2 iiMaccabees
8:1 Ke kaloku uJudas Maccabeus, nabo babenaye, bangena ngasese, bangena endlwini
imizi, babizela ndawonye abazalwana babo, babathabathela kubo bonke abanjalo
Bahlala behleli elunqulweni lwamaYuda, bahlanganisana amawaka amathandathu
amadoda.
8:2 Ke bona banqula uYehova, ukuba abakhangele abantu ukuba
yanyathelwa ngabantu bonke; kwanetempile ehlanjelweyo ngabantu abangahloneli Thixo
amadoda;
8:3 nokuba abe nemfesane ngawo umzi, ube mabi, ulungile
yenziwe kwanasemhlabeni; ulive igazi elalikhala kuye.
8:4 khumbulani ukubulala kwabantwana abakhohlakeleyo;
unyelise igama lakhe; nokuba uya kubonisa eyakhe
intiyo kwabangendawo.
8:5 Ke kaloku, xa Maccabeus waba neqela lakhe malunga naye, akazange akwazi ukumelana
ngokuba ubushushu kaNdikhoyo buguquke baba yinceba.
8:6 Wafika ngephanyazo, wayitshisa imizi nemizi, wafumana
ezandleni zakhe ezona ndawo zilungileyo, woyisa wazibeka
musani ukuba mbalwa kweentshaba zakhe.
8:7 Uthe ke ngokukodwa ebusuku, wasebenzisa ubusuku kwezo nzonzobila;
saza isiqhamo sobungcwele bakhe sasasazwa ezindaweni zonke.
8:8 Uthe ke uFilipu, akubona ukuba lo mntu ukhula kancinane, kancinane
ukuba izinto zihambela phambili kuye ngakumbi nangakumbi, wabhalela kuye
uPtolemeus, irhuluneli yaseCelosyria naseFenike, ukuba anikele uncedo olungakumbi
imicimbi yokumkani.
8:9 Kwaoko wanyula uNikanore, unyana kaPatroko, omnye wabanyuliweyo bakhe;
Wamthuma ke, bengekho ngaphantsi kwamashumi amabini amawaka kuzo zonke iintlanga
phantsi kwakhe, ukuba ancothule sonke isizukulwana samaYuda; kunye naye
Wangena noGorgia, umthetheli-waka, owayeyintloko ngemicimbi yemfazwe
amava.
8:10 Ngoko uNicanor wazimisela ukwenza imali eninzi kangako kumaYuda asekuthinjweni, njengoko
bahlawule irhafu yamawaka amabini eetalente, abeza kunikwa ukumkani
hlawula amaRoma.
8:11 Wathi ngoko kwaoko, wathumela emizini engaselunxwemeni lolwandle.
ebhengeza ukuthengiswa kwamaYuda asekuthinjweni, kwaye ethembisa ukuba kufuneka
babe nemizimba emashumi asibhozo kwitalente enye, bengalindeli
impindezelo eyayiza kulandela phezu kwakhe evela kuThixo uSomandla.
8:12 Ke kaloku, yaxelwa kuYudas waseNikanore ngokuza, kwaye wayenza
wabanika abo babenaye ukuba umkhosi usondele.
8:13 Abo ke bamoyikayo, bengakholwanga ngobulungisa bukaThixo, basaba
bazihambisa kude.
8:14 Abanye bathengisa ngeento zonke ababesele bezishiyile, beyibongoza iNkosi
bahlangule, kuthengiswe ngabo ngoNikanore ongendawo, bengekahlangani;
8:15 Kwaye ukuba kungekhona ngenxa yabo, kodwa ngenxa iminqophiso abenze nabo
nooyise babo, nangenxa yegama lakhe elingcwele, elizukileyo, abazenza ngalo
babiziwe.
8:16 Wawabizela ndawonye ke amadoda akhe inani lamawaka amathandathu;
wabayala ukuba bangankwantye lutshaba, nokuba bangoyiki
Yoyikani ingxokolo eninzi yeentlanga, eyabachasa;
kodwa ukulwa ngamandla,
8:17 nokubeka phambi kwamehlo abo ububi ababenze ngako
indawo engcwele, nokuphathwa gadalala komzi lowo, abenza wona
ukugculelwa, kunye nokuthatyathwa korhulumente wabo
oobawo:
8:18 Wathi, Bakholose ngezikhali zabo, nangokungafihlisi kwabo; kodwa wethu
Ukholose ngoSomandla onokuthi ngenqindi awise bobabini oko
yiza ngokuchasene nathi, kwanalo lonke ihlabathi.
