2 Kings 3
1 And Jehoram, the son of Ahab, became king over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of the rule of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah; and he was king for twelve years.
UJoramu indodana ka-Ahabi waba yinkosi yako-Israyeli eSamariya ngomnyaka wetshumi lasificaminwembili wokubusa kukaJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda, yena wabusa okweminyaka elitshumi lambili.
2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord; but not like his father and his mother, for he put away the stone pillar of Baal which his father had made.
Wona emehlweni kaThixo, kodwa kwakungafanani lokukayise lonina ababekwenzile. Walahla ilitshe likaBhali elalizila elalibazwe nguyise.
3 But still he did the same sins which Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, did and made Israel do; he went on in them.
Kodwa wagxila ezonweni zikaJerobhowamu indodana kaNebhathi, lezo ayebangele u-Israyeli ukuthi azenze; kazange azifulathele.
4 Now Mesha, king of Moab, was a sheep-farmer; and he gave regularly to the king of Israel the wool from a hundred thousand lambs and a hundred thousand sheep.
UMesha inkosi yaseMowabi wayefuya izimvu, wayefanele ukubhadala inkosi yako-Israyeli izimvu ezizinkulungwane ezilikhulu kanye loboya benqama ezizinkulungwane ezilikhulu.
5 But when Ahab was dead, the king of Moab got free from the authority of the king of Israel.
Kodwa ngemva kokufa kuka-Ahabi, inkosi yamaMowabi yahlamukela inkosi yako-Israyeli.
6 At that time, King Jehoram went out from Samaria and got all Israel together in fighting order.
Ngalesosikhathi inkosi uJoramu yasuka eSamariya yabutha abako-Israyeli bonke.
7 And he sent to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab has got free from my authority: will you go with me to make war on Moab? And he said, I will go with you: I am as you are, my people as your people, and my horses as your horses.
Wathumela lelilizwi kuJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda wathi: “Inkosi yamaMowabi isingihlamukele. Singahambisana siyehlasela amaMowabi na?” UJehoshafathi waphendula esithi, “Ngizahamba lawe. Mina nginguwe, abantu bami banjengabantu bakho, amabhiza ami anjengamabhiza akho.”
8 And he said, Which way are we to go? And he said in answer, By the waste land of Edom.
Wasebuza ukuthi, “Sizahlasela sivelela ngaphi na?” UJoramu wathi “Sizavelela eNkangala yase-Edomi.”
9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom by a roundabout way for seven days: and there was no water for the army or for the beasts they had with them.
Ngakho inkosi yako-Israyeli yaphuma lenkosi yakoJuda kanye lenkosi yase-Edomi. Ngemva kohambo bezulazula okwensuku eziyisikhombisa amanzi amabutho kanye lawezinyamazana zempi aphela.
10 And the king of Israel said, Here is trouble: for the Lord has got these three kings together to give them into the hands of Moab.
Inkosi yako-Israyeli yababaza yathi, “Kutheni kanti? UThixo angasibiza singamakhosi amathathu ukuze azosinikela ezandleni zamaMowabi na?”
11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may get directions from the Lord? And one of the king of Israel's men said in answer, Elisha, the son of Shaphat, is here, who was servant to Elijah.
Kodwa uJehoshafathi wabuza wathi, “Akulamphrofethi kaThixo yini, esingabuza ngaye kuThixo na?” Esinye sezikhulu zenkosi yako-Israyeli sathi, “Ukhona u-Elisha indodana kaShafathi. Wayeyinceku ka-Elija.”
12 And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
UJehoshafathi wathi, “Ilizwi likaThixo likuye.” Ngakho inkosi yako-Israyeli kanye loJehoshafathi lenkosi yase-Edomi baya kuye.
13 But Elisha said to the king of Israel, What have I to do with you? go to the prophets of your father and your mother. And the king of Israel said, No; for the Lord has got these three kings together to give them up into the hands of Moab.
U-Elisha wathi enkosini yako-Israyeli, “Mina lawe singenelana njani? Hamba kubaphrofethi bakayihlo lakubaphrofethi bakanyoko.” Inkosi yako-Israyeli yaphendula yathi, “Hayi, kungenxa yokuthi uThixo wasibiza sobathathu singamakhosi sinje ukuze asinikele kumaMowabi.”
14 Then Elisha said, By the life of the Lord of armies whose servant I am, if it was not for the respect I have for Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, I would not give a look at you, or see you.
U-Elisha wathi, “Njengoba uThixo uSomandla engimkhonzayo ephila, kungasikuhlonipha kwami ukuthi kuloJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda, ngibe ngingayikukukhangela loba ukukubona ukuthi ukhona kodwa lokhu.
