2 Esdra
8:1 Yangiphendula yathi: “OPhezukonke wenzele abaningi leli zwe.
kodwa izwe elizayo yingcosana.
8:2 Ngizokutshela umfanekiso, Esdras; Njengalapho ubuza umhlaba, wona
uyakuthi kuwe: 'Inika isikhunta esiningi izitsha zobumba.'
zenziwa, kepha uthuli oluncane igolide eliphuma kulo: unjalo umkhondo
lomhlaba wamanje.
8:3 Kukhona abaningi abadaliwe, kodwa abambalwa bayosindiswa.
8:4 Ngase ngiphendula ngathi: Gxila, mphefumulo wami, ukuqonda, futhi
shwabadela ukuhlakanipha.
8:5 Ngoba uvumile ukulalela, futhi uzimisele ukuprofetha
angisenandawo kunokuphila kuphela.
8:6 O Nkosi, uma ungavumeli inceku yakho, ukuze sithandaze phambi kwakho,
futhi usinike imbewu enhliziyweni yethu, nesiko ekuqondeni kwethu;
ukuze kuvele isithelo kuwo; umuntu ngamunye okhona uyakuphila kanjani
onakele, ngubani othatha indawo yomuntu?
8:7 Ngoba wena wedwa, futhi sonke umsebenzi wezandla zakho munye, njengoba nje
ushilo.
8:8 Ngoba lapho umzimba ulolongwa manje esibelethweni sikanina, futhi unikeza
ngamalungu, isidalwa sakho silondolozwe emlilweni nasemanzini, nezinyanga eziyisishiyagalolunye
ingabe umsebenzi wakho uyakhuthazela indalo yakho edalwe kuyo.
8:9 Kodwa lokho okugcinayo futhi agcinwe kuyogcinwa kokubili: futhi lapho i
isikhathi siyeza, isizalo sigciniwe siyakhupha okumilayo
yona.
8:10 Ngoba wena wayala ezithweni, okungukuthi:
emabeleni kuyakunikwa ubisi, oluyisithelo samabele;
8:11 Ukuze into eyenziwe ukuze ondliwe okwesikhathi, kuze kube wena
yibeke emseni wakho.
8:12 Wena wakhuphula it ngokulunga kwakho, futhi wakhulisa it in yakho
umthetho, uwulungise ngokwahlulela kwakho.
8:13 Futhi wena uyakuba mortify it njengoba isidalwa sakho, futhi uphile njengomsebenzi wakho.
8:14 Ngakho-ke uma uzombhubhisa lowo owasebenza kanzima kangaka
enziwe, kuyinto elula ukumiswa ngomyalo wakho, ukuthi
into eyenziwe ingalondolozwa.
8:15 Manje, Nkosi, Ngizokhuluma; othinta indoda ngokuvamile, uyazi
best; kodwa mayelana labantu bakho, engidabuka ngenxa yabo;
8:16 Futhi ngenxa yefa lakho, engilila ngenxa yesizathu sakhe; futhi u-Israyeli, ngoba
engisindayo; nakuJakobe, ngenxa yakhe ngikhathazekile;
8:17 Ngakho-ke ngizoqala ukuthandaza phambi kwakho mina kanye nabo
Ngiyazibona izimpophoma zethu esihlala ezweni.
8:18 Kodwa ngizwile ukushesha umahluleli ozayo.
8:19 Ngakho yizwa izwi lami, futhi uqonde amazwi ami, futhi ngizokhuluma
phambi kwakho. Lokhu kungukuqala kwamazwi ka-Esdras, ngaphambi kokuba abe khona
uthathiwe: ngase ngithi,
8:20 O Nkosi, wena ohlala phakade, obona phezulu
izinto ezisezulwini nasemoyeni;
8:21 Isihlalo sakhe sobukhosi singenakulinganiswa; onkazimulo yakhe ingenakuqondwa; ngaphambili
izingelosi ezimi ngokuthuthumela;
8:22 Obani inkonzo conversant emoyeni futhi umlilo; ozwi labo liyiqiniso, futhi
amazwi njalo; omiyalo yabo inamandla, nesimiso siyesabeka;
8:23 Obani ukubukeka kwabo komisa ekujuleni, futhi intukuthelo yenza izintaba
ncibilika; elifakazelwa liqiniso.
8:24 Yizwa umkhuleko wenceku yakho, futhi ubeke indlebe ekunxuseni kwakho
isidalwa.
8:25 Ngoba lapho ngisaphila ngizokhuluma, futhi uma nje ngisenakho ukuqonda I
uzophendula.
8:26 O ungabheki izono zabantu bakho; kodwa kulabo abakhonza wena phakathi
iqiniso.
8:27 Unganaki izinto ezimbi eziqanjwe abezizwe, kodwa isifiso salabo
abagcina ubufakazi bakho ezinsizini.
8:28 Ungacabangi ngalabo abaye bahamba ngobuqili phambi kwakho, kodwa
bakhumbule abakwaziyo ngokwentando yakho ukwesaba kwakho.
8:29 Makungabi intando yakho ukubhubhisa abaphila njengezilwane; kodwa
ukubheka labo abawufundisile umthetho wakho ngokusobala.
8:30 Ungabathukutheleli labo okuthiwa babi kunezilwane; kodwa
bathande labo ababeka ithemba labo njalo ekulungeni nasenkazimulweni yakho.
8:31 Ngoba thina nawokhokho bethu siphethwe izifo ezinjalo, kodwa ngenxa yethu
izoni kuyakuthiwa unesihawu.
