2 Kings 5
1 Naaman, the king of Aram's army commander was considered a great man by his master and highly respected, for through him the Lord had made the Arameans victorious. He was a mighty warrior, but he was a leper.
UNamani wayengumlawuli webutho lenkosi yase-Aramu. Wayelodumo ehlonipheka emehlweni enkosi yakhe, ngoba ngaye uThixo wanika ele-Aramu ukunqoba. Wayelibutho elilesibindi, kodwa wayelobulephero.
2 Some Arameans had gone on a raid and had captured a young girl from the land of Israel. She had been made a servant to Naaman's wife.
Amaxuku amabutho ase-Aramu ayephumile athumba intombazana yako-Israyeli, yaba yisichaka somkaNamani.
3 She told her mistress, “If only my master would go and see the prophet who lives in Samaria. I'm sure he could cure him of his leprosy.”
Yathi kunkosikazi yayo, “Ngabe inkosi yami ike ibonane lomphrofethi oseSamariya! Ubezayelapha ubulephero bayo.”
4 Naaman went to his master and explained what the Israelite girl had said.
UNamani wayatshela inkosi yakhe ngalokhu okwakutshiwo yintombazana yako-Israyeli.
5 “You can go,” said the king of Aram, “and I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left. He took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing.
Inkosi yase-Aramu yathi, “Ye kufanele uhambe, ngizabhalela inkosi yako-Israyeli incwadi.” Ngakho uNamani wasuka ephethe amathalenta esiliva alitshumi, amashekeli egolide azinkulungwane eziyisithupha kanye lamaxha ezigqoko alitshumi.
6 The letter he took to the king of Israel read: “This letter accompanies my servant Naaman, sent to you so you can heal him of his leprosy.”
Incwadi ahamba layo enkosini yako-Israyeli yayisithi: “Ngalincwadi ngikuthumela inceku yami uNamani ukuba uzomelapha ubulephero bakhe.”
7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he ripped his clothes in panic and said, “Does this man think I'm God, having power over life and death, sending me a leper to heal? Obviously he's just trying to invent an excuse to attack me, as anyone can see!”
Inkosi yako-Israyeli yathi iqeda ukufunda incwadi leyo, yadabula izembatho zayo yathi, “NginguNkulunkulu mina na? Ngilamandla okubulala lamandla okuphilisa na? Kungani lumuntu ethumele umuntu esithi ngimelaphe ubulephero? Angithi liyabona ukuthi udinga ukuxabana lami!”
8 But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had ripped his clothes in panic, he sent a message to the king, saying: “What did you rip your clothes for? Please send the man to me, so he will be convinced there is a prophet in Israel.”
U-Elisha umuntu kaNkulunkulu esezwe ukuthi inkosi yako-Israyeli yayisidabule izembatho zayo, wayithumela ilizwi esithi, “Kungani usudabule izembatho zakho na? Letha indoda leyo kimi ukuze yazi ukuthi kulomphrofethi ko-Israyeli.”
9 So Naaman arrived with his horses and chariots and stood waiting at the door of Elisha's house.
Ngakho uNamani wahamba lamabhiza akhe kanye lezinqola zokulwa wayakuma emnyango wendlu ka-Elisha.
10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan. Then your body will be healed, and you will be clean.”
U-Elisha wathuma isithunywa ukuthi siyotshela uNamani sithi: “Hamba, uyegeza kasikhombisa emfuleni uJodani, inyama yakho izahluma njalo lawe uhlambuluke.”
11 But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I expected he would at least come out, stand there and invoke the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over where my leprosy is and heal it.
Kodwa uNamani wasuka ethukuthele wasesithi: “Mina benginakana ukuthi ngempela uzaphuma eze kimi ame abize ibizo likaThixo uNkulunkulu wakhe, aphakamise isandla phezu kwezilonda angelaphe ubulephero.
12 Aren't the rivers of Damascus, Abanah and Pharpar, better than any of these streams of Israel? Couldn't I have washed in them and been healed?” So he turned around and went off in a rage.
Imifula yaseDamaseko, i-Abhana leFariphari kayingcono yini kulawo wonke amanzi ako-Israyeli na? Bengingeke ngageza kiyo ngihlambuluke na?” Ngakho wafulathela wahamba ethukuthele.
13 But Naaman's officials went to him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you that you had to do something extraordinary, wouldn't you have done it? How much easier is it to do what he says, ‘Wash and you'll be healed’?”
Izinceku zikaNamani zamlanda zathi kuye, “Baba, alubana umphrofethi ubekutshele ukuthi wenze into enkulu ube ungayikuyenza na? Pho, kwehlula ngaphi nxa esithi, ‘Geza uhlambuluke’!”
14 So Naaman went down and plunged himself underwater in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him. His body was healed, his skin became like a baby's, and he was clean.
Yikho ukusuka kwakhe esiya khonale efika egeza kasikhombisa, njengokulaywa kwakhe ngumuntu kaNkulunkulu, inyama yakhe yahluma njalo yahlambuluka kungathi ngeyomfana omncinyane.
15 Then Naaman and his whole entourage went back to the man of God, stood before him, and Naaman announced, “Now I'm convinced that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept a gift from me, your servant.”
