2 Esdra
4:1 Futhi ingelosi eyayithunywe kimi, ogama layo lalingu-Uriyeli, wanginika
phendula,
4:2 Wathi: "Inhliziyo yakho iye kude kuleli zwe, futhi ucabanga kanjalo
uyayiqonda indlela yoPhezukonke na?
4:3 Ngasengisithi: Yebo, nkosi yami. Wangiphendula wathi: Ngithunyiwe
akubonise izindlela ezintathu, abeke imifanekiso emithathu phambi kwakho;
4:4 Ngakho-ke, uma ukwazi ukungitshela eyodwa, ngizokukhombisa futhi indlela
uyafisa ukubona, futhi ngizokukhombisa lapho ivela khona inhliziyo embi
uyeza.
4:5 Ngase ngithi: "Khuluma, nkosi yami. Yasisithi kimi: Hamba, ungilinganise
isisindo somlilo, ningilinganisele ukufutha komoya, noma ngibize
futhi usuku oseludlulile.
4:6 Ngase ngiphendula ngathi: "Ngumuphi umuntu ongakwenza lokho, ukuba wena
kufanele ubuze kimi izinto ezinjalo?
4:7 Wathi kimi, Uma ngingakubuza ukuthi zinkulu kangakanani izindawo zokuhlala ezweni
phakathi kolwandle, nokuthi mingaki imithombo ekuqaleni kotwa;
noma zingaki iziphethu eziphezu komkhathi, noma eziphumayo
wepharadesi:
4:8 Mhlawumbe ubungathi kimi: Angizange ngehlele ekujuleni.
noma ngiyongena esihogweni, futhi angizange ngikhuphukele ezulwini.
4:9 Nokho manje ngikucele kuphela umlilo nomoya, futhi
usuku owedlule kulo, nezinto owadlula kuzo
angehlukaniswa, nokho awukwazi ukunginika impendulo yawo.
4:10 Wathi kimi: "Izinto zakho siqu, futhi njengoba usukhulile."
nawe, awukwazi;
4:11 Khona-ke isitsha sakho kufanele siqonde kanjani indlela yoPhezukonke,
futhi, izwe njengoba manje lonakele ngaphandle ukuze liqonde
ukonakala okubonakala emehlweni ami?
4:12 Ngase ngithi kuye: "Bekungcono ukuba singabi nhlobo, kunalokho
kufanele siqhubeke siphila ebubini, futhi sihlupheke, futhi singazi
ngani.
4:13 Wangiphendula, wathi: Ngangena ehlathini ethafeni, futhi
izihlahla zacebisana,
4:14 Wathi, Wozani, sihambe silwe nolwandle, ukuze lulwe
suka phambi kwethu, ukuze senze amahlathi amaningi.
4:15 Kanjalo nezikhukhula zolwandle zacebisana, zathi: “Woza!
ake sikhuphuke, sinqobe amahlathi ethafa, ukuze singene khona
asenze elinye izwe.
4:16 Umcabango wezinkuni kwaba yize, ngoba umlilo wafika wayiqeda.
4:17 Umcabango wezikhukhula zolwandle waba yize, ngoba
asukume isihlabathi abamise.
4:18 Uma wahlulela manje phakathi kwalaba ababili, ubani ungathanda ukuqala
thethelela? noma ungalahla bani na?
4:19 Ngaphendula ngathi: "Impela kuwubuwula umcabango wabo bobabili
icebo, ngokuba umhlabathi unikelwe izinkuni, nolwandle lunamandla
indawo yakhe yokuthwala izikhukhula zakhe.
4:20 Khona-ke wangiphendula, wathi: "Wenze ukwahlulela okuqondile, kodwa ngani
awuzahluleli nawe na?
4:21 Ngoba njengoba nje umhlabathi unikezwa izinkuni, nolwandle olwayo
izikhukhula: ngokunjalo nabakhileyo emhlabeni bangaqondi lutho
kepha okusemhlabeni, nohlezi phezu kwezulu
bangaqonda kuphela izinto ezingaphezulu kokuphakama kwezulu.
4:22 Ngase ngiphendula ngathi: "Ngiyakuncenga, O Nkosi, ngivumele
ukuqonda:
4:23 Ngoba kwakungeyona ingqondo yami ukufuna izinto eziphakeme, kodwa kwabanjalo
udlula kithi imihla ngemihla, okungukuthi, u-Israyeli unikelwe njengehlazo kuye
abezizwe, nangenxa yokuthi abantu obathandayo baphiwe
ezizweni ezingamhloniphiyo uNkulunkulu, futhi kungani ulethwa umthetho wawokhokho bethu
ize, nezivumelwano ezilotshiwe zibe yize;
4:24 Futhi sidlula emhlabeni njengezintethe, futhi ukuphila kwethu
ukumangala nokwesaba, futhi asifanele ukuhawukelwa.
4:25 Pho-ke uzokwenzenjani egameni lakhe esibizwa ngalo? zalezi
izinto ngizibuzile.
4:26 Khona-ke wangiphendula, futhi wathi: "Lapho uphenya kakhulu, kulapho uya kakhulu
uzomangala; ngokuba umhlaba uyashesha ukudlula;
4:27 Futhi engakwazi ukuqonda izinto ezithenjiswe abalungile in
isikhathi esizayo: ngokuba leli zwe ligcwele ukungalungi nobuthakathaka.
