1 Kings 17
1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, By the living Lord, the God of Israel, whose servant I am, there will be no dew or rain in these years, but only at my word.
U-Elija umThishibi owayevela ngaseThishibi eGiliyadi, wasesithi ku-Ahabi, “Njengoba uThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, engimkhonzayo ephila, akuyikuba lamazolo njalo akuyikuba lezulu okweminyaka embalwa ezayo ngaphandle kokuba ngitsho.”
2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
Ngakho ilizwi likaThixo lafika ku-Elija lisithi:
3 Go from here in the direction of the east, and keep yourself in a secret place by the stream Cherith, east of Jordan.
“Suka lapho, khangela empumalanga uyecatsha eDongeni lwaseKherithi, empumalanga kweJodani.
4 The water of the stream will be your drink, and by my orders the ravens will give you food there.
Uzanatha amanzi avela kulesosifula, njalo sengilayile amawabayi ukuthi azabe ekulethela ukudla khonapho.”
5 So he went and did as the Lord said, living by the stream Cherith, east of Jordan.
Ngakho wenza lokho okwakutshiwo nguThixo. Waya eDongeni lwaseKherithi, empumalanga yeJodani, wafika wahlala khona.
6 And the ravens took him bread in the morning and meat in the evening; and the water of the stream was his drink.
Amawabayi amlethela ukudla, isinkwa lenyama ekuseni kwathi lantambama kwaba yisinkwa lenyama, amanzi wayenatha esifuleni.
7 Now after a time the stream became dry, because there was no rain in the land.
Ngemva kwesikhathi amanzi atsha esifuleni ngoba kwakungelazulu elizweni.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
Ngakho kwabuye kwafika kuye ilizwi likaThixo lisithi:
9 Up! go now to Zarephath, in Zidon, and make your living-place there; I have given orders to a widow woman there to see that you have food.
“Suka khathesi uye eZarefathi yeSidoni uyehlala khona. Sengilungisile khona ukuthi umfelokazi uzakulungisela abe ekupha ukudla.”
10 So he got up and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the door of the town, he saw a widow woman getting sticks together; and crying out to her he said, Will you give me a little water in a vessel for my drink?
Wasesiya eZarefathi. Uthe efika esangweni ledolobho, kwakukhona umfelokazi edobha incwathi. Wazibika kuye njalo ecela wathi, “Ungangilethela amanzi ngenkezo kenginathe na?”
11 And when she was going to get it, he said to her, And get me with it a small bit of bread.
Uthe esayathatha amanzi, wambiza njalo wathi, “Ngicela ungiphathele locezu lwesinkwa.”
12 Then she said, By the life of the Lord your God, I have nothing but a little meal in my store, and a drop of oil in the bottle; and now I am getting two sticks together so that I may go in and make it ready for me and my son, so that we may have a meal before our death.
Umfelokazi waphendula wathi, “Ngeqiniso lanjengoba uThixo uNkulunkulu wakho ephila, angilaso isinkwa kodwa ngilengcosana nje yefulawa engcebethwini encane lamafutha angenganani ediweni. Ngidobha incwathi lezi nje ngiya lazo ngekhaya ukuze ngiyezigoqozela engingakudla mina lendodana yami, kube yikho esizakudla andubana sife.”
13 And Elijah said to her, Have no fear; go and do as you have said, but first make me a little cake of it and come and give it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.
U-Elija wathi kumfelokazi, “Ungesabi. Hamba uye ekhaya uyekwenza khonokho okutshoyo. Kodwa uqale ungiphekele iqebelengwane eliyisinkwa ngalokho olakho ube usuliletha lapha kimi, andubana uziphekele okwakho lendodana yakho.
14 For this is the word of the Lord, the God of Israel: The store of meal will not come to an end, and the bottle will never be without oil, till the day when the Lord sends rain on the earth.
Ngoba lokhu yikho uThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli akutshiloyo: ‘Impuphu esengcebethwini kayiyikuphela, lamafutha asediweni kawayikuphela, kuze kufike usuku uThixo azanisa ngalo izulu elizweni?’”
15 So she went and did as Elijah said; and she and he and her family had food for a long time.
Wasuka lapho wayakwenza njengalokho ayekutshilo u-Elija. Ngakho kwahlala kulokudla kuka-Elija lomfelokazi labendlu yakhe okwensuku zonke.
16 The store of meal did not come to an end, and the bottle was never without oil, as the Lord had said by the mouth of Elijah.
Ngoba ifulawa eyayisengcebethwini ayiphelanga, kanti njalo lamafutha agobhoza kokuphela kazaphela njengokutsho kukaThixo ku-Elija.
17 Now after this, the son of the woman of the house became ill, so ill that there was no breath in him.
Ngemva kwesikhatshana indodana yomfelokazi owayengumninindlu yagula. Wakhula umkhuhlane ngamandla, yaze yema ukuphefumula.
18 And she said to Elijah, What have I to do with you, O man of God? have you come to put God in mind of my sin, and to put my son to death?
Umfelokazi wathi ku-Elija, “Kanti kuyini ongizondela khona, wena muntu kaNkulunkulu? Kambe ungabe ulande ukuzangikhumbuza ngesono sami ukuze ubulale indodana yami na?”
19 And he said to her, Give your son to me. And lifting him out of her arms, he took him up to his room and put him down on his bed.
U-Elija waphendula wathi, “Nginika indodana yakho.” Wayiphatha ngezandla indodana, wakhwela layo waya endlini ephezulu ayehlala kuyo, wayilalisa embhedeni wakhe.
20 And crying to the Lord he said, O Lord my God, have you sent evil even on the widow whose guest I am, by causing her son's death?
Wasecela ngamandla kuThixo esithi. “Yebo Thixo Nkulunkulu wami, wehlisele umonakalo lakulo umfelokazi engihlezi kuye na, ngokubangela ukufa kwendodana yakhe na?”
21 And stretching herself out on the child three times, he made his prayer to the Lord, saying, O Lord my God, be pleased to let this child's life come back to him again.
Wasezelula ecambalala phezu komfana kathathu ecela kuThixo, esithi, “Wena Thixo Nkulunkulu wami, ake ubuyisele impilo yalumntwana!”
22 And the Lord gave ear to the voice of Elijah, and the child's spirit came into him again, and he came back to life.
UThixo wakuzwa ukukhala kuka-Elija lakanye impilo yomfana yabuyela, wavuka waphila.
23 And Elijah took the child down from his room into the house and gave him to his mother and said to her, See, your son is living.
U-Elija wamphakamisa umntwana wamthwalela endlini ephansi. Wamqhubela unina wasesithi kunina, “Khangela ubone, indodana yakho iyaphila!”
24 Then the woman said to Elijah, Now I am certain that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is true.
Umfelokazi wasesithi ku-Elija, “Khathesi sengisazi ukuthi ungumuntu kaNkulunkulu lokuthi ilizwi likaThixo elivela emlonyeni wakho liliqiniso.”
