1 Amakhosi 14
1 Ngalesosikhathi uAbhiya indodana kaJerobhowamu wagula.
At that time, Jeroboam’s son Abijah became very sick.
2 UJerobhowamu wasesithi kumkakhe: Akusuke uzifihle isimo ukuze bangakwazi ukuthi ungumkaJerobhowamu, uye eShilo; khangela, kukhona lapho uAhiya umprofethi owangitshela ukuthi ngizakuba yinkosi phezu kwalababantu.
Jeroboam said to his wife, “Disguise yourself, in order that no one will recognize that you are my wife. Then go to Shiloh [city], where the prophet Ahijah [lives]. He is the one who predicted/prophesied that I would become the king of Israel.
3 Uthathe izinkwa ezilitshumi esandleni sakho lamaqebelengwana alukhuni lodiwo loluju, uye kuye, yena uzakutshela okuzakwenzeka kulumntwana.
Take with you ten [loaves of] bread and some small flat cakes, and a jar of honey, [and give them] to him. [Tell him about] our son, [and] he will tell you what will happen to him.”
4 UmkaJerobhowamu wasesenza njalo, wasuka waya eShilo, wafika emzini kaAhiya. Kodwa uAhiya wayengelakubona ngoba amehlo akhe ayesenqundekile ngenxa yobudala bakhe.
So his wife went to Shiloh, to Ahijah’s house. Ahijah was unable to see, because he was very old and had become blind.
5 INkosi yasisithi kuAhiya: Khangela, umkaJerobhowamu uyeza ukubuza ulutho kuwe ngendodana yakhe, ngoba iyagula. Uzamtshela ukuthi lokuthi. Ngoba kuzakuthi ekungeneni kwakhe, uzazitshaya omunye.
But [before she got there, ] Yahweh told Ahijah that Jeroboam’s wife was coming to inquire about their son, who was very sick. And Yahweh told Ahijah what he should tell her. When she came to him, she pretended to be another woman.
6 Kwasekusithi uAhiya esizwa izisinde zenyawo zakhe lapho engena emnyango wathi: Ngena mkaJerobhowamu; uzitshayelani omunye? Ngoba ngithunywe kuwe ngento enzima.
But when Ahijah heard her footsteps as she entered the doorway, he said to her, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! (Why do you pretend that you are someone else?/It will not help you to pretend that you are someone else.) [RHQ] [Yahweh] has given me bad news to tell you.
7 Hamba uthi kuJerobhowamu: Itsho njalo iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, ithi: Njengoba ngakuphakamisa uphakathi kwabantu, ngakwenza umbusi phezu kwabantu bami uIsrayeli,
Go and tell Jeroboam that this is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], says to you: ‘I chose you from among the common people and enabled you to become the king of my Israeli people.
8 ngadabula umbuso ngawususa endlini kaDavida, ngawunika wena; kodwa kawubanga njengenceku yami uDavida, owagcina imilayo yami, lowangilandela ngenhliziyo yakhe yonke, ukwenza okuhle kuphela emehlweni ami;
I took [most of] the kingdom of Israel away from David’s descendants and gave it to you. But you have not been like David, who served me [very well]. He obeyed all my commandments very sincerely, doing only things that I considered to be right.
9 kodwa wenzile ububi okwedlula bonke ababekhona phambi kwakho, kodwa uhambe wazenzela abanye onkulunkulu lezithombe ezibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa, ukuze ungithukuthelise, wangilahla emva komhlana wakho.
But you have done more evil things/deeds than all those [who ruled] before you. You have rejected me, and you have caused me to become very angry by making metal images of other gods so that you [and others] could worship them.
10 Ngakho, khangela, ngizakwehlisela ububi endlini kaJerobhowamu, ngiqume asuke kuJerobhowamu ochamela emdulini, ovalelweyo lokhululekileyo koIsrayeli, ngihugule okulandelayo kwendlu kaJerobhowamu, njengomuntu ehugula umquba uze uphele.
‘So, I am going to cause terrible things to happen to your family. I will cause all your male descendants to die, young ones and old ones. I will completely get rid of your family [MTY]. I will get rid of your family [MTY] just like a man completely burns dung [to cook his food].
11 OkaJerobhowamu ofela phakathi komuzi zizamudla izinja, lofela egangeni zizamudla inyoni zamazulu; ngoba iNkosi ikhulumile.
[The corpses of] any members of your family who die in cities will be eaten by dogs. And [the corpses of] any members of your family who die in the open fields will be eaten by vultures. [This will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said [that it will happen].’
12 Ngakho wena suka, uye endlini yakho; ekungeneni kwenyawo zakho emzini umntwana uzakufa.
So go back home. And as soon as you enter the city, your son will die.
13 Njalo uIsrayeli wonke uzamlilela amngcwabe; ngoba nguye kuphela koJerobhowamu ozakuza engcwabeni, ngoba kutholakala kuye into elungileyo ngaseNkosini uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli endlini kaJerobhowamu.
All the Israeli people will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only one of Jeroboam’s family who will be buried [properly], because he is the only one of Jeroboam’s family with whom Yahweh is pleased.
14 Futhi uJehova uzazivusela inkosi phezu kukaIsrayeli, ezaquma indlu kaJerobhowamu ngalolosuku. Kodwa kuyini? Lakhathesi.
Furthermore, Yahweh will appoint for himself a king to rule over Israel who will get rid of Jeroboam’s descendants. And that [will start to happen] today!
