1 Amakhosi 13
1 UJerobhowamu esemi e-alithareni ukuze atshise impepha, kwafika umuntu kaNkulunkulu eBhetheli evela koJuda elelizwi likaThixo,
Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD.
2 walethula e-alithareni lelilizwi likaThixo elithi: “Wena alithare! Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo ukuthi, ‘Kuzazalwa indodana endlini kaDavida, ibizo lakhe lizakuba nguJosiya. Izakwenza umhlatshelo phezu kwakho ngabaphristi bezindawo eziphakemeyo okwakhathesi abenza iminikelo khona lapha, lamathambo abantu azatshiselwa phezu kwakho.’”
And he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, “O altar, O altar, this is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David, and upon you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and human bones will be burned upon you.’”
3 Ngalolosuku umuntu kaNkulunkulu wenza isibonakaliso esithi: “Lesi yisiboniso esivela kuThixo: I-alithari lizadatshulwa phakathi lomlotha ophezu kwalo uzachithwa.”
That day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’”
4 Inkosi uJerobhowamu isizwile isikhalazo sendoda evela kuNkulunkulu nge-alithare leBhetheli yelulela isandla sayo e-alithareni, yathi, “Mbambeni!” Kodwa isandla leso ayeselulile soma wehluleka ukusifinyeza.
Now when King Jeroboam, who was at the altar in Bethel, heard the word that the man of God had cried out against it, he stretched out his hand and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward him withered, so that he could not pull it back.
5 Kwathi i-alithari lalo ladatshulwa phakathi umlotha walo walahlwa, njengokwesibonakaliso esasethulwe ngumuntu kaNkulunkulu ngelizwi likaThixo.
And the altar was split apart, and the ashes poured out, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.
6 Inkosi yathi emuntwini kaNkulunkulu, “Ake ungincengele kuThixo uNkulunkulu wakho, ungikhulekele, ukuba isandla sami sisiliswe sibuyele esimeni saso.” Umuntu kaNkulunkulu wasemncengela kuThixo, lesandla sikaJerobhowamu sasiliswa saba njengakuqala.
Then the king responded to the man of God, “Intercede with the LORD your God and pray that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him as it was before.
7 Wasesithi emuntwini kaNkulunkulu: “Ake siye ekhaya ukuba udle, ngizakunika umvuzo.”
Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”
8 Kodwa umuntu kaNkulunkulu wayiphendula inkosi wathi, “Loba ungaze unginike ingxenye yenotho yakho, kangihambi lawe; kangiyikudla ukudla, njalo angiyikunatha amanzi kulindawo;
But the man of God replied, “If you were to give me half your possessions, I still would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place.
9 ngoba ngilaywe ngelizwi likaThixo ukuthi: ‘Ungabokudla ukudla, unganathi amanzi njalo ungaphenduki ngendlela oze ngayo.’”
For this is what I was commanded by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’”
10 Ngakho wabuyela ngenye indlela, kasabuyelanga ngendlela ayeze ngayo eBhetheli.
So the man of God went another way and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.
11 Kwakulomphrofethi omdala owayehlala eBhetheli, okweza kuye amadodana akhe amtshela ngokwakwenziwe ngumuntu kaNkulunkulu ngalolosuku. Amadodana atshela uyise lokuthi indoda leyo yayitheni enkosini.
Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words that the man had spoken to the king.
12 Uyise wasebuza amadodana ukuthi: “Pho angabe uhambe ngayiphi indlela?” Amadodana atshengisa uyise indlela eyathathwa ngumuntu kaNkulunkulu owavela koJuda.
“Which way did he go?” their father asked. And his sons showed him the way taken by the man of God, who had come from Judah.
13 Wasesithi emadodaneni akhe, “Lungisani ubabhemi lingifakele isihlalo phezu kwakhe.” Kwathi sebemlungisele wagada ubabhemi
So the prophet said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” Then they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it
14 walandela umuntu kaNkulunkulu, wamfica ehlezi ngaphansi kwesihlahla somʼOkhi wambuza wathi, “Nguwe umuntu kaNkulunkulu na ovela koJuda?” Indoda yathi, “Yebo yimi.”
and went after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” “I am,” he replied.
15 Ngakho umphrofethi wasesithi kuye, “Woza siye ekhaya uzokudla.”
So the prophet said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some bread.”
16 Umuntu kaNkulunkulu wathi, “Angingeke ngiphenduke ukuthi ngibuyele lawe emuva, njalo angingeke ngidle ukudla loba nginathe amanzi lawe kule indawo.
But the man replied, “I cannot return with you or eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
17 Ilizwi likaThixo lifike kimi lathi, ‘Ungadli ukudla kwalapha, unganathi lamanzi akhona njalo ungabobuyela ngendlela oze ngayo.’”
