2 Kings 5
1 [A man named] Naaman was the commander of the army of Syria. Yahweh had enabled him to win many victories/battles. He was a great warrior, and as a result the king of Syria greatly respected him. But he had (leprosy/a dreaded skin disease).
Njalo uNamani induna yebutho lenkosi yeSiriya wayengumuntu omkhulu phambi kwenkosi yakhe, lohloniphekayo, ngoba ngaye uJehova wayenikile iSiriya ukukhululwa. Njalo lindoda yayiliqhawe elilamandla, kodwayayingumlephero.
2 [Some time previously, ] groups of soldiers/marauders from Syria had raided/attacked the land of Israel, and they had captured a young girl [and taken her to Syria]. She became a servant for Naaman’s wife.
Njalo amaSiriya ayephumile ngamaviyo athumba intombazana elizweni lakoIsrayeli, eyayisima phambi komkaNamani.
3 One day, that girl said to her, “I wish that (my master/your husband) would go to see the prophet in Samaria. That prophet would heal your husband from his leprosy.”
Yasisithi enkosikazini yayo: Sengathi inkosi yami ingaba phambi komprofethi oseSamariya; khona ubezayiphilisa kubulephero bayo.
4 [Naaman’s wife told her husband] what the girl from Israel had said, [and] Naaman told [that] to the king.
Wasengena watshela inkosi yakhe esithi: Intombazana evela elizweni lakoIsrayeli itsho ukuthi lokuthi.
5 The king said to him, “Okay, go [and see the prophet]. I will [write] a letter for you to take to the king of Israel, [saying that I sent you].” The king wrote in the letter, “I am sending this letter with [my army commander] Naaman, who serves me [faithfully]. I want you to heal him of his disease.” So Naaman, [assuming/thinking that the king of Israel was the prophet, took the letter and] 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing, to give to the king of Israel, [and he went to Samaria, taking along several servants].
Inkosi yeSiriya yasisithi: Suka, uhambe, ngizathumela incwadi enkosini yakoIsrayeli. Wasehamba wathatha esandleni sakhe amathalenta esiliva alitshumi lenhlamvu zegolide ezizinkulungwane eziyisithupha lezigqoko zokuntshintsha ezilitshumi.
Waseletha incwadi enkosini yakoIsrayeli isithi: Khathesi-ke, lapho le incwadi isifikile kuwe, khangela, ngithume kuwe uNamani inceku yami ukuze umphilise kubulephero bakhe.
7 [When he arrived in Samaria, he gave the letter to the king] of Israel. The king read the letter. Then, being very dismayed, the king tore his clothes and said, “I am not God [RHQ]! I am not able to enable people to live or to die [RHQ]! Why does [the king] who wrote this letter request me to cure this man of his leprosy? I think that he is just wanting to start a fight with me!”
Kwasekusithi inkosi yakoIsrayeli isiyibalile leyoncwadi yadabula izigqoko zayo yathi: NginguNkulunkulu yini ukuthi ngibulale loba ngiphilise, ukuthi lo athumele kimi ukuthi ngiphilise umuntu kubulephero bakhe? Ngakho-ke, ake linanzelele libone ukuthi udinga ithuba lokumelana lami.
8 But the prophet Elisha heard that the king of Israel had torn his robe [and said that]. So he sent a message to the king, saying, “Why are you upset/frustrated [RHQ]? Send Naaman to me, and he will find out that [because] I am a true prophet [here] in Israel, [I can help/heal him].”
Kwasekusithi lapho uElisha umuntu kaNkulunkulu esizwa ukuthi inkosi yakoIsrayeli idabule izigqoko zayo, wathumela enkosini esithi: Udabuleleni izigqoko zakho? Akeze kimi ukuze azi ukuthi kukhona umprofethi koIsrayeli.
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots to Elisha’s house and waited outside the door.
Ngakho uNamani weza lamabhiza akhe lenqola yakhe, wema emnyango wendlu kaElisha.
