1 Ke kaloku ibandla liphela lamaSirayeli latsho ngesimbonono lakhala bonke obo busuku.
2 Ewe, uSirayeli wakhalaza kuMosis noAron, esithi: “Akwaba sasifele eJiputa, okanye sifele kule ntlango.
3 Ngani ukuba *uNdikhoyo asise kwilizwe elinjalo? Kuba kucacile ukuba siya kufel' emfazweni, baze abafazi nabantwana bethu babe ngamaxhoba. Anitsho nina ukuba kubhetele sibuyele kwaseJiputa?”
4 Baza ke bacebisana bathi: “Masizikhethele inkokheli yokusibuyisela eJiputa.”
5 Kwesi sithuba ke uMosis noAron bathi guqaqa apho phambi kwebandla lakwaSirayeli liphela.
6 Ke yena uYoshuwa unyana kaNune, noKalebhi unyana kaJefune, abanye bezaa ntlola, basuka baziqwenga iimpahla zabo ngenxa yokukhathazeka,
7 baza babhekisa kumaSirayeli, bathi: “Hayi bo! Elaa lizwe sivela kulijonga lelihle kunene.
8 Ukuba uNdikhoyo uyakholwa sithi, uza kusisa kulo, alinikezele kuthi, yeka ke kambe indyebo yalo – liyintombazana!
9 Nto nje nina musani ukumvukela uNdikhoyo, ningabaxhaleli nabemi belo lizwe, kuba siya kuboyisa lula. UNdikhoyo ungakuthi, ibe ke bona bakukutya kwethu, kuba *izithixo zabo azinakubanceda. Hayi bo, sanukuba nadyudyu ngenxa yabo!”
10 Ke kaloku amaSirayeli ephela athi selezimisele ukubaxuluba ngamatye, suka abona ngobukhazi-khazi bokukhazimla kukaNdikhoyo bukhakhaba phezu kwesibingelelo.
11 *UNdikhoyo ke wadanduluka wathi: “Koda kube nini aba bantu bendidela? Koda kube nini bengandithembi, nangona sendenze imimangaliso engaka nje phakathi kwabo?
12 Yini le! Ndiza kubathumela ngobhubhani ndibatshabalalise. Kambe ke wena, nenzala yakho, ndiza kukwenza isizwe esikhulu nesinobungangamsha kunabo.”
13 Ke yena uMosis waphendula wathi kuNdikhoyo: “Awu, Mhlekazi, koba yini amaJiputa akuyiva loo nto? Kaloku nguwe owakhupha aba bantu phakathi kwawo ngamandla akho.
14 Abemi beli lizwe sebezivile iindaba zokuba wena Ndikhoyo uhamba nawo amaSirayeli, abantu bakho, yaye ubonwa ngamehlo; futhi nelifu lakho lisoloko lijinga phezu kwawo. Bevile nokuba wena emini uwakhokela ngomqulu welifu, uze uwakhokele ngomlilo odangazelayo ebusuku.
15 Ngoko ke ukuba uyawatshabalalisa, ezi zizwe zivileyo ngodumo lwakho ziya kuthi
16 aba bantu bakho ubatshabalalisele kule ntlango kuba woyisiwe kukubasa kwelo lizwe wawubathembise ngalo ngesifungo.
17 Ndiyakubongoza ke ngoko, Mhlekazi, ukuba ukhe uphuhlise amandla akho ngokwelizwi lakho elithi:
18 ‘Mna Ndikhoyo andicaphuki msinya, koko ndiyimvuze-mvuze ngothando; futhi ndiyabaxolela abonayo nabakreqi. Kambe ke andibuyi ngamva ekubohlwayeni abanetyala. Ngenxa yesono sabazali abantwana ndibohlwaya ndide ndiye kuqhina kwesesithathu nakwesesine isizukulwana.’
19 Ngoko ke, camagu, lala ngenxeba, Mhlekazi! Khawenze ngokwezibele zothando lwakho olungaphele ndawo, ubuxolele ubugwenxa baba bantu. Njengoko wasoloko umana ubaxolela oko semkayo eJiputa, nakalokunje, Mhlekazi, makube chosi, kube hele!”
