2 Amakhosi 8

1 U-Elisha wayetshele umfazi olomntwana ayemvuse ekufeni wathi, “Suka uhambe labendlu yakho uyehlala lapha ongathuthela khona okwesikhatshana, ngoba uThixo uzaletha indlala elizweni ezathatha iminyaka eyisikhombisa.”

Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had given back to life, Go now, with all the people of your house, and get a living-place for yourselves wherever you are able; for by the word of the Lord, there will be great need of food in the land; and this will go on for seven years.

2 Owesifazane lowo wakwenza lokho njengokulaywa kwakhe ngumuntu kaNkulunkulu. Yena kanye labendlu yakhe basuka bayahlala elizweni lamaFilistiya okweminyaka eyisikhombisa.

So the woman got up and did as the man of God said; and she and the people of her house were living in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

3 Ekupheleni kweminyaka eyisikhombisa wasuka elizweni lamaFilistiya waya enkosini yakibo wayacela indawo yomuzi kanye lamasimu akhe.

And when the seven years were ended, the woman came back from the land of the Philistines and went to the king with a request for her house and her land.

4 Inkosi yayikhuluma loGehazi, isisebenzi somuntu kaNkulunkulu, yathi, “Ake ungixoxele ngezimanga ezinkulu esezike zenziwa ngu-Elisha.”

Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, Now, give me an account of all the great things Elisha has done.

5 Uthe uGehazi esathi uyalandisela inkosi ngokuthi u-Elisha wavusa njani abafileyo, owesifazane owayelendodana yakhe eyasiliswa ngu-Elisha wafika ezocela ukubuyela emzini wakhe lokulima amasimu akhe. UGehazi wathi, “Nguyenalo owesifazane, nkosi yami, nansi lendodana yakhe, eyiyo eyavuswa kwabafileyo ngu-Elisha.”

And while he was giving the king the story of how Elisha had given life to the dead, the woman whose son had come back to life came to the king with a request for her house and her land. And Gehazi said, My lord king, this is the woman and this is her son, whose life Elisha gave back to him.

6 Inkosi yambuza ngalokhu umama lowo, lakanye wakufakaza lokho. Inkosi yasikhetha esinye sezikhulu zayo ukuba sikhangele izikhalazo zowesifazane yaqonqosela yathi, “Uze umbuyisele konke okwakungokwakhe, lenzuzo yonke eyasala izuzakala emasimini akhe kusukela mhla asuka kulelilizwe kuze kube sekuphendukeni kwakhe lamuhla.”

And in answer to the king's questions, the woman gave him all the story. So the king gave orders to one of his unsexed servants, saying, Give her back all her property, and all the produce of her fields from the day when she went away from the land up till now.

7 U-Elisha waya eDamaseko, uBheni-Hadadi inkosi yase-Aramu wayegula. Inkosi isitsheliwe ngalokho ukuthi,

And Elisha came to Damascus; and Ben-hadad, king of Aram, was ill; and they said to him, The man of God has come.

8 “Umuntu kaNkulunkulu usefikile uvela ekudeni khonale esiza lapha,” wathi kuHazayeli: “Thatha isipho uyehlangabeza umuntu kaNkulunkulu. Khuluma ubuze uThixo ngaye; uthi, ‘Kambe ngizasila yini kulokhu kugula na?’”

Then the king said to Hazael, Take an offering with you, and go to see the man of God and get directions from the Lord by him, saying, Am I going to get better from my disease?

9 UHazayeli waphuma wayahlangabeza u-Elisha, ephethe izipho zezimpahla ezinhle kakhulu ezenziwa ngabaleminwe eDamaseko zithwelwe ngamakamela angamatshumi amane. Wafika wangena wema phambi kwakhe, wathi, “Indodana yakho uBheni-Hadadi inkosi yase-Aramu ungithumile ukuba ngizobuza, uthe yena, ‘Kambe ngizasila emkhuhlaneni na?’”

So Hazael went to see him, taking with him forty camels with offerings on their backs of every sort of good thing from Damascus; and when he came before him, he said, Your son Ben-hadad, king of Aram, has sent me to you, saying, Will I get better from this disease?

10 U-Elisha waphendula wathi, “Hamba uyemtshela ukuthi, ‘Ngempela uzasila’; kodwa uThixo usebonakalisile kimi umbono wokuthi uzakufa.”

And Elisha said to him, Go, say to him, You will certainly get better; but the Lord has made it clear to me that only death is before him.

11 Wamkhangela engaciyozi emuthe nzo ngamehlo uHazayeli waze waba lenhloni. Umuntu kaNkulunkulu wasekhala.

And he kept his eyes fixed on him till he was shamed, and the man of God was overcome with weeping.

12 UHazayeli wabuza wathi, “Kungani inkosi yami ikhala?” Umuntu kaNkulunkulu waphendula wathi, “Kungenxa yokuthi ngiyabazi ububi ozabenza ebantwini bako-Israyeli; uzatshisa izinqola zabo ngomlilo, ubulale lamadodana abo ngenkemba, uchoboze ingane zabo njalo uqhaqhe abesifazane abazithweleyo.”

And Hazael said, Why is my lord weeping? Then he said in answer, Because I see the evil which you will do to the children of Israel: burning down their strong towns, putting their young men to death with the sword, smashing their little ones against the stones, and cutting open the women who are with child.

13 UHazayeli wathi, “Kambe inceku yakho, yona iyinja ngokwayo, ingasanelisa njani isiga esingako?” U-Elisha waphendula wathi, “UThixo ungitshengisile ukuthi wena uzakuba yinkosi yase-Aramu.”

