1 Bassekabaka 12
1 Lekobowaamu n’alaga e Sekemu, Abayisirayiri bonna gye baali bakuŋŋaanidde okumufuula kabaka.
All [HYP] the people of [northern] Israel went to Shechem [city] in order to appoint Rehoboam to be their king. So Rehoboam also went there.
2 Yerobowaamu mutabani wa Nebati bwe yawulira ekyo, ng’ali e Misiri, gye yali yeewaŋŋangusirizza, n’akomawo.
When Jeroboam, who was still in Egypt, heard about that, he returned from Egypt [to Israel].
3 Abantu ne batumira Yerobowaamu, ye n’ekibiina kyonna ekya Isirayiri ne bagenda ewa Lekobowaamu, ne bamugamba nti,
The [leaders of the northern tribes] summoned him, and they went together [to talk] to Rehoboam. They said to him,
4 “Kitaawo yatuteekako ekikoligo ekizito, naye kaakano wewula ku mirimu emizibu ne ku kikoligo ekizito kye yatuteekako, naffe tunaakuweereza.”
“Your father [Solomon] forced us to work very hard [MET] for him. If you (lighten these loads/do not force us to work that hard), and if you charge us less taxes than we were paying to him, we will serve you [faithfully].”
5 Lekobowaamu n’abaddamu nti, “Mumpe ebbanga lya nnaku ssatu, n’oluvannyuma nnaabaddamu.” Abantu ne beetambulira.
He replied, “Go away, and come back three days from now [and I will give you my answer].” So those leaders and Jeroboam left.
6 Awo kabaka Lekobowaamu n’agenda ne yeebuuza ku bakadde abaaweerezanga kitaawe Sulemaani, mu biseera bwe yali ng’akyali mulamu. N’ababuuza nti, “Mumpa magezi ki, ku nsonga abantu bano gye bansabye?”
Then King Rehoboam consulted the older men who had advised his father Solomon while he was still living. He asked them, “What shall I say to answer those men?”
7 Ne bamuddamu nti, “Leero bw’onoobeera omuwulize eri abantu bano ne weetoowaza, n’obaweereza, era n’obaddamu n’eggonjebwa, kale banaabeeranga baweereza bo.”
They replied, “If you want to serve your people well, speak kindly to those men when you reply to them. If you do that, your people will always serve you faithfully.”
8 Naye Lekobowaamu n’atawuliriza magezi abakadde ge baamuwa, n’agenda ne yeebuuza ku bavubuka be yali akuze nabo, era nga be bamuweereza.
But he ignored what the older men advised him to do. Instead, he consulted the younger men who had grown up with him, who were now (his advisors/the ones who told him what would be good to do).
9 N’ababuuza nti, “Mumpa magezi ki okuddamu abantu abasabye okuwewula ku kikoligo kitange kye yabateekako?”
He said to them, “What should I say to the men who are asking me to reduce the [work and taxes] that my father required from them?”
10 Abavubuka abaakulira awamu naye ne bamuddamu nti, “Gamba abantu abo abakusabye nti, ‘Okendeeze ku kikoligo kitaawo kye yabateekako nti, “Engalo yange eya nasswi esinga ekiwato kya kitange obunene.
They replied, “This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.
11 Kitange yabateekako ekikoligo ekizito, naye nze ndyongera ku kikoligo kyammwe. Kitange yabakangavvulanga na nkoba, naye nze nnaabakangavvulanga n’enjaba ez’obusagwa.”’”
What I mean is that my father required you [to work hard and pay high taxes]. But I will make those loads heavier. [It was as though] my father whipped you, but [it will be as though] I will whip you with whips that have pieces of metal in them.’”
12 Oluvannyuma lw’ennaku ssatu, Yerobowaamu n’abantu bonna, ne baddayo eri Lekobowaamu, nga bwe yali abagambye okudda oluvannyuma lw’ennaku essatu.
So three days later, Jeroboam and all the leaders came to Rehoboam again, as he had told them to do.
13 Awo kabaka n’addamu abantu n’ebboggo, n’agaana amagezi abakadde ge baamuwa,
The king ignored the advice of the older men and spoke harshly to the Israeli leaders.
14 n’agoberera ag’abavubuka, n’ayogera nti, “Kitange yafuula ekikoligo kyammwe okuba ekizito, naye nze nnaayongera ku kikoligo kyammwe. Kitange yabakangavvulanga na nkoba, naye nno nze nnaabakangavvula na njaba ez’obusagwa.”
