(a) Itafile (mhlawumbi yeyona fenitshala intle kakhulu eyakha yaveliswa). (b) Omnye uzisa. 4. Inkcazo yeYerusalem. (a) Itempile (kunye nenkqubo yokusebenza kwamanzi). (b) Umsitho. (c) Inqaba. (d) Isixeko. (e) Amaphandle. 5. Indlela yokuvalelisa ka-Eleazar. 6. Ingcaciso ka-Eleyazare ngomthetho (obu bubulumko obukhulu). 7. Indawo yokwamkela iindwendwe. 8. Isidlo (imibuzo neempendulo ezingama-72). 9. Inguqulelo yeNcwadi. ISAHLUKO 1
Ileta ka-Aristeas INTSHAYELELO Kwincwadi ka-Aristeas, enye yezona zinto zibalulekileyo nezidala ezifunyenweyo kule ngqokelela, sihambe indlela ende kakhulu kuAdam noEva, indlela ende kakhulu kuNogumbe. Le ncwadi ibonisa umboniso wokuqina koluntu, oluye lwazalisa uMhlaba ngokutsha, nezizwe ezinamandla ezihlala ngobukhazikhazi nobuqaqawuli. Uza kufunda apha ngombhali wokuqala omkhulu weencwadi--uPtolemy Philadelphus. Unqwenela ukuqokelela kwithala lakhe leencwadi eAlexandria "zonke iincwadi zehlabathi." Ekugqibeleni, ngomnqweno wakhe wokufumana umsebenzi omnye omkhulu--iMithetho yamaYuda--uthengisa abantu abayi-100,000 abathinjwa ngaloo ncwadi. Eli mhlawumbi lelona xabiso liphezulu elakha lahlawulwa ngomsebenzi omnye. Libonisa isizathu esingaqhelekanga sokuphela koKubanjwa Okukhulu. Iziganeko zale bali zenzeka ngexesha lokuphila koKumkanikazi odumileyo uArsinoe, owasweleka ngowama-270 BC. Umhla ochanekileyo wokubhalwa kwale ncwadi awuqinisekanga. Iinkcukacha zobomi benkundla, ingxoxo ngeengxaki zentlalo zale mihla zibaluleke kakhulu kwaye zicacile. Kuyinto engaqhelekanga ukubona ukumkani neendwendwe zakhe bedlala imibuzo neempendulo ngexesha lesidlo sabo. Ulwakhiwo lwalo msebenzi ufunxayo lulandelayo: 1. Ukunikezelwa kwencwadi kuPhilocrates. 2. Isenzo sokuqala: (a) Isiphakamiso sikaMgcini weencwadi sokukhulula abathinjwa abangamaJuda ngokutshintshiselana nencwadi. (b) Ukukhululwa. (c) Ileta kaPhiladelphus eya ku-Eleazar. (d) Impendulo. (e) Amagama ekomiti etyunjelwe ukuguqulela le ncwadi. 3. Inkcazo yezipho zasebukhosini:
Ngexesha lokubanjwa kwamaYuda eYiputa, uPtolemy Philadelphus uzityhila njengomntu wokuqala othanda iincwadi ezibhaliweyo. Unqwenela ukuba zonke iincwadi zehlabathi zibe kwithala lakhe leencwadi; ukuze afumane iMithetho kaMoses uthembisa ukurhweba ngama-100,000 abathinjwa ngaloo msebenzi ekhwaza esithi, "Yinzuzo encinci ngokwenene!" 1 Ekubeni ndiqokelele izinto zembali ekhumbulekayo yokutyelela kwam uEleyazare uMbingeleli Omkhulu wamaYuda, kwaye ngenxa yokuba wena, Philocrates, njengoko ungalahlekelwa lithuba lokundikhumbuza, ubeke ingqalelo enkulu emva kokufumana ingxelo yezizathu kunye nenjongo yothumo lwam, ndizamile ukukucacisela ngokucacileyo ngale nto, kuba ndiyaqonda ukuba unothando lwendalo lokufunda, uphawu oluphezulu lomntu - ukuzama rhoqo 'ukongeza ulwazi lwakhe kunye nezinto azifundileyo' nokuba kungokufunda imbali okanye ngokuthatha inxaxheba kwiziganeko ngokwazo. 2 Kungale ndlela, ngokuthatha izinto ezibalaseleyo, apho umphefumlo uqiniswa khona ngobunyulu, kwaye emva kokuba usukele injongo yawo kunqulo-zithixo, eyona njongo ibalaseleyo, usebenzisa oku njengesikhokelo sawo esingenasiphako uze ngaloo ndlela ufumane injongo eqinisekileyo. 3 Yayikukuzinikela kwam ekufuneni ulwazi lwenkolo okwandikhokelela ekubeni ndithathe i-embassy kule ndoda ndiyikhankanyileyo, eyayihlonitshwa kakhulu ngabemi bayo kunye nabanye, ngenxa yobuhle bayo kunye nobungangamsha bayo, kwaye yayinamaxwebhu axabisekileyo kumaYuda kwilizwe layo nakwamanye amazwe ukuze kuchazwe umthetho kaThixo, kuba imithetho yabo ibhalwe kwisikhumba esinoonobumba bamaYuda. 4 Eli nxusa ndalithabatha ngomdla, okokuqala ndifumene ithuba lokuncenga ukumkani egameni labathinjwa abangamaYuda ababethuthwe besuka kwaYuda besiya eYiputa nguyise wokumkani, xa wafumana eli sixeko okokuqala waza woyisa ilizwe laseYiputa. 5 Kufanelekile ukuba ndikuxelele eli bali, kuba ndiqinisekile ukuba wena, ngokuthanda kwakho ubungcwele kunye novelwano lwakho nabantu abaphila ngokuvumelana nomthetho ongcwele, uya kuyiphulaphula ngokulula ngakumbi ingxelo endiceba ukuyichaza, kuba wena ngokwakho usandul’ ukuza kuthi uvela esiqithini