1 Kings 12
1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all Israel had come together to make him king,
URehobhowamu wasesiya eShekema ngoba uIsrayeli wonke wayefike eShekema ukumbeka abe yinkosi.
2 And, hearing of it, Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who was still in Egypt, where he had gone in flight from Solomon, and was living there, came back to his town Zeredah, in the hill-country of Ephraim;
Kwasekusithi uJerobhowamu indodana kaNebati, owayelokhu eseGibhithe, ekuzwa lokhu (ngoba wayebaleke esuka phambi kukaSolomoni inkosi, uJerobhowamu wahlala eGibhithe),
3 And all the men of Israel came to Rehoboam and said,
bathuma bambiza. UJerobhowamu lebandla lonke lakoIsrayeli basebesiza bakhuluma loRehobhowamu besithi:
4 Your father put a hard yoke on us: if you will make the conditions under which your father kept us down less cruel, and the weight of the yoke he put on us less hard, then we will be your servants.
Uyihlo wenza ijogwe lethu laba lukhuni; ngakho-ke wena yenza kube lula umsebenzi olukhuni kayihlo, lejogwe lakhe elinzima abesithwalise lona, njalo sizakukhonza.
5 And he said to them, Go away for three days and then come back to me again. So the people went away.
Wasesithi kibo: Hambani futhi okwensuku ezintathu, libe selibuya kimi. Basebehamba abantu.
6 Then King Rehoboam took the opinion of the old men who had been with Solomon his father when he was living, and said, In your opinion, what answer am I to give to this people?
Inkosi uRehobhowamu yasicebisana labadala ababesima phambi kukaSolomoni uyise esaphila, isithi: Licebisa njani ukubuyisela impendulo kulababantu?
7 And they said to him, If you will be a servant to this people today, caring for them and giving them a gentle answer, then they will be your servants for ever.
Basebekhuluma kuyo besithi: Uba uzakuba yinceku yalababantu lamuhla ubasebenzele, ubaphendule, ukhulume kibo amazwi amahle, khona bezakuba zinceku zakho zonke izinsuku.
8 But he gave no attention to the opinion of the old men, and went to the young men of his generation who were waiting before him:
Kodwa wasitshiya iseluleko sabadala ababemeluleke ngaso, wacebisana lamajaha ayeyintanga yakhe, ayemi phambi kwakhe.
9 And said to them, What is your opinion? What answer are we to give to this people who have said to me, Make less the weight of the yoke which your father put on us?
Wasesithi kuwo: Lipha seluleko bani ukuthi sibuyisele impendulo kulababantu abakhulume lami besithi: Yenza libe lulanyana ijogwe uyihlo alibeka phezu kwethu?
10 And the young men of his generation said to him, This is the answer to give to the people who came to you saying, Your father put a hard yoke on us; will you make it less? say to them, My little finger is thicker than my father's body;
Amajaha ayeyintanga yakhe asekhuluma kuye esithi: Uzakutsho njalo kulababantu abakhuluma kuwe besithi: Uyihlo wenza ijogwe lethu laba nzima, kodwa wena yenza libe lulanyana kithi; uzakutsho njalo kibo: Ucikilicane wami uqatha kulokhalo lukababa.
11 If my father put a hard yoke on you, I will make it harder: my father gave you punishment with whips, but I will give you blows with snakes.
Uba-ke ubaba walethwesa ijogwe elinzima, mina-ke ngizakwengezelela ejogweni lenu. Ubaba walijezisa ngeziswepu, kodwa mina ngizalijezisa ngabofezela.
12 So all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had given orders, saying, Come back to me the third day.
Ngakho uJerobhowamu labo bonke abantu beza kuRehobhowamu ngosuku lwesithathu njengokutsho kwenkosi isithi: Libuye kimi futhi ngosuku lwesithathu.
13 And the king gave them a rough answer, giving no attention to the suggestion of the old men;
Inkosi yasibaphendula abantu kalukhuni, yatshiya iseluleko sabadala ababeyeluleke ngaso.
14 But giving them the answer put forward by the young men, saying, My father made your yoke hard, but I will make it harder; my father gave you punishment with whips, but I will give it with snakes.
Yakhuluma kubo njengokweseluleko samajaha isithi: Ubaba wenza ijogwe lenu laba nzima, kodwa mina ngizakwengezelela ejogweni lenu; ubaba walijezisa ngeziswepu, kodwa mina ngizalijezisa ngabofezela.
15 So the king did not give ear to the people; and this came about by the purpose of the Lord, so that what he had said by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam, son of Nebat, might be effected.
Ngalokho inkosi kayibalalelanga abantu; ngoba inguquko yayivela eNkosini ukuze iqinise ilizwi layo, iNkosi eyayilikhulume ngesandla sikaAhiya umShilo kuJerobhowamu indodana kaNebati.
16 And when all Israel saw that the king would give no attention to them, the people in answer said to the king, What part have we in David? what is our heritage in the son of Jesse? to your tents, O Israel; now see to your people, David. So Israel went away to their tents.
Lapho uIsrayeli wonke ebona ukuthi inkosi kayibalalelanga, abantu babuyisela impendulo enkosini besithi: Silesabelo bani kuDavida? Yebo, kasilalifa endodaneni kaJese. Emathenteni akho, Israyeli! Khathesi, zibonele indlu yakho, Davida. Ngakho uIsrayeli waya emathenteni akhe.
17 (But Rehoboam was still king over those of the children of Israel who were living in the towns of Judah.)