[He told them what the younger men had advised.] He said, “My father put heavy burdens [of work and taxes] on you, but I will put heavier burdens on you. [It was as though] he beat you with whips, but I will beat you with whips that have pieces of metal in them!”
15 Kabaka n’atawuliriza bantu. Bino byonna byabaawo Mukama atuukirize ekigambo kye yayogera eri Yerobowaamu mutabani wa Nebati ng’ayita mu Akiya Omusiiro.
So the king did not pay any attention to the Israeli leaders. But this happened in order that what Yahweh wanted would occur, what he had told the prophet Ahijah about Jeroboam [becoming king of the ten tribes].
16 Awo Isirayiri yenna bwe baalaba nga kabaka agaanye okubawuliriza, ne bamuddamu nti, “Mugabo ki gwe tulina mu Dawudi, oba kitundu ki kye tulina mu mutabani wa Yese? Mudde mu weema zammwe ayi Isirayiri! Weerabirire ggwe ennyumba ya Dawudi.” Awo Abayisirayiri ne beddirayo ewaabwe.
When the Israeli leaders realized that the king did not pay any attention to what they said, they shouted, “We do not [RHQ] want anything to do with this descendant of King David! We will not pay attention to what this grandson of Jesse says! You people of Israel, let’s go home! As for this descendant of David [MTY], he can rule his own kingdom [MTY]!” So the Israeli leaders returned to their homes.
17 Naye abaana ba Isirayiri abaabeeranga mu bibuga bya Yuda, ne bafugibwa Lekobowaamu.
And [after that, ] the [only Israeli] people whom Rehoboam ruled over were those who lived in the territory of [the tribe of] Judah.
18 Lekobowaamu yalagira Adolaamu eyakuliranga emirimu egy’obuwaze okugenda eri Abayisirayiri, okubalagira eby’okukola, naye ne bamukuba amayinja ne bamutta. Naye ye Kabaka Lekobowaamu n’awona, n’alinnya eggaali lye n’addukira e Yerusaalemi.
Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram [to talk to the Israeli people]. Adoniram was the man who supervised [all the men who were] forced to work [for Rehoboam]. But the Israeli people killed him by throwing stones at him. When that happened, King Rehoboam quickly got in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem.
19 Bw’atyo Isirayiri n’ajeemera ennyumba ya Dawudi n’okutuusa leero.
Ever since that time, the people of [the northern tribes of] Israel have been rebelling against the descendants [MTY] of [King] David.
20 Abayisirayiri bonna bwe baawulira nti Yerobowaamu akomyewo, ne bamutumira ajje eri ekibiina, ne bamutikkira okuba kabaka wa Isirayiri yonna. Ekika kya Yuda kyokka kye kyasigala nga kigoberera ennyumba ya Dawudi.
When the Israeli people heard that Jeroboam had returned [from Egypt], they invited him to come to a meeting, and there they appointed him to be the king of Israel. Only the people of the tribes of Judah [and Benjamin] continued to be loyal to [the kings descended from King] [MTY] David.
21 Awo Lekobowaamu bwe yatuuka mu Yerusaalemi n’akuŋŋaanya ennyumba ya Yuda yonna, n’ekika kya Benyamini, abasajja abalwanyi emitwalo kkumi na munaana, okulwanagana n’ennyumba ya Isirayiri, asobole okweddiza obwakabaka.
When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered 180,000 of the best soldiers from the tribes [MTY] of Judah and Benjamin. He wanted them to fight against the northern tribes of [MTY] Israel [and defeat them], in order that he could [rule all the tribes of] his kingdom again.
22 Naye ekigambo kya Katonda ne kijjira Semaaya omusajja wa Katonda nti,
But God spoke to the prophet Shemaiah and said this to him:
23 “Gamba Lekobowaamu mutabani wa Sulemaani kabaka wa Yuda, n’ennyumba ya Yuda yonna n’eya Benyamini, era n’abantu bonna nti,
“Go and tell this to [Solomon’s son] Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and the people from the northern tribe who live in Judah:
24 ‘Bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama nti, Temwambuka kulwana ne baganda bammwe, Abayisirayiri. Buli omu ku mmwe addeyo eka kubanga kino nze nkisazeewo.’” Awo ne bagondera ekigambo kya Mukama, ne baddayo ewaabwe, nga Mukama bwe yalagira.
