1 Kings 12
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem because that is where the whole of Israel had gone to make him king.
URehobhowami waya eShekhemu, njengoba abako-Israyeli bonke babeye khona ukuyambeka ukuba abe yinkosi.
2 Jeroboam, son of Nebat, was still in Egypt when he heard about this. (He had run away to Egypt to escape from King Solomon and was living there.)
UJerobhowamu indodana kaNebhathi wakuzwa lokhu (elokhu eseGibhithe, lapho ayebalekele khona ebalekela inkosi uSolomoni) wabuya evela eGibhithe.
3 The Israelite leaders sent for him. Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israelites went to talk with Rehoboam.
Ngakho bakhupha ilizwi lokunxusa uJerobhowamu; kwathi yena labo bonke abako-Israyeli baya kuRehobhowami bafika bathi kuye:
4 “Your father placed a heavy burden on us,” they told him. “But now if you lighten the load when we served your father and the heavy demands he put on us, we will serve you.”
“Uyihlo wasethesa ijogwe elinzima kakhulu, wena phungula lumthwalo olochuku lejogwe elinzima esaletheswa nguyihlo, yikho sizakukhonza.”
5 Rehoboam answered, “Go away and come back in three days time.” So the people left.
URehobhowami waphendula wathi: “Sukani lapha okwensuku ezintathu beseliphenduka libuye kimi.” Ngakho abantu bahamba.
6 King Rehoboam asked for advice from the elders who had served his father Solomon when he was alive. “How do you advise me to reply to these people about this?” he asked.
INkosi uRehobhowami wabuza abadala besizwe ababehlale njalo basebenza loyise uSolomoni esaphila. Wababuza abadala wathi: “Lingangicebisa ukuthi ngibaphendule ngithini lababantu?”
7 They replied, “If you are a servant to these people today, if you serve them and answer them, by speaking kindly to them, they will always serve you.”
Baphendula bathi, “Nxa lamuhla ungaba yinceku yalababantu, ubasebenzele, ukhulumisane labo kuhle, bazahlala bezinceku zakho.”
8 But Rehoboam dismissed the advice of the elders. He instead asked advice from the young men who he had grown up with, and who were close to him.
Kodwa uRehobhowami kazange akwamukele ukucebisa kwabadala wakhetha ukudinga ulwazi kwabayintanga yakhe ababekhule bonke njalo kuyibo abasebezinceku zakhe.
9 He asked them, “What response do you advise that we send back to these people who have told me, ‘Lighten the burden your father put on us’?”
Wababuza wathi, “Seluleko bani elilaso? Singabaphendula sithini lababantu abathi kimi, ‘Ake uphungule ubunzima esabetheswa nguyihlo?’”
10 The young men who he had grown up with told him, “This is what you have to tell these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our burden heavy, but you should make it lighter.’ This is what you should answer them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!
Amajaha ayeyintanga yakhe amphendula athi, “Batshele lababantu abathi kuwe, ‘Uyihlo wasethesa ubunzima, akusiphungulele lobubunzima’ uthi kubo, ‘Ucikilicane wami uqatha kulokhalo lukababa.
11 My father placed a heavy burden on you, and I will make it even heavier. My father punished you with whips; I will punish you with scorpions.’”
Ubaba walethesa ubunzima, mina ngizabungezelela. Ubaba walitshaya ngezaswebhu, mina ngizalilumisa ngenkume.’”
12 Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, because the king had told them, “Come back in three days time.”
Ngemva kwensuku ezintathu uJerobhowamu labo bonke abantu babuyela kuRehobhowami, njengalokho okwakutshiwo yinkosi ukuthi, “Phendukani lize kimi ngemva kwensuku ezintathu.”
13 The king answered the people sharply. Dismissing the advice of the elders,
Inkosi yasiphendula abantu ngolaka. Yalahla izicebiso eyayiziphiwe ngabadala,
14 he replied using the advice of the young men. He said, “My father placed a heavy burden on you, and I will make it even heavier. My father punished you with whips; I will punish you with scorpions.”
yalandela ukucebisa kwabatsha, yathi, “Ubaba walethesa ijogwe elinzima, mina ngizalenza libe nzima okuphindiweyo. Ubaba walixathula ngemichilo, mina ngizalintinyela ngenkume.”
15 The king did not listen to what the people said, for this change in circumstances was from the Lord, to fulfill what the Lord had told Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
Ngakho inkosi ayizange ibalalele abantu, ngoba lokhu okwakusenzakala ngokwakuvela kuThixo, ukugcwalisa ilizwi likaThixo elaphiwa uJerobhowamu indodana kaNebhathi ngo-Ahija waseShilo.
16 When all the Israelites saw that the king wasn't listening to them, they told the king: “What share do we have in David, and what part do we have in the son of Jesse? Go home, Israel! You're on your own, house of David!” So all the Israelites went home.
Kwathi bonke abako-Israyeli sebebonile ukuthi inkosi yalile ukubalalela, bayiphendula inkosi bathi: “Silesabelo bani kuDavida, yingxenye bani endodaneni kaJese? Emathenteni enu bako-Israyeli! Gcina indlu yakho, wena kaDavida!” Ngakho abako-Israyeli babuyela emakhaya.
