1 Maccabees
3:1 Khona-ke indodana yakhe uJuda, okuthiwa Maccabeus, wasukuma esikhundleni sakhe.
3:2 Futhi bonke abafowabo bamsiza, futhi kanjalo nabo bonke ababemphethe naye
uyise, balwa ngokujabula impi yakwa-Israyeli.
3:3 Ngakho wazuza udumo olukhulu abantu bakhe, futhi wafaka isivikelo sesifuba njengomdondoshiya.
wabhinca ihhanisi lakhe lokulwa, wenza izimpi, evikela
ibutho lenkemba yalo.
3:4 Ezenzweni zakhe wayenjengengonyama, nanjengewundlu lengonyama elibhongela ingonyama.
inyamazane.
3:5 Ngoba waxosha ababi, futhi wafuna kubo, futhi washisa labo ukuthi
wahlukumeza abantu bakhe.
3:6 Ngakho ababi bancipha ngenxa yokumesaba, kanye nazo zonke izisebenzi
ububi bahlukunyezwa, ngoba insindiso iphumelela esandleni sakhe.
3:7 Futhi wadabukisa amakhosi amaningi, futhi wajabulisa uJakobe ngezenzo zakhe, futhi yakhe
isikhumbuzo sibusisiwe kuze kube phakade.
3:8 Ngaphezu kwalokho, wadabula imizi yakwaJuda, ebhubhisa abangamhloniphi uNkulunkulu
kubo, futhi ebuyisa ulaka ku-Israyeli.
3:9 Ngakho waduma kuze kube semikhawulweni yomhlaba, futhi yena
wemukelwe kuye abalungele ukubhubha.
3:10 Khona-ke Apollonius wabutha abeZizwe ndawonye, futhi ibutho elikhulu aphume
iSamariya, ukulwa no-Israyeli.
3:11 Okuyinto, lapho uJuda wakwazi, waphuma ukumhlangabeza, futhi kanjalo naye
bamshaya, bambulala; abaningi bawa phansi bebulewe, kepha abanye babaleka.
3:12 Ngakho uJuda wathatha impango yabo, futhi Apollonius' inkemba, futhi
walwa ngakho konke ukuphila kwakhe.
3:13 Manje lapho uSeron, isikhulu sebutho laseSiriya, wezwa kuthiwa uJuda
babuthela kuye isixuku nesixuku sabathembekileyo ukuba baphume nabo
naye empini;
3:14 Wathi: "Ngiyakuzitholela igama nodumo embusweni; ngoba ngizohamba
alwe noJudasi nabanaye, abadelela abenkosi
umyalo.
3:15 Ngakho wamlungiselela ukuba akhuphuke, futhi kwahamba naye ibutho elinamandla
ongamesabi uNkulunkulu ukumsiza, nokuziphindiselela kubantwana bakwa-Israyeli.
3:16 Futhi lapho esondela ekukhuphukeni Bethhoroni, uJuda waphuma waya
hlangana naye nenkampani encane:
3:17 Kwathi sebebone ibutho liza ukubahlangabeza, bathi kuJudasi, Kanjani
sizokwazi yini, siyingcosana, ukulwa nesixuku esingaka
futhi siqine kangaka, njengoba sesilungele ukuquleka ngokuzila ukudla lonke lolu suku?
3:18 UJudasi waphendula wathi: Akuyona into enzima ukuthi abaningi bavalelwe
izandla zabambalwa; futhi kuNkulunkulu wezulu kukodwa ukukhulula
nesixuku esikhulu, noma iqembu elincane;
3:19 Ngoba ukunqoba kwempi akumi ngobuningi bempi; kodwa
amandla avela ezulwini.
3:20 Bafika ngokumelene nathi ngokuziqhenya okukhulu kanye nobubi ukuze asibhubhise, futhi yethu
abafazi nabantwana, nokusiphanga;
3:21 Kodwa silwela ukuphila kwethu kanye nemithetho yethu.
