1 Amakhosi 15
1 Ngomnyaka wetshumi lesificaminwembili wenkosi uJerobhowamu indodana kaNebati uAbhiyamu wasesiba yinkosi phezu kukaJuda.
After Jeroboam had been the king of Israel for almost 18 years, Abijah became the king of Judah.
2 Wabusa iminyaka emithathu eJerusalema. Lebizo likanina lalinguMahaka indodakazi kaAbishalomu.
He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah, the granddaughter of [David’s son] Absalom.
3 Wasehamba ezonweni zonke zikayise ayezenze phambi kwakhe, lenhliziyo yakhe yayingaphelelanga kuJehova uNkulunkulu wakhe, njengenhliziyo kaDavida uyise.
Abijah committed the same kind of sins that his father had committed. He was not fully dedicated/committed to Yahweh his God, as his grandfather David had been.
4 Kodwa ngenxa kaDavida iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakhe yamnika isibane eJerusalema, ngokubeka indodana yakhe emva kwakhe, langokuqinisa iJerusalema.
But, because of [what Yahweh his God had promised to] David, Yahweh gave Abijah a son [MET] to rule in Jerusalem after him, and in order to protect Jerusalem [from their enemies].
5 Ngoba uDavida wenza okulungileyo emehlweni eNkosi, kaphambukanga kukho konke eyamlaya khona insuku zonke zempilo yakhe, ngaphandle kwedabeni lukaUriya umHethi.
Yahweh did that because David had always done what pleased Yahweh and because David had always obeyed Yahweh. The only time when he disobeyed Yahweh was when he caused Uriah [to be killed].
6 Kwakukhona-ke impi phakathi kukaRehobhowamu loJerobhowamu zonke izinsuku zempilo yakhe.
There were wars between [the armies of] Rehoboam and Jeroboam all during the time that Abijah ruled.
7 Ezinye-ke zezindaba zikaAbhiyamu, lakho konke akwenzayo, kakubhalwanga yini egwalweni lwemilando yamakhosi akoJuda? Njalo kwaba lempi phakathi kukaAbhiyamu loJerobhowamu.
Everything else that Abijah did is written [RHQ] in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.
8 UAbhiyamu waselala laboyise, bamngcwabela emzini kaDavida. UAsa indodana yakhe wasesiba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
Abijah died [EUP] and was buried in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’, and his son Asa became king.
9 Ngomnyaka wamatshumi amabili kaJerobhowamu inkosi yakoIsrayeli uAsa wasesiba yinkosi yakoJuda.
After Jeroboam had been the king of Israel for almost 20 years, Asa started to rule Judah.
10 Wasebusa iminyaka engamatshumi amane lanye eJerusalema. Lebizo likanina lalinguMahaka indodakazi kaAbishalomu.
He ruled in Jerusalem for 41 years. His grandmother was Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom.
11 UAsa wasesenza okulungileyo emehlweni eNkosi njengoDavida uyise.
Asa did what was pleasing to Yahweh, as his ancestor David had done.
12 Wasusa izinkotshana elizweni, wasusa zonke izithombe oyise ababezenzile.
He got rid of the male prostitutes that were at the places where the people worshiped idols, and he also got rid of all the idols that his ancestors had made.
13 Laye-ke uMahaka unina wamsusa ekubeni yindlovukazi, ngoba wayenze into enengekayo ibe yiAshera; uAsa waseyigamula into yakhe enengekayo, wayitshisela esifuleni iKidroni.
He also removed his grandmother Maacah so that she no longer had influence in the government [because of] being the mother of a previous king. He did that because she had made a disgusting [wooden] statue of the goddess Asherah. Asa [told his workers to] cut down the statue and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
14 Kanti indawo eziphakemeyo kazisuswanga; lanxa kunjalo inhliziyo kaAsa yayiphelele kuJehova insuku zakhe zonke.
He was not able to destroy all the places where the people worshiped [idols] on the high hills, but he continued to be dedicated/committed to Yahweh his entIre life.
15 Wasengenisa izinto ezehlukanisiweyo zikayise kanye lezakhe izinto ezehlukanisiweyo endlini yeNkosi, isiliva legolide lezitsha.
He [told his workers to] place in the temple all the items that his father had dedicated to God, and all the gold and silver things that he had dedicated to God.
16 Kwakukhona-ke impi phakathi kukaAsa loBahasha inkosi yakoIsrayeli zonke izinsuku zabo.
There were wars between [the armies of] Asa and Baasha, the king of Israel, all during the time that they ruled.
17 UBahasha inkosi yakoIsrayeli wasesenyuka wamelana loJuda, wakha iRama, ukuze angavumeli muntu ukuphuma lokungena kuAsa inkosi yakoJuda.
Baasha’s army invaded Judah. They captured Ramah [town north of Jerusalem]. Then they started to build a wall around it in order to prevent people from entering or leaving the area in Judah that was ruled by King Asa.
18 UAsa wasethatha sonke isiliva legolide okwakusele emagugwini endlu kaJehova lamagugu endlu yenkosi, wakunikela esandleni senceku zakhe; inkosi uAsa yakuthumela kuBenihadadi indodana kaTabirimoni indodana kaHeziyoni, inkosi yeSiriya, owayehlala eDamaseko, esithi:
So Asa [told] his workers [to] take all the silver and gold that was still in the storerooms in the temple and in the palace. He told them to take it to Damascus and give it to King Ben-Hadad who ruled Syria. Ben-Hadad was the son of Tabrimmon and grandson of Hezion. He told the workers to say this to Ben-Hadad:
19 Kulesivumelwano phakathi kwami lawe, phakathi kukababa loyihlo; khangela, ngikuthumezela isipho, isiliva legolide. Hamba, yephula isivumelwano sakho loBahasha inkosi yakoIsrayeli, ukuze enyuke asuke kimi.
