2 Amakhosi 3
1 UJoramu indodana ka-Ahabi waba yinkosi yako-Israyeli eSamariya ngomnyaka wetshumi lasificaminwembili wokubusa kukaJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda, yena wabusa okweminyaka elitshumi lambili.
Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
2 Wona emehlweni kaThixo, kodwa kwakungafanani lokukayise lonina ababekwenzile. Walahla ilitshe likaBhali elalizila elalibazwe nguyise.
And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, but not like his father and like his mother, for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made.
3 Kodwa wagxila ezonweni zikaJerobhowamu indodana kaNebhathi, lezo ayebangele u-Israyeli ukuthi azenze; kazange azifulathele.
Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart therefrom.
4 UMesha inkosi yaseMowabi wayefuya izimvu, wayefanele ukubhadala inkosi yako-Israyeli izimvu ezizinkulungwane ezilikhulu kanye loboya benqama ezizinkulungwane ezilikhulu.
Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-master. And he rendered to the king of Israel the wool of a hundred thousand lambs, and of a hundred thousand rams.
5 Kodwa ngemva kokufa kuka-Ahabi, inkosi yamaMowabi yahlamukela inkosi yako-Israyeli.
But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 Ngalesosikhathi inkosi uJoramu yasuka eSamariya yabutha abako-Israyeli bonke.
And king Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time, and mustered all Israel.
7 Wathumela lelilizwi kuJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda wathi: “Inkosi yamaMowabi isingihlamukele. Singahambisana siyehlasela amaMowabi na?” UJehoshafathi waphendula esithi, “Ngizahamba lawe. Mina nginguwe, abantu bami banjengabantu bakho, amabhiza ami anjengamabhiza akho.”
And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up. I am as thou are, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.
8 Wasebuza ukuthi, “Sizahlasela sivelela ngaphi na?” UJoramu wathi “Sizavelela eNkangala yase-Edomi.”
And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way of the wilderness of Edom.
9 Ngakho inkosi yako-Israyeli yaphuma lenkosi yakoJuda kanye lenkosi yase-Edomi. Ngemva kohambo bezulazula okwensuku eziyisikhombisa amanzi amabutho kanye lawezinyamazana zempi aphela.
So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom. And they made a circuit of seven days' journey, and there was no water for the army, nor for the beasts that followed them.
10 Inkosi yako-Israyeli yababaza yathi, “Kutheni kanti? UThixo angasibiza singamakhosi amathathu ukuze azosinikela ezandleni zamaMowabi na?”
And the king of Israel said, Alas! For Jehovah has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.
11 Kodwa uJehoshafathi wabuza wathi, “Akulamphrofethi kaThixo yini, esingabuza ngaye kuThixo na?” Esinye sezikhulu zenkosi yako-Israyeli sathi, “Ukhona u-Elisha indodana kaShafathi. Wayeyinceku ka-Elija.”
But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah, that we may inquire of Jehovah by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.
12 UJehoshafathi wathi, “Ilizwi likaThixo likuye.” Ngakho inkosi yako-Israyeli kanye loJehoshafathi lenkosi yase-Edomi baya kuye.
And Jehoshaphat said, The word of Jehovah is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13 U-Elisha wathi enkosini yako-Israyeli, “Mina lawe singenelana njani? Hamba kubaphrofethi bakayihlo lakubaphrofethi bakanyoko.” Inkosi yako-Israyeli yaphendula yathi, “Hayi, kungenxa yokuthi uThixo wasibiza sobathathu singamakhosi sinje ukuze asinikele kumaMowabi.”
And Elisha said to the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? Get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said to him, No, for Jehovah has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.
14 U-Elisha wathi, “Njengoba uThixo uSomandla engimkhonzayo ephila, kungasikuhlonipha kwami ukuthi kuloJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda, ngibe ngingayikukukhangela loba ukukubona ukuthi ukhona kodwa lokhu.
And Elisha said, As Jehovah of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.
