UMshumayeli 9

9 ¹Ngabeka inhliziyo yami ukuba ngihlole konke lokhu: abalungileyo, abahlakaniphileyo, nemisebenzi yabo kusesandleni sikaNkulunkulu. Kungaba uthando noma inzondo, akekho owaziyo—konke kuphambi kwabo. ²Into efanayo yehlela wonke umuntu: isabelo sinye kwabalungileyo nakwababi, nakwabahle, nakwabahlambulukileyo nakwabangcolileyo, nakulowo onikela umhlatshelo nakulowo ongenzi njalo. Njengoba kunjalo kwabahle, kunjalo nakuso isoni; lowo ofunga isifungo, unjengalowo osaba ukufunga. ³Lokhu kungokubi kukho konke okwenziwa phansi kwelanga: isabelo sinye kubo bonke. Izinhliziyo zabantu zigcwele ububi, ubuhlanya bugcwala izinhliziyo zabo besaphila—emva kwalokho baye kwabafileyo. ⁴Noma ngubani osaphilayo usenethemba: inja ephilayo ingcono kunebhubesi elifileyo. ⁵Ngokuba abaphilayo bayazi ukuthi bayakufa, kodwa abafileyo abazi lutho; abasenawo umvuzo, ngokuba ukukhunjulwa kwabo sekukhohlakele. ⁶Uthando lwabo, inzondo yabo, umona wabo sekuphelile; abasayikuba nesabelo kunoma yini eyenziwa phansi kwelanga.

⁷Hamba, udle isinkwa sakho ngenjabulo, uphuze iwayini lakho ngenhliziyo ethokozayo, ngokuba uNkulunkulu usewamukele kakade imisebenzi yakho. ⁸Izingubo zakho azibe mhlophe ngaso sonke isikhathi, nekhanda lakho lingasweli amafutha. ^a a v8 Izingubo ezimhlophe nokugcoba ikhanda ngamafutha kwakuyizimpawu zasendulo zenjabulo nomgubho. ⁹Jabulela ukuphila nomfazi omthandayo, zonke izinsuku ezidlulayo zokuphila uNkulunkulu akunike zona phansi kwelanga—zonke izinsuku zakho ezidlulayo—ngokuba yileso isabelo sakho ekuphileni nasemshikashikeni oshikashikeka ngawo phansi kwelanga. ¹⁰Noma yini isandla sakho esiyitholayo ukuba siyenze, yenze ngamandla akho, ngokuba akukho msebenzi namacebo nalwazi nakuhlakanipha ethuneni, lapho uya khona.

¹¹Ngabuye ngabona phansi kwelanga: umjaho awusiwo wabanejubane, nempi ayisiyo yabanamandla, nesinkwa asisiso sabahlakaniphileyo, nengcebo ayisiyo yabaqondayo, nomusa awusiwo wabanekhono—isikhathi nethuba kwehlela bonke. ¹²Akekho owazi isikhathi sakhe: njengezinhlanzi ezibanjwa enetheni elibi, njengezinyoni ezibanjwa ogibeni, abantu bayabanjwa esikhathini esibi esibehlela ngokuzumayo.

Indoda ehlakaniphileyo eyakhohlwa

¹³Ngabona futhi lesi sibonelo sokuhlakanipha phansi kwelanga, sabonakala sikhulu kimi: ¹⁴Umuzi omncane onabantu abayingcosana: kweza inkosi enkulu yawuvimbezela, yawuzungeza, yawakhela izinqaba ezinkulu zokuwuhlasela. ¹⁵Kwatholakala kuwo indoda empofu ehlakaniphileyo eyawusindisa umuzi ngokuhlakanipha kwayo, kodwa akekho owayikhumbula leyo ndoda empofu. ¹⁶Ngathi: “Ukuhlakanipha kungcono kunamandla,” kodwa ukuhlakanipha kwendoda empofu kuyadelelwa, namazwi ayo awezwakali. ¹⁷Amazwi athulileyo abahlakaniphileyo ezwakala kangcono kunokumemeza kombusi phakathi kweziwula. ¹⁸Ukuhlakanipha kungcono kunezikhali zempi, kodwa isoni sinye sichitha okuhle okuningi.