3:22 Ngakho-ke uJehova ngokwakhe uyobachitha phambi kwethu, futhi njengoba
ngoba lina lingabesabi.
3:23 Kwathi eseqedile ukukhuluma, wahle wagxumela phezu kwabo.
futhi kanjalo uSeroni nebutho lakhe baketulwa phambi kwakhe.
3:24 Bawaxosha kusukela ekwehleni kweBeti Horoni kuze kufike ethafeni.
lapho kwabulawa khona abantu kungathi abangamakhulu ayisishiyagalombili; insali yabaleka
ezweni lamaFilisti.
3:25 Khona-ke waqala ukwesaba uJuda nabafowabo, futhi omkhulu kakhulu
ukwesaba ukuwela phezu kwezizwe ezibazungezile.
3:26 Kwaze kwathi udumo lwakhe lwafika enkosini, nezizwe zonke zakhuluma ngaye
izimpi zikaJuda.
3:27 Manje lapho inkosi u-Antiochus ezwa lezi zinto, wathukuthela.
ngalokho-ke wathumela futhi wabutha wonke amabutho ombuso wakhe.
ngisho ibutho elinamandla kakhulu.
3:28 Wavula ingcebo yakhe, futhi wanika amasosha akhe inkokhelo unyaka.
ebayala ukuthi bazilungiselele loba nini lapho ezabadinga khona.
3:29 Nokho, lapho ebona ukuthi imali yengcebo yakhe yehlulekile futhi
ukuthi izintela ezweni zazincane, ngenxa yokungezwani
nesifo, ayelethe phezu kwezwe ngokususa imithetho
okwakukhona kudala;
3:30 Wayesaba ukuthi wayengeke esakwazi ukuthwala amacala, noma
ukuba abe nezipho zokuphana njengakuqala, ngokuba wayenakho
wagcwala ngaphezu kwamakhosi ayengaphambi kwakhe.
3:31 Ngakho, edidekile kakhulu engqondweni yakhe, wazimisela ukungena
iPheresiya, ukuze kuthathwe intela yamazwe, nokubutha okuningi
imali.
3:32 Ngakho washiya uLisiya, isikhulu, futhi omunye wegazi lenkosi, ukuba aqondise.
izindaba zenkosi kusukela emfuleni u-Ewufrathe kuze kube semkhawulweni we
iGibhithe:
3:33 Futhi ukukhulisa indodana yakhe u-Antiochus, aze abuye.
3:34 Futhi wamnika ingxenye yempi yakhe kanye
izindlovu, futhi wamnika igunya kukho konke ayezokwenza, njengoba
nangalabo ababehlala kwaJuda naseJerusalema.
3:35 Okusho ukuthi, ukuze athumele ibutho ngokumelene nabo, ukubhubhisa futhi impande
ngikhiphe amandla ka-Israyeli, nensali yaseJerusalema, nokuthatha
kude nesikhumbuzo sabo kuleyo ndawo;
3:36 Futhi ukuze abeke abafokazi kuzo zonke izindawo zabo, futhi bahlukanise
izwe labo ngenkatho.
3:37 Inkosi yasithatha ingxenye yempi eyayisele, yasuka
I-Antiyokiya, umuzi wakhe wobukhosi, umnyaka wekhulu namashumi amane nesikhombisa; nokuba
wadabula umfula u-Ewufrathe, wadabula izindawo eziphakemeyo.
3:38 Khona-ke uLisiya wakhetha uPtolemee indodana kaDorymenes, Nicanor, futhi Gorgias,
amadoda anamandla kubangane benkosi.
3:39 Futhi kanye nabo wathuma ayizinkulungwane ezingamashumi amane imigundatshani, nezinkulungwane eziyisikhombisa
abamahhashi, ukuze bangene ezweni lakwaJuda, balichithe njengenkosi
eyala.
3:40 Base bephuma ngamandla abo onke, bafika bamisa ngase-Emawusi
ezweni elingenalutho.