15 Njalo iNkosi izamtshaya uIsrayeli njengomhlanga uzunguzeka emanzini, iquphule uIsrayeli elizweni leli elihle, eyalinika oyise, ibachithachithe ngaphetsheya komfula, ngenxa yokuthi bazenzela izixuku, bayithukuthelisa iNkosi.
Yahweh will punish the people of Israel; he will shake them like [the wind] shakes the reeds [that grow in] a stream. He will expel the Israeli people from this good land that he gave to our ancestors. He will scatter them into countries east of [the Euphrates] River, because they have caused him to become very angry by [worshiping statues of] the goddess Asherah.
16 Njalo izanikela uIsrayeli ngenxa yezono zikaJerobhowamu, owonayo, wenza uIsrayeli one.
Yahweh will abandon the Israeli people because of the sins that Jeroboam committed, sins which led the Israeli people to commit them.”
17 UmkaJerobhowamu wasesuka wahamba, wafika eTiriza. Lapho efika embundwini wendlu, umfana wafa.
Jeroboam’s wife returned home to Tirzah [city, the new capital of Israel]. And just as she entered her house, her son died.
18 Basebemngcwaba; loIsrayeli wonke wamlilela, njengokwelizwi leNkosi eyalikhuluma ngesandla senceku yayo uAhiya umprofethi.
All the Israeli people mourned for him and buried him, which is what Yahweh had told his servant, the prophet Ahijah, would happen.
19 Ezinye-ke zezindaba zikaJerobhowamu, ukuthi walwa njani, lokuthi wabusa njani, khangela, zibhaliwe egwalweni lwemilando yamakhosi akoIsrayeli.
Everything else that Jeroboam did, and the record of wars that his [army] fought, and how he ruled, is written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.
20 Lensuku uJerobhowamu abusa ngazo zaziyiminyaka engamatshumi amabili lambili, walala laboyise, njalo uNadabi indodana yakhe waba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
Jeroboam ruled for 22 years; then he died [EUP] and his son Nadab became king.
21 URehobhowamu indodana kaSolomoni wabusa-ke koJuda. URehobhowamu wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amane lanye lapho esiba yinkosi, wabusa iminyaka elitshumi lesikhombisa eJerusalema, umuzi iNkosi eyayiwukhethile kuzo zonke izizwe zakoIsrayeli, ukubeka khona ibizo layo. Lebizo likanina lalinguNahama umAmonikazi.
Solomon’s son Rehoboam ruled Judah. He was 41 years old when he started to rule, and he ruled for 17 years. He ruled in Jerusalem, which is the city that Yahweh chose out of all the tribes of Israel to be the place where he should be worshiped [MTY]. Rehoboam’s mother’s name was Naamah; she was from the Ammon people-group.
22 UJuda wasesenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi; bayivusa ubukhwele, ngezono zabo abazonayo, okwedlula konke oyise ababekwenzile, ngezono zabo abazonayo.
The people of Judah did things that Yahweh considered to be evil. They caused him to become angry because they committed more sins than their ancestors had committed: They worshiped many other gods instead of worshiping only Yahweh.
23 Ngoba labo bazakhela izindawo eziphakemeyo, lezinsika eziyizithombe, lezixuku, phezu kwalo lonke uqaqa oluphakemeyo, langaphansi kwaso sonke isihlahla esiluhlaza.
They built places to worship those gods; on high hills, and under big trees they set up [stone] pillars to worship the goddess Asherah.
24 Kwakukhona-ke elizweni lezinkotshana. Benza njengokwezinengiso zezizwe iNkosi eyayizixotshile elifeni phambi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
Also, there were male prostitutes at these places of worship. The Israeli people did the same disgraceful things that had been done by the people whom Yahweh had expelled while the Israelis were advancing through the land.
25 Kwasekusithi ngomnyaka wesihlanu wenkosi uRehobhowamu uShishaki inkosi yeGibhithe wenyuka wamelana leJerusalema.
When Rehoboam had been ruling for almost five years, King Shishak of Egypt came [with his army] to attack Jerusalem.
26 Wathatha amagugu endlu kaJehova lamagugu endlu yenkosi, yebo wakuthatha konke, wathatha zonke izihlangu zegolide uSolomoni ayezenzile.
They took away all the valuable things in the temple and in the king’s palace, including the gold shields that Solomon’s [workers] had made.
27 Inkosi uRehobhowamu yasisenza endaweni yazo izihlangu zethusi, yazinikela esandleni senduna yabalindi ababegcina umnyango wendlu yenkosi.
King Rehoboam’s [workers] made bronze shields to replace them and entrusted them to officers who guarded the entrance to the king’s palace.
28 Njalo kwakusithi lapho inkosi ingena endlini kaJehova abalindi babezithwala, bazibuyisele endlini yabalindi.
Every time that the king went into the temple, those guards carried those shields; and [when he left the temple] they returned the shields to the storeroom.
29 Ezinye-ke zezindaba zikaRehobhowamu, lakho konke akwenzayo, kakubhalwanga yini egwalweni lwemilando yamakhosi akoJuda?
Everything else that Rehoboam did is written [RHQ] in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.
30 Kwakukhona-ke impi phakathi kukaRehobhowamu loJerobhowamu zonke izinsuku.
There were wars continually between [the armies of] Rehoboam and Jeroboam.
31 URehobhowamu waselala laboyise, wangcwatshelwa kuboyise emzini kaDavida. Lebizo likanina lalinguNahama umAmonikazi. UAbhiyamu indodana yakhe wasesiba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
Then Rehoboam died [EUP], and he was buried in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’, where his ancestors were buried. Then his son Abijah became the king.
