2 Kings 17
1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz, king of Judah, Hoshea, the son of Elah, became king over Israel in Samaria, ruling for nine years.
Ngomnyaka wetshumi lambili wokubusa kuka-Ahazi inkosi yakoJuda, uHosheya indodana ka-Ela waba yinkosi yako-Israyeli eSamariya, njalo wabusa iminyaka eyisificamunwemunye.
2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, though not like the kings of Israel before him.
Wenza ububi phambi kukaThixo, kodwa akubanga njengokwamakhosi ako-Israyeli amandulelayo.
3 Against him came up Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, and Hoshea became his servant and sent him offerings.
UShalimaneseri inkosi yase-Asiriya weza wahlasela uHosheya, owayekade eyisichaka sakhe esasithela kuye.
4 But Hoshea's broken faith became clear to the king of Assyria because he had sent representatives to So, king of Egypt, and did not send his offering to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: so the king of Assyria had him shut up in prison and put in chains.
Kodwa inkosi yase-Asiriya yafumana ukuthi uHosheya ngumhlamuki, ngoba wayekade ethumele amanxusa enkosini yaseGibhithe uSo, njalo engasatheli imithelo enkosini yase-Asiriya njengalokhu ayekwenza minyaka yonke. Ngakho uShalimaneseri wambamba wamfaka entolongweni.
5 Then the king of Assyria went through all the land and came up to Samaria, shutting it in with his forces for three years.
Inkosi yase-Asiriya yasihlasela ilizwe lonke, yangena eSamariya yalivimbezela okweminyaka emithathu.
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and took Israel away to Assyria, placing them in Halah and in Habor on the river Gozan, and in the towns of the Medes.
Ngomnyaka wesificamunwemunye kaHosheya, inkosi yase-Asiriya yathumba iSamariya yaxotshela abako-Israyeli e-Asiriya. Yabahlalisa eHala, ngaseGozani eMfuleni uHabhori lasemizini yamaMede.
7 And the wrath of the Lord came on Israel because they had done evil against the Lord their God, who took them out of the land of Egypt from under the yoke of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and had become worshippers of other gods,
Konke lokhu kwenzakala ngenxa yokona kwabako-Israyeli phambi kukaThixo, owabakhupha eGibhithe emandleni kaFaro inkosi yaseGibhithe. Bakhonza abanye onkulunkulu
8 Living by the rules of the nations whom the Lord had sent out from before the children of Israel.
belandela lemikhuba yezizwe uThixo ayezixotshile phambi kwabo kanye lemikhuba amakhosi ako-Israyeli ayeseyingenisile.
9 And the children of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things which were not right, building high places for themselves in all their towns, from the tower of the watchmen to the walled town.
Basebesenza ngasese izinto ezazingalunganga kuThixo. Kusukela emphongolweni wesilindo kusiya enqabeni yomuzi basebezakhele izindawo zokukhonzela emizini yabo.
10 They put up pillars of stone and wood on every high hill and under every green tree:
Bazimisela amatshe okukhonzela lezinsika zika-Ashera kuwo wonke amaqaqa aphakemeyo langaphansi kwazo zonke izihlahla eziyizithingithingi.
11 Burning their offerings in all the high places, as those nations did whom the Lord sent away from before them; they did evil things, moving the Lord to wrath;
Kuzozonke izindawo zokukhonzela batshisa impepha, njengalokhu okwakusenziwa yizizwe uThixo ayezixotshile phambi kwabo. Benza okubi okwathukuthelisa uThixo.
12 And they made themselves servants of disgusting things, though the Lord had said, You are not to do this.
Bakhonza izithombe, lanxa uThixo wayethe, “Lingabokwenza lokhu.”
13 And he gave witness to Israel and Judah, by every prophet and seer, saying, Come back from your evil ways, and do my orders and keep my rules, and be guided by the law which I gave to your fathers and sent to you by my servants the prophets.
UThixo wayebaxwayisile abako-Israyeli kanye labakoJuda ngabaphrofethi bakhe bonke lezanuse wathi: “Tshiyani izindlela zenu ezimbi. Gcinani imithetho yami lezimiso zami ezisemlayweni engalaya okhokho benu ngawo lengawuthumela kini ngezinceku zami abaphrofethi.”
14 And they did not give ear, but became stiff-necked, like their fathers who had no faith in the Lord their God.
Kodwa abalalelanga njalo baba ntamolukhuni njengabokhokho babo, bona abangazange bathembele kuThixo wabo.