10 But Elisha [did not come to the door. Instead, he] sent a messenger to Naaman, to tell him, “Go to the Jordan [River] and wash yourself seven times in the river. Then your skin will be restored/healed, and you will no longer have leprosy.”
UElisha wasethuma isithunywa kuye esithi: Hamba uyegeza kasikhombisa eJordani, inyama yakho izabuyela kuwe, uhlambuluke.
11 But Naaman became very angry. He said, “I thought that surely he would wave his hand over the leprosy, and pray to Yahweh his god, and heal me!
Kodwa uNamani wathukuthela, wahamba, wathi: Khangela, bengisithi uzaphuma sibili eze kimi, eme, abize ibizo leNkosi uNkulunkulu wakhe, ahambahambise isandla sakhe phezu kwendawo, aphilise umlephero.
12 Surely the Abana River and the Pharpar River in Damascus [in my own country of Syria] are [RHQ] better than any of the rivers in Israel! Why can I not wash in those rivers and be healed?” [RHQ] So he turned and walked away with great anger/disgust.
IAbana leFaripari imifula yeDamaseko kayingcono yini kulawo wonke amanzi akoIsrayeli? Bengingegeze kiyo ngihlambuluke yini? Wasetshibilika wahamba ngolaka oluvuthayo.
13 But his servants came to him, and [one of them] said, “Sir, if that prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would certainly [RHQ] have done it. So you should certainly do what he says and wash [in the Jordan River] to be healed!” [RHQ]
Kodwa inceku zakhe zasondela zakhuluma laye zathi: Baba, aluba umprofethi ubekhulume lawe ulutho olukhulu, ubungayikulwenza yini? Pho, kakhulu kangakanani uba ethe kuwe: Geza uhlambuluke?
14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan [River] and washed himself seven times, as (the prophet/Elisha) told him to do. Then his skin was restored/healed, and it became healthy/smooth, like the skin of a young child.
Wasesehla, wazigxamuza eJordani kasikhombisa njengokwelizwi lomuntu kaNkulunkulu, lenyama yakhe yabuyela yafanana lenyama yomntwana omncinyane, wahlambuluka-ke.
15 Then Naaman and those who were with him went back to talk to Elisha. They stood in front of him, and Naaman said, “Now I know that there are no real gods anywhere else in the world, but there is a God here in Israel! So now please accept these gifts that I [have brought to you]!”
Wasebuyela kumuntu kaNkulunkulu, yena lalo lonke ixuku lakhe, wafika wema phambi kwakhe, wathi: Khangela sengisazi ukuthi kakulaNkulunkulu emhlabeni wonke, ngaphandle kwakoIsrayeli; khathesi-ke ake wemukele isipho encekwini yakho.
16 But Elisha replied, “Just as certainly as Yahweh, the one whom I serve, lives, I will not accept any gifts.” Naaman kept urging him [to accept the gifts], but Elisha kept refusing.
Kodwa wathi: Kuphila kukaJehova engimi phambi kwakhe, kangiyikuthatha lutho. Wasemncenga ukuthi athathe, kodwa wala.
17 Then Naaman said, “Okay, but [I have one request. This dirt here in Israel is holy, so] please allow me to take some dirt from this place and put it [in sacks] on two mules. Then I will take it back home with me [and make an altar on this dirt]. From now on, I will offer sacrifices to Yahweh [on that altar]. I will not offer sacrifices to any other god.
UNamani wasesithi: Uba kungenjalo, akunikwe inceku yakho umthwalo wembongolo ezimbili wenhlabathi. Ngoba inceku yakho kayisayikwenza umnikelo wokutshiswa lomhlatshelo kwabanye onkulunkulu, kodwa eNkosini.
18 However, when my master, [the king, ] goes into the temple of the god Rimmon to worship him/it there, and he is leaning on my arm, I hope/desire that Yahweh will forgive me because I will have to bow down, too.”
