< 2 Kings 2 >
1 Just before the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were walking together on their way from Gilgal.
Kwathi uThixo esezathatha u-Elija ukuba aye ezulwini ngesivunguzane, u-Elija lo-Elisha babevela eGiligali.
2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha replied, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Bethel.
U-Elija wathi ku-Elisha, “Hlala lapha; uThixo usengithume eBhetheli.” Kodwa u-Elisha wathi, “Njengoba uThixo ephila njalo njengoba lawe uphila, angiyikutshiyana lawe.” Ngakho basuka baya eBhetheli.
3 The sons of the prophets who lived in Bethel came to Elisha and told him, “You do know that the Lord is going to take your master away from you today, don't you?” “Yes, I know,” he replied. “Don't talk about it.”
Iqula labaphrofethi eBhetheli leza ku-Elisha lambuza lisithi: “Uyakwazi yini ukuthi uThixo uzakuthathela inkosi yakho lamuhla na?” U-Elisha wathi, “Yebo, ngiyakwazi, kodwa lingakhulumi ngakho.”
4 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, Elisha, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” He replied, “As the Lord lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.
Ngakho u-Elija wasesithi kuye, “Hlala lapha, Elisha; uThixo usengithume eJerikho.” U-Elisha waphendula wathi: “Njengoba uThixo ephila njalo njengoba lawe uphila, angiyikutshiyana lawe.” Ngakho basuka baya eJerikho.
5 The sons of the prophets who lived in Jericho came to Elisha and told him, “You do know that the Lord is going to take your master away from you today, don't you?” “Yes, I know,” he replied. “Don't talk about it.”
Iqula labaphrofethi eJerikho laya ku-Elisha lambuza lisithi, “Uyakwazi yini ukuthi uThixo uzathatha inkosi yakho lamuhla na?” Waphendula wathi, “Yebo, ngiyakwazi, kodwa lingakhulumi ngakho.”
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, Elisha, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” He replied, “As the Lord lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they travelled on together.
Ngakho u-Elija wasesithi, “Hlala khonapha; uThixo usengithume eJodani.” Yena waphendula wathi, “Njengoba uThixo ephila njalo njengoba lawe uphila, angiyikutshiyana lawe.” Ngakho baqhubekela phambili ngohambo.
7 Then a group of fifty of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing Elijah and Elisha at a distance as the two of them stood by the Jordan.
Amadoda angamatshumi amahlanu exukwini labaphrofethi asuka ayakuma bucwadlana ekhangele lapho u-Elija lo-Elisha ababemi khona eJodani.
8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and hit the water. It divided to the one side and to the other and both of them crossed over on dry ground.
U-Elija wasethatha ingubo yakhe, wayigoqa watshaya ngayo amanzi. Amanzi adabuka phakathi amanye aba kwesokunene amanye kwesokhohlo, basebechapha emhlabathini owomileyo.
9 When they arrived on the other side, Elijah asked Elisha, “What can I do for you before I'm taken from you?” “Please let me have a double amount of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
Ekuchapheni kwabo, u-Elija wathi ku-Elisha, “Akungitshele, kambe kuyini engingakwenzela khona ngingakasuswa kuwe?” U-Elisha waphendula wathi, “Ngicela isabelo esiphindwe kabili somoya wakho.”
10 “What you have asked for is hard,” Elijah responded. “But if you see me when I am taken from you, you will have it, otherwise not.”
U-Elija wathi, “Usucele into elukhuni, ungangibona ngisuswa kuwe kuzakuba ngokwakho, kodwa nxa kungangabinjalo akuyikuba ngokwakho.”
11 As they were walking along, talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire came between them, and Elijah was taken up in the whirlwind to heaven.
Besahamba belokhu bekhuluma, kwafika inqola yokulwa yomlilo lamabhiza ayo avuthayo yabehlukanisa, ngakho u-Elija waya ezulwini ngesivunguzane.
12 Elisha saw what happened and cried out, “My father! My father! Look! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” Then Elisha couldn't see him anymore. He took his clothes and ripped them to pieces.
U-Elisha ebona lokhu wamemeza wathi, “Baba! Baba! Izinqola zokulwa labamabhiza okulwa ako-Israyeli!” U-Elisha kasazange aphinde ambone futhi. Wasethatha izigqoko zakhe wazidabula.
