1 Amakhosi 13
1 Khangela-ke, kwafika umuntu kaNkulunkulu evela koJuda ngelizwi leNkosi waya eBhetheli, njalo uJerobhowamu wayemi eduze lelathi ukutshisa impepha.
And behold there came a man of God out of Juda, by the word of the Lord to Bethel, when Jeroboam was standing upon the altar, and burning incense.
2 Wasememeza emelene lelathi ngelizwi leNkosi wathi: Lathi, lathi, itsho njalo iNkosi: Khangela, indodana izazalelwa indlu kaDavida, nguJosiya ibizo layo; izahlabela phezu kwakho abapristi bezindawo eziphakemeyo abatshisa impepha phezu kwakho, lamathambo abantu azatshiselwa phezu kwakho.
And he cried out against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said: O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord: Behold a child shall be born to the house of David, Josias by name, and he shall immolate upon thee the priests of the high places, who now burn incense upon thee, and he shall burn men’s bones upon thee.
3 Wasenika isibonakaliso ngalolosuku esithi: Lesi yisibonakaliso iNkosi esikhulumileyo yathi: Khangela, ilathi lizadatshulwa lomlotha ophezu kwalo uzachithwa.
And he gave a sign the same day, saying: This shall be the sign, that the Lord hath spoken: Behold the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
4 Kwasekusithi inkosi isizwile ilizwi lomuntu kaNkulunkulu owamemeza emelene lelathi eBhetheli, uJerobhowamu welula isandla sakhe wasisusa elathini, esithi: Mbambeni! Isandla sakhe-ke ayeselulele kuye soma, waze wehluleka ukusibuyisela kuye.
And when the king had heard the word of the man of God, which he had cried out against the altar in Bethel, he stretched forth his hand from the altar, saying: Lay hold on him. And his hand which he stretched forth against him withered: and he was not able to draw it back again to him.
5 Lelathi ladatshulwa, lomlotha wachitheka elathini, njengokwesibonakaliso umuntu kaNkulunkulu ayesinikile ngelizwi leNkosi.
The altar also was rent, and the ashes were poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given before in the word of the Lord.
6 Inkosi yasiphendula yathi emuntwini kaNkulunkulu: Ake uncenge ubuso bukaJehova uNkulunkulu wakho, ungikhulekele, ukuthi isandla sami sibuyele kimi. Umuntu kaNkulunkulu wasencenga ubuso bukaJehova, lesandla senkosi sabuyela kuyo, saba njengakuqala.
And the king said to the man of God: Entreat the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me. And the man of God besought the face of the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before.
7 Inkosi yasisithi emuntwini kaNkulunkulu: Woza lami siye ekhaya, uzivuselele, ngizakunika umvuzo.
And the king said to the man of God: Come home with me to dine, and I will make thee presents.
8 Kodwa umuntu kaNkulunkulu wathi enkosini: Loba unganginika ingxenye yendlu yakho, kangiyikuhamba lawe; kangiyikudla isinkwa, njalo kangiyikunatha amanzi kulindawo;
And the man of God answered the king: If thou wouldst give me half thy house I will not go with thee, nor eat bread, nor drink water in this place:
9 ngoba ngokunjalo yangilaya ngelizwi leNkosi isithi: Ungadli isinkwa, njalo unganathi amanzi, njalo ungabuyeli ngendlela oze ngayo.
For so it was enjoined me by the word of the Lord commanding me: Thou shalt not eat bread nor drink water, nor return by the same way that thou camest.
10 Ngakho wahamba ngenye indlela, kabuyelanga ngendlela oweza ngayo eBhetheli.
So he departed by another way, and returned not by the way that he came into Bethel.
11 Kwakuhlala-ke umprofethi othile omdala eBhetheli. Amadodana akhe eza amtshela sonke isenzo umuntu kaNkulunkulu ayesenzile mhlalokho eBhetheli; amazwi ayewakhulume enkosini, lawo awatshela uyise.
Now a certain old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his sons came to him and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: and they told their father the words which he had spoken to the king.
12 Uyise wasesithi kiwo: Uhambe ngayiphi indlela? Ngoba amadodana akhe ayebonile indlela umuntu kaNkulunkulu owayevele koJuda ahambe ngayo.
And their father said to them: What way went he? His sons shewed him the way by which the man of God went, who came out of Juda.
13 Wasesithi emadodaneni akhe: Ngibophelelani isihlalo kubabhemi. Basebembophelela isihlalo kubabhemi, wasegada kuye.
And he said to his sons: Saddle me the ass. And when they had saddled him, he got up,
14 Wasemlandela umuntu kaNkulunkulu, wamfica ehlezi ngaphansi kwesihlahla se-okhi, wathi kuye: Nguwe umuntu kaNkulunkulu ovele koJuda yini? Wasesithi: Yimi.
And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under a turpentine tree: and he said to him: Art thou the man of God that camest from Juda? He answered: I am.
15 Wasesithi kuye: Woza lami siye ekhaya, udle isinkwa.
And he said to him: Come home with me, to eat bread.
16 Wasesithi: Ngingeke ngibuyele lawe, kumbe ngingene lawe, angiyikudla isinkwa, njalo angiyikunatha lawe amanzi kulindawo,
But he said: I must not return, nor go with thee, neither will I eat bread, nor drink water in this place:
17 ngoba ilizwi lathi kimi ngelizwi leNkosi: Kawuyikudla isinkwa, unganathi amanzi khona, ungabuyeli uhambe ngendlela oze ngayo.
Because the Lord spoke to me in the word of the Lord, saying: Thou shalt not eat bread, and thou shalt not drink water there, nor return by the way thou wentest.
