2 Maccabees
14:1 Kwathi emva kweminyaka emithathu uJudasi wabikelwa ukuthi uDemetriyu indodana ka
Seleucus, esengene ethekwini laseTripolis ngamandla amakhulu futhi
i-navy,
14:2 Wayethathe izwe, futhi wabulala u-Antiochus, noLisiya umvikeli wakhe.
14:3 Manje omunye Alcimus, owayekade engumpristi omkhulu, futhi wayezingcolisile
ngamabomu ngezikhathi zokuhlangana kwabo nabeZizwe, bekubona lokho
wayengeke akwazi ukuzisindisa, futhi angabi nandlela yokungena kongcwele
i-altare,
14:4 Weza enkosini uDemetriyu ngomnyaka wekhulu namashumi amahlanu nanye.
wamethula kuye umqhele wegolide, nesundu, namagatsha
ezazisetshenziswa ethempelini, wabamba ezakhe ngalolo suku
ukuthula.
14:5 Nokho ethole ithuba lokuthuthukisa ubuwula bakhe
ebizwe nguDemetriyu, wabuza ukuthi amaJuda ami kanjani
abathintekayo, nalokho ababekuhlosile, waphendula kukho:
14:6 Labo kumaJuda wababiza ngokuthi abase-Asiya, ondunankulu uJuda
Maccabeus, bondla impi futhi bayavukela, futhi ngeke bavumele abanye
ngokuthula.
14:7 Ngakho-ke mina, njengoba ngiphucwe udumo lwabokhokho bami, ngisho ophakeme.
ubupristi, sengifikile manje;
14:8 Okokuqala, ngiqinisile ngenxa yokukhathazeka kwami kokungazenzisi ezintweni eziphathelene noKristu
inkosi; futhi okwesibili, ngisho nalokho ngihlose okuhle okwami
bakwethu: ngokuba isizwe sakithi sonke sisenhluphekweni engencane
ukusebenzelana kwabo ngokungafanele kushiwo ngaphambili.
14:9 Ngakho-ke, O nkosi, njengoba wazi zonke lezi zinto, qaphela for the
izwe, nesizwe sakithi, esicindezelwe nhlangothi zonke, ngokusho
umusa owubonisa kubo bonke.
14:10 Ngoba njengoba nje uJuda esaphila, akunakwenzeka ukuthi isimo kufanele kube
ethule.
14:11 Lokhu akuzange kukhulunywe ngaye, kodwa abanye babangane benkosi.
ehlanyiselwe kabi uJuda, wenza impepho eyengeziwe uDemetriyu.
14:12 Futhi ngokushesha ebiza uNicanor, owayekade eyinkosi yezindlovu, futhi
emenza umbusi weJudiya, wamthuma;
14:13 Emyala ukuba abulale uJuda, futhi abahlakaze ababe naye.
nokwenza u-Alcimus umpristi omkhulu wethempeli elikhulu.
14:14 Khona-ke abezizwe, ababebalekele eJudiya kusukela uJuda, beza eNicanor
ngemihlambi, becabanga ukuthi ukulimala nezinhlekelele kumaJuda kungokwazo
inhlalakahle.
14:15 Manje lapho amaJuda ezwa ngokuza kukaNicanori, nokuthi abezizwe babe
ngokumelene nabo, bathela umhlabathi emakhanda abo, futhi banxusa
kuye owamisa abantu bakhe kuze kube phakade, osiza njalo
isabelo sakhe ngokubonakaliswa kobukhona bakhe.
14:16 Ngakho ngomyalo wenduna basuka masinyane
wasuka lapho, wasondela kubo emzini waseDesawu.
14:17 Manje Simon, umfowabo kaJuda, wayehlanganyele empini Nicanor, kodwa kwaba
ecasukile ngokuthula okungazelelwe kwezitha zakhe.
14:18 Nokho, uNicanor, ezwa ngobuntu balabo ababenaye
UJuda, kanye nesibindi ababenaso sokulwela izwe labo,
kazange azame ukuyizama indaba ngenkemba.
14:19 Ngakho wathuma uPosidonius, noTheodotus, noMatathias,
ukuthula.
14:20 Ngakho lapho sebethathe iseluleko eside phezu kwalokho, futhi induna waba
bajwayelana nesixuku, kwaba sengathi banjalo
bonke nganhliziyonye bavumelana nezivumelwano,
14:21 Futhi wamisa usuku ukuhlangana ndawonye bebodwa, futhi lapho usuku
bafika, babekwa izihlalo;
14:22 Ludas wabeka amadoda ahlomile alungele ezindaweni ezikahle, funa abanye ukukhohlisa
kufanele kwenziwe ngokuzumayo yizitha: ngakho benza ukuthula
ingqungquthela.
14:23 Manje uNiconori wahlala eJerusalema, futhi akazange enze lutho, kodwa wabamukisa
abantu abeza bethutheleka kuye.
NgokukaLuka 14:24 Wayengafuni ukumsusa uJuda ebusweni bakhe, ngokuba wayebathanda uJehova
umuntu ngenhliziyo yakhe
14:25 Wamncenga ukuba athathe umfazi, azale abantwana;
wathula, wathatha ingxenye yalokhu kuphila.
