Isahluko 4—Isihendo Nokuwa

USatana wathabatha isimo senyoka wangena eEden. Inyoka yayi sisidalwa esihle inamaphiko, ibisithi xa iphaphayo emoyeni ikhazimle ngokufana negolide ekhazimlisiweyo. Yayingahambhi phezu komhlaba kodwa yayiphapha iye apha naphaya emoyeni isidla iziqhamo njengomntu. USatana wangena enyokeni wahlala kuwo umthi wokwazi wadla ngokonwaba kwiziqhamo zawo.IL 28.2

UEva, engaqondanga ekuqaleni, wahluka endodeni yakhe ekusebenzeni kwakhe. Uthe akukuqonda oku weva esoyika ukuba kungakho ingozi, kodwa kwakhona wabuya wacinga ukuba ukhuselekile no- kuba akahlalanga kufuphi nendoda yakhe. Waye nobulumko namandla okwazi xa kukho ingozi, nokumelana nayo. Zazimyalile ke izithunywa ukuba angakhe akwenze oku. UEva wazibona ezondele ngolunqa nangokuzibuka iziqhamo zalomthi walelweyo. Wawubona ukuba uya bukeka, wacamanga phakathi kwakhe ukuba kunganina ukuba uThixo abayalele ngokuqinisekileyo ukuba bangawudli okanye bangawuchukumisi. Laba lithuba likaSatana ngoku eli. Wathetha naye ngokungathi uya kwazi ukuzifunda izimvo zakhe: “Utshilo na okunene uThixo ukuthi, Zeningadli kuyo yonke imithi yomyezo?” Wenje njalo ke ukuthetha noEva, ngelizwi elipholileyo, elimnandi, elifana nokuvuma. Wamangaliswa kukuva inyoka ithetha. Yamncoma ubuhle bakhe obuncamisileyo, okwamkholisayo uEva oku. Kodwa wakhwankqiswa, kuba wayesazi ukuba uThixo akazange ayinike inyoka amandla okuthetha. UEva wakhulelwa kukufuna ukwazi. Endaweni yokuba asabe kulendawo, waphulaphula ukuba eve xa inyoka ithetha. Akuzange kuthi-qatha engqondweni yakhe ukuba ingaba loluya tshaba luwileyo, lusebenzisa inyoka njengothunywashe. NguSatana lo wayethetha, ingeyiyo inyoka. UEva walukuhleka, wacengeka, wayobeka. Ukuba wayehlangene nomntu onewonga, onobume obunjengezithunywa zezulu efana nazo, ngewaye lumkile. Kodwa eli zwi lingaqhelekanga ngelalimkhaulezise ukuba aye kuba ngasecaleni lendoda yakhe abuze kuyo ukuba kunganina ukuba omnye athethe naye ngokukhululeka okunje. Kodwa wangena engxoxweni nenyoka. Wawuphendula umbuzo wayo, “Eziqhameni zemithi yomyezo singadla; ke eziqhameni zomthi osemyezweni phakathi, uthe uThixo, Zeningadli kuzo, zeningazichukumisi, okanye niya kufa.” Inyoka iphendule yathi, “Anisayi kufa: kuba uThixo esazi ukuba, mhlana nithe nadla kuzo, oqabuka amehlo enu nifane noothixo, nazi okulungileyo nokubi.”IL 28.3

USatana wazama ukumilisela uluvo lokuba ngokutya kulomthi walelweyo babeza kwamkela ulwazi olutsha noluphakamileyo ngakumbhi kunolo babe fikelele kulo. Lo ngumsebenzi wakhe owodwa, onempumelelo, ukususela ekuweni kwakhe — lo wokukhokelela aba- ntu ekunyondleni ezimfihlelweni zOnamandla onke banganeliswa kooko uThixo akutyhilileyo, bangakhathaleli ukuthobela ooko akuyaleleyo. Wayeza kubakhokelela ekubeni bangayithobeli imithetho kaThixo, alandelise ngokubenza bakholelwe ekubeni bangena kumhlaba ongummangaliso wolwazi. Le ke yintelekelelo nje, indlela embhi kunene yenkohliso. Bayaphoswa kukukuqonda ooko akutyhilileyo uThixo, bayidele imithetho yakhe ecacileyo babe namabongo okufuna ubulumko, ngaphandle koThixo, bafune ukwazi ooko athande ukuba akufihle kwizidalwa ezinokufa. Bayayoliswa zizimvo zabo zokuqhubela phambhili bachwayitiswe lulwazi lwabo olungelulo, kanti baphumputha esithokothokweni sobumnyama ngokusingisele elwazini lwenyaniso. Bahlala befunda kodwa bangaze bafikelela ekuyazini inyaniso.IL 29.1

Yayi ngeyiyo intando kaThixo ukuba lembhini ingenasoono ibe nolwazi ngenkohlakalo. Waye banikile ngenkululeko ooko kulungileyo kodwa wakubandeza okukhohlakeleyo. UEva wawacingela ukuba abubulumko amazwi enyoka, wayamkela ingxelo ebanzi ethi, “Anisayi kufa: kuba esazi uThixo ukuba, mhlana nithe nadla kuzo, oqabuka amehlo enu, nibe njengoThixo, nazi okulungileyo nokubi,”— emenza ke uThixo ixoki. USatana wazindla ngesibindi ukuba uThixo ubakhohlisile ngokufuna ukubathintela ukuba bangaphakami elwazini bafane naye. UThixo wayethe: Ukuba nithe nawudla, niya kufa. Inyoka yathi, ukuba nidlile, “Anisayi kufa.”IL 31.1

Umhendi wamqinisekisa uEva ukuba nje ukuba adle kuwo umthi uya kuba nolwazi olutsha noluphakamileyo oluya kumenza ukuba alingane noThixo. Wayitsalela ingqalelo yakhe kuye. Wadla ngokukhululekileyo kuzo iziqhamo zomthi akawufumana kuphela ungenangozi kodwa umnandi ugcobisa, wamxelela ukuba kungenxa yamandla awo angummangaliso okunika ubulumko namandla lento uThixo abaleleyo ukuba bawudle kwa nokuwuchukumisa oku. Wamxelela ukuba kukudla kwakhe kwisiqhamo salomthi walelweyo kubo okwambangela ukuba akwazi ukuthetha. Wathi uThixo akayi kuliphumeza ilizwi lakhe. Lali sisoyikiso nje sokubankwantyisa nokubathintela ekuzuzeni ukulunga okukhulu. Wahambhisa kananjalo wamxelela ukuba abanako ukufa. Babe ngadlanga na kumthi wobomi obanga ukungafi? Wathi uThixo uya bakhohlisa nje kuba engafuni ukuba babe kumgangatho ophakamileyo ngaphezulu wokonwaba nokuchwayita. Umhendi wathabatha iziqhamo wanika uEva. Wasithabatha esandleni sakhe. Wathi ke umhendi, ubuwalelwe nokuba usichukumise oku okanye uya kufa. Wamxelela ukuba akayi kuva bume bankohlakalo nakufa ekusityeni isiqhamo kunoko akuve ekusichukumiseni. UEva waba nesibindi akuba engeva kwa oko iimpau zokunganeliswa kukaThixo. Amazwi omhendi wawacingela ukuba alumke kwaphela ayinyaniso. Wadla, waneliswa ziziqhamo. Zaba mnandi emlonyeni wakhe, waza waziva ngathi uya kuqonda ukusebenza okungummangaliso kweziqhamo kuye.IL 31.2