And Hazael said, How is it possible that your servant, who is only a dog, will do this great thing? And Elisha said, The Lord has made it clear to me that you will be king over Aram.

14 Ngakho uHazayeli wasuka ku-Elisha wabuyela enkosini yakhe. UBheni-Hadadi wasebuza esithi, “Utheni u-Elisha kuwe?” UHazayeli yena waphendula wathi, “Ungitshele ukuthi ngempela uzasila.”

Then he went away from Elisha and came in to his master, who said to him, What did Elisha say to you? And his answer was, He said that you would certainly get well.

15 Kodwa ngosuku olulandelayo wathatha ingubo, wayigxamuza emanzini, wasembomboza ubuso benkosi ngayo yaze yafa. Ngakho uHazayeli waba yinkosi.

Now on the day after, Hazael took the bed-cover, and making it wet with water, put it over Ben-hadad's face, causing his death: and Hazael became king in his place.

16 Ngomnyaka wesihlanu kaJoramu indodana ka-Ahabi inkosi yako-Israyeli, ngesikhathi uJehoshafathi eyinkosi yakoJuda, uJehoramu indodana kaJehoshafathi waqalisa ukubusa eyinkosi yakoJuda.

In the fifth year of Joram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, became king.

17 Wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amathathu lambili eqalisa ukubusa, njalo wabusa eJerusalema okweminyaka eyisificaminwembili.

He was thirty-two years old when he became king; and he was ruling in Jerusalem for eight years.

18 Yena wahamba emanyathelweni amakhosi ako-Israyeli, njengalokhu okwakwenziwe ngabendlu ka-Ahabi, ngoba wayethethe indodakazi ka-Ahabi. Wona phambi kukaThixo.

He went in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the family of Ahab did: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

19 Loba kunjalo, ngenxa kaDavida inceku yakhe, uThixo kathandanga ukudiliza indlu kaJuda. Wayemthembise ukugcina isibane sikaDavida lenzalo yakhe kuze kube nini lanini.

But it was not the Lord's purpose to send destruction on Judah, because of David his servant, to whom he had given his word that he would have a light for ever.

20 Ngensuku zikaJehoramu, abase-Edomi bahlamukela uJuda babeka eyabo inkosi.

In his time, Edom made themselves free from the rule of Judah, and took a king for themselves.

21 Ngakho uJehoramu waya eZayiri lezinqola zakhe zokulwa. Ama-Edomi amhanqa yena kanye labalawuli bezinqola zokulwa, wavuka ebusuku waphulukundlela ngobusuku; kodwa amabutho akhe abaleka abuyela ekhaya.

Then Joram went over to Zair, with all his war-carriages; ... made an attack by night on the Edomites, whose forces were all round him, ... the captains of the war-carriages; and the people went in flight to their tents.

22 Kuze kube lamhla abase-Edomi balokhu behlamukela uJuda. ULibhina laye wahlamuka ngalesosikhathi.

So Edom made themselves free from the rule of Judah to this day. And at the same time, Libnah made itself free.

23 Okunye ngombuso langezehlakalo zikaJehoramu, lakho konke okunye akwenzayo, akulotshwanga egwalweni lwembali yamakhosi akoJuda na?

Now the rest of the acts of Joram, and all he did, are they not recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Judah?

24 UJehoramu waya kwabaphansi, wangcwatshwa laboyise eMzini kaDavida. Ngakho u-Ahaziya indodana yakhe wathatha ubukhosi.

And Joram went to rest with his fathers and was put into the earth with his fathers in the town of David: and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

25 Ngomnyaka wetshumi lambili kaJoramu indodana ka-Ahabi inkosi yako-Israyeli, u-Ahaziya indodana kaJehoramu inkosi yakoJuda waqalisa ukubusa.

In the twelfth year that Joram, the son of Ahab, was king of Israel, Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, became king;

26 U-Ahaziya waqalisa ukubusa eleminyaka engamatshumi amabili, njalo wabusa eJerusalema okomnyaka owodwa. Unina wayengu-Athaliya, umntanomntanakhe ka-Omri inkosi yako-Israyeli.

Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he was ruling in Jerusalem for one year. His mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri, king of Israel.

27 Wahamba ngenyathelo labendlu ka-Ahabi wona phambi kukaThixo, njengokwakwenziwe ngabendlu ka-Ahabi, ngoba wayeyisihlobo sabo ngokuthatha.

He went in the ways of the family of Ahab, and did evil in the eyes of the Lord as the family of Ahab did, for he was a son-in-law of the family of Ahab.

28 U-Ahaziya waya empini loJoramu indodana ka-Ahabi besilwa loHazayeli inkosi yase-Aramu eRamothi Giliyadi. Ama-Aramu alimaza uJoramu,

He went with Joram, the son of Ahab, to make war on Hazael, king of Aram, at Ramoth-gilead: and Joram was wounded by the Aramaeans.

29 ngakho inkosi uJoramu yabuyela eJezerili ukuthi iyekwelatshwa amanxeba lapho eyayilinyazwe khona ngama-Aramu eRama ekulweni kwayo loHazayeli inkosi yama-Aramu. Ngakho u-Ahaziya indodana kaJehoramu inkosi yakoJuda wehla wayabona uJoramu indodana ka-Ahabi, njengoba wayeselimele.

So King Joram went back to Jezreel to get well from the wounds which the bowmen had given him at Ramah, when he was fighting against Hazael, king of Aram. And Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Joram, the son of Ahab, in Jezreel, because he was ill.