Eyokuqala YeziKronike
21 Emva koko uSathana* wahlasela uSirayeli waza wantyontyela uDavide ukuba abale uSirayeli.+ 2 Ngoko uDavide wathi kuYowabhi+ nakwiinkosi zabantu: “Hambani, nibale uSirayeli ukususela eBher-shebha ukuya kwaDan,+ emva koko nibuye nizokundichazela ukuze ndilazi inani lakhe.” 3 Kodwa uYowabhi wathi: “Kwanga uYehova angabaphinda-phinda kayi-100 abantu bakhe! Nkosi yam kumkani, ngaba bonke aba bantu abazozicaka zenkosi yam? Kutheni inkosi yam ifuna ukwenza le nto? Kutheni ifanele yenze uSirayeli abe netyala?”
4 Kodwa ilizwi likakumkani lamoyisa uYowabhi. Ngoko uYowabhi walihamba lonke ilizwe lwakwaSirayeli, emva koko weza eYerusalem.+ 5 Wanika uDavide inani labantu ababebhalisiwe. KuSirayeli wonke yaba ngamadoda axhobe ngamakrele ayi-1 100 000, kuYuda yaba ngamadoda ayi-470 000 axhobe ngamakrele.+ 6 Kodwa uLevi noBhenjamin abazange babhaliswe,+ kuba uYowabhi wayengawuthandi loo myalelo kakumkani.+
7 UThixo wokwenene akazange ayithande le nto, ngoko wamohlwaya uSirayeli. 8 UDavide wathi kuThixo wokwenene: “Ndone+ kakhulu ngokwenza le nto. Ngoko ndicela usixolele isono+ sesicaka sakho, kuba ndenze ubudenge obukhulu.”+ 9 UYehova wathetha noGadi+ imboni kaDavide, wathi: 10 “Yiya kuDavide uthi kuye, ‘Uthi uYehova: “Ndikubekela izinto ezintathu. Khetha emandiyenze kuwe.”’” 11 Ngoko uGadi waya kuDavide wathi kuye: “Uthi uYehova, ‘Zikhethele 12 enoba kufanele kubekho iminyaka emithathu yendlala,+ okanye iinyanga ezintathu zokutshayelwa ziintshaba zakho ngoxa ikrele leentshaba zakho likufikela,+ okanye iintsuku ezintathu zekrele likaYehova, isifo esingubhubhani elizweni,+ ingelosi kaYehova iwutshabalalisa+ wonke ummandla wakwaSirayeli.’ Cingisisa ngempendulo endifanele ndiyinike Lowo undithumileyo.” 13 Ngoko uDavide wathi kuGadi: “Le nto indihlupha kakhulu. Ndicela ukuwela esandleni sikaYehova, kuba unenceba kakhulu,+ kodwa sukundiyeka ndiwele esandleni somntu.”+
14 UYehova wathumela isifo esingubhubhani+ kwaSirayeli, kangangokuba kwafa abantu abayi-70 000.+ 15 Ngaphezu koko, uThixo wokwenene wathumela ingelosi ukuba iyokutshabalalisa iYerusalem, kodwa ithe xa iza kuqalisa, uYehova wayibona waza wazisola* ngaloo ntlekele,+ ngoko wathi kwingelosi eyayizokutshabalalisa: “Kwanele!+ Sithobe isandla sakho.” Ingelosi kaYehova yayikufutshane nebala lokubhula likaOrnan+ umYebhusi.+
16 Wathi akuwaphakamisa amehlo akhe uDavide, wabona ingelosi kaYehova imi phakathi komhlaba namazulu ikhuphe ikrele+ layo ilolulele ngaseYerusalem. UDavide nabadala babembethe amalaphu okwenza ingxowa+ baza ngokukhawuleza baqubuda, ubuso babo bujonge emhlabeni.+ 17 UDavide wathi kuThixo wokwenene: “Asindim na othe makubalwe abantu? Kone mna ibe ndim owenze ububi,+ kodwa ezi zimvu* zenze ntoni? Yhini Yehova Thixo wam, masincede isandla sakho sibe phezu kwam naphezu kwendlu katata, sukubazisela esi sibetho abantu bakho.”+
18 Ingelosi kaYehova yaxelela uGadi+ ukuba athi kuDavide makenyuke ayokwakhela uYehova isibingelelo kwibala lokubhula likaOrnan umYebhusi.+ 19 UDavide wenza loo nto wayeyixelelwe nguGadi egameni likaYehova. 20 Ngelo xesha uOrnan wajika waza wayibona le ngelosi, yaye oonyana bakhe abane ababekunye naye bazifihla. UOrnan wayebhula ingqolowa. 21 Xa uDavide efika kuye, uOrnan wathi krwaqu waza wabona uDavide, ngokukhawuleza waphuma kwibala lokubhula, waqubuda kuDavide. 22 UDavide wathi kuOrnan: “Ndithengisele* ibala lokubhula ukuze ndakhele uYehova isibingelelo kulo. Ndithengisele ngexabiso lalo elipheleleyo, ukuze sipheliswe isibetho ebantwini.”+ 23 Kodwa uOrnan wathi kuDavide: “Mayilithathe inkosi yam ukumkani ize yenze loo nto iyibona ilungile.* Nazi iinkomo ndinikela ngazo ukuze zibe ngumnikelo otshiswayo, isileyi sokubhula+ sibe ziinkuni nengqolowa ibe ngumnikelo wokutya okuziinkozo. Ndinikela ngazo zonke.”
24 UKumkani uDavide wathi kuOrnan: “Hayi, ndimele ndisithenge ngexabiso elipheleleyo, kuba andizukuthatha into yakho ndiyinike uYehova okanye ndinikele imibingelelo etshiswayo ndingadlekanga nto ngayo.”+ 25 Ngoko uDavide walithenga kuOrnan ngegolide enobunzima obuziishekele eziyi-600.* 26 UDavide wamakhela apho uYehova isibingelelo,+ wanikela imibingelelo etshiswayo nemibingelelo yobuhlobo, waza wathandaza kuYehova, owathi yena wamphendula ngokuthumela umlilo+ ovela emazulwini phezu kwesibingelelo somnikelo otshiswayo. 27 Emva koko uYehova wayalela ingelosi+ ukuba ibuyisele ikrele layo kwisingxobo salo. 28 Wathi uDavide akubona ukuba uYehova umphendule kwibala lokubhula likaOrnan umYebhusi, wahlala ebingelela apho. 29 Kodwa intente engcwele kaYehova eyenziwa nguMoses entlango nesibingelelo somnikelo otshiswayo, ngelo xesha zazikwindawo ephakamileyo eseGibheyon.+ 30 Kodwa uDavide wayengakwazi ukuya kuwo ayokubuza kuThixo, kuba wayesoyika ikrele lengelosi kaYehova.