1 Ukukholwa ke kukuqiniseka ngezinto esinethemba lazo; kukwakukuqiniseka nangobukho bezinto esingaziboniyo.
2 Abantu bamandulo bagqwesa ngenxa yokuthembela kwabo kuThixo.
3 Ngokholo siyaqonda ukuba indalo yavela ngelizwi likaThixo, zaza izinto ezibonakalayo zabakho kungekho nto ibonakalayo adala ngayo.
4 Ngokholo lagqwesa kuThixo elika-Abheli idini kunelikaKayin. Ngokholo uAbheli wamkelwa nguThixo waba lilungisa, kuba uThixo ngokwakhe wakholiswa ngumnikelo wakhe. Ngako ukukholwa kwakhe ke, naxa afileyo nje uAbheli, usathetha.
5 Ngokholo uInoki wathwetyulwa engakhange afe. *IziBhalo zithi: “Akazange aziwe bani apho akhoyo, kuba wayethathwe nguThixo.” Futhi ziyangqina iziBhalo ukuba uInoki wamkholisa uThixo ngaphambi kokuba athathwe.
6 Lungekho ke ukholo akukho ukumkholisa uThixo. Kaloku wonke ubani ozayo kuye kufuneka akholwe ukuba ukho uThixo, yaye uyabavuza abo bamlangazelelayo.
7 Ngokholo uNowa, xa wayexelelwa nguThixo ngezinto ezaziza kuhla, waphulaphula wakha inqanawa, walusindisa usapho lwakhe. Ngokholo lwakhe wabudandalazisa ubugwenxa behlabathi, waza wenziwa ilungisa nguThixo ngenxa yokuthembela kwakhe kuye.
8 Ngokholo uAbraham walusabela ubizo lokuya kuma kwilizwe elalithenjiswe nguThixo kuye nakwinzala yakhe. Walishiya elakowabo, engazi nokuba makabheke ngaphi na.
9 Ngokholo wahlala engumphambukeli kwilizwe lesithembiso. Wayehlala ezintenteni. Benjenjalo nooIsake noYakobi abakwaziindlamafa zeso sithembiso.
10 Kaloku wayenxubile elindele elo lizwe liziseko zingagungqiyo, lakhiwe nguThixo.
11 Ngokholo nkqu noSara owayengazali, naxa wayeselegugile nje, wafumana amandla, wakhawula, kuba wathemba ukuba uThixo lo uthembisileyo wosigcina isithembiso sakhe.
12 Yiyo ke loo nto kuthe kwindoda enye, naxa yayiselifana nofileyo nje kukwaluphala, kwavela inzala ebuninzi bungangeenkwenkwezi, ingenakubalwa okwentlabathi elunxwemeni lolwandle.
13 Bonke aba bantu bafa benokholo. Babengekazixhamli iziqhamo zesithembiso. Kodwa naxa zazikude babezibona, bezilangazelela, bevuma ukuba bona baziindwendwe nje ezidlulayo kweli lizwe.
14 Abantu abenjenje ukuthetha kucace mhlophe ukuba bafuna elakowabo,
15 bengalikhumbuli ilizwe abalishiyileyo. Kaloku ngebabebuyele ukuba kwakunjalo.
16 Koko sibabona benxubele ilizwe elihle – izulu. Yiyo ke loo nto angenazintloni uThixo xa kuthiwa unguThixo wabo; kaloku ubalungiselele isixeko.
17 Ngokholo uAbraham wamnikela uIsake akuvavanywa nguThixo. Lo Abraham zazenziwe kuye izithembiso, nguye kanye lo wayeselemnikela unyana okwakukuphela kwakhe;
18 lo kanye kwakuthiwe ngaye: “Inzala yakho yokwaziwa ngomlibo kaIsake.”