14:26 Kodwa u-Alkimu, ebona uthando olwaluphakathi kwabo, futhi ecabangela.
izivumelwano ezenziwayo zeza kuDemetriyu, zamtshela lokho
U-Nicanor akazange athinteke kahle kuhulumeni; ngoba wayekumisile
UJuda, imbuka embusweni wakhe, ukuba abe umlandeli wenkosi.
14:27 Khona-ke inkosi wathukuthela, futhi wacasuka ngecala lenkosi
umuntu omubi kakhulu, wabhalela uNicanori, ebonisa ukuthi wayemuningi
ecasukile ngezivumelwano, futhi emyala ukuba athumele
Isiboshwa sikaMaccabeus siphuthuma e-Antiyokiya.
14:28 Kwathi lokhu kuzwakele uNicanor, wajabha kakhulu kuye.
futhi wakuthatha kanzima ukuba enze ize impahla ezazikhona
bavumelana, indoda ingenaphutha.
14:29 Kodwa ngenxa yokuthi kwakungekho ukubhekana nenkosi, wabheka isikhathi sakhe
ukufeza le nto ngenqubomgomo.
14:30 Nokho, lapho Maccabeus ebona ukuthi Nicanor waqala ukuba churlish
kuye, nokuthi wamncenga kakhulu kunakuqala;
ebona ukuthi ukuziphatha okubi okunjalo akubanga kuhle, wabutha
ehlangene nabantu bakhe abangembalwa, wasuka kuNikanori.
NgokukaLuka 14:31 Kepha omunye azi ukuthi uvinjelwe ngokuphawulekayo ngomthetho kaJuda.
wangena ethempelini elikhulu nelingcwele, wayala abapristi, ukuthi
babenikela ngemihlatshelo yabo evamile, ukuze bamkhulule lowo muntu.
14:32 Futhi lapho bafunga ukuthi ngeke ukwazi ukuthi uphi umuntu anguye
bafuna,
14:33 Welulela isandla sakhe sokunene ethempelini, wafunga phakathi
kanje: Uma ninganginikele uJudasi njengesiboshwa, ngiyakumlahla
lelithempeli likaNkulunkulu kanye nomhlabathi, futhi ngizolidiliza
i-altare, futhi akhe ithempeli eliphawulekayo likaBacchus.
14:34 Ngemva kwalawo mazwi, wahamba. Khona-ke abapristi baphakamisa izandla zabo
ezulwini, bamncenga lowo owayelokhu engumvikeli wabo
isizwe, sithi kanje;
14:35 Wena, O Nkosi yazo zonke izinto, ongasweli lutho, wakujabulela lokho
ithempeli lendlu yakho yokuhlala lizakuba phakathi kwethu;
14:36 Ngakho-ke manje, O Nkosi ongcwele wabo bonke ubungcwele, gcina le ndlu kuze kube phakade
engangcolile, esanda kuhlanjululwa, futhi avimbe yonke imilomo engalungile.
14:37 Manje kwabekwa icala kuNicanor uRazis, omunye wabadala
iJerusalema, umthandi wabantu bakubo, indoda enodumo oluhle kakhulu, owathi
ngoba umusa wakhe wabizwa ngokuthi uyise wamaJuda.
14:38 Ngoba ezikhathini zangaphambili, lapho babengaxubani ne
AbeZizwe, wayebekwe icala lobuJuda, futhi wafaka eyakhe engozini ngesibindi
umzimba nempilo ngakho konke ukushisekela inkolo yamaJuda.
14:39 Ngakho uNicanor, ethanda ukumemezela inzondo ayeyithwele kumaJuda, wathumela
amadoda empi angaphezu kwamakhulu amahlanu ukuba ambambe;
14:40 Ngoba wayecabanga ukumthatha ukwenza okubi kakhulu kumaJuda.
14:41 Manje lapho isixuku ngabe wawuthatha umbhoshongo, futhi ngobudlova
emnyango ongaphandle, wathi kulethwe umlilo ukuwushisa
eselungele ukubanjwa nhlangothi zonke wawela phezu kwenkemba yakhe;
14:42 Ekhetha ukufa indoda, kunokuba angene ezandleni
omubi, ukuba ahlukunyezwe ngenye indlela kunokuba afanele ukuzalwa kwakhe okuhle;
14:43 Kodwa waphuthelwa isivimbo sakhe ngokuphangisa, isixuku futhi wagijima phakathi
izicabha, wagijimela odongeni ngesibindi, waziphonsa phansi njengomuntu
phakathi kogqinsi lwazo.
14:44 Kodwa baphangisa masinyane emuva, futhi isikhala kokuba kwenziwa, wawela phansi
phakathi nendawo engenalutho.
14:45 Nokho, ngenkathi kusekhona umoya ngaphakathi kuye, evutha
ulaka, wasukuma; lanxa igazi lakhe lagobhoza njengamanzi.
namanxeba akhe ayemabi, nokho wagijima edabula phakathi
isixuku; futhi emi phezu kwedwala eliwumqansa.
14:46 Lapho igazi lakhe seliphelile, wakhipha izibilini zakhe, futhi
wabathatha ngezandla zombili, waziphosela exukwini, wabiza
phezu kweNkosi yokuphila neyomoya ukuba imbuyisele labo futhi, kanjalo
wafa.