17 However, Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites who lived in Judah.
Kodwa uRehobhowami waqhubeka ebabusa abako-Israyeli ababehlala emadolobheni akoJuda.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent out Hadoram, who was in charge of forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam quickly jumped into his chariot and raced back to Jerusalem.
INkosi uRehobhowami yathuma u-Adoniramu, owayephethe izibhalwa, kodwa bonke abako-Israyeli bamkhanda ngamatshe bambulala. Kodwa iNkosi uRehobhowami, yona yenelisa ukubaleka ngenqola yempi yaya eJerusalema.
19 As a result, Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
Kusukela ngalesosikhathi abako-Israyeli bayihlamukela indlu kaDavida kuze kube lamuhla.
20 When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent for him, summoning him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah was left to the house of David.
Kwathi bonke abako-Israyeli besizwa ukuthi uJerobhowamu usebuyile bambizela enkundleni lapho abafika bambeka ukuba abe yinkosi yalo lonke elako-Israyeli. Isizwana sakoJuda saba yiso sodwa esasala sibuswa yindlu kaDavida.
21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered the men from the households of Judah and Benjamin— 180,000 chosen warriors—to go and fight against Israel to bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam, son of Solomon.
Kwathi uRehobhowami esefike eJerusalema wabuthanisa bonke abakoJuda labakoBhenjamini, amadoda empi azinkulungwane ezilikhulu lamatshumi ayisificaminwembili ukuba bayekulwa labako-Israyeli ukuze babuyisele uRehobhowami indodana kaSolomoni esihlalweni sobukhosi.
22 But a message from the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God that said,
Kodwa ilizwi likaNkulunkulu leza kuShemaya inceku kaNkulunkulu.
23 “Tell Rehoboam, son of Solomon, king of Judah, to Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people:
“Tshono kuRehobhowami indodana kaSolomoni inkosi yakoJuda, kubo bonke abendlu kaJuda lekaBhenjamini, lakubo bonke abanye abantu uthi,
24 ‘This is what the Lord says. Don't fight against your Israelite relatives. Every one of you, go home! For it was me that made this happen.’” So they obeyed what the Lord told them and went home, as the Lord had said.
‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo ukuthi: Lingahambi ukuyakulwa labafowenu, abako-Israyeli. Yanini emakhaya enu, munye ngamunye, ngoba lokhu okwenzakalayo kuvela kimi.’” Ngakho balilalela ilizwi likaThixo babuyela emakhaya abo, njengokulaywa kwabo nguThixo.
25 Jeroboam strengthened the town of Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went and built Penuel.
UJerobhowamu wasesakha iShekhemu elizweni lamaqaqa elako-Efrayimi wahlala khonale. Esuka lapho waphuma wayakwakha ePheniweli.
26 Jeroboam said to himself, “The kingdom could easily return to the house of David.
UJerobhowamu wacabanga wathi, “Umbuso usuzabuyela endlini kaDavida.
27 When people from here go to offer sacrifices at the Lord's Temple in Jerusalem, they will transfer their loyalty back to Rehoboam, king of Judah. Then they will kill me and go back to King Rehoboam.”
Nxa abantu laba bangayanikela imihlatshelo ethempelini likaThixo eJerusalema, bazaphinda baphe usekelo lwabo enkosini, uRehobhowami inkosi yakoJuda. Bazangibulala babuyele enkosini uRehobhowami.”
28 So after taking advice, the king had two golden calves made, and he told the people, “Don't bother going to Jerusalem any more. Look, Israel, here are your gods who led you out of the land of Egypt.”
Ngemva kokudinga ukwelulekwa, inkosi yenza amathole egolide amabili. Yasisithi ebantwini, “Kunzima kakhulu kini ukuthi liye eJerusalema. Nampa onkulunkulu benu, Oh Israyeli, abalikhupha eGibhithe.”
29 He placed one in Bethel, and the other in Dan.
Wasemisa elinye eBhetheli, elinye njalo eDani.
30 This action brought about sin, because the people went as far north as Dan to worship the idol there.
Lokhu kwaba yisono; abantu babesiya khonale eDani ukuyakhonza lelo elalikhonale.
31 In addition Jeroboam had shrines built on high places and appointed as priests all kinds of people who were not Levites.
UJerobhowamu wakha amathempeli ezindaweni eziphakemeyo wasebeka abaphristi emihlotsheni yonke yabantu, lakulabo ababengasibo abaLevi.
32 Jeroboam initiated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, just like the festival held in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. He made this offering in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made, and appointed priests in Bethel for the high places he had built.
Wamisa umkhosi ngosuku lwetshumi lanhlanu ngenyanga yetshumi lasificaminwembili, owawunjengomkhosi owasusenziwa koJuda, wanikela imihlatshelo e-Alithareni. Lokhu wakwenza eBhetheli, enikela ematholeni ayewenzile. LeBhetheli wabeka abaphristi ezindaweni eziphezulu ayezenzile.
33 So on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month he had chosen himself, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he had set up in Bethel. In this way he instituted a festival for the Israelites, offering sacrifices on the altar and burning incense.
Ngosuku lwetshumi lanhlanu lwenyanga yesificaminwembili, inyanga ayezikhethele yona, wanikela imihlatshelo e-alithareni ayelakhile eBhetheli. Ngakho wamisa umkhosi kwabako-Israyeli waya e-alithareni ukuyanikela imihlatshelo.
