yesi-
4 yeeMaccabees
INTSHAYELELO Le ncwadi ifana nesandi esoyikekayo sendudumo ephuma kwinkohlakalo eyoyikekayo yengcinezelo yamandulo. Sisahluko esisekelwe kwintshutshiso ka-Antiochus, uzwilakhe waseSiriya, abanye ababembiza ngokuba nguEpiphanes, uMgeza. Imbali yaseRoma yeenkulungwane zokuqala irekhoda oozwilakhe ababini abanjalo-omnye, uCaligula, iSecond Brilliant Madman. Uhlobo loku kubhala lolo lwentetho. Ngoko ke ukuvuka nokuwa kwentetho kubekwe ngexesha; zinjalo ke iingxoxo zawo; ngoko ayigungqiyo ingqiqo yayo; nzulu kakhulu ukutyhala kwawo; ipholile ukuqiqa kwayo--kangangokuba ithatha indawo yayo njengesampulu yobona buciko bucacileyo. Undoqo ngu--Isibindi. Umbhali uqala ngamazwi achukumisayo eNtanda-bulumko Yengqiqo Ephefumlelweyo. Sithanda ukucinga ngale Nkulungwane yamashumi amabini njengeXesha leNgqiqo kwaye siyichase kunye neXesha leeNtsomi - ukanti ukubhala okunje kungumngeni kwintelekelelo enjalo. Sifumana umbhali ekusenokwenzeka ukuba wayengowenkulungwane yokuqala ngaphambi kweXesha LobuKristu echaza intanda-bulumko ecacileyo yeNgqiqo nesenamandla namhlanje njengoko yayinjalo kwiminyaka engamawaka amabini eyadlulayo. Ukumiselwa kwemigqaliselo kumagumbi okuthuthumbisa akuyekeleli. Kwiindlebe zethu zala maxesha ezinxibelelene nezinto ezithambileyo ibetha ngendlela eyothusayo. Iinkcukacha zokungcungcuthekiswa okulandelelanayo (ecebisa ngezixhobo zeNkundla yamaNcinane yaseSpain kwiinkulungwane kamva) zicaciswe ngendlela eyothusayo kwincasa yethu. Nditsho nokuvela kwabalinganiswa bexhego bexhego, abaBhuti abaSixhenxe, kunye noMama, akukho nto ayenzayo ukuthomalalisa uburhalarhume esithetha ngabo esi sisithethi sidibanisa iNkalipha. Abaseki bamandulo beCawa yamaKristu bayilondoloza ngenyameko le ncwadi (sinayo kwinguqulelo yesiSiriya) njengencwadi enexabiso eliphakamileyo nemfundiso yokuziphatha okuhle, ibe ngokungathandabuzekiyo yayiqhelekile kuninzi lwabafeli-nkolo abangamaKristu okuqala, abavuselwa kwikhondo lokufel’ ukholo ngokuyifunda. ISAHLUKO 1 Ulwandlalo lwentanda-bulumko yamandulo ephathelele Isizathu Esiphefumlelweyo. Impucuko ayizange izuze ingcinga ephezulu. Ingxoxo ye "Repressions." Ivesi 48 ishwankathela yonke iNtandalwazi yoluntu. I-1 Philosophical kwiqondo eliphezulu ngumbuzo endiphakamisa ukuba ndixoxe ngawo, ukuba ingaba iNgqiqo ephefumlelweyo inegunya eliphakamileyo phezu kweenkanuko; kwaye kwintanda-bulumko yayo
ndingabongoza ngokunyanisekileyo ingqalelo yenu enyanisekileyo. 2 Kuba umbandela lowo awufuneki nje kuphela njengesebe lokwazi, kodwa uquka ukudunyiswa kwesona siqhamo sibalaseleyo, endithetha ukuzeyisa. 3 Oko kukuthi, ukuba ingqiqo ingqineka ilawula ukuthabatheka okuchasene nokuzeyisa, ubudlakudla nenkanuko, ikwabonakaliswa ngokucacileyo njengenkosi phezu kweenkanuko, ezinjengezobutshijolo, ezichasene nokusesikweni, nezo zichasene nobuntu, ingqumbo nentlungu noloyiko. 4 Kodwa, bambi basenokubuza, ukuba iSiqiqi singumlawuli weminqweno, kutheni singakulawuleli ukulibala nokungazi? injongo yabo kukuhlekisa. 5 Impendulo yeyokuba, Ingqiqo ayilogunya phezu kweziphene ezifunyanwa engqondweni ngokwayo; yaye isenzo sawo kwimeko yabo asikokuzicima iinkanuko, kodwa sisenza sikwazi ukuxhathisa ngempumelelo. 6 Ndinokuzisa phambi kwenu imizekelo emininzi, ethatyathwe kwimithombo eyahlukahlukeneyo, apho Ingqiqo iye yazingqina ilawula iminqweno, kodwa owona mzekelo ubalaseleyo endinokunikela ngawo yihambo ebekekileyo yabo bafayo ngenxa yesidima, uElazare, nabazalwana Abasixhenxe noMama. 7 Kuba bonke aba ngokudelela kwabo iintlungu, ewe, kwade kwaba sekufeni, bangqina ukuba iNgqiqo iphakama ngaphezu kweemvakalelo. 8 Ndingandisa apha ekudumiseni izidima zabo, bona, amadoda kunye noMama, besifa ngalo mhla sibhiyozela uthando lokuziphatha okuhle nokulunga, kodwa ndingabenzela imbeko kwiiwonga abazizuzileyo. 9 Kuba ukuncoma kwabo kwaba nenkalipho nonyamezelo lwabo, kungekuphela nje kulo lonke ihlabathi kodwa ngababulali balo, lwababangela baba zizisulu zokuwa kwengcinezelo isizwe sakowethu eyayiphantsi kwayo, bamoyisa uzwilakhe ngonyamezelo lwabo, ukuze ilizwe labo lahlanjululwa ngabo. 10 Kodwa ngoku ndiza kuthabatha ithuba lokuxoxa oku, emva kokuba siqalisile ngethiyori ngokubanzi, njengoko ndiqhele ukwenza, kwaye ndiya kuthi ke ndiqhubele phambili kwibali labo, ndinika uzuko kuThixo olumke konke. 11 Ngoko ke, ukubuza kwethu kukuba, uluvo luyinkosi eyongamileyo na phezu kweenkanuko. 12 Kodwa kufuneka sichaze kanye ukuba yintoni na iNgqiqo kunye nokuba yintoni na inkanuko, kwaye zingaphi iintlobo zenkanuko ezikhoyo, nokuba iNgqiqo yongamile na kuzo zonke. 13 Isizathu sokuba ndithabathe ukuba ingqondo ikhetha ngokuqiqa okucacileyo ubomi bobulumko. 14 Ndiba ngobulumko ukuba ndikwazi oko uThixo nowabantu, nokuqonda; 15 Le nto ndiyigqala ngokwesiko phantsi komthetho; 16 Ngoku ubulumko bubonakaliswa phantsi kweemo zomgwebo nobulungisa, nenkalipho, nokuzeyisa. 17 Ke lona ugwebo, nokuba ngotheyiseko, olawula zonke izinto; 18 Kodwa kuyo yonke inkanuko, kukho iinkalo ezimbini ezihlukeneyo, ezizezi, uyolo nentlungu; 19 Ke kaloku, ngokubhekisele kwiziyolo nakwiintlungu, zininzi izihlandlo apho inkanuko ithi, ukuhluba okuthile;