20 UNdikhoyo waphendula wathi: “Hayi ke, ndiyabaxolela ngokwesicelo sakho.
21 Kodwa ke ngenene ndiyafunga, ndikho nje, obam ubungangamsha buzalise ihlabathi jikelele.
22 Ngoko ke akukho nanye indoda kwaba bantu eya kufika kwelo lizwe. Kaloku babubonile ubukhazikhazi obuntama ukuba ndikho, ndawonye nemiqondiso endayenza eJiputa nakule ntlango; kodwa nakuba kunjalo bayaphindelela ukundivavanya, besala ukundithobela.
23 Soze athi cakatha kwelo lizwe ndathembisa ngalo ooyise ngesifungo. Soze bangene kulo bonke abandidelayo.
24 “Kambe sona isicaka sam uKalebhi akafani nabo. Yena waba soloko endithobela, ngoko ke yena ndiya kumngenisa kwelo lizwe walibonayo, yena nesizukulwana sakhe.
25 Njengoko loo mhlaba untili zawo zimiwe ngama-Amaleki namaKanana ngoku, jikani ngomso, nihambe niye entlango ngecala loLwandle oluBomvu.”
26 *UNdikhoyo wabhekisa kuMosis noAron, wathi:
27 “Kanti koda kube nini ezi zikhohlakali zabantu zindikrokrela? Hayi, ndanele zizikrokro zabo!
28 Ngoko ke baxeleleni ukuba ndithi: ‘Ngenene, ndingophilayo nje, ndiyafunga, ndiza kunenzela kanye le nto niyithethileyo. Nditsho mna Ndikhoyo.
29 Niza kufa, zaye ke izidumbu zenu ziya kuqungquluza kule ntlango. Kaloku niyandikhalazela, ngoko ke bonke ababudala bungaphezu kwamashumi amabini soze bangene kwelo lizwe.
30 Ndathembisa ukuba elo lizwe loba lelenu, kodwa akukho namnye kuni uya kulifumana, ngaphandle kukaKalebhi noYoshuwa.
31 Abo bantwana benu nina nithe boba ngamaxhoba mna ndiza kubangenisa kwelo lizwe nilibukulayo nina, lize limiwe ngabo.
32 Okokwenu ke nina niza kufela apha kule ntlango.
33 Koda kufe nowokugqibela kuni, abantwana benu bezizibhadu-bhadu amashumi amane eminyaka apha kule ntlango ngenxa yokungandithobeli kwenu.
34 Ewe, yoba yiminyaka emashumi mane nisitya iziqhamo zokukreqa kwenu; unyaka ngamnye umele usuku ngalunye kwezo zathathwa ziintlola kwelo lizwe. Niza kuthi shuu ngenxa yezono zenu, nibuve ubunzima bokuchaswa ndim!
35 Ngenene mna Ndikhoyo ndiyafunga, ndiza kuyenza le nto kuni, zikhohlakalindini zabantu ezidibene ngam. Nonke, ngabanye ngabanye, niza kufela apha kule ntlango.’ ”
36-37 Ezaa ntlola zazithunywe nguMosis kwelaa lizwe zabuya nengxelo engatshongo khona ngalo, yawatsho amaSirayeli amkhalazela uNdikhoyo. Ngoko ke uNdikhoyo wawabetha ngobhubhani afa.
38 Kwelo shumi linambini leentlola kwasinda uYoshuwa noKalebhi kuphela.
39 AmaSirayeli enza isijwili esilusizi uMosis akuwaxelela into ethethwa *nguNdikhoyo.
40 Ke kaloku avuka ekuseni ngomhla olandelayo, aphuma esiya kweleentaba. Ayevuma esithi: “Ngenene sonile; kodwa ke ngoku sikulungele ukuya kulaa ndawo ebethe masiye kuyo uNdikhoyo.”
41 Kambe ke uMosis wawanqanda esithi: “Kutheni nitsiba umyalelo kaNdikhoyo nje?
42 Aniyi kuba nampumelelo. Musan' ukuya, kuba uNdikhoyo akakho ngakuni; ngoko ke niya koyiswa ziintshaba.
43 Niya kuqubisana nama-Amaleki namaKanana. Nofela apho edabini, kuba engekho ngakuni uNdikhoyo, ngenxa yokuba nina nikreqile ekumlandeleni.”
44 Kodwa ke anyanzelisa aya kuloo mmandla weentaba, nangona ityesi yomnqophiso ngokunjalo noMosis wayesele ngemva.
45 Wona ke ama-Amaleki namaKanana, abemi baloo mmandla, bawahlasela bawoyisa amaSirayeli, baza bawaswantsulisa aya kutsho eHoma.