2 Chronicles 25
1 Amaziah was 25 years old when he became the king [of Judah], and he ruled from Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother was Jehoaddin; she was from Jerusalem.
U-Amaziya wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lanhlanu ubudala ekubekweni kwakhe ukuba yinkosi, njalo wabusa eJerusalema okweminyaka engamatshumi amabili lasificamunwemunye. Ibizo likanina linguJehowadani evela eJerusalema.
2 Amaziah did many things that pleased Yahweh, but he did not do them enthusiastically.
Wenza okulungileyo emehlweni kaThixo, kodwa kakwenzanga ngenhliziyo yakhe yonke.
3 As soon as he was in complete control of his kingdom, he caused to be executed the officials who had murdered his father.
Kwathi umbuso wakhe usuqinile, wabulala izikhulu zakhe ezazibulele inkosi uyise.
4 But he did not command their sons to be executed; he obeyed what was in the laws that Moses had written. In those laws Yahweh had commanded, “People must not be executed because of [what] their children [have done], and children must not be executed for [what] their parents [have done]. People must be executed only for the sins that they themselves have committed.”
Kodwa amadodana azo kawabulalanga, wenza okuseMthethweni, eNcwadini kaMosi, lapho uThixo wapha umlayo wathi: “Oyise kabayikubulawa ngenxa yabantwababo, labantwababo kabayikubulawa ngenxa yaboyise; ngulowo lalowo uzafela izono zakhe.”
5 Amaziah summoned the men of [the tribes of] Judah and Benjamin to come to Jerusalem, and there he put them in groups, each clan in a group by themselves. Then he appointed officers to command each group. Some officers commanded 100 men and some commanded 1,000 men. They counted the men who were at least 20 years old; altogether there were 300,000 men. They were all men who were prepared to be in the army, and able to [fight well, ] using spears and shields.
U-Amaziya wabuthanisa abantu bakoJuda wabamisa ngezindlu zabo bephethwe yizinduna zezinkulungwane lezamakhulu kwelakoJuda lelakoBhenjamini. Wasebutha kusukela kwabaleminyaka engamatshumi amabili kusiya phezulu, wathola bezinkulungwane ezingamakhulu amathathu, amadoda akhethiweyo, angaphuma impi, angahloma ngemikhonto langezihlangu.
6 Amaziah also hired 100,000 capable soldiers from Israel and paid almost four tons of silver for them.
Wabuya waqhatsha ko-Israyeli amaqhawe alamandla azinkulungwane ezilikhulu ngamathalenta esiliva alikhulu.
7 But a prophet came to him and said, “Your majesty, you must not allow those soldiers from Israel to march with your soldiers, because Yahweh does not help the people of the tribe of Ephraim or from [anywhere else in] Israel.
Kodwa kwafika kuye inceku kaNkulunkulu yathi: “Nkosi yami, amabutho ako-Israyeli la akufanelanga aphume impi kanye lawe ngoba uThixo kakho kwabako-Israyeli, kakho lakubani ebantwini bako-Efrayimi.
8 Even if your soldiers go and fight courageously in battles, God will cause your enemies to defeat you; do not forget that God has the power to help armies or to cause them to be defeated.”
Loba ungaze uhambe uyekulwa ngesibindi empini, uNkulunkulu uzakuchitha phambi kwesitha ngoba uNkulunkulu ulamandla okukusiza loba ukukuchitha.”
9 Amaziah asked that prophet, “If I do that, what about the huge amount of silver that I paid to hire those soldiers from Israel?” The prophet replied, “Yahweh is able to pay you back more money than you paid [to hire those soldiers].”
U-Amaziya wasebuza inceku kaNkulunkulu wathi, “Pho ngizakuthini ngamathalenta alikhulu engiwabhadalele amabutho ako-Israyeli?” Inceku kaNkulunkulu yaphendula yathi, “UThixo angakunika okunengi kakhulu kulalokho.”
10 So Amaziah told those soldiers from Israel to return home. They left to go home, but they were very angry with the king of Judah [for not allowing them to stay and fight].