8:32 Ngoba uma unesifiso sokusihawukela, uzobizwa
sibe lesihawu kithi, thina esingelamisebenzi yokulunga.
8:33 Ngoba abalungileyo, abanemisebenzi eminingi emihle ebekwe kuwe, bayophuma kuyo
izenzo zabo zamukela umvuzo.
8:34 Ngoba uyini umuntu, ukuze uthukuthele ngaye? noma yini
isizukulwane esibhubhayo, ukuze ube muncu kuso na?
8:35 Ngoba eqinisweni akukho muntu phakathi kwabo kuzalwa, kodwa uye wasebenza
ngokukhohlakala; futhi phakathi kwabathembekileyo akekho noyedwa ongenzanga
kabi.
8:36 Ngoba kulokhu, O Nkosi, ukulunga kwakho nokulunga kwakho kuyoba
wamemezela, uba ulesihawu kwabangathembekiyo
imisebenzi emihle.
8:37 Wayesengiphendula, wathi: Ezinye izinto uzikhulumile kahle, futhi
kuyakuba njengokwamazwi akho.
8:38 Ngoba ngempela ngeke ngicabange ngesimo labo abonile
ngaphambi kokufa, ngaphambi kokwahlulelwa, ngaphambi kokubhujiswa;
8:39 Kodwa mina ngiyojabula phezu isimo abalungile, futhi ngizokwenza
khumbulani futhi uhambo lwabo, nensindiso, nomvuzo, lokho
bayakuba nakho.
8:40 Njengoba nje ngikhulumile manje, kanjalo kuyokwenzeka.
8:41 Ngoba njengoba nje umlimi ehlwanyela imbewu eningi emhlabathini, futhi watshala
imithi eminingi, kepha okuhlwanyelwe okuhle ngesikhathi sayo akufiki
konke okutshaliwe akumile; kunjalo nakubo
ezihlwanyelwe ezweni; kabayikusindiswa bonke.
8:42 Ngase ngiphendula ngathi: Uma ngithole umusa, mangikhulume.
8:43 Njengembewu yomlimi ibhubha, uma ingakhuli, yamukele
hhayi imvula yakho ngesikhathi esifanele; noma uma kufika imvula eningi, yonakele
yona:
8:44 Kanjalo umuntu uyabhubha, okuyinto kwakhiwa ngezandla zakho, futhi kuyinto
wabiza umfanekiso wakho, ngokuba ufana naye, ngenxa yakhe
wenze zonke izinto, wamfanisa nembewu yomlimi.
8:45 Ungasithukutheleli, kodwa uhawukele abantu bakho, futhi uhawukele abakho
ifa: ngokuba unomusa esidalweni sakho.
8:46 Wayesengiphendula, wathi: "Izinto ezikhona okwamanje, futhi
izinto ezizayo kwabazayo.
8:47 Ngoba wena uyafinyela kude ukuze ukwazi ukuthanda yami
kodwa ngisondele kaningi kuwe, nakuwe
wona, kodwa hhayi kwabangalungile.
8:48 Nakulokhu uyamangalisa phambi koPhezukonke.
8:49 Ngokuzithoba kwakho, njengoba kufanele kuwe, futhi awuzange
wazibona ufanele ukudunyiswa kakhulu phakathi kwabalungileyo.
8:50 Ngoba usizi eziningi ezinkulu ziyokwenziwa kulabo ngesikhathi sokugcina
bayakuhlala ezweni, ngokuba bahambe ngokuzidla okukhulu.
8:51 Kodwa wena qonda ngokwakho, futhi ufune udumo kwabanjalo
njengawe.
8:52 Ngoba kini livulekele ipharadesi, umuthi wokuphila utshalwe, isikhathi
okuzayo sekulungisiwe, inala ilungisiwe, umuzi uyakhiwa, njalo
ukuphumula kuvunyelwe, yebo, ubuhle nokuhlakanipha okuphelele.
8:53 Impande yobubi ivaliwe kuwe, ubuthakathaka futhi inundu kufihliwe
kini, nokonakala kubalekele esihogweni ukuze kukhohlakale;
8:54 Usizi kudlulile, futhi ekugcineni uboniswa ingcebo
ukungafi.
8:55 Ngakho-ke ungabe usabuza mayelana noquqaba
labo ababhubhayo.
8:56 Ngoba lapho sebethathe inkululeko, bamdelela oPhezukonke, wacabanga
udelela umthetho wakhe, washiya izindlela zakhe.
8:57 Banyathele phansi abalungileyo bakhe;
8:58 Futhi bathi enhliziyweni yabo, ukuthi akekho uNkulunkulu; yebo, nokwazi lokho
kufanele bafe.
8:59 Ngoba njengoba izinto ezishiwo ngaphambili niyokwamukela, kanjalo ukoma nobuhlungu
wabalungisela, ngokuba kwakungeyona intando yakhe ukuthi abantu beze kukho
lutho:
8:60 Kodwa abadaliweyo balingcolisile ibizo lalowo owabenzayo.
futhi babengabongi kuye owabalungisela ukuphila.
8:61 Futhi ngakho ukwahlulela kwami manje sekuseduze.
8:62 Lezi zinto angibonisanga kubo bonke abantu, kodwa kuwe, futhi abambalwa
njengawe. Ngase ngiphendula ngathi.
8:63 Bheka, O Nkosi, manje ungibonisile ubuningi bezimangaliso.
oyoqala ukukwenza ngezikhathi zokugcina, kepha ngasikhathi sinye, wena
kangitshengisanga.