2 Amakhosi 10

1 ESamariya kwakulamadodana angamatshumi ayisikhombisa ayengawendlu ka-Ahabi. Ngakho uJehu waloba izincwadi elobela izikhulu zaseJezerili, abadala lakulabo ababesondla abantwana baka-Ahabi. Waloba kanje:

Now there were in Samaria seventy of Ahab's sons. And Jehu sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of the town, and to the responsible men, and to those who had the care of the sons of Ahab, saying,

2 “Masinyazana ekuboneni kwenu lincwadi, njengoba abantwana benkosi yenu besezandleni zenu njalo lilezinqola zokulwa lamabhiza, umuzi wenqaba lezikhali,

Straight away, when you get this letter, seeing that your master's sons are with you, and that you have carriages and horses and a walled town and arms;

3 khethani lowo elimbona efanele kulabo bonke phakathi kwamadodana enkosi yenu limfake esihlalweni sikayise sobukhosi, beselilwela indlu yenkosi yenu.”

Take the best and most upright of your master's sons, and make him king in his father's place, and put up a fight for your master's family.

4 Kodwa besaba bathi: “Nxa amakhosi amabili ehlulekile ukumelana laye, thina singakwenza njani?”

But they were full of fear, and said, The two kings have gone down before him: how may we keep our place?

5 Ngakho isiphathamandla sesigodlo, usibalukhulu, abadala kanye labalindi bathumela lelilizwi kuJehu, “Sizinceku zakho, njalo sizakwenza konke njengokutsho kwakho. Kakho esizamkhetha ukuba abe yinkosi; yenza lokho obona kulungile kakhulu.”

So the controller of the king's house, with the ruler of the town, and the responsible men, and those who had the care of Ahab's sons, sent to Jehu, saying, We are your servants and will do all your orders; we will not make any man king; do whatever seems best to you.

6 Ngakho uJehu wabalobela incwadi yesibili esithi, “Nxa livumelana lami njalo lizimisele ukungilalela, qumani amakhanda amadodana enkosi yenu libe selibuya lawo kusasa eJezerili ngasonalesisikhathi.” Amakhosana esikhosini, ayengamatshumi ayisikhombisa, ayehlala lamadoda aqakathekileyo phakathi komuzi, okuyiwo ayesondla amadodana enkosi.

Then he sent them a second letter, saying, If you are on my side, and if you will do my orders, come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow, with the heads of your master's sons. Now the king's seventy sons were with the great men of the town, who had the care of them.

7 Incwadi yathi ifika, amadoda la abulala wonke amakhosana angamatshumi ayisikhombisa. Afaka amakhanda awo ezitsheni awathumela kuJehu eJezerili.

And when the letter came to them, they took the king's sons and put them to death, all the seventy, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.

8 Isithunywa sithe sifika satshela uJehu sathi: “Sebewalethile amakhanda amakhosana.” UJehu wasekhupha ilizwi esithi, “Abutheleleni abe zinqwaba ezimbili esangweni lomuzi kuze kube sekuseni.”

And a man came and said to him, They have come with the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Put them down in two masses at the doorway of the town till the morning.

9 Ngosuku olulandelayo uJehu waphuma; wema phambi kwabantu wathi, “Lina limsulwa. Yimi engithame ukubulala inkosi yami njalo ngiyibulele, kodwa ngubani obulele bonke laba?

And in the morning he went out and, stopping, said to all the people there, You are upright men: it is true that I made designs against my master, and put him to death; but who is responsible for the death of all these?

10 Alibokwazi ukuthi akukho lalinye ilizwi elivela kuThixo lingxame u-Ahabi labendlu yakhe, elizakwehluleka. UThixo usekwenzile lokho akuthembisa ngenceku yakhe u-Elija.”

You may be certain that nothing which the Lord has said about the family of Ahab will be without effect; for the Lord has done what he said by his servant Elijah.

11 Ngakho uJehu wabulala bonke eJezerili abendlu ka-Ahabi ababesele, kanye lezikhulu zakhe, abangane bakhe abasekhwapheni labaphristi bakhe, akusalanga muntu kwabendlu ka-Ahabi.

So Jehu put to death all the rest of the seed of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his relations and his near friends and his priests, till there were no more of them.

