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.
Truly, Joram, the son of Ahab, reigned over Israel, in Samaria, in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. And he reigned for twelve years.
2 Wona emehlweni kaThixo, kodwa kwakungafanani lokukayise lonina ababekwenzile. Walahla ilitshe likaBhali elalizila elalibazwe nguyise.
And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as his father and mother did. For he took away the statues of Baal, which his father had made.
3 Kodwa wagxila ezonweni zikaJerobhowamu indodana kaNebhathi, lezo ayebangele u-Israyeli ukuthi azenze; kazange azifulathele.
Yet truly, he did adhere to the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; neither did he withdraw from these.
4 UMesha inkosi yaseMowabi wayefuya izimvu, wayefanele ukubhadala inkosi yako-Israyeli izimvu ezizinkulungwane ezilikhulu kanye loboya benqama ezizinkulungwane ezilikhulu.
Now Mesha, the king of Moab, raised many sheep. And he repaid to the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs, and one hundred thousand rams, with their fleece.
5 Kodwa ngemva kokufa kuka-Ahabi, inkosi yamaMowabi yahlamukela inkosi yako-Israyeli.
And when Ahab had died, he transgressed the pact that he had with the king of Israel.
6 Ngalesosikhathi inkosi uJoramu yasuka eSamariya yabutha abako-Israyeli bonke.
Therefore, king Joram departed on that day from Samaria, and he took a count of all of 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And he sent to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, saying: “The king of Moab has withdrawn from me. Come to battle with me against him.” And he responded: “I will go up. What is mine, is yours. My people are your people. And my horses are your horses.”
8 Wasebuza ukuthi, “Sizahlasela sivelela ngaphi na?” UJoramu wathi “Sizavelela eNkangala yase-Edomi.”
And he said, “Along which way shall we ascend?” So he responded, “Along the desert of Idumea.”
9 Ngakho inkosi yako-Israyeli yaphuma lenkosi yakoJuda kanye lenkosi yase-Edomi. Ngemva kohambo bezulazula okwensuku eziyisikhombisa amanzi amabutho kanye lawezinyamazana zempi aphela.
Therefore, the king of Israel, and the king of Judah, and the king of Idumea, traveled, and they went by a circuitous path for seven days. But there was no water for the army or for the beasts of burden which were following 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, alas, alas! The Lord has gathered we three kings, so that he might deliver us into the hands 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.”
And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord here, so that we may appeal to the Lord through him?” And one of the servants of the king of Israel responded, “Elisha, the son of Shaphat, is here, who poured water upon 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 the Lord is with him.” And so, the king of Israel, with Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, and with the king of Idumea, descended 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.”
Then Elisha said to the king of Israel: “What is there between you and me? Go to the prophets of your father and your mother.” And the king of Israel said to him, “Why has the Lord gathered these three kings, so that he might deliver them into the hands 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 to him: “As the Lord of hosts lives, in whose sight I stand, if I was not humbled by the face of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, certainly I would neither have listened to you, nor have looked upon you.
15 Kodwa-ke ngibizela umtshayi wechacho.” Umtshayi wechacho esatshaya ichacho, amandla kaThixo ehlela ku-Elisha,
But now, bring a musician to me.” And while the musician was playing, the hand of the Lord fell upon him, and he said:
16 wasesithi, “Ilizwi likaThixo lithi: Lungisani imigelo eminengi kulesisigodi.
“Thus says the Lord: Make, in the channel of this torrent, pit after pit.
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 the Lord: You shall not see wind or rain. And yet this channel shall be filled with water. And you shall drink, you and your families, and your beasts of burden.
18 Le yinto elula kuThixo, njalo uzanikela amaMowabi esandleni sakho.
And this is small in the sight of the Lord. So, in addition, he will also deliver Moab into your hands.
19 Uzanqoba kuzozonke izinqaba zedolobho lakuyo yonke imizi eqakathekileyo. Uzawisa zonke izihlahla ezinhle, ugqibele yonke imithombo yamanzi, wonakalise wonke amasimu amahle ngamatshe.”
And you shall strike every fortified town and every elect city. And you shall cut down every fruitful tree. And you shall obstruct all the sources of water. And you shall cover every excellent field with stones.”
20 Ngosuku olulandelayo ekuseni, ngesikhathi sokunikela imihlatshelo, lakanye babona, nanko amanzi egeleza evelela e-Edomi! Ngakho ilizwe lagcwala amanzi.
Then it happened that, in the morning, when the sacrifices were usually to be offered, behold, water was arriving along the way of Idumea, and the land was filled with water.
21 AmaMowabi wonke ayesezwile ukuthi amakhosi ayezohlasela; ngalokho amadoda wonke, abadala lamajaha, ababengenelisa ukuphatha izikhali balawulwa ukuba bayevikela umngcele.
Then all the Moabites, hearing that the kings had ascended so that they might fight against them, gathered all who had been girded with a belt around them, and they stood at the borders.
22 Bathi bevuka emadabukakusa bathola ilanga linkanyazela phezu kwamanzi. Ekuboneni kwamaMowabi ngale, amanzi ayekhanya ebomvu kungani ligazi. AmaMowabi asesithi,
And rising up in early morning, and when the sun was now rising before the waters, the Moabites saw the waters opposite them, which were red like blood.
23 “Ligazi leliyana! Kutsho ukuthi amakhosi lawayana alwile abulalana wodwa. Asiyeni butha impango, maMowabi!”
And they said: “It is the blood of the sword! The kings have fought among themselves, and they have slain one another. Go now, Moab, to the spoils!”
24 Kodwa amaMowabi athe efika enkambeni yama-Israyeli, ama-Israyeli awavukela awahlasela, amaMowabi aze abaleka. Ngakho ama-Israyeli ahlasela ilizwe lelo abhubhisa amaMowabi.
And they went into the camp of Israel. But Israel, rising up, struck Moab, and they fled before them. And since they had prevailed, they went and struck down Moab.
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 destroyed the cities. And they filled up every excellent field, each one casting stones. And they obstructed all the sources of water. And they cut down all the fruitful trees, to such an extent that only brick walls remained. And the city was encircled by the slingers of stones. And a great part of it was struck down.
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 had seen this, specifically, that the enemies had prevailed, he took with him seven hundred men who draw the sword, so that he might break through to the king of Idumea. But they were unable.
27 Inkosi yaseMowabi yasithatha ingqabutho yayo eyiyo indodana eyayizasala ibusa yayinikela njengomnikelo wokutshiswa phezu kwemiduli yedolobho. Kwakukukhulu ukuthukuthelela abako-Israyeli baze bahlehla babuyela kwelakibo.
And taking his firstborn son, who would have reigned in his place, he offered him as a holocaust upon the wall. And there was great indignation in Israel. And they promptly withdrew from him, and they turned back to their own land.