4:28 Kodwa mayelana nezinto ongibuza ngazo, ngizokutshela;
ngoba ububi buyahlwanyelwa, kodwa ukubhujiswa kwabo akukafiki.
4:29 Ngakho-ke uma okuhlwanyelwe kungaphenduki,
indawo lapho okuhlwanyelwe khona okubi akudluli, khona-ke ngeke kufike lokho okukhona
kuhlwanyelwe ngokuhle.
4:30 Ngoba imbewu embi ihlwanyelwe enhliziyweni ka-Adamu kusukela
iqala, futhi kungakanani ukungamesabi uNkulunkulu okukhulisile kuze kube manje?
futhi lizakuthela okungakanani kuze kufike isikhathi sokubhula?
4:31 Zindla manje ngokwakho, ukuthi sikhulu kangakanani isithelo sobubi okusanhlamvu okubi
inzalo yathela.
4:32 Futhi lapho izindlebe ziyonqunywa, okuyizinto ezingenakubalwa, ukuthi zinkulu kangakanani
Bayakugcwalisa phansi na?
4:33 Ngase ngiphendula ngathi: Kanjani, futhi nini lezi zinto ziyokwenzeka?
kungani iminyaka yethu imbalwa futhi mibi?
4:34 Futhi wangiphendula, wathi: "Ungasheshi ukudlula oPhezukonke.
ngokuba ukushesha kwakho kuyize ukuba ngaphezu kwakhe, ngokuba weqile kakhulu.
4:35 Imiphefumulo yabalungileyo kayibuzanga yini ngalezizinto?
emakamelweni abo, bethi: Koze kube nini ngethemba lokhu na? nini
isithelo sesibuya somvuzo wethu?
4:36 Futhi kulezo zinto u-Uriyeli ingelosi enkulu wabaphendula, wathi:
Lanxa inani lembewu seligcwalisiwe kini, ngoba ulinganisile
umhlaba ebhalansi.
4:37 Ulinganisile izikhathi ngesilinganiso; Ubale ngenombolo
izikhathi; futhi akazinyakazi futhi akazinyakazi, kuze kufike isilinganiso esishiwoyo
kugcwalisekile.
4:38 Ngasengiphendula ngathi: O Nkosi, ophethe, thina sonke sigcwele
lokubi.
4:39 Futhi ngenxa yethu mhlawumbe kuba ukuthi phansi abalungileyo
kabasuthi, ngenxa yezono zabakhileyo emhlabeni.
4:40 Wangiphendula, wathi, Hamba uye kowesifazane okhulelweyo, ubuze
kuye, lapho eseqedile izinyanga zakhe eziyisishiyagalolunye, uma isizalo sakhe singagcina isisu sakhe
ukuzalwa kuphinde kube phakathi kwakhe.
4:41 Ngase ngithi: Cha, Nkosi, angekwazi. Wasesithi kimi: Endlini
indawo yabafileyo injengesibeletho sowesifazane;
4:42 Ngoba njengowesifazane obelethayo eshesha ukubalekela isidingo
zokubeletha: ngokunjalo lezi zindawo ziyashesha ukuletha lezozinto
ezinikelwe kubo.
4:43 Kusukela ekuqaleni, bheka, lokho ofisa ukukubona, kuyoboniswa
wena.
4:44 Ngase ngiphendula, ngathi: "Uma ngithole umusa emehlweni akho, futhi uma
kungenzeka, futhi uma ngifaneleka ngakho,
4:45 Ngakho-ke ngibonise ukuthi kukhona okuningi okuzayo kunangaphambili noma okudlule
kunokuzayo.
4:46 Lokho okwedlule ngiyakwazi, kodwa okuzayo angikwazi.
4:47 Wathi kimi: "Sukuma ngakwesokunene, futhi ngizochaza
umfanekiso kuwe.
4:48 Ngakho ngema, futhi ngabona, futhi bheka, ihhavini elivuthayo lalidlula ngaphambili
mina: kwathi lapho ilangabi seliphumile ngabheka, futhi,
bheka, kwathula umusi.
4:49 Emva kwalokho kwadlula ifu lamanzi phambi kwami, lehlisa okuningi
imvula ngesiphepho; kwathi lapho imvula yesiphepho isidlulile, amathonsi asala
namanje.
4:50 Wayesethi kimi: "Zicabangele wena; njengoba imvula ingaphezu
amathonsi, nomlilo mkhulu kunomusi; kodwa amathonsi futhi
intuthu isala ngemuva: ngakho-ke inani elidlule leqe kakhulu.
4:51 Khona-ke ngathandaza, ngathi: "Kwangathi ngingaphila, ucabanga, kuze kube yileso sikhathi? noma
kuyakwenzekani ngalezo zinsuku na?
4:52 Wangiphendula, wathi: Ngokuqondene nezibonakaliso ongibuza ngazo, mina
ngingakutshela nganxanye, kodwa mayelana lempilo yakho, kangithunywanga
ukukubonisa; ngoba kangikwazi.