15 And they went against his rules, and the agreement which he made with their fathers, and his laws which he gave them; they gave themselves up to things without sense or value, and became foolish like the nations round them, of whom the Lord had said, Do not as they do.
Balahla izimiso zakhe lesivumelwano asenza labokhokho babo lezixwayiso ayebanike zona. Balandela izithombe eziyize, labo ngokwabo baba yize, balingisela izizwe ababehlala phakathi kwazo lanxa uThixo wayebalaye wathi, “Lingenzi njengabo,” njalo benza izinto ayebanqabele ukuthi bazenze.
16 And turning their backs on all the orders which the Lord had given them, they made for themselves images of metal, and the image of Asherah, worshipping all the stars of heaven and becoming servants to Baal.
Bayephula yonke imilayo kaThixo wabo, bazenzela izithombe ezikhandiweyo ezamathole amabili, benza insika ku-Ashera. Bakhothamela zonke izinkanyezi zezulu, njalo bakhonza uBhali.
17 And they made their sons and their daughters go through the fire, and they made use of secret arts and unnatural powers, and gave themselves up to doing evil in the eyes of the Lord, till he was moved to wrath.
Benza umhlatshelo ngamadodana lamadodakazi abo emlilweni. Babevumisa njalo besenza ubuthakathi, bazinikela ekwenzeni okubi phambi kukaThixo bamthukuthelisa.
18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel, and his face was turned away from them: only the tribe of Judah kept its place.
Ngakho uThixo wabathukuthelela abako-Israyeli wabaxotsha kuye. Isizwana sakoJuda yiso kuphela esasalayo,
19 (But even Judah did not keep the orders of the Lord their God, but were guided by the rules which Israel had made.
loba nje laye uJuda engayigcinanga imilayo kaThixo. Balandela imikhuba eyayingeniswe ngabako-Israyeli.
20 So the Lord would have nothing to do with all the offspring of Israel, and sent trouble on them, and gave them up into the hands of their attackers, till he had sent them away from before his face.)
Ngakho uThixo wakhalala bonke abantu bako-Israyeli; wabahlukuluza njalo wabanikela ezandleni zabaphangi, waze wabasusa phambi kwakhe.
21 For Israel was broken off from the family of David, and they made Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, king, who, driving them away from the laws of the Lord, made them do a great sin.
UThixo uthe esemkhiphile u-Israyeli endlini kaDavida, babeka uJerobhowamu indodana kaNebhathi ukuba abe yinkosi yabo. UJerobhowamu wamphambula u-Israyeli ekulandeleni uThixo wambangela ukuba enze isono esikhulu.
22 And the children of Israel went on with all the sins which Jeroboam did; they did not keep themselves from them;
Abako-Israyeli baqhubeka ngazozonke izono zikaJerobhowamu abaze bazidela.
23 Till the Lord put Israel away from before his face, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was taken away from their land to Assyria, to this day.
UThixo waze wabasusa phambi kwakhe, njengoba wayexwayisile ngezinceku zakhe zonke abaphrofethi. Ngakho abantu bako-Israyeli bathunjwa elizweni labo basiwa e-Asiriya, njalo balokhu bekhonale.
24 Then the king of Assyria took men from Babylon and from Cuthah and Avva and Hamath and Sepharvaim, and put them in the towns of Samaria in place of the children of Israel; so they got Samaria for their heritage, living in its towns.
Inkosi yase-Asiriya yaletha abantu ababevela eBhabhiloni, leKhutha, le-Ava, leHamathi kanye leSefavayimi yayabahlalisa emizini yeSamariya endaweni eyayingeyabako-Israyeli.
25 Now when first they were living there they did not give worship to the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them, causing the death of some of them.
Ekuqaleni kokuhlala kwabo khona, babengamkhonzi uThixo; ngakho uThixo wathumela izilwane phakathi kwabo, zabulala abanye babo.
26 So they said to the king of Assyria, The nations whom you have taken as prisoners and put in the towns of Samaria, have no knowledge of the way of the god of the land: so he has sent lions among them, causing their death, because they have no knowledge of his way.
Kwabikwa enkosini yase-Asiriya kwathiwa, “Abantu obaxotshele eSamariya wabahlalisa emizini yakhona abakwazi ukuthi unkulunkulu walelolizwe ufunani. Usethumele izilwane phakathi kwabo, ezibabulalayo zibaqeda, ngoba abantu abakwazi ukuthi ufunani.”
