←  Daniel (4/12)  →
1. Inkosi uNebukadinezari wathi kubo bonke abantu lezizwe lezindimi ezisemhlabeni wonke: Ukuthula kakwande phakathi kwenu!
2. Kube kuhle kimi ukutshengisa izibonakaliso lezimangaliso uNkulunkulu oPhezukonke angenzele zona.
3. Yeka ubukhulu bezibonakaliso zakhe, lamandla ezimangaliso zakhe! Umbuso wakhe ungumbuso ongelakuphela, lokubusa kwakhe kungokwezizukulwana zonke.
4. Mina Nebukadinezari, ngangichelesile endlini yami, ngiphumelela esigodlweni sami.
5. Ngaphupha iphupho elangethusayo, ngisalele embhedeni wami imicabango lemibono yengqondo yami yangethusa.
6. Ngasengikhupha isimemezelo sokuthi bonke abahlakaniphileyo beBhabhiloni balethwe phambi kwami ukuze bangitshele ingcazelo yephupho.
7. Zasezifika izanuse lezangoma lamaKhaladiya labafunda okutshiwo zinkanyezi, ngabatshela iphupho, kodwa behluleka ukungitshela ingcazelo yalo.
8. Ekucineni uDaniyeli wafika kimi, lowo owathiwa ibizo likaNkulunkulu wami lokuthi uBeliteshazari, yena olomoya wabonkulunkulu abangcwele; ngamtshela iphupho ngathi:
9. Wena Beliteshazari, nduna yezanuse, ngoba ngiyazi ukuthi ulomoya wabonkulunkulu abangcwele, lokuthi kakulamfihlakalo ekwehlulayo, nanti iphupho engiliphuphileyo; ngitshela ingcazelo yalo.
10. Nansi imibono eyafika engqondweni yami ngisaIele embhedeni. Ngabona isihlahla phakathi komhlaba, sasiside kakhulu.
11. Isihlahla sakhula, saqina, isicholo saso safinyelela ezulwini, sabonakala emhlabeni wonke.
12. Amahlamvu aso ayemahle, lezithelo zaso zazinengi, kukhona kiso ukudla kwabo bonke. Inyamazana zeganga zathola umthunzi ngaphansi kwaso, lenyoni zaphezulu zahlala engatsheni zaso, layo yonke inyama yondliwa kiso.
13. Ngabona emibonweni yengqondo yami lapho ngilele embhedeni ongcwele olindayo esehla evela ezulwini.
14. Wamemeza wathi: Sigamuleleni phansi isihlahla, liqume ingatsha zaso, lisiphundle amahlamvu, lichithachithe izithelo zaso. Izinyamazana kazibaleke ngaphansi kwaso, lenyoni engatsheni zaso.
15. Kodwa litshiye isidindi sigxumeke ngempande emhlabathini, sibotshiwe ngebhanti lensimbi lethusi phakathi kwamahlungu otshani beganga. Kathanjiswe yena ngamazolo aphezulu, ahlale etshanini lezinyamazana.
16. Kasayikuba lengqondo yomuntu, uzakuba lengqondo yenyamazana iminyaka eyisikhombisa.
17. Lesisigwebo siyisimemezelo sabangcwele abalindayo, isinqumo selizwi lazo, ukuze abaphilayo bazi ukuthi oPhezukonke uyabusa umbuso wabantu, awunike lowo athanda ukumnika, amise phezu kwawo abantukazana.
18. Leliphupho ngaliphupha mina nkosi uNebukadinezari. Wena-ke, Beliteshazari, wangitshela ingcazelo yalo, ngoba bonke abahlakaniphileyo embusweni wami bengelamandla ukungitshela ingcazelo yalo; kodwa wena ulawo. ngoba umoya wabonkulunkulu abangcwele ukuwe.
19. Khona uDaniyeli obizo lakhe lalinguBeliteshazari wamangala okwesikhatshana, lemicabango yakhe yamethusa. Inkosi yasisithi: Beliteshazari, ungethuswa liphupho lengcazelo yalo. UBeliteshazari waphendula wathi: Nkosi yami, iphupho kalibe ngelalabo abakuzondayo, lengcazelo yalo ibe ngeyezitha zakho.