U-Amaziya wawakhulula amabutho ayevela ko-Efrayimi wathi kawabuyele kibo. Lokhu amabutho abazondela abakoJuda abuyela kibo ngokufuthelana okukhulu.
11 Then Amaziah became brave, and he led his army to the Salt Valley. There they killed 10,000 men from the Edom people-group.
U-Amaziya wasequnga isibindi, waphuma lamabutho akhe, waya eSigodini seTswayi, lapho abulala khona amadoda aseSeyiri azinkulungwane ezilitshumi.
12 The army of Judah also captured 10,000 others, and took them to the top of a cliff and threw them all down over the cliff, with the result that their corpses were all smashed to pieces.
Ibutho lakoJuda lathumba amadoda azinkulungwane ezilitshumi ephila, lawaqhuba layawafikisa engqongeni yeliwa lapho awaphosela khona phansi aphahlazeka wonke aba yizicucu.
13 While that was happening, the soldiers from Israel whom Amaziah had sent home after not allowing them to fight along with his soldiers, raided cities and towns in Judea, from Samaria [city] to Beth-Horon [town]. They killed 3,000 people and took away a great amount of valuable things.
Kwathi amabutho ayebuyiselwe emuva ngu-Amaziya ngoba engasafuni ukuthi amlwele impi, ahamba ehlasela imizi yaseSamariya laseBhethi-Horoni kwelakoJuda. Abulala abantu abazinkulungwane ezintathu njalo athutha impango enengi kakhulu.
14 When Amaziah returned [to Jerusalem] after his army had slaughtered the soldiers from Edom, he brought the idols that were worshiped by the people of Edom. He set them up to be his own gods. Then he bowed down to [worship] them and offered sacrifices to them.
U-Amaziya wathi esevela bulala ama-Edomi wabuya ethwele onkulunkulu babantu baseSeyiri. Wabamisa baba ngonkulunkulu bakhe wakhothama kubo wanikela iminikelo yokutshiswa.
15 Because of that, Yahweh was very angry with Amaziah. He sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why do you worship these foreign gods that were not even able to save their own people when your army attacked them?”
Ulaka lukaThixo lwavutha wathukuthelela u-Amaziya, wasethuma umphrofethi owafika wambuza wathi, “Kungani udinga uncedo kubonkulunkulu balababantu na, abehluleka ukuvikela abantu babo ekubahlaseleni kwakho?”
16 While he was still speaking, the king said to him, “We certainly did not appoint you to be one of my advisors. So stop [talking]! If you say anything more, [I will tell my soldiers to] kill you!” So the prophet said, “I know that God has determined to get rid of you, because you have [begun to] worship idols, and have not heeded my advice.” Then the prophet said nothing more.
Wathi esakhuluma, inkosi yathi kuye, “Sikubekile yini ukuba ngumcebisi wenkosi na? Thula! Kungani udinga ukubulawa na?” Ngakho umphrofethi wema kodwa wasesithi, “Ngiyakwazi ukuthi uNkulunkulu uzimisele ukuthi akubhubhise, ngoba lokhu akwenzileyo kutsho ukuthi awuzange ulalele ukucebisa kwami.”
17 Some time later Amaziah, the king of Judah, consulted his advisors. Then he sent a message to Jehoash, the king of Israel. He wrote, “Come here and let’s talk together.”
Ngemva kokuba u-Amaziya inkosi yakoJuda eseke wabuza abacebisi bakhe, wathumela ilizwi kuJowashi indodana kaJehowahazi, indodana kaJehu, inkosi yako-Israyeli wathi: “Woza, siqondane ubuso ngobuso.”
18 But Jehoash replied to King Amaziah, “One time a thistle growing [in the mountains] in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree saying, ‘Let your daughter marry my son.’ But a wild animal in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle under its feet.
