UJudith
7:1 Ngengomso uHolofernes wayiwisela umthetho impi yakhe yonke, nabantu bakhe bonke
babeze kuthabatha inxaxheba yakhe, ukuba bandulule iminquba yabo
eBhethuliya, ukuba uthabathe kwangaphambili amaqhina eentaba, enze
imfazwe nxamnye noonyana bakaSirayeli.
7:2 Asuka ke amagorha abo asuka anduluka ngaloo mini inkampu yawo, kunye nomkhosi wasebantwini
amadoda okulwa ikhulu elinamanci asixhenxe amawaka omqikela, aneshumi elinesibini
abamahashe bengamawaka, ngaphandle kwempahla, namadoda abehamba ngeenyawo
phakathi kwabo inkitha enkulu kakhulu.
7:3 Bamisa entilini ekufuphi neBheteli, ngasemthonjeni
batyhoboza ngobubanzi eDotayim, besa eBhelemayim, nasezweni
ukusuka eBhetele ukuya eKinamon, malungana ne-Esdraelon.
7:4 Ke kaloku oonyana bakaSirayeli bayibona ingxokolo yabo, bathi cwaka
bebibitheka kakhulu, bathi elowo kummelwane wakhe, Makwenziwe oku ngoku
abantu bawukhotha umhlaba; nokuba ziintaba eziphakamileyo, nokuba ziphakamileyo
iintlambo, neenduli, ziyakwazi ukuthwala ubunzima bazo.
7:5 Bathabatha ke elowo impahla yakhe yemfazwe, naxa baphemba
Ahlala apho, alinda ubusuku bonke.
7:6 Kwathi ngomhla wesibini, uHolofernes wabakhupha bonke abamahashe bakhe
emehlweni oonyana bakaSirayeli ababeseBhethuliya.
7:7 Wawabona amaqhina anyukayo esixekweni, afika nasemithonjeni yemizi
amanzi awo, awathabatha, amisa phezu kwawo ikampu zamadoda okulwa;
Wesuka yena waya ebantwini bakowabo.
7:8 Zeza kuye zonke iinkosi zoonyana bakaEsawu, nebandla lonke
namabamba akwaMowabhi, nabathetheli bonxweme lolwandle, naba
uthe,
7:9 Mayikhe live ilizwi inkosi yethu, ukuba ungabhukuqi
umkhosi.
7:10 Ngokuba aba bantu boonyana bakaSirayeli abakholosanga ngezikhali zabo;
kodwa eziphakamileyo zeentaba, abemi kuzo, ngokuba engenjalo
kulula ukunyuka ukuya encotsheni yeentaba zabo.
7:11 Ke ngoko, nkosi yam, musa ukulwa nabo kukho uluhlu lokulwa;
akuyi kutshabalala namnye ebantwini bakowenu.
7:12 Hlala eminqubeni yakho, uwagcine onke amadoda omkhosi wakho;
Izicaka zifumana ezandleni zabo umthombo wamanzi ophumayo
emazantsi entaba.
7:13 Kuba bonke abemi baseBhethuliya bawafumana khona amanzi abo; kuya kuba njalo
Banxaniwe, bawuncame umzi wabo, thina newethu
abantu baya kunyuka baye ezincotsheni zeentaba ezikufuphi, babe baya kwenza
imisa phezu kwabo, ukuze kungabikho bani uphumayo esixekweni.
7:14 batshiswe ngomlilo bona, nabafazi babo, nabantwana babo;
kwaye lingekafiki ikrele kubo, baya kubhukuqwa phakathi
kwizitrato apho bahlala khona.
7:15 uya kwenjenjalo ukubabuyekeza ngobubi; ngenxa yokuba bagwilika, kwaye
ungahlangani nomntu wakho ngoxolo.
7:16 Kwaye loo mazwi akholiswa emehlweni kaHolofernes nabakhonzi bakhe bonke, yaye yena
bamiselwa ukuba benze njengoko babetshilo.
