3 Maccabees ISAHLUKO 1 [1] Lapho uPhilopator ezwa ngalabo ababuyayo ukuthi izifunda ayeziphethe zazithathwe u-Antiochus, wakhipha imiyalo kuwo wonke amabutho akhe, kokubili amasosha ahamba ngezinyawo namahhashi, wathatha udadewabo uArsinoe, waphuma waya esifundeni esiseduze neRaphia, lapho abalandeli baka-Antiochus babekanise khona. [2] Kodwa uTheodotus othile, ezimisele ukufeza icebo ayelenzile, wathatha izikhali zikaPtolemy ezingcono kakhulu ayenikezwe zona ngaphambili, wawelela etendeni likaPtolemy ebusuku, ehlose ukumbulala ngesandla esisodwa futhi ngaleyo ndlela aqede impi. [3] Kodwa uDositheus, owaziwa ngokuthi indodana kaDrimylus, umJuda ngokuzalwa kamuva owashintsha inkolo yakhe futhi wahlubuka emasikweni okhokho, wayehole inkosi futhi wahlela ukuthi indoda ethile engabalulekile iyolala etendeni; futhi kwenzeka ukuthi le ndoda izenzele impindiselo eqondene nenkosi. [4] Lapho kuvela impi enzima, futhi izindaba zivuna uAntiochus, u-Arsinoe waya emabuthweni ekhala nezinyembezi, izingidi zakhe zididekile, futhi wawakhuthaza ukuba azivikele wona kanye nezingane zawo nomkawo ngesibindi, ethembisa ukuwanika ngamunye omina ababili begolide uma beyinqoba impi. [5] Futhi kwenzeka ukuthi isitha sanqotshwa ekulweni, nezithunjwa eziningi nazo zathathwa. [6] Manje njengoba ayelibhuntshile leli tulo, uPtolemy wanquma ukuvakashela amadolobha angomakhelwane awakhuthaze. [7] Ngokwenza lokhu, nangokupha izindonga zabo ezingcwele izipho, waqinisa isimilo sezikhonzi zakhe. [8 Njengoba amaJuda ayethumele abanye bomkhandlu wawo labadala ukuthi bamkhonze, lokumphathela izipho zokumamukela, lokumbongela ngalokho okwenzekileyo, watshisekela kakhulu ukubahambela masinyane. [9 Esefikile eJerusalema, wanikela umhlatshelo kuNkulunkulu oPhezukonke, wenza iminikelo yokubonga, wenza okufanele indawo engcwele. Khona-ke, lapho ingena endaweni futhi ihlatshwa umxhwele ubuhle bayo nobuhle bayo, [10 wamangala ngokuhleleka okuhle kwethempeli, wakhulelwa isifiso sokungena endaweni engcwele engcwele. [11 Lapho bethi lokhu kwakungavunyelwe, ngoba kwakungavunyelwe ngisho amalungu esizwe sakubo, ngisho nabapristi bonke, kodwa umpristi omkhulu kuphela owayevelele kubo bonke, futhi yena kuphela ngonyaka, inkosi ayizange ivumeleke. [12 Lanxa sekufundiwe umlayo kuye, kayekanga ukumisa ukuthi ufanele ukungena, esithi: Lanxa labobantu bephucwa loludumo, mina kangifanele. [13 Wasebuza ukuthi kungani, lapho engena kuwo wonke amanye ithempeli, kungekho muntu omvimbayo. [14] Futhi omunye ngokunganaki wathi akulungile ukuthatha lokhu njengophawu ngokwakho. [15] Kodwa njengoba lokhu sekwenzekile,” yathi inkosi, “kungani ngingangeni, noma bethanda noma bengathandi?
[16 Khona-ke abapristi begqoke zonke izingubo zabo bakhuleka banxusa uNkulunkulu ophakeme ukuba asize kulesi simo esikhona futhi anqande ubudlova balo mklamo omubi, futhi bagcwalisa ithempeli ngokukhala nezinyembezi; [17] labo ababesele emzini bathuthumela baphuma masinyane, bethi kukhona okungaqondakali okwenzekayo. [18] Izintombi ezazivalelwe emakamelweni azo zagijima zaphuma kanye nonina, zafafaza izinwele zazo ngothuli, zagcwalisa izitaladi ngokububula nokulila. [19] Labo besifazane ababesanda kulungiselwa umshado bawashiya amagumbi omakoti alungiselwe umshado, futhi, bedebeselela isizotha esifanele, ngokuphithizela okungahlelekile babuthana ndawonye edolobheni. [20] Omama nabahlengikazi balahla ngisho izingane ezisanda kuzalwa lapha nalaphaya, abanye ezindlini abanye emigwaqweni, futhi ngaphandle kokubheka emuva baphithizela ndawonye ethempelini eliphakeme kakhulu. [21] Izicelo zalabo ababebuthene lapho zazinhlobonhlobo ngenxa yalokho inkosi eyayikwenza ngokungcolile. [22] Ngaphezu kwalokho, izakhamuzi ezinesibindi ngeke zikubekezelele ukuphothulwa kwezinhlelo zakhe noma ukugcwaliseka kwenjongo yakhe ayeyihlosile. [23] Bamemeza kubafowabo ukuba bathathe izikhali futhi bafe ngesibindi ngomthetho wokhokho, futhi badala ukuphazamiseka okukhulu endaweni engcwele; kwathi sebevinjwe kalukhuni amaxhegu nabadala, baphendukela esimweni sokunxusa njengabanye. [24 Kusenjalo ixuku lalikhuleka njengakuqala; [25] ngenkathi abadala eduze nenkosi bezama ngezindlela ezihlukahlukene ukuguqula umqondo wayo wokuzikhukhumeza esu elikhulelwe. [26 Kodwa yena, ngokuzikhukhumeza kwakhe, kazange aqaphele lutho, waseqala khathesi ukusondela, ezimisele ukuletha esiphethweni lelisu elishiwo ngenhla. [27] Kwathi labo ababeseduze kwakhe bekubona lokhu, baphenduka, kanye labantu bakithi, ukuthi bambize lowo olamandla wonke okubavikela enkathazweni ekhona khathesi futhi angasinaki lesisenzo esingekho emthethweni lokuzikhukhumeza. [28] Isililo esiqhubekayo, esinamandla, nesihlangene sezixuku kwaholela esiphithiphithini esikhulu; [29 ngoba kwakubonakala sengathi kwakunanela abantu kuphela kodwa nezindonga nomhlaba wonke, ngoba ngempela bonke ngaleso sikhathi babekhetha ukufa kunokungcoliswa kwendawo. ISAHLUKO 2 [1] Khona umpristi omkhulu uSimoni, ebheke endlini engcwele, eguqa ngamadolo, welula izandla zakhe ngesizotha esinokuthula, wakhuleka kanje: [2] “Nkosi, Nkosi, Nkosi yezulu, noMbusi wendalo yonke, ongcwele phakathi kwabangcwele, umbusi oyedwa, uMninimandla onke, sibheke thina esihlushwa kabuhlungu ngumuntu ongamhloniphiyo nohlambalazayo, ozikhukhumezayo ngamandla akhe namandla. [3 Ngoba wena, umdali wezinto zonke, nombusi wazo zonke izinto, unguMbusi olungileyo, futhi uyabahlulela labo abenze utho ngokudelela nangokuzidla. [4 Wabhubhisa labo abenza okubi esikhathini esidlule, okwakukhona phakathi kwabo ngisho neziqhwaga