1 Amakhosi 17
1 UElija umTishibi wabahlali beGileyadi wasesithi kuAhabi: Kuphila kukaJehova, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, engimi phambi kwakhe, kakuyikuba khona lamazolo lezulu kuliminyaka, kuphela njengokwelizwi lami.
Elijah the Tishbite, (from Tishbe in Gilead), told Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, the one I serve, in the years to come there will be not be any dew or rain unless I say so!”
2 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kuye lisithi:
Then the Lord told Elijah,
3 Suka lapha, wena uphendukele empumalanga, uzicatshise esifuleni iKerithi, esiphambi kweJordani.
“Leave here and go east. Hide in the valley of the Cherith brook where it meets the Jordan.
4 Kuzakuthi-ke unathe esifuleni; sengilaye amawabayi ukuthi akondle khona.
You can drink from the brook, and I have ordered ravens to bring you food you there.”
5 Wasehamba wenza njengokwelizwi leNkosi, ngoba wayahlala esifuleni iKerithi esiphambi kweJordani.
So Elijah did what the Lord told him. He went to the valley of the Cherith brook, where it meets the Jordan, and stayed there.
6 Amawabayi asemlethela isinkwa lenyama ekuseni, lesinkwa lenyama ntambama; wanatha esifuleni.
Ravens brought him bread and meat both in the morning and in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
7 Kwasekusithi emva kwesikhathi isifula satsha, ngoba kwakungelazulu elizweni.
A while later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.
8 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kuye lisithi:
Then the Lord told Elijah,
9 Sukuma uye eZarefathi engeyeSidoni, uhlale khona. Khangela, ngilayile owesifazana ongumfelokazi khona ukuthi akondle.
“Leave here and go to Zarephath near Sidon and stay there. I have given instructions to a widow there to provide you with food.”
10 Wasukuma-ke waya eZarefathi. Lapho efika esangweni lomuzi, khangela, owesifazana ongumfelokazi wayelapho etheza inkuni; wasembiza wathi: Ake ungikhele amanzi amalutshwana ngenkezo ukuze nginathe.
So he left for Zarephath. When he arrived at the entrance to the town, he saw a woman, a widow, gathering sticks. He called her over and asked her, “Could you bring me a little water in a cup so I can have a drink?”
11 Kwathi esahamba ukuyawathatha, wambiza wathi: Ake ungiphathele ucezu lwesinkwa esandleni sakho.
As she was going to get it, he called after her and said, “Oh, and please bring me a piece of bread.”
12 Wasesithi: Kuphila kukaJehova uNkulunkulu wakho, kangilaqebelengwana, kuphela impuphu egcwala isandla embizeni lamafutha ayingcosana esiphisweni; khangela-ke ngitheza izinkuni ezimbili ukuze ngingene ngizilungisele khona mina lendodana yami, ukuze sidle sife.
She replied, “As the Lord your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour is left in a jar and a little bit of olive oil in a jug. Right now I am gathering a few of sticks so I can go and cook what's left for myself and my son so we can eat it, and then we'll die.”
13 UElija wasesithi kuye: Ungesabi; hamba wenze njengokwelizwi lakho, kodwa ngenzela kuqala iqebelengwana elincinyane ngakho, ulilethe lapha kimi, ngemva kwalokho-ke wenzele wena lendodana yakho.
Elijah said to her, “Don't be afraid. Go home and do what you said. But first make me a small loaf of bread from what you have and bring it to me. Then make something for yourself and your son.
14 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakoIsrayeli: Imbiza yempuphu kayiyikuphela, lesiphiso samafutha kasiyikuswela, kuze kube lusuku iNkosi ezanisa ngalo izulu ebusweni bomhlaba.
For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not become empty and the jug of olive oil will not run out until the day the Lord sends rain to water the ground.”
15 Wasehamba wenza njengokwelizwi likaElija. Njalo yena kanye laye lendlu yakhe badla okwensuku ezinengi.
She went and did as Elijah had told her, and Elijah, the widow, and her household were able to eat for many days.
16 Imbiza yempuphu kayiphelanga lesiphiso samafutha kasiswelanga, njengokwelizwi leNkosi eyalikhuluma ngesandla sikaElija.
The jar of flour was did not become empty and the jug of olive oil did not run out, just as the Lord had said through Elijah.
17 Kwasekusithi emva kwalezizinto, indodana yowesifazana, inkosikazi yendlu, yagula; lomkhuhlane wayo wawulamandla kangangokuthi akwaze kwasala umphefumulo kuyo.
Later on the woman's son fell sick. (She was the one who owned the house.) He went from bad to worse, and finally he died.
18 Wasesithi kuElija: Ngilani lawe, muntu kaNkulunkulu? Uze kimi ukuze kukhumbuleke isono sami lokubulala indodana yami na?
“What are you doing to me, man of God?” the woman asked Elijah. “Have you come to remind me about my sins and cause my son to die?”
19 Wasesithi kuye: Nginika indodana yakho. Waseyithatha esifubeni sakhe, wayenyusela endlini ephezulu lapho ayehlala khona, wayilalisa embhedeni wakhe.
“Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He picked him up from her arms, carried him upstairs to the room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed.
20 Wasekhala eNkosini wathi: Nkosi Nkulunkulu wami, umehlisele ububi lalo umfelokazi engingenise kwakhe ngokubulala indodana yakhe na?
Then he cried out to the Lord, saying, “Lord my God, why have you allowed this to happen to this widow who has opened her home to me, this terrible tragedy of causing her son to die?”
21 Wasezelulela phezu komntwana kathathu, wakhala eNkosini wathi: Nkosi Nkulunkulu wami, ake ubuyele umphefumulo walumntwana phakathi kwakhe.
He stretched himself out on the boy three times, and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, please let this boy's life return to him!”
22 INkosi yasilizwa ilizwi likaElija, umphefumulo womntwana wasubuyela phakathi kwakhe, wasebuya ephila.
The Lord responded to Elijah's cry. The boy's life returned to him, and he lived!
23 UElija wasemthatha umntwana, wamehlisa esuka endlini ephezulu waya endlini, wamnika unina; uElija wasesithi: Bona, indodana yakho iyaphila.
Elijah took the boy and brought him down from the room into the house, and gave him to his mother. “See, your son is alive,” Elijah told her.
24 Owesifazana wasesithi kuElija: Khathesi sengisazi lokhu, ukuthi ungumuntu kaNkulunkulu, ukuthi ilizwi leNkosi elisemlonyeni wakho liliqiniso.
“Now I'm convinced that you are a man of God, and that what the Lord speaks through you is the truth,” the woman replied.