13 Then Elisha picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
Wasedobha ingubo eyayiwe ku-Elija wabuyela emuva wayakuma okhunjini lomfula uJodani.
14 He took Elijah's cloak that had fallen from him, hit the water, and cried out, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he hit the water, it divided to the one side and to the other and Elisha crossed over.
Wathatha ingubo eyayiwe kuye watshaya ngayo amanzi wathi, “Ungaphi khathesi uThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Elija?” Wasetshaya amanzi, adabuka phakathi amanye kwesokunene amanye kwesokhohlo, wasechaphela ngaphetsheya.
15 The sons of the prophets who lived in Jericho saw him from the opposite side and shouted out, “Elijah's spirit now rests upon Elisha!” They went over to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him.
Ixuku labaphrofethi ababevela eJerikho, ababebukele, lathi, “Umoya ka-Elija uphezu kuka-Elisha.” Basebesiya mhlangabeza bakhothama phambi kwakhe.
16 “Look,” they said to Elisha, “we your servants have fifty good men here. Please allow them to go and search for your master. Maybe the Spirit of the Lord has taken him and put him down on a mountain or in a valley somewhere.” “Don't bother sending them,” Elisha replied.
Basebesithi, “Uyabona, thina izinceku zakho silamadoda angamatshumi amahlanu enelisayo. Yekela amadoda la ayedinga inkosi yakho. Mhlawumbe uMoya kaThixo umthethe wayambeka entabeni ethile loba esihotsheni esithile.” U-Elisha wathi, “Hatshi, lingabathumi.”
17 But they went on trying to persuade him until he was too embarrassed to say no. “Go ahead and send them,” he told them. So they sent fifty men, who searched for Elijah for three days but couldn't find him.
Kodwa baphikelela waze wakhulelwa zinhloni zokuba elokhu esala. Wasesithi, “Bathumeni.” Ngakho bathuma amadoda angamatshumi amahlanu, amdinga okwensuku ezintathu amswela.
18 When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn't I tell you not to bother going?”
Bathe sebebuyela ku-Elisha, owayesehlala eJerikho, wababuza wathi, “Bengingalitshelanga yini ukuthi lingamdingi?”
19 The townspeople said to Elisha, “Look, sir, while our town has a good location as you can see, the water is bad and the soil is poor.”
Amadoda omuzi wakhona athi ku-Elisha, “Akubone, nkosi yethu, umuzi lo usendaweni ebukekayo, njengoba lawe uzibonela, kodwa amanzi alapha mabi lomhlaba wakhona awulazithelo.”
20 “Bring me a brand new bowl and put some salt in it,” he replied. So they brought it to him.
U-Elisha wathi, “Ngiphani umganu oyingubhe liwufake itswayi.” Ngakho bawuletha umganu.
21 Then Elisha went to the spring, threw the salt into it, and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have purified this water. It won't cause death or miscarriages anymore.’”
Wasephuma esiya emthonjeni wafika waphosela khona itswayi ekhuluma esithi, “Ilizwi likaThixo lithi: ‘Sengiwahlambulule amanzi la. Awangeke aphinde futhi abangele ukufa loba ukungatheli kuhle kwalumhlaba.’”
22 The water there is still pure to this very day, just as Elisha said it would be.
Amanzi lawo kusukela mhlalokho kuze kube lamuhla mahle, njengokwakutshiwo ngu-Elisha.
23 Elisha went on from there to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of youths came from the town. They made fun of him, calling out, “Go on up, baldy! Go on up, baldy!”
Esuka lapho u-Elisha waya eBhetheli. Esahamba endleleni, kwavela kulowomuzi ixuku lentanga yabatsha lamhoza lisithi, “Qhubeka, wena mpabanga! Qhubeka, wena mpabanga!”
24 Turning around, he looked at them and called down a curse on them in the Lord's name. Suddenly two female bears came out of the forest and mauled forty-two of them.
Wanyemukula, wabakhangela wasebehlisela isiqalekiso ngebizo likaThixo. Kwasekuvela amabhele amabili ehlathini afohloza abangamatshumi amane lababili babo.
25 Elisha carried on to Mount Carmel, and from there he went back to Samaria.
Wasesedlulela eNtabeni yaseKhameli, uthe esesuka lapho waya eSamariya.