7:17 Yanduluka ke impi yoonyana baka-Amon, inabahlanu kunye nabo
Aza agxumeka iintente entilini, ayithimba ama-Asiriya
amanzi, nemithombo yamanzi oonyana bakaSirayeli.
7:18 Benyuka oonyana bakaEsawu noonyana baka-Amon, bamisa
kweleentaba malunga neDotayim, bathuma inxenye kubo
ngasezantsi, nangasempumalanga, malungana ne-Ekrebhele
kufuphi namaKushi, phezu komlanjana oyiMokamore; kunye nezinye
Umkhosi wama-Asiriya umise iintente entilini, wawugubungela ubuso bukaYehova
umhlaba wonke; yaye iintente zabo neenqwelwana zabo zazigxunyekwe zaba nkulu kakhulu
inkitha.
7:19 Bakhala oonyana bakaSirayeli kuYehova uThixo wabo, ngenxa enokuba babesithi
yaphela amandla, ngokuba iintshaba zawo zonke ziwarhawule ngeenxa zonke;
kwakungekho ndlela yakuphuma phakathi kwabo.
7:20 Lalalala kubo lonke ibandla lama-Asiriya, amadoda ahamba ngeenyawo.
iinqwelo zokulwa, nabamahashe, zaba ziintsuku ezimashumi mathathu anesine, ngokokude babe neempahla zabo zonke
amanzi aphela bonke abemi baseBethulia.
7:21 Amaqula aqotywa, babengenamanzi okusela;
gcwalisa usuku olunye; ngokuba babeseza ngomlinganiselo.
7:22 Ngenxa yoko oonyana babo baphuma entliziyweni, nabafazi babo, nabafazi babo
abafana besifa linxano, bawa ezitratweni zomzi;
nasezingcangoni zamasango, akwaba sabakho kuqina kwamxhelo mnye
kuzo.
7:23 Babizelwa ndawonye bonke abantu ku-Uziya, nakumphathi womzi;
bedanduluka ngezwi elikhulu, amadodana, nabafazi, nabantwana,
wathi phambi kwamadoda amakhulu onke.
7:24 UThixo makagwebe phakathi kwethu nani; ngokuba nisenzele ububi obukhulu apha
anibizanga luxolo koonyana baseAsiriya.
7:25 Kuba ngoku asinamncedi;
sifanele siphoswe phantsi phambi kwabo ngonxano nentshabalalo enkulu.
7:26 Babizele ke ngoko kuwe, uwunikele umzi wonke ube lixhoba
koonyana bakaHolofernes, nakumkhosi wakhe wonke.
7:27 Kuba kusilungele kanye ukuba siphangwe kubo, kunokuba sife
ngokuba siya kuba ngabakhonzi bakhe, ukuze imiphefumlo yethu iphile, ingengabo
ukubone ukufa kweentsana zethu phambi kwamehlo ethu, nabafazi bethu, nabafazi bethu
abantwana ukuba bafe.
7:28 Singqina ngani amazulu nehlabathi, noThixo wethu
Nkosi yoobawo bethu, eyohlwayayo ngokwezono zethu nangokwezono zethu
izono zoobawo bethu, ukuba angenzi njengoko sithethileyo namhla.
7:29 Ke kaloku kwabakho ukulila okukhulu ngamxhelo mnye phakathi kwebandla
indibano Badanduluka eNkosini uYehova ngezwi elikhulu.
7:30 Wathi u-Uziya kubo, Madoda, bazalwana, sinyamezeleni
iintsuku ezintlanu, apho aya kuthi uYehova uThixo wethu aguqukele kuyo inceba yakhe
thina; ngokuba engayi kusishiya kuphele.
7:31 Ukuba ke ithe yadlula le mihla, akwabakho ncedo luvela kuthi, ndiya kwenza
ngokwelizwi lakho.
7:32 Wabachithachitha ke abantu, elowo waya kweyakhe imisebenzi; kwaye bona
baya ezindongeni nakwiinqaba zomzi wabo, bathuma abafazi, bahamba
abantwana ezindlwini zabo, bangeniswa bephantsi kunene esixekweni.