3:41 Futhi abathengisi bezwe, bezwa udumo lwabo, bathatha isiliva
negolide eliningi kanye nezinceku, beza ekamu ukuthenga
abantwana bakwa-Israyeli babe yizigqila, futhi amandla eSiriya nasezweni
amaFilisti azihlanganisa nawo.
3:42 Manje lapho uJuda nabafowabo bebona ukuthi usizi zanda, futhi
amabutho amisa emikhawulweni yawo, ngokuba ayesazi
ukuthi inkosi yayiyale kanjani ukuba kubhujiswe abantu
ziqede;
3:43 Base bethi omunye komunye: "Masibuyise inhlanhla yethu ebolile."
abantu, futhi masilwele abantu bakithi kanye nendlu engcwele.
3:44 Khona-ke ibandla labuthana, ukuze balungele
impi, nokuba bakhuleke, bacele umusa nesihawu.
3:45 Manje iJerusalema liyize njengehlane, kwakungekho noyedwa wabantwana balo
ababengena nabaphumayo: nendlu engcwele yanyathelwa phansi nabafokazi
yagcina ibamba eliqinile; abezizwe babehlala kuleyondawo;
injabulo yasuswa kuJakobe, kwanqamuka umtshingo ngehabhu.
3:46 Ngakho abantwana bakwa-Israyeli babuthana ndawonye, bafika
iMaspa, malungana neJerusalema; ngoba eMaspha indawo ababehlala kuyo
wakhuleka ngaphambili kwa-Israyeli.
3:47 Khona-ke bazila ukudla ngalolo suku, futhi bembatha indwangu yesaka, futhi bathela umlotha phezu
amakhanda abo, zaklebhula izingubo zabo;
3:48 Futhi wavula incwadi yomthetho, lapho abezizwe babefuna
penda ukufana kwezithombe zabo.
3:49 Baletha futhi izingubo zabapristi, nolibo, futhi
okweshumi: bavusa amaNazaretha asebefezile lokho
izinsuku.
3:50 Base bememeza ngelizwi elikhulu ezulwini, bathi: "Sizokwenzenjani?"
yenzani ngalawa, futhi siyakuya ngaphi na?
3:51 Ngoba indlu yakho engcwele inyathelwe phansi futhi ingcolisiwe, futhi abapristi bakho bangaphakathi
ubunzima, futhi behliselwe phansi.
3:52 Futhi bheka, abezizwe babuthana ngokumelene nathi ukuze basibhubhise.
ukuthi yiziphi izinto abacabanga ngathi, uyazi wena.
3:53 Siyokwazi kanjani ukumelana nabo, ngaphandle kwakho, O Nkulunkulu, ube wethu
Usizo?
3:54 Khona-ke babetha amacilongo, futhi wamemeza ngezwi elikhulu.
3:55 Futhi ngemva kwalokhu uJuda wamisa izinduna phezu kwabantu, ngisho nezinduna
phezu kwezinkulungwane, naphezu kwamakhulu, naphezu kwamashumi amahlanu, naphezu kwamashumi.
3:56 Kodwa mayelana nalabo abakha izindlu, noma ababeganwe abafazi, noma ababekhona
betshala izivini, noma besaba, labo wabayala ukuba batshale
buyelani, kube yilowo nalowo endlini yakhe ngokomthetho.
3:57 Ngakho ikamu basuka, futhi bamisa ngaseningizimu ye-Emawusi.
3:58 Wathi uJuda: "Hlomani, futhi nibe ngamadoda anamandla, futhi nibone ukuthi nibe."
nilungele ukusa, ukuze nilwe nalezi zizwe;
abasibuthanele ukusichitha kanye nendlu yethu engcwele;
3:59 Ngoba kungcono kithi ukuba sife empini, kunokuba sibheke izinhlekelele
kwabantu bakithi kanye lendlu yethu engcwele.
3:60 Nokho, njengoba intando kaNkulunkulu isezulwini, makenze kanjalo.