2 Maccabees
6:1 Akuphelanga sikhathi, inkosi yathuma ixhegu lase-Athene ukuba libacindezele
amaJuda ukuba aphambuke emithethweni yawoyise, futhi angaphili ngokulandela umthetho
imithetho kaNkulunkulu:
6:2 Futhi ukungcolisa futhi ithempeli eJerusalema, futhi ukubiza ngokuthi ithempeli
kaJupiter Olympius; nokuthi eGarizimu, kaJupiter uMvikeli we
abezizweni, njengokufisa kwabo abahlala kuleyondawo.
6:3 Ukungena kwalobu bubi kwakubuhlungu futhi kubuhlungu kubantu.
6:4 Ngoba ithempeli laligcwele isiphithiphithi nokujabula kwabezizwe, ngubani
wahlangana nezifebe, futhi wayephathelene nabesifazane ngaphakathi kwesifunda
izindawo ezingcwele, futhi ngaphandle kwalokho kwangenisa izinto ezingekho emthethweni.
6:5 I-altare futhi laligcwele izinto ezingcolile, okuyinto umthetho owenqabelayo.
6:6 Futhi kwakungavunyelwe ngomuntu ukugcina isabatha noma ukuzila ukudla kwasendulo.
loba ukutsho lakancane ukuthi ungumJuda.
6:7 Futhi ngosuku lokuzalwa kwenkosi njalo ngenyanga balethwa by
okubabayo ukudla imihlatshelo; nalapho ukuzila kukaBacchus
egcinwe, abaJuda baphoqeleka ukuba bahambe ngodwendwe baye kuBacchus,
ephethe ivy.
6:8 Kwaphuma isimemezelo emizini yabezizwe engomakhelwane.
ngesiphakamiso sikaPtolemee, ngokumelene namaJuda, ukuthi kufanele
nigcine izimo ezifanayo, nihlanganyele emihlatshelweni yabo;
6:9 Futhi ngubani ongafuni ukuzivumelanisa nemikhuba yabezizwe
kufanele abulawe. Ngabe indoda yalubona usizi olukhona manje.
6:10 Ngoba kwaletha abesifazane ababili ababesokile abantwana babo;
sebebahole obala bezungeza umuzi, izingane zabapha
amabele abo, bawaphonsa phansi odongeni ngekhanda.
6:11 Futhi abanye, ababegijimela ndawonye emihumeni eduze, ukuze bagcine
usuku lwesabatha ngasese, etholwe nguFiliphu, zonke zashiswa
ndawonye, ngoba benza unembeza ukuzisiza ngenxa
ukuhlonishwa kosuku olungcwele kakhulu.
6:12 Manje ngiyabancenga labo abafunda le ncwadi, ukuthi bangadangali
ngalezi zinhlekelele, kodwa ukuthi bahlulele lezo zijeziso ukuthi azikho
ngenjongo yokubhujiswa, kodwa ngenxa yokujeziswa kwesizwe sakithi.
6:13 Ngoba kuwuphawu lobuhle bakhe obukhulu, lapho abenzi bobubi bengekho
wahlupheka isikhathi eside, kodwa wajeziswa ngaso leso sikhathi.
6:14 Ngoba kungabi njengazo ezinye izizwe, iNkosi engababekezeleli
bajezise, baze bafinyelele ekupheleleni kwezono zabo, wenza kanjalo naye
Unathi,
6:15 funa, ukuthi, njengoba efinyelele ukuphakama kwesono, kamuva athathe
impindiselo yethu.
6:16 Ngakho-ke akasoze ahoxisa umusa wakhe kithi, futhi nakuba yena
ujezisa ngosizi, nokho akabashiyi abantu bakhe.
6:17 Kodwa ake lokhu esikukhulumile kube yisixwayiso kithi. Futhi manje sizo
woza ekumemezeleni udaba ngamazwi ambalwa.
