INumeri 14

14 ¹Khona-ke ibandla lonke laphakamisa izwi lalo lakhala kakhulu, abantu balila ngalobo busuku. ²Bonke abantwana bakwa-Israyeli bakhonona ngoMose no-Aroni; inhlangano yonke yathi kubo: “Sengathi ngabe safela ezweni laseGibhithe, noma sengathi ngabe safela kuleli hlane! ³Kungani uBaba wethu esiletha kuleli zwe ukuba siwe ngenkemba? Abafazi bethu nabantwana bethu bayoba yimpango. Kambe bekungeke kube ngcono ukubuyela eGibhithe na?” ⁴Base bethi omunye komunye: “Masibeke umholi sibuyele eGibhithe.”

⁵Khona-ke uMose no-Aroni bawa ngobuso phambi kwebandla lonke lakwa-Israyeli.

⁶UJoshuwa indodana kaNuni noKalebi indodana kaJefune, ababephakathi kwalabo ababehlola izwe, baklebhula izingubo zabo. ⁷Bathi enhlanganweni yonke yabantwana bakwa-Israyeli: “Izwe esadabula kulo salihlola lihle ngokwedlulele. ⁸Uma uBaba wethu ethokoza ngathi, uyosingenisa kuleli zwe asinike lona, izwe eligeleza ubisi noju. ⁹Kuphela ningamvukeli uBaba wethu, ningabesabi abantu baleli zwe—bangukudla kithi. Isivikelo sabo sesimukile; uBaba wethu unathi. Ningabesabi.”

¹⁰Inhlangano yonke yamemeza ithi mabakhandwe ngamatshe uJoshuwa noKalebi. Khona-ke inkazimulo kaBaba wethu yabonakala etendeni lokuhlangana kubo bonke abantwana bakwa-Israyeli.

¹¹UBaba wethu wathi kuMose: “Koze kube nini lesi sizwe singedelela? Koze kube nini bengakholwa kimi, nakuba ngenze zonke lezi zibonakaliso phakathi kwabo? ¹²Ngiyobashaya ngesifo esiwumshayabhuqe ngibaphuce ifa, ngibe sengikwenza isizwe esikhulu nesinamandla kunabo.”

UMose Uncenga uBaba

¹³Kodwa uMose wathi kuBaba wethu: “AmaGibhithe ayokuzwa lokhu, ngokuba wena wakhuphula lesi sizwe uphakathi kwawo ngamandla akho, ¹⁴ayotshela abahlali baleli zwe, asebezwile ukuthi wena, Baba wethu, uphakathi kwalesi sizwe, nokuthi wena, Baba wethu, ubonwa ubuso nobuso, ukuthi ifu lakho limi phezu kwabo, nokuthi uhamba phambi kwabo ngensika yefu emini nangensika yomlilo ebusuku. ¹⁵Uma ubulala lesi sizwe ngesikhathi esisodwa, izizwe ezezwa udumo lwakho ziyothi: ¹⁶‘Ngenxa yokuthi uNkulunkulu wahluleka ukungenisa lesi sizwe ezweni ayesifungele lona, wasibulala ehlane.’ ¹⁷Manje-ke, ake amandla kaBaba oBusayo abe makhulu, njengoba ukhulumile, uthi: ¹⁸‘UBaba wethu uyephuza ukuthukuthela, uchichima uthando lwesivumelwano, uthethelela icala neziphambeko—kodwa akanakuyekela onecala angajezisiwe, eletha isono soyise phezu kwabantwana kuze kube sesizukulwaneni sesithathu nesesine.’ ¹⁹Ake uthethelele icala lalesi sizwe ngokobukhulu bothando lwakho lwesivumelwano, njengoba ubaxolele kusukela eGibhithe kuze kube manje.”

²⁰UBaba wethu wathi: “Ngithethelele, njengokwezwi lakho.

