UEzra 4 FHB Father's Heart Bible™

4 ¹Zakuba zivile iintshaba zakwaYuda nezakwaBhenjamin ukuba ababuyileyo ekuthinjweni babemakhela uBawo wethu itempile, ²zeza kuZerubhabheli nakwiintloko zezindlu, zathi: “Masakhe nani, kuba sifuna uThixo wenu njengokuba nani nisenza, kananjalo besibingelela kuye kususela kwemihla ka-Esarhadon ukumkani waseAsiriya, owasinyusayo weza nathi apha.”

³Kodwa uZerubhabheli, noYoshuwa, nazo ezinye iintloko zezindlu zakwaSirayeli bathi kuzo: “Aninasabelo nathi ekwakhiweni kwendlu kaBawo wethu. Thina sodwa sakwakhela uBawo wethu, njengoko wasiwiselayo umthetho ukumkani uKoreshi wasePersi.”

⁴Ngoko ke abantu belizwe bazibhodlisa izandla zabantu bakwaYuda, bebothusa ukuze bangabi sakha, ⁵baza bafumba abacebisi ngemali ukuze babachase, babudube ucebo lwabo, yonke imihla yobukumkani bukaKoreshi ukumkani wasePersi, kuse ebukumkanini bukaDariyo ukumkani wasePersi. ⁶Ekuqaleni kobukumkani buka-Ahaswerosi, babhala isimangalo nxamnye nabemi bakwaYuda naseYerusalem.

Incwadi Echasa Abantu bakaBawo

⁷Ebukumkanini buka-Artashashta, uBhishelam, noMithredati, noTabheli, nabanye abalingane babo babhalela uArtashashta ukumkani wasePersi; incwadi leyo yayibhalwe ngonobumba wakwa-Aram, iguqulelwa naseluthethweni lwakwa-Aram. ⁸URehum umphathi noShimshayi umbhali babhala incwadi echasa iYerusalem kukumkani uArtashashta: ⁹URehum umphathi, noShimshayi umbhali, nabanye abalingane babo—abagwebi, nabathetheli, nabaphathi phezu kwabantu base-Ereki, namaBhabheli, nabantu baseSusa (oko kukuthi, amaElam), ¹⁰nezinye iintlanga awazifudusa uOsenapare omkhulu nozukileyo, wazihlalisa emzini waseSamari, nakweminye imimandla engaPhesheya koMlambo. ^a a v10 Ummandla ongaPhesheya koMlambo yayingummandla wasePersi ongasentshonalanga yomlambo umEfrati, oquka iSiriya namazwe angqonge uYuda.

¹¹Impinda yencwadi eyathunyelwa kuye: Kukumkani uArtashashta, ivela kubakhonzi bakho, abantu bommandla ongaPhesheya koMlambo. Ke kaloku, ¹²ukumkani makazi: amaYuda enyuka kuwe eza kuthi afikile eYerusalem. Ayawakha kwakhona loo mzi okreqayo, ongendawo, egqibezela iindonga, elungisa iziseko. ¹³Ukumkani makazi: ukuba lo mzi uthe wakhiwa, zagqitywa iindonga zawo, abayi kurhola rhume, narhafu, necala, yaye ubuncwane bokumkani buya kwenziwa isilahleko. ¹⁴Ngenxa yokuba sixhomekeke ebhotwe ngokuphila kwethu, kungalunganga ukuba sibone ukumkani ejiwujelwa, size sithumele ilizwi lokumxelela ukumkani, ^b b v14 Ukutya ityuwa yebhotwe kwakuthetha ukuba semsebenzini wokumkani nokuzibophelela kuye ngokunyaniseka. ¹⁵ukuze kuphengululwe kwiincwadi zembali zooyihlo. Kuloo ncwadi zembali uya kufumana lo mzi ukreqile, ulimaza ookumkani nemimandla, uvuselela imvukelo kususela kwakudala—ngenxa yoko wachithwa. ¹⁶Siyamxelela ukumkani: ukuba lo mzi uthe wakhiwa, zagqitywa iindonga zawo, akuyi kuba nasabelo ngaPhesheya koMlambo.

¹⁷Ukumkani waphendula: KuRehum umphathi, nakuShimshayi umbhali, nabalingane babo abaseSamari, nakweminye imimandla engaPhesheya koMlambo: Umbuliso. Ke kaloku, ¹⁸incwadi enayithumela kuthi ilesiwe ngokuvakalayo yaza yaguqulelwa kum. ¹⁹Ndawisa umthetho wokuba kuphengululwe, ndafumana ukuba lo mzi kudala uvukela ookumkani, uvuselela ukreqo nemvukelo. ²⁰Ookumkani abanamandla bawulawula iYerusalem, bephethe yonke ingaPhesheya koMlambo, bamkela irhume, nerhafu, necala. ²¹Ngoko wiselani umthetho la madoda ukuba ayeke, ukuze lo mzi ungakhiwa ndide ndiwisele umthetho. ²²Musani ukuyityeshela le nto. Yini na ukuba le ngozi ikhule yonakalise izilangazelelo zookumkani?

²³Yathi yakufundwa impinda yencwadi kakumkani uArtashashta kuRehum, nakuShimshayi umbhali, nabalingane babo, bakhawuleza baya kumaYuda eYerusalem, bawanqanda ngamandla nangegunya. ²⁴Ngoko umsebenzi wendlu kaBawo wethu eYerusalem wema, waza wahlala unqamkile, kwada kwangumnyaka wesibini wobukumkani bukaDariyo ukumkani wasePersi.