6:18 U-Eleyazare, omunye wababhali, indoda endala, nomthombo.
ebusweni bakhe, wacindezelwa ukuba avule umlomo wakhe, adle
inyama yengulube.
6:19 Kodwa yena, ekhetha ukufa ngokukhazimulayo, kunokuba aphile engcoliswe
isinengiso esinjalo, wasikhafulela, wazizela kuye
ukuhlukumeza,
6:20 Njengoba bekufanele ukuba beze, ukuthi bazimisele ukumelana abanjalo
izinto, njengoba kungavunyelwe ukuthanda ukuphila ukuba kunambitheke.
6:21 Kodwa labo ababephethe umkhosi omubi, kwabadala
bajwayelana nalo muntu, bamyisa eceleni, bamncenga
alethe inyama yokupha kwakhe, njengokusemthethweni ukuba ayisebenzise, futhi
enze sengathi udle inyama ethathwe emhlatshelweni owayalwa ngu
Inkosi;
6:22 Ukuze ngokwenza kanjalo akhululwe ekufeni, futhi ngenxa yabadala
ubungane nabo buthola umusa.
6:23 Kodwa waqala ukucabanga ngokuhlakanipha, futhi njengoba iminyaka yakhe, futhi
ubuhle beminyaka yakhe yasendulo, nodumo lwempunga yakhe,
lapho okwafika khona, kanye nemfundo yakhe ethembeke kakhulu kusukela enganeni, noma njalo
umthetho ongcwele owenziwe wanikezwa nguNkulunkulu: ngakho waphendula wathi:
wasebamisela masinyane ukuthi bamthumele ethuneni.
6:24 Ngoba akufanele inkathi yethu, wathi, nganoma iyiphi indlela ukukhohlisa, ngalo
abaningi abasha bangase bacabange ukuthi u-Eleyazare, eneminyaka engamashumi ayisishiyagalombili ubudala
nabayishumi, manje base beye enkolweni eyinqaba;
6:25 Futhi ngakho ngokusebenzisa ukuzenzisa kwami, futhi ufisa ukuphila isikhashana futhi
isikhashana eside, kufanele ngikhohliswe yimi, futhi ngithola ibala kowami omdala
khula, ukwenze kube nesinengiso.
6:26 Ngoba nakuba okwamanje kufanele ngikhululwe e
ukujeziswa kwabantu: kepha angiyikuphunyuka esandleni sikaSomandla,
ongaphili, noma ofile.
6:27 Ngakho manje, manfully ngishintsha le mpilo, Ngizobonisa ngokwami enjalo
eyodwa njengoba iminyaka yami idinga,
6:28 Futhi ushiye isibonelo esiphawulekayo abanjengoba bebancane ukufa ngokuzithandela futhi
ngesibindi imithetho ehloniphekile nengcwele. Kwathi eseshilo
lawa mazwi, wahle waya ekuhlushweni.
6:29 Labo ababemhola beshintsha intando enhle bamzala kancane ngaphambi
ngenzondo, ngokuba lezo zinkulumo ezishiwo ngaphambili zaqhubeka njengokucabanga kwabo;
emqondweni ophelelwe yithemba.
6:30 Kodwa lapho eselungele ukufa ngemivimbo, wabubula, wathi: "Kunjalo."
bonakalisa eNkosini, onolwazi olungcwele, ukuthi mina
ngabe ngikhululwe ekufeni, manje ngibekezelela izinhlungu ezibuhlungu emzimbeni
ngishaywa; kepha emphefumulweni ngithokozile ukuhlupheka ngalezizinto;
ngoba ngiyamesaba.
6:31 Futhi kanjalo le ndoda wafa, eshiya ukufa kwakhe ukuze abe isibonelo sesikhulu
isibindi, nesikhumbuzo sokulunga, hhayi ezinsizweni kuphela, kodwa kubo bonke
isizwe sakhe.