Mayelana labantwana bakoIsrayeli ababehlala emizini yakoJuda, uRehobhowamu wabusa phezu kwabo.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, the overseer of the forced work; and he was stoned to death by all Israel. And King Rehoboam went quickly and got into his carriage to go in flight to Jerusalem.
Khona inkosi uRehobhowamu yathuma uAdoniramu owayephezu kwezibhalwa; uIsrayeli wonke wasemkhanda ngamatshe waze wafa. Ngakho inkosi uRehobhowamu yakhwela masinyane inqola yayo, ukubalekela eJerusalema.
19 So Israel was turned away from the family of David to this day.
Ngokunjalo uIsrayeli wayihlamukela indlu kaDavida kuze kube lamuhla.
20 Now when all Israel had news that Jeroboam had come back, they sent for him to come before the meeting of the people, and made him king over Israel: not one of them was joined to the family of David but only the tribe of Judah.
Kwasekusithi uIsrayeli wonke esezwile ukuthi uJerobhowamu ubuyile, bathuma bambizela enhlanganweni, bamenza inkosi phezu kukaIsrayeli wonke; kakubanga khona olandela indlu kaDavida ngaphandle kwesizwe sakoJuda sodwa.
21 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he got together all the men of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand of his best fighting-men, to make war against Israel and get the kingdom back for Rehoboam, the son of Solomon.
Kwathi uRehobhowamu esefikile eJerusalema wabuthanisa yonke indlu yakoJuda lesizwe sakoBhenjamini, abakhethiweyo abayizinkulungwane ezilikhulu lamatshumi ayisificaminwembili, abalwa impi, ukulwa lendlu yakoIsrayeli, ukubuyisela umbuso kuRehobhowamu indodana kaSolomoni.
22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying,
Kodwa ilizwi likaNkulunkulu lafika kuShemaya umuntu kaNkulunkulu lisithi:
23 Say to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the men of Judah and Benjamin and the rest of the people:
Khuluma kuRehobhowamu indodana kaSolomoni, inkosi yakoJuda, lakuyo yonke indlu yakoJuda leyakoBhenjamini, lensali yabantu, uthi:
24 The Lord has said, You are not to go to war against your brothers, the children of Israel; go back, every man to his house, because this thing is my purpose. So they gave ear to the word of the Lord, and went back, as the Lord had said.
Itsho njalo iNkosi: Lingenyuki njalo lingalwi labafowenu, abantwana bakoIsrayeli. Buyelani, ngulowo lalowo endlini yakhe; ngoba linto ivela kimi. Basebelilalela ilizwi leNkosi, babuyela ukuhamba, njengokwelizwi leNkosi.
25 Then Jeroboam made the town of Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim a strong place, and was living there; and from there he went out and did the same to Penuel.
UJerobhowamu wasesakha iShekema entabeni yakoEfrayimi, wahlala kuyo; wasephuma lapho wakha iPenuweli.
26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom will go back to the family of David:
UJerobhowamu wasesithi enhliziyweni yakhe: Khathesi umbuso uzabuyela endlini kaDavida.
27 If the people go up to make offerings in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, their heart will be turned again to their lord, to Rehoboam, king of Judah; and they will put me to death and go back to Rehoboam, king of Judah.
Uba lesisizwe sisenyukela ukwenza imihlatshelo endlini yeNkosi eJerusalema, khona inhliziyo yalesisizwe izabuyela enkosini yabo, kuRehobhowamu inkosi yakoJuda, njalo bazangibulala babuyele kuRehobhowamu inkosi yakoJuda.
28 So after taking thought the king made two oxen of gold; and he said to the people, You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough; see! these are your gods, O Israel, who took you out of the land of Egypt.
Ngakho inkosi yathatha icebo, yenza amathole amabili egolide, yathi kubo: Kunzima kakhulu kini ukwenyukela eJerusalema; khangela, onkulunkulu bakho, Israyeli, abakukhuphula elizweni leGibhithe.
29 And he put one in Beth-el and the other in Dan.
Wasemisa elinye eBhetheli, lelinye walifaka eDani.
30 And this became a sin in Israel; for the people went to give worship to the one at Beth-el, and to the other at Dan.
Loludaba lwaselusiba yisono; ngoba abantu baya phambi kwelinye kuze kube seDani ukuyakhonza.
31 And he made places for worship at the high places, and made priests, who were not Levites, from among all the people.
Wasesenza indlu yezindawo eziphakemeyo, wenza abapristi ngabaphansi kakhulu babantu, ababengeyisiwo bamadodana amaLevi.
32 And Jeroboam gave orders for a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is kept in Judah, and he went up to the altar. And in the same way, in Beth-el, he gave offerings to the oxen which he had made, placing in Beth-el the priests of the high places he had made.
UJerobhowamu wasesenza umkhosi ngenyanga yesificaminwembili ngosuku lwetshumi lanhlanu lwenyanga njengomkhosi owawukoJuda, wanikela phezu kwelathi. Wenza njalo eBhetheli, ehlabela amathole ayewenzile. Wabeka eBhetheli abapristi bezindawo eziphakemeyo ayezenzile.
33 He went up to the altar he had made in Beth-el on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the month fixed by him at his pleasure; and he gave orders for a feast for the people of Israel, and went up to the altar, and there he made the smoke of his offerings go up.
Wasenikela phezu kwelathi ayelenzile eBhetheli ngosuku lwetshumi lanhlanu enyangeni yesificaminwembili, enyangeni ayeyiqambile evela enhliziyweni yakhe. Wenzela abantwana bakoIsrayeli umkhosi, wanikela phezu kwelathi etshisa impepha.
