1 Amakhosi 13
1 Khangela-ke, kwafika umuntu kaNkulunkulu evela koJuda ngelizwi leNkosi waya eBhetheli, njalo uJerobhowamu wayemi eduze lelathi ukutshisa impepha.
The Lord ordered a man of God from Judah to go to Bethel. He arrived just as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar about to present a burnt offering.
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.
He shouted out the Lord's condemnation of the altar: “Altar, altar, this is what the Lord says. A son will be born to the house of David. His name will be Josiah, and on you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn offerings on you, and human bones will be burned on you.”
3 Wasenika isibonakaliso ngalolosuku esithi: Lesi yisibonakaliso iNkosi esikhulumileyo yathi: Khangela, ilathi lizadatshulwa lomlotha ophezu kwalo uzachithwa.
The same day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “This is the sign to prove that the Lord has spoken. Look! The altar will be split apart, and the ashes on it will spill 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.
When King Jeroboam heard the condemnation the man of God had shouted out against the altar in Bethel, he pointed his hand at him and said, “Arrest him!” But the hand the king had pointed at him had become paralyzed and he couldn't draw it back.
5 Lelathi ladatshulwa, lomlotha wachitheka elathini, njengokwesibonakaliso umuntu kaNkulunkulu ayesinikile ngelizwi leNkosi.
The altar split apart, and the ashes spilled out from it, fulfilling the sign that the man of God had given from 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.
Then the king said to the man of God, “Please plead with the Lord your God—pray for me that I may have my hand back!” The man of God pleaded with the Lord, and the king was given back the use of his hand as it was before.
7 Inkosi yasisithi emuntwini kaNkulunkulu: Woza lami siye ekhaya, uzivuselele, ngizakunika umvuzo.
Then the king said to the man of God, “Come to my home and have a meal so I can give you a present.”
8 Kodwa umuntu kaNkulunkulu wathi enkosini: Loba unganginika ingxenye yendlu yakho, kangiyikuhamba lawe; kangiyikudla isinkwa, njalo kangiyikunatha amanzi kulindawo;
But the man of God told the king, “Even if you gave me half of everything you own, I still wouldn't go with you. In fact I refuse to eat or drink anything in this place.
9 ngoba ngokunjalo yangilaya ngelizwi leNkosi isithi: Ungadli isinkwa, njalo unganathi amanzi, njalo ungabuyeli ngendlela oze ngayo.
The Lord ordered me not to eat or drink anything, and not to return by the way I came.”
10 Ngakho wahamba ngenye indlela, kabuyelanga ngendlela oweza ngayo eBhetheli.
So he went a different way—he did not return the way he had come to 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.
It so happened that an old prophet lived in Bethel. His sons came and told him everything the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father what the man had said to the king.
12 Uyise wasesithi kiwo: Uhambe ngayiphi indlela? Ngoba amadodana akhe ayebonile indlela umuntu kaNkulunkulu owayevele koJuda ahambe ngayo.
“Which way did he go?” their father asked them. So his sons showed him the way taken by the man of God from Judah.
13 Wasesithi emadodaneni akhe: Ngibophelelani isihlalo kubabhemi. Basebembophelela isihlalo kubabhemi, wasegada kuye.
“Saddle up a donkey for me,” he told his sons. They saddled up a donkey and he got on.
14 Wasemlandela umuntu kaNkulunkulu, wamfica ehlezi ngaphansi kwesihlahla se-okhi, wathi kuye: Nguwe umuntu kaNkulunkulu ovele koJuda yini? Wasesithi: Yimi.
He rode after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree. “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” he asked him. “Yes I am,” the man replied.
15 Wasesithi kuye: Woza lami siye ekhaya, udle isinkwa.
“Come home with me and have something to eat,” he told him.
16 Wasesithi: Ngingeke ngibuyele lawe, kumbe ngingene lawe, angiyikudla isinkwa, njalo angiyikunatha lawe amanzi kulindawo,
“I can't turn around and go with you, and I won't eat or drink with you in this place,” the man of God replied.
17 ngoba ilizwi lathi kimi ngelizwi leNkosi: Kawuyikudla isinkwa, unganathi amanzi khona, ungabuyeli uhambe ngendlela oze ngayo.
“The Lord ordered me, saying ‘You must not eat or drink anything there, or return by the way you came.’”
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.
But the old prophet told him, “I am also a prophet, just like you. An angel told me God said, ‘Take him home with you so that he can have something to eat and drink’” But he was lying to him.