For I have been told by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’”
18 Umphrofethi omdala wamphendula wathi, “Lami ngingumphrofethi njengawe. Ingilosi seza kimi ngelizwi likaThixo sathi: ‘Ubomletha umbuyisele emuva endlini yakho ukuze ayekudla isinkwa njalo anathe lamanzi.’” (Kodwa wayeqamba amanga.)
Then the prophet replied, “I too am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” The old prophet was lying to him,
19 Ngakho umuntu kaNkulunkulu wabuyela laye wafika wadla ukudla wanatha lamanzi endlini yakhe.
but the man of God went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water.
20 Besahlezi endaweni yokudlela, ilizwi likaThixo lafika kuye umphrofethi omdala owayemphendule wabuyela laye emuva.
While they were sitting at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back,
21 Wakhuluma kulowomuntu kaNkulunkulu owayevela koJuda wathi, “Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo: ‘Usuphikise ilizwi likaThixo awusagcinanga imilayo kaThixo uNkulunkulu wakho akulaya ngayo.
and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the commandment that the LORD your God gave you,
22 Uphenduke endleleni wafika wadla ukudla wanatha lamanzi lapho utshelwe ukuthi ungaze wadla ukudla kumbe unathe amanzi akhona. Ngenxa yalokho isidumbu sakho asisayikungcwatshwa emangcwabeni abokhokho bakho.’”
but you went back and ate bread and drank water in the place where He told you not to do so, your body shall never reach the tomb of your fathers.’”
23 Kwathi umuntu kaNkulunkulu eseqedile ukudla lokunatha, umphrofethi owayemphendule endleleni wambuyisela emuva wafaka isihlalo sakhe phezu kukababhemi wamkhweza.
And after the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet who had brought him back saddled the donkey for him.
24 Uthe esengene indlela yakhe, kwavela isilwane endleleni sambulala, isidumbu sakhe sasala phansi emgwaqweni, kwathi ubabhemi wema ngapha kwesidumbu lesilwane sime ngale kwaso.
As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.
25 Abantu ababesedlula lapho babona isidumbu siwele khonapho emgwaqweni, isilwane simi eceleni phansi kwesidumbu, bedlulela edolobheni bayabikela umphrofethi omdala lapho ayehlala khona.
And there were men passing by who saw the body lying in the road with the lion standing beside it, and they went and reported this in the city where the old prophet lived.
26 Kwathi umphrofethi owayemphendule endleleni ehambeni lwakhe ekuzwa lokhu, wathi, “Ngumuntu kaNkulunkulu odelele ilizwi likaThixo. UThixo umnikele esilwaneni, esimphoqoze sambulala, njengoba ilizwi likaThixo belimxwayisile.”
When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard this, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the command of the LORD. Therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, and it has mauled him and killed him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to him.”
27 Umphrofethi wathi emadodaneni akhe, “Ngilungiselani ubabhemi limethese isihlalo.” Akwenza lokho amadodana,
Then the old prophet instructed his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled it,
28 wasesuka esiya khonale lapho afumana khona isidumbu endleleni, ngapha kumi isilwane ngale kungubabhemi emaceleni aso. Isilwane asizange sisithinte isidumbu kanti njalo sasivele singazange simthinte lobabhemi.
and he went and found the body lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or mauled the donkey.
29 Ngakho umphrofethi wathatha isidumbu somuntu kaNkulunkulu, wasikhweza kubabhemi, wasithwalela edolobheni lakhe lapho afika amlilela khona njalo wamngcwaba khona.
So the old prophet lifted up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him and bury him.
30 Wasebeka isidumbu engcwabeni lakhe, wamlilela wathi, “Maye, umfowethu!”
Then he laid the body in his own tomb, and they lamented over him, “Oh, my brother!”
31 Ngemva kokumngcwaba, wathi emadodaneni akhe, “Ekufeni kwami, lingingcwabe engcwabeni lona leli okungcwatshwe khona umuntu kaNkulunkulu; libeke amathambo ami ndawonye lamathambo akhe.
After he had buried him, the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, you must bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones,
32 Ngoba ilizwi alimemezelayo ngelizwi likaThixo phezu kwe-alithari eBhetheli laphezu kwazo zonke indawana zomhlatshelo eziphakemeyo emadolobheni aseSamariya lizagcwaliseka.”
for the message that he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria will surely come to pass.”
33 Langemva kwalokhu, uJerobhowamu kazange aguqule izindlela zakhe zokona, waqhubeka ekhetha abaphristi bendawo eziphakemeyo edobha nje ingqe ngubani ebantwini. Kwakusithi loba ngubani ofuna ukuba ngumphristi wayemgcobela indawo eziphezulu.
Even after these events, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil ways, but again he appointed priests for the high places from every class of people. He ordained anyone who desired to be a priest of the high places.
34 Lesi kwakuyisono sendlu kaJerobhowamu esakhokhelela ekuweni lasekudilikeni kwayo kayaze yaba khona emhlabeni.
And this was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its extermination and destruction from the face of the earth.
