UEzra 3

¹Ithe yakufika inyanga yesixhenxe, oonyana bakaSirayeli besemizini yabo, bahlangana abantu njengamntu mnye, beza eYerusalem.

²Wesuka uYeshuwa unyana kaYotsadaki, nabazalwana bakhe ababingeleli, noZerubhabheli unyana kaShelatiyeli, nabazalwana bakhe, basakha isibingelelo sikaThixo kaSirayeli, ukuba kunyuswe phezu kwaso amadini anyukayo, ngoko kubhaliweyo emyalelweni kaMoses umfo wakwaThixo.

³Basizinzisa isibingelelo endaweni yaso; ngokuba beboyikiswe zizizwe zala mazwe. Banyusa phezu kwaso amadini anyukayo kuYehova, amadini anyukayo akusasa nawangokuhlwa.

⁴Benza umthendeleko weminquba njengoko kubahliweyo, namadini anyukayo iimini ngeemini, ngenani, ngokwesiko, into yemini ngangemini yayo.

⁵Emveni kwawo benza idini elinyukayo lamaxesha onke, nawokuthwasa kwenyanga, nawamaxesha onke kaYehova angcwalisiweyo, amisiweyo, nawabo bonke abanikela ngokuqhutywa yintliziyo kuYehova, iminikelo yokuqhutywa yintliziyo.

⁶Baqala ugowokuqala umhlawenyanga yesixhenxe, baqala banyusa amadini anyukayo kuYehova; itempile kaYehova ibe ingekasekwa.

⁷Imali bayinika abaqingqi nabakroli; banika amaTsidon namaTire ukudla, nento eselwayo, neoli, ukuba athabathe imisedare eLebhanon, ayizise ngolwandle eYafo, ngokuvunyelwa kwabo nguKoreshi ukumkani wasePersi.

⁸Ngomnyaka wesibini wokufika kwabo endlwini kaThixo eYerusalem, ngenyanga yesibini, baqala ooZerubhabheli unyana kaShelatiyeli, noYeshuwa unyana kaTsadoki, nabanye abazalwana babo, ababingeleli, nabaLevi, nabo bonke ababephume ekuthinjweni ukuza eYerusalem, bamisa abaLevi, bathabathela kominyaka imashumi mabini ezelwe, kwenyusa, ukuba bawongamele umsebenzi wendlu kaYehova.

⁹Kwema ooYeshuwa noonyana bakhe nabazalwana bakhe, uKademiyeli noonyana bakhe, oonyana bakaHodaviya, njengamntu mnye, ukubongamela abawenzayo umsebenzi endlwini kaThixo: oonyana bakaHenadade, oonyana babo nabazalwana babo, abaLevi.

¹⁰Abakhi bayiseka itempile kaYehova; bema ababingeleli, bevethe, benamaxilongo; nabaLevi, oonyana baka-Asafu, benamacangci, ukumdumisa uYehova ngokolwalathiso lukaDavide ukumkani wakwaSirayeli.

¹¹Basusela ngokudumisa, nangokubulela kuYehova, besithi, Ulungile, inceba yakhe ingunaphakade kuSirayeli; ke bonke abantu baduma ngodumo olukhulu, bedumisa uYehova ngenxa yokusekwa kwendlu kaYehova.

¹²Ke isininzi kubabingeleli, nabaLevi, neentloko zezindlu zooyise, namadoda amakhulu, awayeyibonile indlu yokuqala, sathi ekusekweni kwale ndlu emehlweni aso, salila ngezwi elikhulu; ke abaninzi baduma, bavuya ngokuphakamisa ilizwi.

¹³Abantu ababa nakulahlula ilizwi lokuduma ngokuvuya kwilizwi lokulila kwabantu; ngokuba abantu babeduma ngodumo olukhulu; ilizwi lavakala nakude.