleyo.
4:26 Ke kaloku uYason, owamgibayo umzalwana wakhe, ephethwe kakubi
omnye, kwanyanzeleka ukuba asabele kwilizwe lama-Amon.
4:27 Ngoko uMeneyu wayizuza irhuluneli, nemali abenayo
Wathembisa ukumkani, akwabakho mthetho ulungileyo ngalo, nguSostratisi
Umphathi wenqaba wayifuna.
4:28 Kuba ebambene naye ukuhlanganiswa kwamasiko. Ngako oko ba
babizwa bobabini phambi kokumkani.
4:29 Ke kaloku uMeneyu washiya uLisimako umzalwana wakhe esikhundleni sakhe kububingeleli;
waza uSostrato wamshiya uKrates, irhuluneli yamaSipro.
4:30 Ke kaloku, akubon' ukuba uzenza ezo zinto, benza abaseTarso naseMalo
isidubedube, ngenxa yokuba zanikwa ishweshwe lokumkani, ebizwa
uAntiochus.
4:31 Waza ukumkani wangxama ukucela ukucamagushela, emshiya uAndroniko.
indoda enegunya, ngenxa yesekela layo.
4:32 Ke kaloku uMeneyu, eba ufumene ithuba, weba
neempahla zegolide zetempile, wanika ezinye zazo
UAndroniko, inxenye wayithengisa eTire, nakwimizi ngeenxa zonke.
4:33 Uthe ke uOnias, ekwazi okunene, wamkhalimela, wemka
kwindawo engcwele eDafene, ekwa-Antiyokiya.
4:34 Uthe ngoko uMeneyu, wamthabatha uAndroniko, wambongoza ukuba amthabathe u-Onias
ezandleni zakhe; owathi eyiseyisekile kuloo nto, weza kuOnias
Ngenkohliso, wamnika isandla sokunene, efunga; nakuba wayerhanelwa
kodwa wamcenga ukuba aphume engcweleni;
Wavalela ke kwaoko, akwabakho bulungisa.
4:35 Ngenxa yoko yayingekuko amaYuda odwa, kube kuninzi lwezinye iintlanga;
bacaphuka kakhulu, kwaye babebuhlungu kakhulu ngokubulala ngokungekho sikweni kuka
indoda.
4:36 Wabuya ke ukumkani, evela kwelakwaYuda, evela kwelaseKiliki
ababekuloo mzi, nabathile kumaGrike abeyithiyile loo nto
kananjalo, wakhalaza ngenxa yokuba u-Onias wabulawa ngaphandle kwesizathu.
4:37 Waba buhlungu ke uAntiyoko, wasikwa yimfesane, walila;
ngenxa yehambo endilisekileyo nendilisekileyo yalowo ufileyo.
4:38 Wavutha ngumsindo, wamthabatha kwaoko uAndroniko wakhe
azikrazula iingubo zakhe, amrholela kuwo umzi uphela
ukuya kuloo ndawo wayeyenze ubutshijolo ku-Onias.
wambulala khona umbulali oqalekisiweyo. Ngaloo ndlela ke uYehova wamvuza ngowakhe
isohlwayo, njengoko ebemfanele.
4:39 Ke kaloku, kwakubon' ukuba kusenziwa izithixo ezininzi emzini nguLisimako
ngemvume kaMenelayu, zasasazwa iziqhamo zayo;
Yahlanganisana indimbane, yamchasa uLisimako, into eninzi
izitya zegolide sele zithwaliwe.
4:40 Basuka besuka abantu abaqhelekileyo, bezele bubushushu;
ULysimachus exhobe malunga namadoda angamawaka amathathu, waza waqala ukunikela
ubundlobongela; omnye uAuranus eyinkokeli, indoda ehambile ngeminyaka, kwaye hayi
ngaphantsi kobudenge.
4:41 Ke kaloku, bakukubona ukuzama kukaLisimako, inxenye kubo yabamba amatye;
ezinye iintonga, ezinye zithatha uthuli lwezandla, olukufutshane, lujulwe
bonke bephela, phezu koLisimako, nabahleli phezu kwabo.
4:42 Ngoko ke into eninzi kubo bayingxwelerha, inxenye bayixabela emhlabeni;
bonke babasaba bonke;
yena bambulalela ngasemkhumbini wokulondoloza imali.
4:43 Kwabe kukho isityholo eso
UMeneus.
4:44 Ke kaloku, akufika ukumkani eTire, amadoda amathathu ethunyiwe evela eTire
INdlu yeeNgwevu ithethe ityala phambi kwakhe:
4:45 Kodwa uMeneyu, egwetyiwe, wathembisa uPtolemee unyana ka
Dorymenes ukuba amnike imali eninzi, ukuba uya kumthuthuzela ukumkani
yena.
4:46 Waza uPtoleme wamthabathela bucala ukumkani kwindawo yegalari, njengoko kunjalo
ukuba athabathe umoya, asukele ingqondo yimbi;
4:47 wada wamkhulula uMenelayu kuzo izityholo zakhe, owathi
kanti ke yena unobangela wabo bonke ububi;
ukuba babelichazile ityala labo, ewe, phambi kwamaSkitiya, ngebelitshilo
bagwetywe bengenatyala, wabagwebela ukufa.
4:48 Benjenjalo ke abayilandelayo indaba yesixeko, nabantu, ne
kuba izitya ezingcwele, zakhawuleza zafumana isohlwayo esingenabulungisa.
4:49 Ngenxa yoko, nabaseTire bayithiya loo nto ingendawo;
wabenza bangcwatywa ngokubekekileyo.
4:50 Kwaye ngokunjalo ngenxa yokubawa kwabo banegunya Menelayo
wahlala egunyeni, ehambela phambili ebubini, eba mkhulu
umngcatshi kubemi.