15 But now, get me a player of music, and it will come about that while the man is playing, the hand of the Lord will come on me and I will give you the word of the Lord: and they got a player of music, and while the man was playing, the hand of the Lord was on him.
Kodwa-ke ngibizela umtshayi wechacho.” Umtshayi wechacho esatshaya ichacho, amandla kaThixo ehlela ku-Elisha,
16 And he said, The Lord says, I will make this valley full of water-holes.
wasesithi, “Ilizwi likaThixo lithi: Lungisani imigelo eminengi kulesisigodi.
17 For the Lord says, Though you see no wind or rain, the valley will be full of water, and you and your armies and your beasts will have drink.
Ngoba ilizwi likaThixo lithi: Aliyikubona yezi loba izulu, kodwa lesisigodi sizagcwala ngamanzi, kuthi lina lenkomo zenu kanye lezinyamazana zonke lithole ukunatha.
18 And this will be only a small thing to the Lord: in addition he will give the Moabites into your hands.
Le yinto elula kuThixo, njalo uzanikela amaMowabi esandleni sakho.
19 And you are to put every walled town to destruction, cutting down every good tree, and stopping up every water-spring, and making all the good land rough with stones.
Uzanqoba kuzozonke izinqaba zedolobho lakuyo yonke imizi eqakathekileyo. Uzawisa zonke izihlahla ezinhle, ugqibele yonke imithombo yamanzi, wonakalise wonke amasimu amahle ngamatshe.”
20 Now in the morning, about the time when the offering was made, they saw water flowing from the direction of Edom till the country was full of water.
Ngosuku olulandelayo ekuseni, ngesikhathi sokunikela imihlatshelo, lakanye babona, nanko amanzi egeleza evelela e-Edomi! Ngakho ilizwe lagcwala amanzi.
21 Now all Moab, hearing that the kings had come to make war against them, got together all who were able to take up arms and went forward to the edge of the country.
AmaMowabi wonke ayesezwile ukuthi amakhosi ayezohlasela; ngalokho amadoda wonke, abadala lamajaha, ababengenelisa ukuphatha izikhali balawulwa ukuba bayevikela umngcele.
22 And early in the morning they got up, when the sun was shining on the water, and they saw the water facing them as red as blood.
Bathi bevuka emadabukakusa bathola ilanga linkanyazela phezu kwamanzi. Ekuboneni kwamaMowabi ngale, amanzi ayekhanya ebomvu kungani ligazi. AmaMowabi asesithi,
23 Then they said, This is blood: it is clear that destruction has come on the kings; they have been fighting one another: now come, Moab, let us take their goods.
“Ligazi leliyana! Kutsho ukuthi amakhosi lawayana alwile abulalana wodwa. Asiyeni butha impango, maMowabi!”
24 But when they came to the tents of Israel, the Israelites came out and made a violent attack on the Moabites, so that they went in flight before them; and they went forward still attacking them;
Kodwa amaMowabi athe efika enkambeni yama-Israyeli, ama-Israyeli awavukela awahlasela, amaMowabi aze abaleka. Ngakho ama-Israyeli ahlasela ilizwe lelo abhubhisa amaMowabi.
25 Pulling down the towns, covering every good field with stones, stopping up all the water-springs, and cutting down all the good trees; they went on driving Moab before them till only in Kir-hareseth were there any Moabites; and the fighting-men went round the town raining stones on it.
Atshabalalisa imizi kwathi indoda nganye yaphosela ilitshe kuwo wonke amasimu amahle aze agcwala ngamatshe. Bagqibela yonke imithombo yamanzi njalo bagamula zonke izihlahla ezinhle. Kwasala iKhiri-Haresethi eyasala amatshe ayo elokhu enjalo, kodwa amadoda ayehlome ngezavutha ayihonqolozela njalo ayihlasela.
26 And when the king of Moab saw that the fight was going against him, he took with him seven hundred men armed with swords, with the idea of forcing a way through to the king of Aram, but they were not able to do so.
Inkosi yamaMowabi ithe ibona ukuthi isikhulelwa ekulweni, yathatha amadoda angamakhulu ayisikhombisa alwa ngenkemba yazama ukuthi idabule phakathi ngamandla iyephutshela enkosini yase-Edomi, kodwa yehluleka.
27 Then he took his oldest son, who would have been king after him, offering him as a burned offering on the wall. So there was great wrath against Israel; and they went away from him, back to their country.
Inkosi yaseMowabi yasithatha ingqabutho yayo eyiyo indodana eyayizasala ibusa yayinikela njengomnikelo wokutshiswa phezu kwemiduli yedolobho. Kwakukukhulu ukuthukuthelela abako-Israyeli baze bahlehla babuyela kwelakibo.