12 UJehu waphuma njalo waqonda eSamariya. EBhethi-Ekhedi yaBelusi,

Then he got up and came to Samaria. And he was at the meeting-place of the keepers of sheep, by the way,

13 wahlangana lezihlobo zika-Ahaziya inkosi yakoJuda wababuza wathi, “Lingobani lina na?” Bona bamphendula bathi, “Siyizihlobo zika-Ahaziya, njalo sizekwethekelela abendlu yenkosi kanye lendlovukazi engunina.”

When he came across the brothers of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and said, Who are you? And they said, We are the brothers of Ahaziah, king of Judah; we are going down to see the children of the king and of the queen.

14 Yena wathi ezincekwini zakhe, “Bathatheni bephila!” Ngakho babathatha bephila bayababulalela emthonjeni weBhethi-Ekhedi, babengamadoda angamatshumi amane. Kakho loyedwa abamtshiya ephila.

And he said, Take them living. So they took them living, and put them to death in the water-hole of Beth-eked; of the forty-two men he put every one to death;

15 Ngemva kokusuka kwakhe lapho, wahlangana loJehonadabi indodana kaRekhabi, owayesendleleni ezomhlangabeza. UJehu wambingelela wathi, “Wena uvumelana lami na, njengoba mina ngikanye lawe?” UJehonadabi waphendula wathi, “Mina ngilawe.” UJehu wathi, “Nxa kunjalo ngibamba isandla,” kwathi esembambile wamkhweza enqoleni yokulwa.

And when he had gone away from there, he came across Jehonadab, the son of Rechab: and he said good-day to him, and said to him, Is your heart true to mine, as mine is to yours? And Jehonadab in answer said, It is; and Jehu said, If it is, give me your hand. And he gave him his hand, and he made him come up into his carriage.

16 UJehu wasesithi, “Woza sihambe ngiyekutshengisa ukuphitshekela kwami uThixo.” Ngakho wagada laye enqoleni yakhe yokulwa.

And he said, Come with me and see how I am on fire for the Lord's cause. So he made him go with him in his carriage.

17 UJehu uthe efika eSamariya, wabulala bonke ababesele khonale abendlu ka-Ahabi, wababhubhisa njengokutsho kwelizwi likaThixo ekhuluma ku-Elija.

And when he came to Samaria, he put to death all those of Ahab's family who were still in Samaria, till there were no more of them, as the Lord had said to Elijah.

18 Ngakho uJehu wasebuthanisa abantu bonke wasesithi kubo, “U-Ahabi ubekhonza uBhali kancinyane; uJehu uzamkhonza kakhulu.

Then Jehu got all the people together and said to them, Ahab was Baal's servant in a small way, but Jehu will be his servant on a great scale.

19 Ngakho ngibizelani bonke abaphrofethi bakaBhali, zonke izikhonzi zakhe labaphristi bakhe. Linanzelele ukuthi kakho loyedwa ozasala, ngoba ngifuna ukwenza umhlatshelo omkhulu kuBhali. Ongayikubuya kasayikuphila.” UJehu wayebakhohlisa ngoba wayedinga ukubhubhisa abafundisi bakaBhali.

Now send for all the prophets of Baal and all his servants and all his priests, to come to me; let no one keep away: for I have a great offering to make to Baal; anyone who is not present, will be put to death. This Jehu did with deceit, his purpose being the destruction of the servants of Baal.

20 UJehu wasesithi, “Bizani umhlangano wokudumisa uBhali.” Basebewumemezela.

And Jehu said, Let there be a special holy meeting for the worship of Baal. So a public statement was made.

21 Wasethumela ilizwi kulolonke elako-Israyeli, beza bonke abafundisi bakaBhali; kakho loyedwa ongezanga. Bagcwala baminyana ethempelini likaBhali kusukela emsamo kusiya emnyango.

And Jehu sent out through all Israel; and all the servants of Baal came, not one kept away. And they came into the house of Baal, so that it was full from end to end.

22 UJehu wasesithi kulowo owayegcina izigqoko zabakhonza uBhali, “Balethele izigqoko bonke abakhonza uBhali.” Ngakho wabalethela lezozigqoko.

And Jehu said to him who kept the robes, Get out robes for all the servants of Baal. So he got out robes for them.

23 UJehu loJehonadabi indodana kaRekhabi bangena ethempelini likaBhali. UJehu wathi kubakhonzi bakaBhali, “Linanzelele kungangeni loyedwa oyinceku kaThixo enkonzweni yenu, akube ngabakhonzi bakaBhali kuphela.”