8:19 Wababalisela uncedo ababelufumene ookhokho babo.
nokuhlangulwa kwabo, phantsi koSaneribhe, ikhulu elinamanci asibhozo
kwafa amawaka amahlanu.
8:20 Wabaxelela imfazwe ababeyilwe eBhabheli
MaGalati, indlela abeza ngayo ngamawaka asibhozo ewonke kushishino, kunye
amawaka amane abaseMakedoni, bathe badideka abaseMakedoni,
Amawaka asibhozo atshabalalisa ikhulu elinamanci mabini lamawaka ngenxa kaNdikhoyo
bazuza uncedo oluvela ezulwini, baza ngokunjalo bazuza ixhoba elikhulu.
8:21 Ke kaloku, akuba bebomelezile ngaloo mazwi, beza kufa
umthetho nelizwe, wawahlula-hlula umkhosi wakhe waba ziinxalenye ezine;
8:22 Wanamathela kuye abazalwana bakhe, abaphathi bamaqela ngamaqela, ukuba baye
USimon, noYosefu, noYonatan, bamnika elowo ishumi elinesihlanu lamakhulu amadoda.
8:23 Wammisela uElazare ukuba ayilese incwadi engcwele, emva koko wayibhala
Uncedo lukaThixo kubo; yena ekhokela iqela lokuqala,
8:24 Ngoncedo lukaSomandla babulala ngaphezu kwamawaka alithoba kubo
iintshaba, kwaye benzakalise kwaye bengxwelerha inxalenye enkulu yomkhosi kaNicanor, njalo njalo
khupha yonke into;
8:25 Wayithabatha imali yabo abeze kuthenga, abasukela kude;
bengenaxesha babuya:
8:26 Kuba loo mini ibingaphambi kwesabatha, abavumanga
zisukeleni ixesha elide.
8:27 Bazihlanganisa ke izixhobo zabo, baphanga
iintshaba zabo, bazixakekisa ngesabatha, baqhayisela kakhulu
indumiso nombulelo eNkosini, eyabalondolozayo kwada kwayiloo mini;
Oko ke ibikukuqala kwenceba ehleli phezu kwabo.
8:28 Kwathi emva kwesabatha, babanika inxalenye yamaxhoba
iziqhwala, nabahlolokazi neenkedama, amasalela babahlula phakathi
bona nabakhonzi babo.
8:29 Ke kaloku, kwakubon' ukuba kwenzeke oko, babongoza zonke, bamana bekhunga
Bayibongoza iNkosi enenceba, ukuba baxolelane nabakhonzi bayo ngonaphakade.
8:30 Ngaphezu koko, abo babenoTimoti noBacchides, abalwa
ngokuchasene nabo, babulala ngaphezu kwamashumi amabini amawaka, kwaye ngokulula kakhulu baphakama
baneenqaba, baza bahlulelana ngamaxhoba amaninzi
wenza iziqhwala, neenkedama, nabahlolokazi, kwanabakhulileyo, balingane
ukonakalisa kunye ngokwabo.
8:31 Bathe ke bakuziqokelela izikrweqe zabo, bazibeka phantsi zonke
ngocoselelo kwiindawo ezifanelekileyo, kunye namasalela amaxhoba bona
zisiwe eYerusalem.
8:32 Bambulala ke noFilarki, laa mntu ungendawo, ubenoTimoti;
Wawacaphukisa ngeendlela ezininzi amaYuda.
8:33 Phezu koko ke benza umthendeleko woloyiso kubo
Balitshisa ilizwe iKalelisi, elafaka umlilo emasangweni angcwele;
abasabela endlwini encinane; ngoko ke wamkela umvuzo ofanele ukuwenza
ubungendawo bakhe.
8:34 Lowo ke uNikanore ungenanceba, ezise iwaka
abarhwebi ukuba bathenge amaYuda,
8:35 Yena ke wathotywa ngoncedo lweNkosi, awamthobayo ngabo
wenze iakhawunti encinci; ekhulula isambatho sakhe esizukileyo, kwaye
walikhupha ibandla lakhe, weza njengomkhonzi obalekayo phakathi kwelizwe
phakathi kwelizwe, kwada kweza kwa-Antiyokwe, eneentloni kakhulu, ngenxa yokuba umkhosi wakhe ubusenjalo
itshatyalalisiwe.
8:36 Ngokunjalo, lowo wamkelayo ukuba alungiselele amaRoma irhafu yawo
nabathinjwa eYerusalem, baxelelwa kude, ukuba amaYuda afanele uThixo
balwele, ngoko ke ababanga nakwenzakala, ngokuba bona
balandela imithetho awayebanike yona.