²¹“Kodwa ngempela, njengoba ngikhona, nanjengoba umhlaba wonke uyogcwaliswa inkazimulo yami, ²²ngempela wonke amadoda abona inkazimulo yami nezibonakaliso engazenza eGibhithe nasehlane, kodwa angilinga izikhathi eziyishumi, angalalela izwi lami, ²³awayikulibona izwe engalifungela oyise. Akekho owangedelela oyolibona. ²⁴Kodwa inceku yami uKalebi inomoya ohlukile, ingilandele ngokugcwele—ngiyomngenisa ezweni angena kulo, nenzalo yakhe iyolidla ifa. ²⁵Ama-Amaleki namaKhanani ahlala ezigodini. Kusasa, phendukani niqonde ehlane ngasoLwandle Olubomvu.”

²⁶UBaba wethu wakhuluma kuMose no-Aroni, wathi:

²⁷“Koze kube nini leli bandla elibi likhonona ngami? Ngikuzwile ukukhonona kwabantwana bakwa-Israyeli ngami. ²⁸Batshele: ‘Njengoba ngikhona, kusho uBaba wethu, ngiyokwenza kini khona kanye lokho engakuzwa nikusho:

²⁹‘Izidumbu zenu ziyowela kuleli hlane—nonke enabalwayo, inani lenu lonke, kusukela kwabaneminyaka engamashumi amabili kuya phezulu, enakhonona ngami. ³⁰Akekho kini oyongena ezweni engafunga ukunihlalisa kulo, ngaphandle kukaKalebi indodana kaJefune noJoshuwa indodana kaNuni. ³¹Kodwa abancane benu, enathi bayoba yimpango, ngiyobangenisa; bayolazi izwe enalenqaba. ³²Kodwa nina, niyowela nife kuleli hlane. ³³Abantwana benu bayoba ngabelusi ehlane iminyaka engamashumi amane, bethwala ukungathembeki kwenu, kuze kube yilapho isidumbu senu sokugcina silele ehlane. ³⁴Njengezinsuku enahlola ngazo izwe—izinsuku ezingamashumi amane—usuku ngomnyaka, niyothwala icala lenu iminyaka engamashumi amane, nazi ukumelana kwami nani. ³⁵Mina, uBaba wenu, ngikhulumile: ngempela ngiyokwenza lokhu kuleli bandla lonke elibi elihlangene ukumelana nami—liyophela kuleli hlane, life khona.’”

³⁶Amadoda uMose awathuma ukuba ahlole izwe abuya, enza inhlangano yonke ukuba ikhonone ngoMose ngokuletha umbiko omubi ngalo. ³⁷Amadoda aletha umbiko omubi ngezwe afa ngesifo esiwumshayabhuqe phambi kukaBaba wethu. ³⁸Kodwa uJoshuwa indodana kaNuni noKalebi indodana kaJefune basinda, kulawo madoda ayehambe ayohlola izwe.

³⁹Kwathi uMose esetshela bonke abantwana bakwa-Israyeli la mazwi, abantu balila kakhulu.

⁴⁰Bavuka ekuseni kakhulu benyukela esiqongweni sentaba, bethi: “Nasi-ke thina. Siyokhuphukela endaweni uBaba wethu ayithembisa, ngokuba sonile.”

⁴¹Kodwa uMose wathi: “Kungani manje seningalaleli umyalo kaBaba wethu? Ngeke kuphumelele. ⁴²Ningakhuphuki, ngokuba uBaba wethu akakho phakathi kwenu, funa nishaywe phambi kwezitha zenu. ⁴³Ngokuba ama-Amaleki namaKhanani akhona lapho phambi kwenu; niyowa ngenkemba. Njengoba senibuyile ekumlandeleni uBaba wethu, ngeke abe nani.”

⁴⁴Kodwa baba nesibindi sokukhuphukela esiqongweni sezwe lezintaba, nakuba umphongolo wesivumelwano sikaBaba wethu noMose ungasukanga ekamu. ⁴⁵Khona-ke ama-Amaleki namaKhanani ayehlala kulelo zwe lezintaba ehla, awashaya, awachoboza kwaze kwaba seHorma.