27 Then the king of Assyria gave orders, saying, Send there one of the priests whom you took away, and let him be living there and teaching the people the way of the god of the land.
Inkosi yase-Asiriya yakhupha isiqondiso yathi, “Thuma omunye wabaphristi owabathumbayo eSamariya, abuyele ayohlala labantu njalo abafundise ukuthi unkulunkulu walelolizwe ufunani.”
28 So one of the priests whom they had taken away as a prisoner from Samaria came back, and, living in Beth-el, became their teacher in the worship of the Lord.
Ngakho omunye wabaphristi ababethunjwe eSamariya weza wayahlala eBhetheli wabafundisa ukuthi uThixo ukhonzwa njani?
29 And every nation made gods for themselves, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the towns where they were living.
Loba kunjalo, yileloqembu ngobuzwe balo lenza onkulunkulu balo emadolobheni wonke ababehlaliswe khona, bababeka ezindaweni zokukhonzela ezazakhiwe ngabantu beSamariya.
30 The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
Abantu ababevela eBhabhiloni babumba uSukhothi-Bhenothi, kwathi ababevela eKhutha benza uNerigali, ababevela eHamathi benza u-Ashima,
31 The Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites gave their children to be burned in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
ama-Avi enza uNibhazi kanye loTharithaki, lamaSefavi enza umhlatshelo ngokutshisa abantwababo emlilweni benikela ku-Adrameleki lo-Anameleki, onkulunkulu bamaSefavayimi.
32 So they went on worshipping the Lord, and made for themselves, from among all the people, priests for the high places, to make offerings for them in the houses of the high places.
Bamkhonza uThixo, kodwa basebezikhethela phakathi kwabo inhlobo zonke zabantu ukuthi babe ngabaphristi ezindaweni eziphakemeyo zokukhonzela.
33 They gave worship to the Lord, but they gave honour to their gods like the nations did from whom they had been taken as prisoners.
Bamkhonza uThixo, kodwa babekhonza labonkulunkulu babo belandela imikhuba yezizwe ababevela kizo.
34 So to this day they go on in their old ways, not worshipping the Lord or keeping his orders or his ways or the law and the rule which the Lord gave to the children of Jacob, to whom he gave the name Israel;
Kuze kube lamuhla balokhu bekwenza lokhu belandela imikhuba emidala. Abamkhonzi uThixo njalo abalandeli izimiso leziqondiso, imithetho lemilayo uThixo ayeyiphe abantwana bakaJakhobe, lo ambiza ngokuthi ngu-Israyeli.
35 And the Lord made an agreement with them and gave them orders, saying, You are to have no other gods; you are not to give worship to them or be their servants or make them offerings:
UThixo wathi esenza isivumelwano labako-Israyeli, wabalaya wathi, “Lingakhonzi abanye onkulunkulu loba ukubakhothamela, lingabenzeli lutho loba ukubenzela umhlatshelo.
36 But the Lord, who took you out of the land of Egypt with his great power and his outstretched arm, he is your God, to whom you are to give worship and make offerings:
Khonzani kuphela uThixo, yena owalikhuphula walisusa eGibhithe ngamandla amakhulu langesandla somusa esivulekileyo, nguye yedwa okumele limkhonze. Kuye lizakhothama njalo kuye lizanikela imihlatshelo.
37 And the rules and the orders and the law which he put in writing for you, you are to keep and do for ever; you are to have no other gods.
Linanzelele ngezikhathi zonke ukulondoloza izimiso, leziqondiso, imithetho lemilayo alilobela yona. Lingabokhonza abanye onkulunkulu.
38 And you are to keep in memory the agreement which I have made with you; and you are to have no other gods.
Lingakhohlwa isivumelwano engasenza lani, njalo lingakhonzi abanye onkulunkulu.
39 And you are to give worship to the Lord your God; for it is he who will give you salvation from the hands of all who are against you.
Kodwa, khonzani uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu, nguye ozalikhulula ezandleni zezitha zenu zonke.”
40 But they gave no attention, but went on in their old way.
Loba kunjalo, kabazange balalele kodwa baqhubeka belandela imikhuba yabo yakuqala.
41 So these nations, worshipping the Lord, still were servants to the images they had made; their children and their children's children did the same; as their fathers did, so do they, to this day.
Lanxa babemkhonza uThixo, babelandela izithombe zabo. Lalamuhla abantwababo labantwana babantwababo balokhu besenza khonokho okwakusenziwa ngoyise.