15 Kodwa-ke ngibizela umtshayi wechacho.” Umtshayi wechacho esatshaya ichacho, amandla kaThixo ehlela ku-Elisha,
But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of Jehovah came upon him.
16 wasesithi, “Ilizwi likaThixo lithi: Lungisani imigelo eminengi kulesisigodi.
And he said, Thus says Jehovah, Make this valley full of trenches.
17 Ngoba ilizwi likaThixo lithi: Aliyikubona yezi loba izulu, kodwa lesisigodi sizagcwala ngamanzi, kuthi lina lenkomo zenu kanye lezinyamazana zonke lithole ukunatha.
For thus says Jehovah, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain, yet that valley shall be filled with water, and ye shall drink, both ye and your cattle and your beasts.
18 Le yinto elula kuThixo, njalo uzanikela amaMowabi esandleni sakho.
And this is but a light thing in the sight of Jehovah. He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.
19 Uzanqoba kuzozonke izinqaba zedolobho lakuyo yonke imizi eqakathekileyo. Uzawisa zonke izihlahla ezinhle, ugqibele yonke imithombo yamanzi, wonakalise wonke amasimu amahle ngamatshe.”
And ye shall smite every fortified city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all fountains of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.
20 Ngosuku olulandelayo ekuseni, ngesikhathi sokunikela imihlatshelo, lakanye babona, nanko amanzi egeleza evelela e-Edomi! Ngakho ilizwe lagcwala amanzi.
And it came to pass in the morning, about the time of offering the oblation, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.
21 AmaMowabi wonke ayesezwile ukuthi amakhosi ayezohlasela; ngalokho amadoda wonke, abadala lamajaha, ababengenelisa ukuphatha izikhali balawulwa ukuba bayevikela umngcele.
Now when all the Moabites heard that the kings came up to fight against them, they gathered themselves together, all that were able to put on armor, and upward, and stood on the border.
22 Bathi bevuka emadabukakusa bathola ilanga linkanyazela phezu kwamanzi. Ekuboneni kwamaMowabi ngale, amanzi ayekhanya ebomvu kungani ligazi. AmaMowabi asesithi,
And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.
23 “Ligazi leliyana! Kutsho ukuthi amakhosi lawayana alwile abulalana wodwa. Asiyeni butha impango, maMowabi!”
And they said, This is blood. The kings are surely destroyed, and they have smitten each man his fellow. Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
24 Kodwa amaMowabi athe efika enkambeni yama-Israyeli, ama-Israyeli awavukela awahlasela, amaMowabi aze abaleka. Ngakho ama-Israyeli ahlasela ilizwe lelo abhubhisa amaMowabi.
And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them, and they went forward into the land smiting the Moabites.
25 Atshabalalisa imizi kwathi indoda nganye yaphosela ilitshe kuwo wonke amasimu amahle aze agcwala ngamatshe. Bagqibela yonke imithombo yamanzi njalo bagamula zonke izihlahla ezinhle. Kwasala iKhiri-Haresethi eyasala amatshe ayo elokhu enjalo, kodwa amadoda ayehlome ngezavutha ayihonqolozela njalo ayihlasela.
And they beat down the cities. And on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it. And they stopped all the fountains of water, and felled all the good trees, until in Kir-hareseth only they left the stones of it. However the slingers went about it, and smote it.
26 Inkosi yamaMowabi ithe ibona ukuthi isikhulelwa ekulweni, yathatha amadoda angamakhulu ayisikhombisa alwa ngenkemba yazama ukuthi idabule phakathi ngamandla iyephutshela enkosini yase-Edomi, kodwa yehluleka.
And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too hard for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew sword to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not.
27 Inkosi yaseMowabi yasithatha ingqabutho yayo eyiyo indodana eyayizasala ibusa yayinikela njengomnikelo wokutshiswa phezu kwemiduli yedolobho. Kwakukukhulu ukuthukuthelela abako-Israyeli baze bahlehla babuyela kwelakibo.
Then he took his eldest son who should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great wrath against Israel, and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.
