2 iiMaccabees
14:1 Ke kaloku, emva kweminyaka emithathu, waxelelwa uYudas, ukuba uDemetriyo, unyana ka
Seleucus, engene kwizibuko laseTripolis ngamandla amakhulu kwaye
inqanawa yasemanzini,
14:2 Wayelithabathile ilizwe, wambulala uAntiochus, noLisiya umkhuseli wakhe.
14:3 Ke kaloku omnye uAlkimo, owayekade engumbingeleli omkhulu, waza wazenza inqambi
ngabom ngamaxesha okuxubana kwabo neeNtlanga, bekubona oko
ebengenako ukuzisindisa, engabi nako ukungena koyingcwele
isibingelelo,
14:4 weza kukumkani uDemetriyo, ngomnyaka wekhulu elinamanci mahlanu anamnye.
bamnika isithsaba segolide, nesundu, kwanamasebe
ezazisetyenziswa etempileni, waza wabambelela kuye ngaloo mini
uxolo.
14:5 ethe ke wazuza ithuba lokufezekisa ihambo yakhe yobudenge, kwaye
ebizelwe kwibhunga likaDemetriyo, wabuza ukuba ame njani na amaYuda
echaphazelekayo, kunye noko babecinga ngako, waphendula kuyo:
14:6 Abo ke bakumaYuda wababiza ngokuba ngama-Assides, umthetheli wawo nguYuda
Maccabeus, bondla imfazwe kwaye bavukela, kwaye abayi kuvumela abanye ukuba babe
ngoxolo.
14:7 Kungoko mna ndihluthiweyo eluzuko koobawo, ndithetha ophakamileyo.
ububingeleli, ndifikile ngoku.
14:8 Kuqala ke, ukuba kungàhanahanisi kukunyamekela izinto ezingento
ukumkani; kwaye okwesibini, nangenxa yoko ndizimisele okulungileyo kokukokwam
Bantu bakuthi: Kuba lonke uhlanga lwethu lunenkxwaleko enkulu ngenxa yelizwe lethu
ukusebenzelana nabo ngokungacetywanga bekutshiwo ngaphambili.
14:9 Ngenxa yoko, kumkani, uyazazi zonke ezi zinto, zigcine ngenxa yakho
ilizwe, nohlanga lwethu, oluxinzelelwe macala onke, ngokokutsho
Ububele obenzela bonke abantu ngentumekelelo.
14:10 Kuba ixesha elide uYudas esaphila, akunakwenzeka ukuba urhulumente kufuneka
cwaka.
14:11 Oku akuzange kuthethwe ngaye kwaoko, kwathethwa ke nezihlobo zokumkani.
emenzela ububi uYuda, waqhumisela ngakumbi ngoDemetriyo.
14:12 Kwaye kwaoko wabiza uNikanore, owayengumphathi weendlovu, waza
wammisa ukuba abe yirhuluneli kwelakwaYuda, wamthuma;
14:13 wathi makambulale uYuda, abachithachithe abo babenaye;
nokwenza uAlkimo abe ngumbingeleli omkhulu wetempile enkulu.
14:14 Ke ngoko abantu beentlanga, ababebalekele kwelakwaYuda kuYudas, beza eNikanore
beyimihlambi, becinga ukuba ububi neentlekele kumaYuda zezabo
intlalontle.
14:15 Ke kaloku, akuva amaYuda ngokuza kukaNikanore, nokuba iintlanga zazikho
Bagalela umhlaba phezu kwentloko yabo, bathandaza
Ulobamiselayo ngonaphakade abantu bakhe, Uhlala ebanceda
isabelo sakhe ngokubonakaliswa kobukho bakhe.
14:16 Ngoko ke, ngokomlomo womthetheli, bemka kwaoko
esuka khona, weza kubo eDesawu.
14:17 Ke kaloku uSimon, umzalwana kaYuda, wabambana noNikanore;
waphazamiseka ngandlel' ithile ngokuthula ngephanyazo kweentshaba zakhe.
14:18 Noko ke, uNikanore, wakuva ngokuziphatha kakuhle kwabo babenaye
UYudas, nobugorha ababenabo ukulwela ilizwe labo,
musani ukuba nabuganga bakukulinga ngekrele loo nto.
14:19 ngoko ke wathuma uPosidoniyo, noTheodoto, noMatatiya, ukuba baye kumamela.
uxolo.
14:20 Ke kaloku, bakubhunga ngelo xesha, wesuka waba naye umthetheli
zaqhelanisa nayo izihlwele, kwabonakala ukuba zinjalo
Bonke bephela bavumelana eminqophisweni.
14:21 Bamisa umhla wokuhlangana bodwa, nokuba yimini
bafika babekwa izitulo elowo kubo.
14:22 OoLudas babeka amadoda axhobileyo ezindaweni ezifanelekileyo, ukuze kungabikho ubuqhophololo
Yenzeka ngesiquphe ziintshaba, zenza uxolo
inkomfa.
14:23 Ke kaloku uNikanore wasala eYerusalem, akenza nto;
abantu abeza kuye bethontelana kuye.
14:24 Akavuma ke ukumsusa uYuda ebusweni bakhe;
umntu ngokusuka entliziyweni
14:25 Wambongoza ke ukuba athabathe umfazi, azale abantwana;
wazola, wathabatha inxalenye yobu bomi.