‘Yahweh says that you must not go to fight against your own relatives, the people of Israel. All of you must go home. What has happened is what Yahweh wanted to happen.’” [So Shemaiah went and told that to them, ] and they all paid attention to what Yahweh had commanded them to do, and they went home.
25 Awo Yerobowaamu n’azimba Sekemu mu Efulayimu ensi ey’ensozi, era n’abeera eyo. Eyo gye yava n’agenda n’azimba Penieri.
Then Jeroboam’s workers built [walls around] Shechem [city] in the hilly area [where the descendants] of Ephraim [lived], and he ruled from there for a while. He and his workers then left there and went to Peniel [town], and they built walls around that town.
26 Yerobowaamu ne yeerowooza munda ye nti, “Obwakabaka sikulwa nga budda mu nnyumba ya Dawudi!
Then Jeroboam said to himself, “If my people [continue to] go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices to Yahweh at the temple there, soon they will again become loyal to Rehoboam, the king of Judah [DOU], and they will kill me.”
27 Abantu bano bwe banayambukanga okuwaayo ebiweebwayo mu yeekaalu ya Mukama mu Yerusaalemi, olunaku olumu emitima gyabwe giyinza okukyukira mukama waabwe, Lekobowaamu, kabaka wa Yuda. Balinzita ne badda gy’ali.”
28 Awo Kabaka Yerobowaamu n’aweebwa amagezi okukola ennyana bbiri eza zaabu. N’agamba abantu nti, “Kijja kubazitoowerera nnyo okwambukanga e Yerusaalemi. Baabano bakatonda bammwe, Ayi Isirayiri, abaabaggya mu Misiri.”
So he consulted [his advisors, and then he did what they suggested]. He [told his workers to] make gold [statues of] two calves. Then he said to the people, “You have been going to Jerusalem [to worship] for a long time. It is a big trouble for you to continue going there. You people of Israel, look! These statues are the gods that brought our [ancestors] up from Egypt! [So you can worship these, here!]”
29 Emu n’agiteeka mu Beseri n’endala mu Ddaani.
He [told his workers to] place one of the statues in Bethel [city in the south] and one in Dan [city in the north].
30 Ekintu ekyo ne kiba kibi nnyo, kubanga abantu baatuuka n’okugenda e Ddaani okusinza ekifaananyi ky’ennyana ekyali kiteekeddwa eyo.
So [what Jeroboam did caused] the people [to] sin. Some of them went and worshiped the calf at Bethel, and others went and worshiped the other calf at Dan.
31 Yerobowaamu n’azimba amasabo mu bifo ebigulumivu n’alonda bakabona ng’abaggya mu bantu abaabulijjo, newaakubadde nga tebaali ba kika kya Leevi.
[Moses had declared that only men from the tribe of Levi would be priests, but] Jeroboam also told his workers to build shrines on hilltops, and then he appointed men who were not from the tribe of Levi to be priests.
32 N’akola embaga ku lunaku olw’ekkumi n’ettaano mu mwezi ogw’omunaana, okufaanana n’embaga ebeerawo mu Yuda, era n’awaayo ebyokebwa ku kyoto. Kino yakikola mu Beseri ng’awaayo ssaddaaka eri ennyana ze yakola. N’assa bakabona mu bifo ebigulumivu bye yali akoze e Beseri.
He also appointed Adonijah and two priests, Elishama and Jehoram. They had a celebration at the end of October, like the celebration [of Living in Temporary Shelters] that occurred in Judah [each year]. On the altar [that they built] in Bethel, he offered sacrifices to the gold statues of calves that they had made, and he stationed the priests there at the shrines that his workers had built.
33 Ku lunaku olw’ekkumi n’ettaano mu mwezi ogw’omunaana gwe yeerondera, n’awaayo ebiweebwayo ebyokebwa ku kyoto kye yazimba e Beseri. Era n’assaawo embaga Abayisirayiri gye baakuumanga, n’ayambukanga ne ku kyoto okuwaayo ebyokebwa.
Jeroboam went up to that altar on that day in October which he himself had chosen. There on that altar he burned incense [to be a sacrifice]. And he declared that the people should celebrate that festival [on that same day every year].