“I want there to be a peace treaty between you and me, like there was between your father and my father. For that reason, I am giving you this silver and gold. So now please cancel the treaty that you made with Baasha, the king of Israel, in order that he will take his soldiers away from attacking mine, [because he will be afraid of your army].”
20 UBenihadadi waseyilalela inkosi uAsa, wathuma induna zamabutho ayelawo emelene lemizi yakoIsrayeli, watshaya iIjoni leDani leAbeli-Beti-Mahaka layo yonke iKinerothi lelizwe lonke lakoNafithali.
[So the workers went and gave the message to] Ben-Hadad, [and he] did what Asa suggested. He sent his army commanders [and their soldiers] to attack some of the towns in Israel. They captured Ijon, Dan, Abel-Beth-Maacah, the area near Galilee Lake, and all the land of [the tribe of] Naphtali.
21 Kwasekusithi uBahasha ekuzwa wayekela ukwakha iRama, wahlala eTiriza.
When Baasha heard about that, he [told his soldiers to] stop working at Ramah. He [and his soldiers returned to] Tirzah [and] stayed there.
22 Inkosi uAsa yasisenza isimemezelo kuyo yonke iJuda; kakho owayetshiywe ngaphandle; ukuze basuse amatshe eRama lezigodo zayo, uBahasha ayesakha ngakho. Inkosi uAsa wasesakha ngakho iGeba yakoBhenjamini leMizipa.
Then King Asa sent a message to all the [people in the] towns in Judah, stating that they all were required to go to Ramah and carry away the stones and timber that Baasha’s soldiers had been using to build a wall around the city. With those stones and timber they fortified Mizpah [city north of Jerusalem], and Geba, [a town] in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin.
23 Ezinye-ke zazo zonke indaba zikaAsa, lawo wonke amandla akhe, lakho konke akwenzayo, lemizi ayakhayo, kakubhalwanga yini egwalweni lwemilando yamakhosi akoJuda? Kodwa esikhathini sobudala bakhe wayelomkhuhlane ezinyaweni.
Everything else that Asa did, the armies that his soldiers defeated, and the names of the cities that he caused to be fortified, are [RHQ] written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’. But when Asa became old, he got a disease in his feet.
24 UAsa waselala laboyise, wangcwatshelwa kuboyise emzini kaDavida uyise. UJehoshafathi indodana yakhe wasesiba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
He died [EUP] and was buried where his ancestors were buried in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’. Then his son Jehoshaphat became king.
25 UNadabi indodana kaJerobhowamu wasesiba yinkosi phezu kukaIsrayeli ngomnyaka wesibili kaAsa inkosi yakoJuda; wabusa phezu kukaIsrayeli iminyaka emibili.
After Asa had been the king of Judah for almost two years, King Jeroboam’s son Nadab started to rule Israel. He ruled for two years.
26 Wasesenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi, wahamba ngendlela kayise, lesonweni sakhe, enza uIsrayeli one ngaso.
He did things that Yahweh considered to be evil. His behavior was sinful like his father’s behavior had been, and what he did led the people of Israel to sin.
27 UBahasha indodana kaAhiya, owendlu kaIsakari, wasemenzela ugobe; uBahasha wamtshaya eGibethoni engeyamaFilisti, lapho uNadabi loIsrayeli wonke bevimbezele iGibethoni.
[A man named] Baasha, from the tribe of Issachar, planned to harm him. He killed Nadab when Nadab and his army had surrounded Gibbethon [city] in the Philistia area.
28 UBahasha wambulala-ke ngomnyaka wesithathu kaAsa inkosi yakoJuda, wasesiba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
That [DOU] was when Asa had been [the king ruling] Judah for almost three years. Then Baasha became the king of Israel.
29 Kwasekusithi ekubuseni kwakhe watshaya yonke indlu kaJerobhowamu, katshiyanga loyedwa ophefumulayo kuJerobhowamu, waze wamqeda, njengelizwi leNkosi eyalikhuluma ngesandla senceku yayo uAhiya umShilo.
As soon as Baasha became king, [he commanded his soldiers to] kill all of Jeroboam’s family. Doing what Yahweh had told the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh would happen, they killed all of Jeroboam’s family. None of them (was left/remained alive).
30 Ngenxa yezono zikaJerobhowamu azonayo, lowenza uIsrayeli azone, ngentukuthelo yakhe athukuthelisa ngayo iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli.
That happened because Yahweh had become very angry with Jeroboam because of all the sins that Jeroboam had committed, and because of the sins that he had persuaded the people of Israel to commit.
31 Ezinye-ke zezindaba zikaNadabi, lakho konke akwenzayo, kakubhalwanga yini egwalweni lwemilando yamakhosi akoIsrayeli?
Everything else that Nadab did is written [RHQ] in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.
32 Njalo kwakulempi phakathi kukaAsa loBahasha inkosi yakoIsrayeli insuku zabo zonke.
There were wars between [the armies of] King Asa and King Baasha all the time that they ruled.
33 Ngomnyaka wesithathu kaAsa inkosi yakoJuda uBahasha indodana kaAhiya waba yinkosi phezu kukaIsrayeli wonke eTiriza; iminyaka engamatshumi amabili lane.
After Asa had been the king of Judah for almost three years, Baasha, the son of Ahijah, started to rule Israel at Tirzah [city]. He ruled for 24 years.
34 Wasesenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi, wahamba ngendlela kaJerobhowamu, lesonweni sakhe, enza uIsrayeli one ngaso.
He did things that Yahweh considered to be evil, and his behavior was sinful like his father’s had been, and he led the people of Israel to sin.
