IDutheronomi 31

31 ¹UMose wahamba wakhuluma la mazwi kubo bonke abakwa-Israyeli. ²Wathi kubo: “Namuhla sengineminyaka eyikhulu namashumi amabili ubudala; angisakwazi ukuphuma nokungena, futhi uBaba wethu usengitshelile wathi, ‘Ngeke uyiwele le Jordani.’ ³UBaba wenu uqobo uyakuwela phambi kwenu; uyakuzibhubhisa lezi zizwe phambi kwenu, nina niyakuzixosha. UJoshuwa uyakuwela phambi kwenu, njengoba uBaba wethu eshilo. ⁴UBaba wethu uyakwenza kubo njengoba enza kuSihoni no-Ogi, amakhosi abakwa-Amori, nasezweni labo, lapho ewabhubhisa. ⁵UBaba wethu uyakubanikela kini, futhi kumele nenze kubo kanye njengoba nganiyala. ⁶Yibani namandla nesibindi. Ningabesabi, ningabethuki, ngokuba uBaba wenu uhamba nani; akasoze anishiye noma anilahle.”

⁷UMose wabiza uJoshuwa, wathi kuye phambi kuka-Israyeli wonke: “Yiba namandla nesibindi—wena uyakuhamba nalesi sizwe uye ezweni uBaba wethu afunga kokhokho babo ukuthi uyakubanika lona, futhi uyakulinikela kubo libe yifa labo. ⁸UBaba wethu uqobo uhamba phambi kwakho; uyakuba nawe. Akasoze akushiye noma akulahle. Ungesabi; ungadikibali.”

Umthetho ophathiswe u-Israyeli

⁹UMose wawuloba lo mthetho, wawunika abapristi, amadodana kaLevi, ababethwala umphongolo wesivumelwano sikaBaba wethu, nakubo bonke abadala bakwa-Israyeli. ¹⁰UMose wabayala, wathi: “Ekupheleni kweminyaka eyisikhombisa ngayinye, ngesikhathi esimisiwe sonyaka wokukhululwa, phakathi noMkhosi wamaDokodo, ^a a v10 uMkhosi wamaDokodo: umgubho wokuvuna wasekwindla othatha isonto lonke lapho imindeni yayakha ihlale emadokodweni esikhashana ukuze ikhumbule uhambo luka-Israyeli ehlane. ¹¹lapho u-Israyeli wonke eza phambi kukaBaba wenu endaweni ayikhethayo, niwufunde ngezwi elikhulu lo mthetho kubo bonke abakwa-Israyeli. ¹²Buthanisani abantu—amadoda, abesifazane, izingane, nabezizwe abahlala emizini yenu—ukuze bezwe, bafunde, besabe uBaba wenu, bagcine futhi benze onke amazwi alo mthetho. ¹³Khona-ke abantwana babo, abangawazi lo mthetho, bayakuwuzwa, bafunde ukwesaba uBaba wenu zonke izinsuku enizophila kuzo ezweni eniwela iJordani ukuze nilithathe.”

UBaba wethu umisa uJoshuwa

¹⁴UBaba wethu wathi kuMose: “Usuku lokufa kwakho selusondele. Biza uJoshuwa nime etendeni lokuhlangana; ngizakummisa.” Ngakho uMose noJoshuwa bahamba bayima etendeni lokuhlangana.

¹⁵UBaba wethu wabonakala etendeni esensikeni yefu, insika yefu yema emnyango wetende. ¹⁶UBaba wethu wathi kuMose: “Usuzolala nokhokho bakho. Lesi sizwe siyakusukuma siphinge silandela onkulunkulu bezizwe bezwe esingena kulo, singishiye, siphule isivumelwano engasenza naso. ¹⁷Ngalolo suku intukuthelo yami iyakuvutha kubo. Ngiyakubashiya, ngibufihle ubuso bami kubo, bayakuqedwa. Izinhlekelele eziningi nezinkathazo kuyakubehlela. Ngalolo suku bayakuthi, ‘Lezi zinhlekelele azehlelanga phezu kwethu yini ngenxa yokuthi uNkulunkulu wethu akekho nathi na?’ ¹⁸Impela ngiyakubufihla ubuso bami ngalolo suku, ngenxa yabo bonke ububi abenzile, bephendukela kwabanye onkulunkulu.

¹⁹Manje zilobeleni le ngoma, niyifundise abakwa-Israyeli, niyifake emilonyeni yabo, ukuze le ngoma ibe ngufakazi wami omelene nabakwa-Israyeli. ²⁰Lapho ngibangenisa ezweni eligeleza ubisi noju, engalifungela okhokho babo, bayakudla, basuthe bakhuluphale, baphendukele kwabanye onkulunkulu babakhonze, bangidelele, baphule isivumelwano sami. ²¹Lapho izinhlekelele eziningi nezinkathazo zibehlela, le ngoma iyakuba ngufakazi obhekene nabo, ngokuba ngeke ikhohlwe emilonyeni yenzalo yabo. Ngokuba ngiyakwazi lokho abakuhlelayo namuhla, ngaphambi kokuba ngibangenise ezweni engifunge ukubanika lona.”

²²Ngakho uMose wayiloba le ngoma ngalona lolo suku, wayifundisa abakwa-Israyeli.

²³UBaba wethu wammisa uJoshuwa indodana kaNuni, wathi: “Yiba namandla nesibindi—wena uyakungenisa abakwa-Israyeli ezweni engifunge ukubanika lona, futhi mina ngokwami ngiyakuba nawe.”

²⁴Lapho uMose eseqedile ukuloba amazwi alo mthetho encwadini, kusukela ekuqaleni kuze kube sekugcineni, ²⁵wayala amaLevi ayethwala umphongolo wesivumelwano sikaBaba wethu, wathi: ²⁶“Thathani le Ncwadi yoMthetho niyibeke eceleni komphongolo wesivumelwano sikaBaba wenu, ukuze ihlale khona ibe ngufakazi omelene nani. ²⁷Ngokuba ngiyakwazi ukuhlubuka kwenu nenkani yenu. Nakalokhu, ngisaphila nani namuhla, senihlubukile kuBaba wethu—kakhulu kangakanani emva kokufa kwami! ²⁸Buthanisani kimi bonke abadala bezizwe zenu nezinduna, ukuze ngikhulume la mazwi kubo, ngibize izulu nomhlaba ukuba kube ngofakazi abamelene nabo. ²⁹Ngokuba ngiyazi ukuthi emva kokufa kwami niyakonakala nokonakala, niphambuke endleleni enginiyale ngayo. Ezinsukwini ezizayo inhlekelele iyakunehlela, ngokuba niyakwenza okubi emehlweni kaBaba wethu, nimthukuthelise ngomsebenzi wezandla zenu.”

³⁰UMose washo amazwi ale ngoma, kusukela ekuqaleni kuze kube sekugcineni, kulo lonke ibandla lakwa-Israyeli.