Kulinto iNkosi kayithethelele inceku yakho: Nxa inkosi yami ingena endlini kaRimoni ukukhonza lapho, yeyame esandleni sami, lami ngikhonze endlini kaRimoni, lapho ngikhonza endlini kaRimoni, iNkosi ake ithethelele inceku yakho kulinto.
19 Elisha replied, “Go home, and do not worry about that.” So Naaman [and his servants] started to travel home.
Wasesithi kuye: Hamba ngokuthula. Wasesuka kuye ummango omfitshane.
20 But then Elisha’s servant Gehazi said to himself, “It is not good that my master allowed this Syrian man to leave like this. He should have accepted his gifts. So just as certainly as Yahweh lives, I will go and catch up with Naaman and get something from him.”
Kodwa uGehazi inceku kaElisha umuntu kaNkulunkulu wathi: Khangela, inkosi yami imyekele uNamani umSiriya lo ngokungemukeli esandleni sakhe lokho akulethileyo. Kuphila kukaJehova, ngizagijima ngimlandele, ngithathe kuye okuthile.
21 So Gehazi hurried to catch up with Naaman. When Naaman saw Gehazi running toward him, he [stopped] the chariot [in which he was riding, ] jumped out, and went to see what Gehazi wanted. He asked him, “Is everything all right?”
UGehazi wasegijima wamlandela uNamani. Kwathi uNamani ebona ogijimayo emva kwakhe, wehla enqoleni ukuze amhlangabeze, wathi: Kulungile yini?
22 Gehazi replied, “Yes, but two young prophets from the hilly area where the descendants of Ephraim live have just arrived. Elisha has sent me to tell you that he would like 75 pounds of silver and two sets of clothing to give to them.”
Wasesithi: Kulungile. Inkosi yami ingithumile, isithi: Khangela, ngitsho khathesi kufikile kimi amajaha amabili evela entabeni yakoEfrayimi awamadodana abaprofethi; ake uwanike ithalenta lesiliva lezigqoko ezimbili zokuntshintsha.
23 Naaman replied, “Certainly! You can have 150 pounds of silver!” He urged Gehazi to take it. He also gave him two sets of clothing. He tied up the silver in two bags and gave them to two of his servants to carry back to Elisha.
UNamani wasesithi: Vuma, uthathe amathalenta amabili. Wasemcindezela, wabophela amathalenta amabili emigodleni emibili, lezembatho zokuntshintsha ezimbili, wakunika ababili benceku zakhe, bakuthwala phambi kwakhe.
24 But when they arrived at the hill [where Elisha lived], Gehazi took the silver and the clothes from Naaman’s servants and sent the servants back to Naaman. Then he took those things into his house and hid them.
Esefike oqaqeni, wakuthatha esandleni sazo, wakubeka endlini; waseyekela amadoda ahamba, asesuka.
25 When he went to Elisha, Elisha asked him, “Where did you go, Gehazi?” Gehazi replied, “I did not go anywhere.”
Yena wasengena wema phambi kwenkosi yakhe; uElisha wasesithi kuye: Uvela ngaphi, Gehazi? Wasesithi: Inceku yakho ibingayanga le lale.
26 Elisha asked him, [“Do you not realize that] my spirit was there when Naaman got out of his chariot to talk with you? This is certainly not [RHQ] the time to accept gifts of money and clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and servants!
Wasesithi kuye: Inhliziyo yami ayihambanga yini lapho lowomuntu etshibilika enqoleni yakhe ukukuhlangabeza? Kuyisikhathi sokwemukela imali yini, lokwemukela izigqoko, lezivande zemihlwathi, lezivini, lezimvu, lezinkabi, lezinceku, lezincekukazi?
27 Because you have done this, you and your children and all your descendants, forever, will have leprosy just like Naaman had!” And when Gehazi left the room, he was a leper! His skin was as white as snow!
Ngakho ubulephero bukaNamani buzanamathela kuwe lenzalweni yakho kuze kube nininini. Wasephuma ebukhoneni bakhe engumlephero emhlophe njengeliqhwa elikhithikileyo.
