1 Maccabees
7:1 Ngomnyaka wekhulu namashumi ayisihlanu nanye, uDemetriyu, indodana kaSeleucus
wasuka eRoma, wakhuphukela emzini ongasolwandle namadoda ambalwa
ugu, wabusa khona.
7:2 Futhi njengoba engena esigodlweni wawoyise, kwaba njalo, ukuthi yakhe
amabutho ayethathe u-Antiochus noLisiya, ukubaletha kuye.
7:3 Ngakho, ekwazi, wathi, "Mangingaboni ubuso babo."
7:4 Ngakho ibutho lakhe wababulala. Manje lapho uDemetriyu ehlezi esihlalweni sakhe sobukhosi
umbuso,
7:5 Kwase kufika kuye bonke abantu ababi nabangamesabi kwa-Israyeli, kokuba
Alcimus, owayefisa ukuba umpristi omkhulu, induna yabo;
7:6 Futhi bamangalela abantu enkosini, wathi: "UJuda nabafowabo."
ababulele bonke abangani bakho, basixosha ezweni lakithi.
7:7 Ngakho manje thumela indoda omethembayo, futhi umyeke ahambe abone
ukuthi ungakanani umonakalo owenzile phakathi kwethu nasezweni lenkosi;
bajezise kanye nabo bonke ababasizayo.
7:8 Khona-ke inkosi wakhetha Bacchides, umngane wenkosi, owayebusa ngaphesheya
kazamcolo, wayengumuntu omkhulu embusweni, ethembekile enkosini;
7:9 Futhi yena wamthuma kanye nalelo u-Alkimus omubi, amenze umpristi omkhulu, futhi
walaya ukuthi aphindisele kubantwana bakoIsrayeli.
7:10 Base bemuka, bafika ezweni laseJudiya ngamandla amakhulu.
lapho bathuma izithunywa kuJudasi labafowabo ngokuthula
amazwi ngenkohliso.
7:11 Kodwa kabanakanga amazwi abo; ngoba babonile ukuthi sebefikile
ngamandla amakhulu.
7:12 Khona-ke kwabuthana Alkimu futhi Bacchides iqembu lababhali.
ukufuna ubulungisa.
7:13 Manje base-Assides babengabokuqala phakathi kwabantwana bakwa-Israyeli ukuthi
wafuna ukuthula kubo;
7:14 Ngoba bathi: Omunye umpristi wenzalo ka-Aroni
leli butho, futhi ngeke asenze okubi.
7:15 Ngakho wakhuluma kubo ngokuthula, futhi wafunga kubo, wathi: "Sithanda."
ungalimazi wena noma abangani bakho.
7:16 Ngakho bakholwa nguye, kodwa wathatha kubo amadoda angamashumi ayisithupha, futhi
wababulala ngalusuku lunye njengamazwi awalobayo;
7:17 Inyama yabangcwele bakho bayilahlile, negazi labo banalo
bachitha igazi nxazonke zeJerusalema, akwabakho ukubambela.
7:18 Ngakho ukwesaba nokwesaba kwehlela phezu kwabantu bonke, bathi:
Akukho iqiniso nokulunga kuzo; ngoba bephulile
isivumelwano nesifungo abasenzayo.
7:19 Ngemva kwalokhu, wasusa Bacchides eJerusalema, futhi wamisa amatende akhe
eBezeti, lapho athumela khona, wathatha abaningi kubantu ababemshiyile;
nabathile kubantu, wababulala, wabaphonsa
emgodini omkhulu.
7:20 Khona-ke wanikela izwe Alcimus, futhi washiya naye amandla ukuze
msize: ngakho uBakhide waya enkosini.
7:21 Kodwa Alcimus walwela ubupristi obuphakeme.
7:22 Futhi basondela kuye bonke labo ababehlupha isixuku, ngubani, ngemva kwabo
ababenikele izwe lakwaJuda esandleni sabo, benza okubi kakhulu kwa-Israyeli.
7:23 Manje lapho uJuda ebona bonke ububi ukuthi Alcimus kanye neqembu lakhe kwadingeka
okwenziwa phakathi kwabantwana bakwa-Israyeli, ngisho naphezu kwabezizwe,
7:24 Waphuma waya kuzo zonke izifunda zaseJudiya, futhi waphindisela
kwabahlubukileyo kuye, kababe besalokotha besaphuma
ezweni.
7:25 Ngakolunye uhlangothi, lapho u-Alcimus ebona ukuthi uJuda nenkampani yakhe kwadingeka
waphumelela, futhi wazi ukuthi wayengenakukwazi ukumelana nabo
ngamandla, waphinde waya enkosini, futhi wakhuluma konke okubi kakhulu kubo ukuthi yena
angakwazi.
