2 Ebyomumirembe 11
1 Awo Lekobowaamu bwe yatuuka mu Yerusaalemi, n’akuŋŋaanya ennyumba ya Yuda n’eya Benyamini, bonna nga bawera abasajja abalwanyi emitwalo kkumi na munaana, bagende balwanyise Isirayiri, obwakabaka babuddize Lekobowaamu.
When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered 180,000 of the best soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. He wanted them to fight against [the northern tribes of] Israel [and defeat them], in order that he could rule [all the tribes of] the kingdom again.
2 Naye ekigambo kya Mukama ne kijjira Semaaya omusajja wa Katonda nti,
But Yahweh spoke to the prophet Shemaiah and said this to him:
3 “Gamba Lekobowaamu mutabani wa Sulemaani kabaka wa Yuda, n’Abayisirayiri bonna abali mu Yuda ne Benyamini nti,
“Go and tell this to [Solomon’s son] Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all the Israeli people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin:
4 Bw’ati bw’ayogera Mukama, ‘Temulumba baganda bammwe. Buli omu ku mmwe addeyo ewuwe, kubanga kino kivudde gye ndi.’” Awo ne bagondera ekigambo kya Mukama, ne baddayo, ne batagenda kulumba Yerobowaamu.
‘Yahweh says that you must not go to fight against [the people of Israel; they are] your distant relatives. 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 heeded what Yahweh had commanded them to do, and they did not attack Jeroboam [and his soldiers].
5 Lekobowaamu n’abeera mu Yerusaalemi, n’azimba ebibuga eby’okwerinda mu Yuda:
Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and his workers built walls around several of the cities and towns in Judah to protect them [against enemy attacks].
6 n’azimba Besirekemu, ne Etamu, ne Tekowa,
In [the area that belonged to] the tribes of Judah and Benjamin they built walls around Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7 ne Besuzuli, ne Soko, ne Adulamu,
Beth-Zur, Soco, Adullam,
8 ne Gaasi, ne Malesa, ne Zifu,
Gath, Mareshah,
9 ne Adorayimu, ne Lakisi, ne Azeka,
Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10 ne Zola, ne Ayalooni, ne Kebbulooni nga bye bibuga ebiriko bbugwe ebyali mu Yuda ne Benyamini.
Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron.
11 N’anyweza bbugwe waabyo, n’ateekayo abaduumizi, n’emmere ey’okwerinzisa n’amafuta ag’omuzeeyituuni ne wayini.
He also appointed an army commander in each of those cities and towns, and gave them supplies of food, olive oil, and wine [to keep in storage].
12 N’ateekayo engabo n’amafumu mu bibuga byonna, n’abinywereza ddala, Yuda ne Benyamini ne biba bibye.
He put shields and spears in all the cities and made them well-protected. So he continued to rule the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
13 Bakabona n’Abaleevi okuva mu Isirayiri yonna ne bakkiriziganya naye.
The priests and other descendants of Levi throughout Israel supported Rehoboam.
14 Abaleevi ne bava mu butaka bwabwe ne baleka n’eby’obugagga bwabwe ne bajja mu Yuda ne Yerusaalemi, kubanga Yerobowaamu ne batabani be babagobaganya era ne babagaana okuweereza Mukama mu bwakabaka bwabwe,
The descendants of Levi [who lived outside the territory of Judah and Benjamin] abandoned their property and their pastureland, and they came to Jerusalem and [to other places in] Judah, because Jeroboam and his sons would not allow them to do the work of priests of Yahweh.
15 nga balonda bakabona abaabwe okuweerezanga ku bifo ebigulumivu, ne bakatonda baabwe ab’ebifaananyi eby’embuzi n’ente, bye yali abumbye.
Instead, Jeroboam appointed the priests that he wanted to work [at the altars he commanded to be built] on the hilltops, [to offer sacrifices to] the idols that he commanded to be made [that resembled] goats and calves.
16 N’abo bonna abaali beewaddeyo mu mitima gyabwe okunoonya Mukama Katonda wa Isirayiri ne bagenda n’Abaleevi e Yerusaalemi okuwaayo ssaddaaka eri Mukama Katonda wa bajjajjaabwe.
And people from every tribe in Israel who wanted to worship Yahweh, the God to whom the Israelis belonged, went with the descendants of Levi to Jerusalem to live there and to offer sacrifices to Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors [worshiped].
17 Ne banyweza obwakabaka bwa Yuda, era ne bawagira Lekobowaamu mutabani wa Sulemaani okumala emyaka esatu, nga batambulira mu kkubo lya Dawudi ne Sulemaani.
They caused the kingdom of Judah to be strong, and for three years they were happy that Solomon’s son Rehoboam was the king. During that time they conducted their lives [righteously] as David and Solomon had done previously.
18 Lekobowaamu n’awasa Makalasi muwala wa Yerimosi mutabani wa Dawudi, ne Abikayiri muwala wa Eriyaabu mutabani wa Yese,
Rehoboam married Mahalath. She was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth, and her mother was Abihail, the daughter of Eliab and granddaughter of Jesse.
19 Makalasi n’azaalira Lekobowaamu abaana aboobulenzi: Yewusi, ne Semaliya ne Zakamu.
Rehoboam and Mahalath had three sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 Oluvannyuma Lekobowaamu n’awasa Maaka muwala wa Abusaalomu, n’amuzaalira Abiya, ne Attayi, ne Ziza ne Seromisi.
Later Rehoboam married Maacah, the daughter of Absalom, and they had four sons: Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 Lekobowaamu n’ayagala nnyo Maaka muwala wa Abusaalomu okusinga bakazi be abalala. Bonna awamu n’awasa abakazi kkumi na munaana n’afunayo n’abalala nkaaga, abaamuzaalira abaana aboobulenzi amakumi abiri mu munaana n’abaana aboobuwala nkaaga.
Rehoboam loved Maacah more than he loved any other of his wives and slave wives. Altogether he had 18 wives and 60 slave wives, and 28 sons and 60 daughters.
22 Lekobowaamu n’alonda Abiya mutabani wa Maaka okuba omukulu wa baganda be, ng’agenderera okumufuula kabaka.
Rehoboam appointed his son Abijah to be the leader of his [older and younger] brothers, because he wanted to appoint Abijah to be the next king.
23 N’akola eky’amagezi, n’asaasaanya batabani be abamu mu masaza ag’enjawulo aga Yuda ne Benyamini, ne mu bibuga byonna ebyaliko bbugwe, n’abawa eby’obugagga bingi, n’abafunira n’abakazi bangi.
He very wisely sent some of his other sons to other cities in the areas of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the other cities that had walls around them. He gave them plenty of supplies and many wives.