18 Wasesithi kuye: Lami ngingumprofethi njengawe, njalo ingilosi ikhulume kimi ngelizwi leNkosi isithi: Umbuyise endlini yakho lawe ukuze adle isinkwa anathe amanzi. Kodwa waqamba amanga kuye.
He said to him: I also am a prophet like unto thee: and an angel spoke to me in the word of the Lord, saying: Bring him back with thee into thy house, that he may eat bread, and drink water. He deceived him,
19 Wasebuyela laye, wadla isinkwa endlini yakhe, wanatha amanzi.
And brought him back with him: so he ate bread and drank water in his house.
20 Kwasekusithi behlezi etafuleni, ilizwi leNkosi lafika kumprofethi owayembuyisile;
And as they sat at table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet that brought him back:
21 wasememeza kulowomuntu kaNkulunkulu owayevela koJuda, esithi: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Ngenxa yokuthi kawulalelanga umlomo weNkosi, ungagcinanga umlayo iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho eyakulaya wona,
And he cried out to the man of God who came out of Juda, saying: Thus saith the Lord: Because thou hast not been obedient to the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee,
22 kodwa ubuyile, wadla isinkwa, wanatha amanzi endaweni eyathi ngayo kuwe: Ungadli isinkwa, njalo unganathi amanzi; isidumbu sakho kasiyikuya engcwabeni laboyihlo.
And hast returned and eaten bread, and drunk water in the place wherein he commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat bread, nor drink water, thy dead body shall not be brought into the sepulchre of thy fathers.
23 Kwasekusithi emva kokudla kwakhe isinkwa lemva kokunatha kwakhe, wasembophelela isihlalo kubabhemi lowomprofethi ayembuyisile.
And when he had eaten and drunk, he saddled his ass for the prophet, whom he had brought back.
24 Kwathi esehambile, isilwane samfica endleleni, sambulala; isidumbu sakhe sasesiphoselwa endleleni, ubabhemi wema eceleni kwaso, isilwane laso sema eceleni kwesidumbu.
And when he was gone, a lion found him in the way, and killed him, and his body was cast in the way: and the ass stood by him, and the lion stood by the dead body.
25 Khangela-ke, abantu bedlula babona isidumbu siphoselwe endleleni lesilwane simi eceleni kwesidumbu; bafika bakubika emzini lapho lowomprofethi omdala ayehlala khona.
And behold, men passing by saw the dead body cast in the way, and the lion standing by the body. And they came and told it in the city, wherein that old prophet dwelt.
26 Kwathi lowomprofethi owayembuyisile esizwa wathi: Ngumuntu kaNkulunkulu ongalalelanga umlomo weNkosi; ngakho iNkosi imnikele esilwaneni esimphoqoze sambulala, njengokwelizwi leNkosi elakhuluma kuye.
And when that prophet, who had brought him back out of the way, heard of it, he said: It is the man of God, that was disobedient to the mouth of the Lord, and the Lord hath delivered him to the lion, and he hath torn him, and killed him according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke to him.
27 Wasekhuluma emadodaneni akhe esithi: Ngibophelelani isihlalo kubabhemi. Basebebophela isihlalo.
And he said to his sons: Saddle me an ass. And when they had saddled it,
28 Wasehamba wathola isidumbu sakhe siphoselwe endleleni, lobabhemi lesilwane kumi eceleni kwesidumbu. Isilwane sasingasidlanga isidumbu, singephulanga ubabhemi.
And he was gone, he found the dead body cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcass: the lion had not eaten of the dead body, nor hurt the ass.
29 Umprofethi wasesiphakamisa isidumbu somuntu kaNkulunkulu, wasiphanyeka kubabhemi, wasibuyisa; umprofethi omdala wafika emzini ukulila lokumngcwaba.
And the prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and going back brought it into the city of the old prophet, to mourn for him.
30 Wasilalisa isidumbu engcwabeni lakhe, bamlilela bathi: Maye mfowethu!
And he laid his dead body in his own sepulchre: and they mourned over him, saying: Alas! alas! my brother.
31 Kwasekusithi emva kokumngcwaba kwakhe wakhuluma emadodaneni akhe esithi: Ekufeni kwami lingingcwabe engcwabeni okungcwatshelwe khona umuntu kaNkulunkulu; lilalise amathambo ami eceleni kwamathambo akhe.
And when they had mourned over him, he said to his sons: When I am dead, bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried: lay my bones beside his bones.
32 Ngoba udaba luzakwenzeka sibili, alumemeza ngelizwi leNkosi emelene lelathi eliseBhetheli, njalo emelene lezindlu zonke zezindawo eziphakemeyo ezisemizini yeSamariya.
For assuredly the word shall come to pass which he hath foretold in the word of the Lord against the altar that is in Bethel: and against all the temples of the high places, that are in the cities of Samaria.
33 Emva kwaloludaba uJerobhowamu kaphendukanga endleleni yakhe embi, kodwa wabuya wenza abapristi bezindawo eziphakemeyo ebantwini abaphansi kakhulu; ofunayo wamehlukanisa waba ngowabapristi bendawo eziphakemeyo.
After these words Jeroboam came not back from his wicked way: but on the contrary he made of the meanest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he filled his hand, and he was made a priest of the high places.
34 Langale into kwaba lesono kuyo indlu kaJerobhowamu, ngitsho ukuyiquma lokuyichitha isuke ebusweni bomhlaba.
And for this cause did the house of Jeroboam sin, and was cut off and destroyed from the face of the earth.