20. Isihlahla owasibonayo esakhula saqina, lesicholo saso safinyelela phezulu, sabonakala emhlabeni wonke,
21. silamahlamvu amahle lezithelo ezinengi, silokudla kwabo bonke, lezinyamazana zeganga zathola umthunzi ngaphansi kwaso, lenyoni zaphezulu zahlala engatsheni zaso,
22. singuwe, wena nkosi, osukhulile waqina. Ubukhulu bakho sebukhulile, bafinyelela phezulu, lokubusa kwakho kwafinyelela ekucineni komhlaba.
23. Njengoba inkosi yabona ongcwele olindayo esehla evela ezulwini esithi: Gamulelani phansi isihlahla, lisiqede, kodwa litshiye isidindi sigxumeke ngempande emhlabathini sibotshwe ngebhanti lensimbi lethusi emahlungwini otshani beganga; yena athanjiswe ngamazolo aphezulu, ahlale lenyamazana zeganga, kuze kudlule iminyaka eyisikhombisa.
24. Yiyo le ingcazelo, nkosi. Iyisimemezelo soPhezukonke ngenkosi yami
25. sokuthi uzaxotshwa ebantwini, lenhlalo yakho izakuba lenyamazana zeganga, bakudlise utshani njengenkabi, bakunethise ngamazolo amazulu, lezikhathi eziyisikhombisa zidlule phezu kwakho, uze wazi ukuthi oPhezukonke uyabusa umbuso wabantu, uwunika lowo amthandayo.
26. Njengoba kwalaywa ukuthi kutshiywe isidindi sesihlahla silempande, umbuso wakho uzaqina kusukela esikhathini ozakwazi ngaso ukuthi uNkulunkulu uyabusa.
27. Ngakho-ke, wena nkosi, akuzwe iseluleko sami; yekela izono zakho, wenze ukulunga, uyekele leziphambeko zakho ngokutshengisa isihawu kwabacindezelweyo, ukuze mhlawumbe ungahlala uchelesile okwesikhathi eside.
28. Konke lokhu kwayehlela inkosi uNebukadinezari.
29. Ekupheleni kwenyanga ezilitshumi lambili inkosi yayihambahamba ephahleni lwendlu yenkosi eBhabhiloni,
30. yathi: Kakusilo yini leliBhabhiloni elikhulu engalakha ngamandla ami amakhulu, laba ngumuzi wenkosi, laba lodumo lobukhosi bami?
31. Kwathi inkosi ingakaqedi ukukhuluma, kwezwakala ilizwi livela ezulwini lisithi: Wena nkosi Nebukadinezari, kutshiwo kuwe ukuthi: Ubukhosi bususiwe kuwe;
32. uzaxotshwa ebantwini, uhlale lenyamazana zeganga, udle utshani njengenkabi okweminyaka eyisikhombisa ukuze wazi ukuthi oPhezukonke uyabusa umbuso wabantu, awunike lowo athanda ukumnika.
33. Lahle lagcwaliseka lelolizwi kuNebukadinezari. Waxotshwa ebantwini, wadla utshani njengenkabi, lomzimba wakhe wathanjiswa ngamazolo aphezulu, lezinwele zakhe zakhula zaze zalingana lensiba zelinqe, lenzipho zakhe zafanana lenzipho zenyoni.
34. Ekupheleni-ke kwezinsuku mina Nebukadinezari ngaphakamisela amehlo ami emazulwini, lokuqedisisa kwami kwabuyela kimi; ngambusisa oPhezukonke, ngamdumisa, ngamhlonipha yena ophila kuze kube nininini. Ngoba ubuninimandla bakhe buyibuninimandla ngobungapheliyo, lombuso wakhe usuka kusizukulwana kusiya kusizukulwana;
35. futhi bonke abakhileyo emhlabeni babalelwe njengeze, wenza njengentando yakhe ebuthweni lamazulu, lakwabakhileyo emhlabeni; kakho ongavimbela isandla sakhe, loba athi kuye: Wenzani?
36. Ngasona lesosikhathi yabuya kimi ingqondo yami, lobukhosi bami kanye lodumo lwami kwabuyiselwa kimi, lodumo embusweni wami. Abeluleki bami leziphathamandla zami zangidinga, ngabuyiselwa embusweni wami, kwengezelelwa ubukhulu bami.
37. Ngalokho-ke mina Nebukadinezari ngiyayibonga ngiyiphakamise ngiyidumise iNkosi yaphezulu; ngoba yonke imisebenzi yayo ilungile, lendlela zayo zinhle. Labo abazigqajayo uyabathobisa.
←  Daniel (4/12)  →