7:26 Khona-ke inkosi yathumela uNicanor, omunye wezikhulu zakhe ezihloniphekile, indoda ukuthi
waletha inzondo ebulalayo ku-Israyeli, ngomyalo wokubhubhisa abantu.
7:27 Ngakho uNicanor wafika eJerusalema nebutho elikhulu; wathumela kuJudasi kanye
abafowabo ngokukhohlisa ngamazwi anomusa, ethi:
7:28 Makungabikho ukulwa phakathi kwami nawe; Ngizoza namadoda ambalwa,
ukuze nginibone ninokuthula.
7:29 Ngakho wafika kuJuda, futhi babingelelana ngokuthula.
Nokho izitha zazizilungiselele ukuthatha uJudasi ngobudlova.
7:30 Lokho okwakwaziwa nguJudasi, ukuthi uyeza kuye
ngenkohliso, wamesaba kakhulu, akabange esabubona ubuso bakhe.
7:31 UNiconori futhi, lapho ebona ukuthi iseluleko sakhe sitholakele, waphuma waya
ukulwa noJudasi ngaseKapharsalama;
7:32 Lapho kwabulawa ngasohlangothini lukaNicanori amadoda angaba yizinkulungwane ezinhlanu, futhi
abanye babalekela emzini kaDavide.
7:33 Ngemva kwalokhu, uNicanori wenyukela entabeni yaseSiyoni, futhi waphuma
endlini engcwele abanye babapristi nabanye bamalunga ebandla
abantu, ukumbingelela ngokuthula, lokumtshengisa umnikelo wokutshiswa
owanikelwa inkosi.
7:34 Kodwa wabahleka usulu, futhi wabahleka, futhi wabahlukumeza ngokuhlazisayo, futhi
wakhuluma ngokuziqhenya,
7:35 Futhi wafunga ngolaka lwakhe, wathi: "Ngaphandle kokuba uJuda nebutho lakhe manje
nginikelwe esandleni sami, uma ngibuya ngiphephile, ngiyakusha
lendlu: ngalokho waphuma ngolaka olukhulu.
7:36 Abapristi bangena, bema phambi kwe-altare nethempeli.
bekhala, bethi:
7:37 Wena, O Nkosi, wakhetha le ndlu ukuba ibizwe ngegama lakho, futhi ukuze
ube yindlu yokukhuleka nokunxusa abantu bakho;
7:38 Ziphindiseleni kulo muntu nebutho lakhe, futhi mabawe ngenkemba.
khumbulani ukuhlambalaza kwabo, futhi ningabavumeli ukuba baqhubeke.
7:39 Ngakho uNiconori waphuma eJerusalema, futhi wamisa amatende akhe eBethhoroni.
lapho ibutho elalivela eSiriya lamhlangabeza.
7:40 Kodwa uJuda wamisa e-Adasa namadoda ayizinkulungwane ezintathu, futhi lapho wakhuleka.
ethi,
7:41 O Nkosi, lapho ababethunywe enkosini yase-Asiriya
ithukile, ingelosi yakho yaphuma, yashaya ikhulu namashumi ayisishiyagalombili nanye
izinkulungwane ezinhlanu kubo.
7:42 Kanjalo wena ubhubhise leli butho phambi kwethu namuhla, ukuze abanye bangase
yazi ukuthi ukhulume ngokuhlambalaza ngendlu yakho engcwele nokwahlulela
wena yena njengobubi bakhe.
7:43 Ngakho ngosuku lweshumi nantathu lwenyanga ka-Adari amabutho ahlangana impi
Umninikhaya kaNicanor waphazamiseka, futhi naye wabulawa kuqala
impi.
7:44 Manje, lapho ibutho likaNicanor ebona ukuthi ubulewe, bamlahla
izikhali, babaleka.
7:45 Bawaxosha, ibanga losuku, besuka e-Adasa, baze bafika eGazera.
behlaba umkhosi emva kwabo benamacilongo abo.
7:46 Khona-ke baphuma kuyo yonke imizi yaseJudiya nxazonke, futhi
wawavala phakathi; baze baphendukela kulabo ababebaxosha.
babulawa bonke ngenkemba, akwasala noyedwa kubo.
7:47 Ngemva kwalokho bathatha impango kanye nempango, futhi babulala Nicannor
ikhanda, nesandla sakhe sokunene, ayelule ngokuziqhenya, waletha
wabasusa, wabaphanyeka ngaseJerusalema.
7:48 Ngenxa yalesi sizathu abantu bajabula kakhulu, futhi bagcina lolo suku usuku
yentokozo enkulu.
7:49 Futhi wamisa ukugcina minyaka yonke lolu suku, kube ngolweshumi nantathu
I-Adar.
7:50 Ngakho izwe lakwaJuda lahlala isikhashana.