2 iiMaccabees
9:1 Ngelo xesha kweza uAntiochus, ehlazekile, evela ezweni
iPersi
9:2 Kuba ebengene emzini ekuthiwa yiPersepoli, eza kubhuqa
itempile, nokubamba umzi; ekuthe ngoko izihlwele zabaleka ukuya kuzithethelela
Ngezixhobo zabo babasabisa; kwaye kwenzeka,
awathi uAntiochus wagxothwa abahlali wabuya nayo
shame.
9:3 Ke kaloku, akufika e-Ekibhatane, waxelelwa into ehlileyo
kuNikanore noTimoti.
9:4 ngoko ukudumba ngumsindo. wayecinga ukuziphindezela kumaYuda
ucukucezwe ngabamsabayo. Yalela ngoko
umqhubi wenqwelo yakhe yokulwa ukuba ayeke, angayeki ukuyihambisa;
umgwebo kaThixo ngoku uyamlandela. Kuba wayethethe ngekratshi kule ndawo
ukuze eze eYerusalem, ayenze indawo yokungcwaba eqhelekileyo
yamaYuda.
9:5 Ke yena uYehova wemikhosi, uThixo kaSirayeli, wambetha ngogonyamelo olungaphiliyo.
nesibetho esingabonakaliyo: okanye kamsinya nje akuba ewathethile la mazwi, intlungu
wafikelwa ziintlungu ezimathumbu ezibilini;
amalungu angaphakathi;
9:6 Ke oko kube kusesikweni kanye;
neentuthumbo ezingaqhelekanga.
9:7 Noko ke akazange ayeke konke ekuqhayiseni, ezele
ngekratshi, efutha umlilo ngobushushu bakhe kumaYuda;
wathi mabakhawuleze uhambo; wathi ke, wawa phantsi
athwalwa ngamandla enqwelweni yakhe; ngokokude bawe ngokukrakra bonke
amalungu omzimba wakhe ayebuhlungu kakhulu.
9:8 Kwaye ngokunjalo uthe, kancinane wayecinga ukuba angawayalela amaza
ulwandle, (wayezidla ngokugqithisela emntwini) kwaye wawulinganisela
iintaba ezinde ngesikali, ngoku zaphoswa emhlabeni, zathwalwa
inqwelo yehashe, iwabonakalalisa kuwo onke amandla abonakaliswa nguThixo.
9:9 ngokokude zisuke iimpethu emzimbeni wale ndoda ingendawo, nangexeshana
wahlala ebuhlungu nentlungu, inyama yakhe yawa, kunye nokungcola kwe
ivumba lakhe lawunuka kumkhosi wakhe wonke.
9:10 Kwaye umntu, ukuba wayecinga kancinane ngaphambili ukuba afikelele kwiinkwenkwezi ze
ezulwini, akukho mntu unokunyamezela ukuthwala ivumba lakhe elinganyamezelekiyo.
9:11 Wathi ke ngoko, wathwaxwa, waqala ukulahla ikratshi lakhe elikhulu.
nokufikelela kulwazi lwakhe ngesibetho sikaThixo, intlungu yakhe
ukwandisa umzuzu ngamnye.
9:12 Akuba ke ebengenako ukumamela elakhe ivumba, wathetha la mazwi.
Kufanelekile ukuzithoba kuThixo, nokuba umntu unokufa, ufanele ukuzithoba
angazicingeli ngekratshi ukuba ebenguThixo.
9:13 Kananjalo lo ungendawo wabhambathisa kuYehova;
inceba phezu kwakhe, esithi,
9:14 Wokuba umzi ongcwele, abeza wangxamela ukuwubeka kuwo
kunye nomhlaba, awenze ube yindawo yokungcwaba yesiqhelo, ehlala
inkululeko:
9:15 Ke kaloku, kumaYuda, lowo wayethe akafanelekanga ukwenjenjalo
bangcwatywe, kodwa balahlwe ngaphandle kunye nabantwana babo ukuze bagqitywe
iintaka namarhamncwa, wayeza kubenza balingane bonke abemi belizwe
eAthene:
9:16 Kwaye itempile engcwele, leyo phambi kokuba uphangiwe, wayeza kuhombisa ngayo
nezipho ezilungileyo, azibuyisele zonke iimpahla ezingcwele, enezinye ezininzi, aphume nazo
ngokwengeniso yakhe, ahlawule imibingelelo;
9:17 ewe, nokuba ube engaba ngumYuda ngokwakhe, alityhutyhile lonke ilizwe
elimiweyo elimiweyo, sivakalisa amandla kaThixo.
9:18 Kuyo yonke loo nto akayi kuphela umvandedwa wakhe;
wamfikela; ngoko, encamile ngempilo yakhe, wababhalela
AmaYuda, incwadi eyabhalwa phantsi, ikwimo yesikhungo,
ngale ndlela:
9:19 uAntiochus, ukumkani nerhuluneli, kumaYuda alungileyo abemi bakhe unqwenela okukhulu
ulonwabo, impilo, kunye nempumelelo:
9:20 Ukuba nithe nahlala kakuhle nina nabantwana benu, Yaphelela imicimbi yenu
Ukwaneliseka, ndibulela kakhulu kuThixo, ndinethemba lam ezulwini.
9:21 Mna ke bendibuthathaka, okanye bendiya kukukhumbula inceba yakho
uzuko nobubele obuvela ePersi, kwaye buthatyathwa kunye
isifo esibuhlungu, ndacinga ukuba kuyimfuneko ukunyamekela ukhuseleko oluqhelekileyo
yabo bonke:
9:22 ndingayithembi impilo yam, kodwa ndinethemba elikhulu lokuyiphepha le nto
ukugula.
9:23 Kodwa ukuqwalasela ukuba nobawo, ngelo xesha wakhokelela umkhosi phakathi
amazwe aphezulu. wamisela umntu oza kungena ezihlangwini zakhe,
9:24 oku ke, ukuba ithe yawa yona into, ukuba ithe yachasa, ukuba ithe yatshabhisa, ngathi
zaziswa zonke iindaba ezinzima, besazi abo belizwe
ekushiyekeni kubo ilizwe, lingabi navuso;
9:25 Kwakhona, kuqwalaselwe ukuba abathetheli ukuba banomda kunye
abamelwane ebukumkanini bam balindeni amathuba, kwaye nilindele okuya kuthi
ibe sisiganeko. Ndimmisele unyana wam uAntiochus ukuba abe ngukumkani, endidla ngokuphindaphindiweyo
ndazinikela ndaza ndancoma kwabaninzi benu, xa ndandinyuke ndaya enyangweni
amaphondo; endibabhalele ngolu hlobo:
9:26 Kungoko ndicelayo ukuba nilukhumbule ubabalo lwam;
kwenziwa kuni ngokubanzi, kwaye ngokukhethekileyo, kwaye wonke umntu uya kuba
usathembekile kum nonyana wam.
9:27 Kuba ndikholosekile kukuba uyawuqonda umphefumlo wam, ukuba athandwe
yiyeke ngokukhawuleza iminqweno yakho.
9:28 Ke umbulali lowo, nomnyelisi, eve ubunzima ngokugqithileyo, njengaye
wabongoza amanye amadoda, ngoko wafa kabuhlungu kwilizwe lasemzini
ezintabeni.
9:29 Ke kaloku uFilipu, lowo wayenyuswe naye, wawuthwala umzimba wakhe, lowo ke wayefudula ekunye naye
kananjalo esoyika unyana ka-Antiochus waya eYiputa kuPtolemeus
Philometor.