19 Kaloku uAbraham yena wayeqonda ukuba uThixo unako ukubavusa abafileyo – ngathi ke uThixo wamvusa kwabafileyo noIsake.
20 Ngokholo uIsake walisikelela ikamva looYakobi noEsawu.
21 Ngokholo uYakobi wabasikelela bonke ngabanye, ngaphambi kokuba abhubhe, oonyana bakaJosefu. Wangqiyama ngomsimelelo wakhe, wanqula uThixo.
22 Xa wayeselukhukweni lokufa, uJosefu ngokholo wayolela ngemfuduko yamaSirayeli eJiputa, wayaleza namathambo akhe.
23 Ngokholo abazali bakaMosis bamfihla iinyanga ezintathu emva kokuba ezelwe. Kaloku wayelusana oluthandekayo, baza ke àbasithobela isimiselo sekumkani ngokwenza loo nto.
24 Ngokholo, akuba mdala uMosis, akazange avume ukuba kuthiwe ungunyana wentombi yokumkani waseJiputa.
25 Wakhetha ukuhlupheka kunye nabantu bakaThixo kunokuba axhamle isono nokuba ngumzuzwana nje.
26 Ingcikivo kaKrestu wayithatha njengento ebaluleke ngaphezu kwabo bonke ubutyebi baseJiputa, kuba wayenethemba lomvuzo ozayo.
27 Ngokholo uMosis wayishiya iJiputa, phofu kungengakuba wayesoyika umsindo wekumkani. Wayefunzele phambili ngokungathi wayembona uThixo ongabonwayo.
28 Ngokholo wamisela isidlo *sePasika. Wayalela ukuba makutshizwe imigubasi ngegazi, khon' ukuze isithunywa sokufa singawatshabalalisi amazibulo amaSirayeli.
29 Ngokholo amaSirayeli aluwela uLwandle oluBomvu ngokungathi ahamba emhlabeni owomileyo, kodwa wona amaJiputa eyela akuwalinganisa.
30 Lukholo olwadiliza iindonga zeJeriko, akuba amaSirayeli ezijikeleze iintsuku zasixhenxe.
31 Lukholo olwasindisa ihenyukazi uRahabhi ekutshabalaleni kunye nabo bangamthobeliyo uThixo, kuba lona lazamkela ngobubele iintlola.
32 Ndibalisa ntoni na? Lingaphela tu ixesha ndithetha ngoGidiyon, noBharaki, noSamson, uJafta, noDavide, uSamweli, *nabashumayeli bamandulo.
33 Ngokholo bona babhukuqa izikumkani, benza ubulungisa, bazuza izinto ezazithenjiswe nguThixo. Babevingca imilomo yeengonyama ezigqumayo,
34 bacime imililo edwanguzayo, basinde ekufeni ngekrele. Baphiwa amandla xa babengenawo. Babengamagorha emfazweni; babezichitha iintshaba zibe ziintsalu.
35 Ngokholo abafazi babebuyiselwa abafileyo babo bevuswe ekufeni. Abanye bâla ukukhululwa, bafa ngokungxwelerhwa, khon' ukuze bavukele kobona bomi.
36 Bambi babesenziwa intlekisa, bekatswa, bekhonkxwa ngamatyathanga, bevalelwa entolongweni.
37 Babekhandwa ngamatye, besarhwa kubini, bebulawa ngekrele. Babehamba benxibe iimfele zeegusha nezikhumba zeebhokhwe, beswele, betshutshiswa, bephethwe gadalala.
38 Babengafanelanga ukuhlala kweli hlabathi linje, ngenxa yokulunga kwabo. Babezizibhadu-bhadu ezazihamba zihlala koozintlango nasezintabeni, koomiqolomba nasemingxunyeni phantsi komhlaba.
39 Bayakhunjulwa bonke ngabanye aba, ngenxa yokugqwesa kokholo lwabo. Kambe ke abazizuzanga izinto ezathenjiswayo nguThixo,
40 kuba kaloku uThixo ube nacebo limbi lilungileyo: uthande ukuba bangazixhamli izithembiso zakhe ngaphandle kwethu.