19 Wasebuyela laye, wadla isinkwa endlini yakhe, wanatha amanzi.
So the man of God went back with him, and ate and drank in his house.
20 Kwasekusithi behlezi etafuleni, ilizwi leNkosi lafika kumprofethi owayembuyisile;
As they were sitting at the table, a message from the Lord came to the prophet who had 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,
He called out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the Lord says: Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord and have not followed the orders that the Lord your God gave you,
22 kodwa ubuyile, wadla isinkwa, wanatha amanzi endaweni eyathi ngayo kuwe: Ungadli isinkwa, njalo unganathi amanzi; isidumbu sakho kasiyikuya engcwabeni laboyihlo.
instead you went back and ate and drank in the place where he told you not to, your body will not be buried in the tomb of your fathers.”
23 Kwasekusithi emva kokudla kwakhe isinkwa lemva kokunatha kwakhe, wasembophelela isihlalo kubabhemi lowomprofethi ayembuyisile.
After the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the prophet who had brought him back saddled his own donkey for him.
24 Kwathi esehambile, isilwane samfica endleleni, sambulala; isidumbu sakhe sasesiphoselwa endleleni, ubabhemi wema eceleni kwaso, isilwane laso sema eceleni kwesidumbu.
But as he went on his way a lion came across him on the road and killed him. His body was left lying in the road, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it.
25 Khangela-ke, abantu bedlula babona isidumbu siphoselwe endleleni lesilwane simi eceleni kwesidumbu; bafika bakubika emzini lapho lowomprofethi omdala ayehlala khona.
Some passers-by saw the body lying in the road with the lion standing beside it, so they went and let people know about it in the town where the old prophet lived.
26 Kwathi lowomprofethi owayembuyisile esizwa wathi: Ngumuntu kaNkulunkulu ongalalelanga umlomo weNkosi; ngakho iNkosi imnikele esilwaneni esimphoqoze sambulala, njengokwelizwi leNkosi elakhuluma kuye.
When the old prophet who had led the other astray heard what had happened, he said, “It's the man of God who disobeyed the Lord's orders. That's why the Lord put him in the path of the lion, and it has mauled him and killed him, just as the Lord told him would happen.”
27 Wasekhuluma emadodaneni akhe esithi: Ngibophelelani isihlalo kubabhemi. Basebebophela isihlalo.
The prophet told his sons, “Saddle up a donkey for me.” So they saddled a donkey,
28 Wasehamba wathola isidumbu sakhe siphoselwe endleleni, lobabhemi lesilwane kumi eceleni kwesidumbu. Isilwane sasingasidlanga isidumbu, singephulanga ubabhemi.
and he went and found the body. It was still lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or attacked the donkey.
29 Umprofethi wasesiphakamisa isidumbu somuntu kaNkulunkulu, wasiphanyeka kubabhemi, wasibuyisa; umprofethi omdala wafika emzini ukulila lokumngcwaba.
The prophet picked up the body of the man of God, placed it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own town to mourn over him and bury him.
30 Wasilalisa isidumbu engcwabeni lakhe, bamlilela bathi: Maye mfowethu!
He laid the body in his own tomb, and they mourned over him, crying, “My poor brother!”
31 Kwasekusithi emva kokumngcwaba kwakhe wakhuluma emadodaneni akhe esithi: Ekufeni kwami lingingcwabe engcwabeni okungcwatshelwe khona umuntu kaNkulunkulu; lilalise amathambo ami eceleni kwamathambo akhe.
After he'd buried him, he told his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where 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 the message from the Lord that he gave in condemnation against the altar in Bethel, and against all the shrines on the high places in the towns of Samaria, will definitely happen.”
33 Emva kwaloludaba uJerobhowamu kaphendukanga endleleni yakhe embi, kodwa wabuya wenza abapristi bezindawo eziphakemeyo ebantwini abaphansi kakhulu; ofunayo wamehlukanisa waba ngowabapristi bendawo eziphakemeyo.
But even after all this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways. He went on choosing priests from all kinds of people. He appointed anyone who wanted to be a priest of the high places.
34 Langale into kwaba lesono kuyo indlu kaJerobhowamu, ngitsho ukuyiquma lokuyichitha isuke ebusweni bomhlaba.
This was because of this sin that the house of Jeroboam was wiped out, completely destroyed from the face of the earth.