And Jehu, with Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, went into the house of Baal; and he said to the servants of Baal, Make a search with care, to see that no servant of the Lord is with you, but only servants of Baal.

24 Ngakho bangena banikela benza leminikelo yokutshiswa. UJehu wayebeke amadoda angamatshumi ayisificaminwembili wawaqonqosela wathi, “Loba ngubani ozayekela omunye walamadoda engiwabeke ezandleni zenu ephunyuka, ngizaphindisela ngempilo yakhe.”

Then they went in to make offerings and burned offerings. Now Jehu had put eighty men outside, and said to them, If any man whom I give into your hands gets away, the life of him who lets him go will be the price of his life.

25 UJehu wathi eseqedile ukunikela umnikelo wokutshiswa, wathi kubalindi lezikhulu zebutho, “Ngenani liyebabulala; kungabikho loyedwa ozaphunyuka.” Ngakho babatshaya ngenkemba bababhubhisa. Abalindi lezikhulu balahlela phandle izidumbu basebengena ethempelini likaBhali elingaphakathi.

Then when the burned offering was ended, straight away Jehu said to the armed men and the captains, Go in and put them to death; let not one come out. So they put them to the sword; and, pulling the images to the earth, they went into the holy place of the house of Baal.

26 Bakhipha ilitshe elikhonzwayo likaBhali balitshisa.

And they took out the image of Asherah from the house of Baal, and had it burned.

27 Balidiliza lelolitshe likaBhali elikhonzwayo babhidliza lethempeli lakhe, balenza laba yindlu yokuyela ngaphandle kuze kube lalamuhla lokhu.

The altar of Baal was pulled down and the house of Baal was broken up and made an unclean place, as it is to this day.

28 Ngalokho uJehu wadiliza ukholo lukaBhali ko-Israyeli.

So Jehu put an end to the worship of Baal in Israel.

29 Kodwa, yena katshiyananga lezono zikaJerobhowamu indodana kaNebhathi, lezo ayebangele u-Israyeli ukuzenza, ukukhonza amathole egolide eBhetheli laseDani.

But Jehu did not keep himself from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and the evil he made Israel do; the gold oxen were still in Beth-el and in Dan.

30 UThixo wathi kuJehu, “Njengoba wenze kuhle ngokuphelelisa lokho okufaneleyo phambi kwami njalo wenze konke ebengikumisele abendlu ka-Ahabi, abendlu yakho bazabusa ko-Israyeli kuze kube yisizukulwane sesine.”

And the Lord said to Jehu, Because you have done well in doing what is right in my eyes and effecting all my purpose for the family of Ahab, your sons will be kings of Israel to the fourth generation.

31 Kodwa uJehu kazange ananzelele ukugcina umthetho kaThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, ngenhliziyo yakhe yonke. Kazange atshiyane lezono ezazisenziwa nguJerobhowamu, lezo ayebangele u-Israyeli ukuba azenze.

But Jehu did not take care to keep the law of the Lord with all his heart: he did not keep himself from the sin which Jeroboam did and made Israel do.

32 Ngalezonsuku uThixo waqalisa ukwehlisa inani labako-Israyeli. UHazayeli wanqoba ama-Israyeli kulolonke ilizwe lawo,

In those days the Lord was angry first with Israel; and Hazael made attacks on all the land of Israel,

33 empumalanga yeJodani kulolonke eleGiliyadi (kuthatha umango kaGadi, okaRubheni lokaManase), kusukela e-Aroweri ngaseSihotsheni se-Arinoni kusiyaphutsha eGiliyadi kungena eBhashani.

East of Jordan, in all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from Aroer by the valley of the Arnon, all Gilead and Bashan.

34 Okunye kwezehlakalo lezenzo ngokubusa kukaJehu, konke akwenzayo, aphumelela kukho, akulotshwanga yini egwalweni lwembali yamakhosi ako-Israyeli na?

Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all he did, and his great power, are they not recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Israel?

35 UJehu wafa walala kuboyise emathuneni aseSamariya. UJehowahazi indodana yakhe yathatha ubukhosi yabusa.

And Jehu went to rest with his fathers, and was put into the earth in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son became king in his place.

36 UJehu isikhathi abusa ngaso u-Israyeli eseSamariya kwaba yiminyaka engamatshumi amabili lasificaminwembili.

And the time of Jehu's rule over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.