Ngakho uNamani kanye lezinceku zakhe babuyela kumphrofethi uNkulunkulu. Wafika wema phambi kwakhe wathi, “Ngiyakwazi ukuthi akulankulunkulu emhlabeni wonke ngaphandle kukaNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli. Ngoxolo ngicela wamukele lesisipho senceku yakho.”
16 But Elisha replied, “As the Lord lives, the one I serve, I will not accept anything.” Even though Naaman tried to persuade him to take the gift, he refused.
Umphrofethi wathi, “Ngeqiniso elinjengokuba uThixo engimkhonzayo ephila, angiyikwamukela lutho.” Kwathi lanxa uNamani emncenga wala.
17 So Naaman said, “If you won't, please let me, your servant, take back with me two mule loads of earth, for I will never again bring a burnt offering or make a sacrifice to any other god but the Lord.
UNamani wasesithi, “Nxa ungasoze ukwamukele ngiyacela, mina nceku yakho, ukuba ngithole umhlabathi walapha ongalingana ukuthwalwa zimbongolo ezimbili, ngoba mina nceku angisayikunikela iminikelo yokutshiswa lemihlatshelo lakuwuphi unkulunkulu kodwa kuThixo.
18 In addition, may the Lord forgive me for doing this: When my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and I assist him, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive me for doing so.”
Kodwa inceku yakho icela ukuba uThixo ayixolele kulokhu kuphela: Nxa inkosi yami ingena ethempelini likaRimoni ukuze iyemkhothamela ibambelele engalweni yami lami ngikhothame kanye layo, nxa ngikhothama ethempelini likaRimoni, ngiyacela ukuba uThixo angixolele kulokho.”
19 “Go in peace,” said Elisha, and Naaman left. But he had only gone a short way
U-Elisha wathi, “Hamba ngokuthula.” UNamani uthe esehambe okomango othile,
20 when Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “Just look how my master has let this Naaman the Syrian off the hook by not accepting the gifts he brought! As the Lord lives, I'll run after him and get something from him.”
uGehazi, isisebenzi sika-Elisha inceku kaNkulunkulu, wazitshela ukuthi, “Inkosi yami imyekele uNamani wase-Aramu, wahamba ingasamukelanga isipho sakhe. Ngeqiniso elinjengoba uThixo ephila ngizamgijimela ngiyezuza ulutho kuye.”
21 So Gehazi chased after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running after him, he jumped down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”
Ngakho uGehazi wahaluzela wamxhuma uNamani. Kwathi uNamani embona esiza egijima, wehla enqoleni yakhe wamhlangabeza, wambuza wathi, “Kulungile konke na?”
22 “Everything's fine,” Gehazi replied. “My master sent me to tell you, ‘I've just found out that two young men have arrived to see me from the sons of the prophets who live the hill country of Ephraim. Please let them have a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’”
UGehazi wathi, “Yebo, konke kulungile. Inkosi yami ingithumile ukuba ngithi, ‘Sekufike amajaha amabili exuku labaphrofethi bevela elizweni lezintaba elako-Efrayimi, icela ukuba uwanike ithalenta lesiliva elilodwa lezigqoko ezimbili.’”
23 But Naaman replied, “Please, take two talents.” He insisted that Gehazi to accept them. Then he tied up two talents of silver in two bags as well as two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, who carried them for Gehazi.
UNamani wathi, “Ngokujabula, ngithi thatha amathalenta amabili.” Wamkhuthaza uGehazi ukuba awamukele, wasebophela amathalenta esiliva amabili emigodleni emibili, lamaxha amabili ezigqoko. Wawaqhubela izisebenzi ezimbili, zawathwala zahamba kuqala phambi kukaGehazi.
24 When Gehazi arrived at the hill fortress, he took the gifts from the servants and put them in the house. He told the men they could go, and they left.
Esefikile eqaqeni uGehazi, wathatha impahla kulezozisebenzi wayazibeka endlini. Wathi kababuyele, lakanye basuka.
25 When Gehazi got back and attended his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” “Your servant hasn't been anywhere,” he replied.
Wasengena wafika wema phambi kwenkosi yakhe u-Elisha. U-Elisha wambuza wathi, “Ube ungaphi Gehazi?” UGehazi waphendula wathi, “Inceku yakho ayizange iye ndawo.”
26 But Elisha told him, “Didn't I see you in my mind's eye when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?
Kodwa u-Elisha wathi kuye, “Umoya wami ubungekanye lawe na lapho lowomuntu ephenduka enqoleni ekuhlangabeza? Yisikhathi sokwamukela imali lesi na, kumbe esokwamukela izigqoko, lezivande zama-oliva, lamavini lemihlambi yezimvu, leyenkomo, kumbe eyezinceku zesilisa lesifazane?
27 Consequently Naaman's leprosy will stick to you and your descendants forever!” As Gehazi left him, he had leprosy—he looked as white as snow.
Ubulephero bukaNamani buzanamathela kuwe lasenzalweni yakho kuze kube laphakade.” UGehazi wasuka phambi kuka-Elisha eselobulephero esemhlophe njengongqwaqwane.
