3 iiMaccabees ISAHLUKO 1 [1] Xa uPhilopator weva kwabo babuyayo ukuba imimandla awayeyilawula yayithinjwe nguAntiochus, wanikela imiyalelo kuyo yonke imikhosi yakhe, eyomkhosi ohamba ngeenyawo neyamahashe, yathabatha nodade wabo uArsinoe, yaza yamatsha ukuya kummandla okufuphi neRaphia, apho abaxhasi baka-Antiochus babemise iintente khona. 2 Kodwa uTheodotus othile, owayezimisele ukulenza iyelenqe awayelicingile, wathabatha ezona zixhobo zibalaseleyo zomkhosi kaPtolemy awayezinikelwe ngaphambili, wawelela ngobusuku ententeni kaPtolemy, ecinga ukumbulala yedwa aze ngaloo ndlela aphelise imfazwe. [3] Kodwa uDositheus, owayebizwa ngokuba ngunyana kaDrimylus, umYuda ngokuzalwa, owathi kamva walutshintsha unqulo lwakhe waza wawexuka kwizithethe zamanyange, wamkhwelisa ukumkani waza walungiselela ukuba indoda ethile engabalulekanga ilale ententeni; kwaye ke kwenzeka ukuba le ndoda iziphindezelele ukumkani. [4] Xa kwabakho umlo okrakra, yaye izinto zazimhambela kakuhle uAntiochus, uAntiochus waya kumajoni ngesijwili neenyembezi, amaqhaga akhe edakumbile, waza wababongoza ukuba bazikhusele bona nabantwana babo nabafazi babo ngenkalipho, ethembisa ukunika ngamnye kubo iimina ezimbini zegolide ukuba baphumelele edabini. [5] Kwaye ke kwenzekile ukuba utshaba loyiswa esenzweni, nabathinjwa abaninzi kanjalo bathatyathwa. [6] Ekubeni ngoku wayeliphanzisile elo yelenqe, uPtolemy wagqiba kwelokuba atyelele izixeko eziselumelwaneni ukuze azikhuthaze. [7] Ngokwenza oku, nangokujizeka ngezipho iindawo zabo ezingcwele, womeleza ukholo lwabalawulwa bakhe. 8 Ke kaloku, akubon' ukuba amaYuda athumele abathile kwintlanganiso yawo yamatyala, namadoda amakhulu, ukuba beze kuye, ukuba bambulise, bamphathele izipho, nokuvuyisana naye ngako oko kwenzekileyo, kwaba kukhona wangxamela ukubabona kamsinya. 9 Ke kaloku, akuba efikile eYerusalem, wenyusa idini kuThixo Osenyangweni, wenza imibingelelo, wenza ngokuyifaneleyo indawo engcwele. Emva koko, ekungeneni kwendawo kwaye echukunyiswe bubuhle bayo kunye nobuhle bayo, [10] wamangaliswa kukulunga kwayo itempile, wakhawula umnqweno wokungena kweyona ngcwele kangcwele. [11] Bathi ke, akuvunyelwanga oko, ngenxa yokuba bengavunyelwanga nokuba bangabesizwe sakowabo bangene, kwanababingeleli bonke, kodwa kuphela ngumbingeleli omkhulu owongamileyo kubo bonke, yaye yena kuphela kanye ngonyaka, ukumkani akazange akholelwe. 12 Ke kaloku, kwakubon' ukuba ufundiwe nomthetho, akayekanga ukuthi ufanele ukungena, esithi, Nokuba bahlutha olu mbeko, andifanele ukuba senjenjalo. 13 Wayebuza ukuthi, Yini na ukuba angene kwezinye iitempile, akwabakho mnqandileyo.
[14] Kwaye omnye ngokungakhathali wathi kwakuphosakele ukuthabatha oku njengomqondiso ngokwawo. 15 Wathi ukumkani, Ekwenzekeni oko nje, ndingade ndingene, nokuba bayathanda, bayathanda, kusini na? 16 Ababingeleli, beneengubo zabo zonke, baqubuda, bambongoza uThixo oPhezukonke ukuba ancede kule meko, abuphelise ububi beli cebo; bayizalisa itempile ngezikhalo neenyembezi; 17 Yaye abo baseleyo esixekweni baphazamiseka baza baphuma buphuthuphuthu, becinga ukuba kukho into ethile engaqondakaliyo eyenzekayo. 18 Zingxamile iintombi, ezibe zibiyelelwe engontsini, noonina, Zafefa iinwele zazo ngothuli, zazalisa izitrato ngokuncwina nangezimbonono. 19 Abo bafazi babesandul’ ukuvathiselwa ukutshata, bawashiya amagumbi okutshata, alungiselwe umsitho, baza, bewatyeshela isidima esifanelekileyo, babuthana ndawonye esixekweni. [20] Oomama nabongikazi babalahla kwanabantwana abasandul’ ukuzalwa apha naphaya, abanye ezindlini abanye ezitratweni, kwaye ngaphandle kokujonga ngasemva bahlanganisana kweyona tempile iphakamileyo. 21 Zazininzi izibongozo zabo babehlanganisene khona, ngenxa yokuba ukumkani wayeceba ukunyelisa. [22] Ukongezelela, isibindi sabemi sasingayi kukunyamezela ukugqitywa kwezicwangciso zakhe okanye ukuzaliseka kwenjongo yakhe. 23 Bamemeza kummelwane wabo, ukuba baxhobe, bafe ngenkalipho ngenxa yomthetho wooyise, kwabakho isiphithiphithi esikhulu engcweleni; Bathe ke, bakubon’ ukuba bathintelwe ngamadoda amakhulu namadoda amakhulu, babhenela kwimo yokukhunga, njengabanye. [24] Ke kaloku, kwakubon' ukuba kukho isihlwele, njengakuqala, sithandaza; [25] ngelixa abadala kufutshane nokumkani bazama ngeendlela ezahlukeneyo ukuguqula ingqondo yakhe yekratshi kwicebo awayelikhawule. [26] Ke yena, ekukhukhumalaleni kwakhe, akakhathalelanga nto, waqala ngoku ukusondela, ezimisele ukulifikelela esiphelweni eli cebo. [27] Bakukubona oku abo babemjikelezile, bajika, bekunye nabantu bakowethu, ukuba bamcele lowo unawo onke amandla okubakhusela kule nkathazo yangoku, angasibethi ngoyaba esi senzo singekho mthethweni nesokuzikhukhumalisa. [28] Isikhalo esiqhubekayo, esibuhlungu, nesihlangeneyo sesihlwele saphumela kwisiphithiphithi esikhulu; 29 Kuba kwabonakala kungengabo abantu bodwa abavakalisayo ilizwi, kodwa kwaneendonga, nehlabathi lonke elimiweyo; ISAHLUKO 2 [1] Waza umbingeleli omkhulu uSimon, ekhangelene nengcwele, eguqe ngamadolo, wazolula izandla zakhe ngokuzola, wathandaza ngolu hlobo: [2] Nkosi, Nkosi yamazulu, uMdali wendalo yonke, ungcwele phakathi kwabangcwele, ikuphela komphathi, usomandla, sivelele thina babandezelwa kabuhlungu ngulowo ungendawo, ongahloneli Thixo, okhukhumele bubuganga namandla.