IDutheronomi 7

7 ¹Lapho uBaba wakho ekungenisa ezweni ongena kulo ukuze ulidle ube yifa lakho, exosha izizwe eziningi phambi kwakho—amaHeti, amaGirigashi, ama-Amori, amaKhanani, amaPherizi, amaHivi, namaJebusi—izizwe eziyisikhombisa ezinkulu nezinamandla kunawe. ²Lapho uBaba wakho ezinikela kuwe, uzinqobe, kumele uzibhubhise ngokuphelele. Ungenzi sivumelwano nazo, ungazihawukeli. ³Ungendiselani nazo—ungakhiphi amadodakazi akho emadodaneni azo, ungathatheli amadodana akho amadodakazi azo. ⁴Ngokuba ziyophendula abantwana bakho ukuba bangangilandeli, bakhonze abanye onkulunkulu; intukuthelo kaBaba wethu iyokuvuthela ngakuwe, akubhubhise masinyane. ⁵Kunalokho, yenza kanje kuzo: dilize ama-altare azo, uphihlize izinsika zazo ezingcwele, ugawule izinsika zika-Ashera zazo, ushise ngomlilo izithombe zazo ezibaziweyo. ⁶Wena uyisizwe esingcwele kuBaba wakho; uBaba wakho wakukhetha phakathi kwazo zonke izizwe emhlabeni ukuba ube yisizwe sakhe, impahla yakhe eyigugu. ⁷UBaba wakho wakuthanda wakukhetha kungesikho ngenxa yokuthi wawuningi kunezinye izizwe—phela wawumncinyane kunazo zonke izizwe. ⁸Kodwa ngenxa yokuthi uBaba wakho uyakuthanda, egcina isifungo asifungela oyihlo, wakukhipha ngesandla esinamandla, wakuhlenga endlini yobugqila, esandleni sikaFaro inkosi yaseGibhithe. ⁹Yazi-ke: uBaba wakho unguBaba wethu, oThembekileyo ogcina isivumelwano nothando oluthembekileyo kuzizukulwane eziyinkulungwane, kulabo abamthandayo begcina imiyalo yakhe, ¹⁰kodwa ophindisela kwabamzondayo ebusweni babo, abababhubhise; akaphuzi ukuphindisela kozondayo ebusweni bakhe. ¹¹Ngakho gcina umyalo—izimiso nezahlulelo—engikuyala ngazo namuhla, uzenze.

¹²Ngenxa yokuthi ulalela lezi zahlulelo, uzigcina uzenza, uBaba wakho uyokugcinela isivumelwano nothando oluthembekileyo aluthembisa ngokufunga koyihlo. ¹³Uyokuthanda, akubusise, akwandise—abusise isithelo sesizalo sakho nesithelo somhlabathi wakho: okusanhlamvu, iwayini elisha, amafutha, ukwanda kwemihlambi yakho yezinkomo, namazinyane emihlambi yakho yezimvu—ezweni afunga koyihlo ukukunika lona. ¹⁴Uyobusiswa ngaphezu kwazo zonke izizwe; akuyikuba khona phakathi kwakho oyinyumba, owesilisa nowesifazane, nasemfuyweni yakho. ¹⁵UBaba wakho uyosusa kuwe konke ukugula, angabeki phezu kwakho noyedwa wemikhuhlane emibi yaseGibhithe owawuyazi, kodwa uyoyibeka phezu kwabo bonke abakuzondayo. ¹⁶Bhubhisa zonke izizwe uBaba wakho akunika zona. Ungazihawukeli, ungakhonzi onkulunkulu bazo—lokho kuyokucupha. ¹⁷Uma ucabanga uthi, ‘Lezi zizwe zinkulu kunami; ngingazixosha kanjani na?’ ¹⁸ungazesabi. Khumbula kahle lokho uBaba wakho akwenza kuFaro naseGibhithe lonke: ¹⁹izilingo ezinkulu amehlo akho azibonayo, izibonakaliso nezimangaliso, isandla esinamandla nengalo eyeluliweyo uBaba wakho akukhipha ngakho. UBaba wakho uyokwenza okufanayo kuzo zonke izizwe ozesabayo. ²⁰Phezu kwalokho uBaba wakho uyothumela umnyovu phakathi kwazo, kuze kufe labo abasalayo nabacashile kuwe. ²¹Ungethuki ngenxa yabo, ngokuba uBaba wakho uphakathi kwakho, unguBaba wethu omkhulu owesabekayo. ²²UBaba wakho uyozixosha lezi zizwe phambi kwakho kancane kancane. Ngeke uziqede masinyane, funa izilwane zasendle zande kuwe. ²³UBaba wakho uyozinikela kuwe, azifake esiphithiphithini esikhulu, zize zibhujiswe. ²⁴Uyonikela amakhosi azo esandleni sakho, wena uyosula igama lazo ngaphansi kwezulu. Akekho oyokwazi ukuma phambi kwakho, uze uzibhubhise. ²⁵Shisa ngomlilo izithombe ezibaziweyo zonkulunkulu bazo. Ungahaheli isiliva noma igolide elikuzo, ungazithatheli lona, funa ucushwe yilo—liyisinengiso kuBaba wakho. ²⁶Ungangenisi into eyisinengiso endlini yakho, funa nawe unikelwe ekubhujisweni njengayo. Yenyanye, uyidelele, ngokuba inikelwe ekubhujisweni.