Kodwa uJowashi inkosi yako-Israyeli waphendula u-Amaziya inkosi yakoJuda wathi: “Isihlahla sameva saseLebhanoni sathumela umbiko kwesomsedari waseLebhanoni sathi: ‘Yendisela indodakazi yakho endodaneni yami ibe ngumkayo.’ Ngakho kwavela isilo saseLebhanoni sanyathela safohloza isihlahla sameva.
19 [The meaning of what I am saying is that] you are saying to yourself that your army has defeated the army of Edom, so you have become very proud. But you should stay at your home. It would not be good for you to cause trouble, which would result in you and your kingdom of Judah being destroyed.”
Uzitshela ukuthi usuyinqobile i-Edomi, khathesi usuziqhenya. Kodwa hlala ekhaya! Kungani uzibangela uhlupho oluzakuchitha luze luchithe loJuda na?”
20 But Amaziah refused to heed Jehoash’s message. That happened because God wanted Jehoash’s army to defeat them, because they were worshiping the gods of Edom.
Kodwa u-Amaziya kazange alalele ngoba uNkulunkulu wayekumisile ukuthi uzabanikela kuJowashi, ngenxa yokukhonza kwabo onkulunkulu bama-Edomi.
21 So Jehoash’s army attacked. Their two armies faced each other at Beth-Shemesh [city] in Judah.
Ngakho uJowashi inkosi yako-Israyeli wasehlasela. Yena kanye lo-Amaziya inkosi yakoJuda baqondana ubuso ngobuso eBhethi-Shemeshi koJuda.
22 The army of Judah was badly defeated by the army of Israel, and all the soldiers of Judah fled to their homes.
UJuda wachithwa ngu-Israyeli, kwathi amadoda wonke abalekela emizini yawo.
23 King Jehoash’s army also captured King Amaziah there. Then he brought Amaziah to Jerusalem, and his soldiers tore down the wall [that was around the city], from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. That was a section that was about 600 feet long.
UJowashi inkosi yako-Israyeli wathumba u-Amaziya inkosi yakoJuda, indodana kaJowashi indodana ka-Ahaziya, eBhethi-Shemeshi. Ngakho uJowashi waya laye eJerusalema njalo wadiliza umduli weJerusalema kusukela eSangweni lika-Efrayimi kusiya eSangweni laseJikweni isibanga esingaba ngamanyathelo angamakhulu ayisithupha ubude baso.
24 His soldiers also carried away the gold and silver and other valuable furnishings from the temple which the descendants of Obed-Edom had previously been guarding. They also took away the valuable things in the palace, and they took to Samaria some prisoners whom they had captured.
Wasethatha lonke igolide lesiliva lazozonke impahla azithola ethempelini likaNkulunkulu ezazilindwe ngu-Obhedi-Edomi, kanye leziligugu zenotho yesigodlweni lezithunjwa, wasebuyela eSamariya.
25 King Jehoash of Israel died, and King Amaziah of Judah lived for 15 years after that.
U-Amaziya indodana kaJowashi inkosi yakoJuda waphila okweminyaka elitshumi lemihlanu ngemva kokufa kukaJowashi indodana kaJehowahazi inkosi yako-Israyeli.
26 An account of all the other things that Amaziah did while he was the king [of Judah] is written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel’.
Ezinye izehlakalo ngombuso ka-Amaziya, kusukela ekuqaleni kuze kube sekupheleni, azilotshwanga yini egwalweni lwamakhosi akoJuda lako-Israyeli na?
27 From the time that Amaziah started to disobey Yahweh, some men in Jerusalem planned to kill him. He was able to escape to Lachish [city], but those who wanted to kill him sent another group of people to Lachish and killed him there.
Kusukela ekuphambukeni kuka-Amaziya engasalandeli uThixo, bamsongela eJerusalema wabalekela eLakhishi, kodwa bathumela amadoda amlandela eLakhishi ambulalela khonale.
28 They put his corpse on a horse and brought it back to Jerusalem and buried it where his ancestors [had been buried] in the part of Jerusalem called ‘The City of David’.
Wabuyiswa esethwelwe ngebhiza wangcwatshwa labokhokho bakhe eMzini kaJuda.