14:26 Ke yena uAlekimo, elubona uthando oluphakathi kwabo, wabaqonda.
yeza kuDemetriyo, yamxelela oko
UNicanor akazange achaphazeleke kakuhle kurhulumente; ngokuba wayemisele oko
UYudas, umngcatshi kubukumkani bakhe, ukuba angene ezihlangwini zokumkani.
14:27 Waza ukumkani waba noburhalarhume, ecaphukile ngezityholo zokumkani
oyena mntu ukhohlakeleyo, wabhalela uNicanor, ebonisa ukuba mkhulu
engakholiswanga yiminqophiso, nokumyalela ukuba athumele
Maccabeus umbanjwa wonke buphuthuphuthu ukuya kwa-Antiyokwe.
14:28 Ezindlebeni zikaNikanore wadaniswa kakhulu.
Kwaba ke kwakunzima ukuba azitshitshise izinto ebezikho
kwavunyelwana ngako, indoda ingenatyala.
14:29 Kodwa ngenxa yokuba kungekho kuphathana kukumkani, waligcina ixesha lakhe
ukufezekisa le nto ngomgaqo-nkqubo.
14:30 Noko ke, xa Maccabeus wabona ukuba uNicanor waqala ukuba nengcwangu
Wamjongisa kuye, wamsongela ngaphezu kokuba ebeqhele ukwenza,
ebona ukuba inkohlakalo enjalo ayilunganga, wabuthelana ndawonye
ekunye namadoda akhe ambalwa, wemka kuNikanore.
14:31 Ke kaloku omnye, esazi ukuba uthintelwe ngokukodwa nguYuda,
wangena etempileni enkulu engcwele, wabayalela ababingeleli ukuba
basondeza imibingelelo yabo yesiqhelo, ukuze bamnikele umntu lowo.
14:32 Bafunga ke, ukuba abanakwazi ukuba uphi na umntu abehleli naye
funa,
14:33 Wasolula isandla sakhe sokunene ngasetempileni, wafunga phakathi
ngolu hlobo: Ukuba anithanga nindinikele uYudas, umbanjwa, ndowakhulula
Le tempile kaThixo kunye nomhlaba, kwaye ndiya kuyidiliza
isibingelelo, kwaye wakha itempile ephawulekayo kuBacchus.
14:34 Emveni kwezi zinto, wemka. Baza ababingeleli baziphakamisa izandla zabo
ezulwini, bambongoza lowo uhleli engumkhuseli wabo
isizwe, sisithi ngolu hlobo;
14:35 Wena, Nkosi yeento zonke, wena ungaswele nto, wakukholiswa kuko oko
itempile yendawo yakho ifanele ukuba phakathi kwethu;
14:36 Ke ngoko, Nkosi engcwele yobungcwele, yigcine le ndlu ngamaxesha onke
engenakudyobheka, ebihlanjululwe mva nje;
14:37 Ke kaloku wayemangalelwe kuNikanore uRazis, omnye wakumadoda amakhulu
iYerusalem, umthandi wabantu bakowabo, nendoda edume kunene, eyathi
kuba ububele bakhe kubizwa ngokuba nguyise wamaYuda.
14:38 Kuba kwamaxesha angaphambili, bebengaxubani nabo;
abeeNtlanga, wayetyholwe ngobuYuda, kwaye wambeka esichengeni ngenkalipho
umzimba nobomi ngayo yonke inzondo kunqulo lwamaYuda.
14:39 Ngoko uNicanor, ethanda ukuyivakalisa intiyo awayeyithwele kumaYuda, wathumela
phezu kwamakhulu amahlanu amadoda okulwa ukuba ambambe;
14:40 Kuba ubesithi yena angawenza okubi kakhulu kumaYuda.
14:41 Ke kaloku, sakubon' ukuba indimbane ifuna ukuyibamba inqaba leyo, yayiqhekeza;
wathi elucangweni olungaphandle, makuziswe umlilo ukuba uwutshise
ilungele ukubanjwa ngeenxa zonke, yawa phezu kwekrele layo;
14:42 enyula ukufa njengomntu, kunokuba eze ezandleni zomntu
ongendawo, ophathwe kakubi, kunokuba ebefanele ukuzalwa yingangamsha yakhe;
14:43 Ithe ke, yaphuthelwa bubuthongo bakhe buphuthuphuthu, yagxalathelana nendimbane leyo
Wabaleka waya eludongeni ngokukhaliphile, waziwisa phantsi ngobugorha
phakathi kobuninzi babo.
14:44 Kodwa bakhawuleza ukumbuyisela;
phakathi kwendawo engenanto.
14:45 Noko ke, kwakubon' ukuba kusekho umoya ngaphakathi kwakhe, avutha ngumsindo
Wesuka umsindo wakhe; nokuba igazi lakhe lampompoza njengamanzi.
namanxeba akhe ayemabi, kodwa yena wabaleka esazulwini
inyambalala kwaye emi phezu kwelitye eliliqhina.
14:46 Uthe ke akuba seliphumile igazi, wazikhulula izibilini zakhe, waza
wabathabatha ngezandla zozibini, wabaphosa esihlweleni, ebiza
phezu kweNkosi yobomi nomoya ukuba imbuyisele abo babuye, wenjenjalo
wafa.