1 Amakhosi 21
1 Kwasekusithi emva kwalezizinto uNabothi umJizereyeli wayelesivini esasiseJizereyeli phansi kwesigodlo sikaAhabi inkosi yeSamariya.
King Ahab had a palace in Jezreel [city]. Near the palace was a vineyard owned by a man from that city whose name was Naboth.
2 UAhabi wasekhuluma loNabothi esithi: Ngipha isivini sakho ukuze sibe kimi yisivande semibhida, ngoba siseduze phansi kwendlu yami; ngizakunika isivini esingcono kulaso esikhundleni saso; uba kukuhle emehlweni akho, ngizakunika imali ngentengo yaso.
One day, Ahab [went to] Naboth and said to him, “Your vineyard is close to my palace. I would like to buy it, so that I can plant some vegetables there. In exchange, I will give you a better vineyard [somewhere else], or if you prefer, I will pay you for your vineyard.”
3 Kodwa uNabothi wathi kuAhabi: Kakube khatshana lami ngeNkosi ukuthi ngikunike ilifa labobaba.
But Naboth replied, “That land belonged to my ancestors, [so I want to keep it]. I hope that Yahweh will never allow me to give that land to you!”
4 UAhabi wasengena endlini yakhe enyukumele ethukuthele ngenxa yelizwi uNabothi umJizereyeli ayelikhulume kuye, ngoba wayethe: Kangiyikukunika ilifa labobaba. Wasecambalala embhedeni wakhe, waphendula ubuso bakhe, kadlanga ukudla.
So Ahab became very sullen and angry because of what Naboth had said. He went home and lay down on his bed. He turned his face toward the wall, and he refused to eat anything.
5 UJezebeli umkakhe wasesiza kuye wathi kuye: Kungani umoya wakho usineme ukuze ungadli ukudla?
His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so depressed? Why are you refusing to eat anything?”
6 Wasesithi kuye: Ngoba ngikhulume loNabothi umJizereyeli ngithe kuye: Nginike isivini sakho ngemali, loba uba uthanda ngizakunika isivini esikhundleni saso; wasesithi: Kangiyikukunika isivini sami.
Ahab replied, “I talked to Naboth, that man from Jezreel. I told him that [I wanted] his vineyard. [I said, ] ‘I will buy it from you, or I will give you another vineyard for it.’ But he refused [to let me have it].”
7 UJezebeli umkakhe wasesithi kuye: Khathesi nguwe obusa umbuso wakoIsrayeli? Vuka udle isinkwa, lenhliziyo yakho ithokoze; ngizakunika mina isivini sikaNabothi umJizereyeli.
His wife replied, “You are [RHQ] the king of Israel, [so you can get whatever you want] Get up, and eat some food and do not worry [about what Naboth said]. I will get Naboth’s vineyard for you.”
8 Wasebhala izincwadi ngebizo likaAhabi, wazidinda ngophawu lwakhe, wazithumela izincwadi ebadaleni lakuzikhulu, ababesemzini wakhe, behlala loNabothi.
Then Jezebel wrote some letters, and she signed Ahab’s name on them. She used his official seal to seal them. Then she sent them to the older leaders and other important men who lived in Naboth’s town.
9 Wasebhala ezincwadini esithi: Memezelani izilo lokudla, limhlalise uNabothi ngaphezulu kwabantu;
This is what she wrote in the letters: “Proclaim a day when all the people will [gather together and] (fast/abstain from eating food). Give to Naboth an important place to sit among them.
10 beselihlalisa amadoda amabili, amadodana kaBheliyali, maqondana laye ukuthi afakaze emelene laye esithi: Uthuke uNkulunkulu lenkosi. Beselimkhuphela phandle limkhande ngamatshe aze afe.
Then find two men who always cause trouble. Give them places to sit opposite/facing him. Tell these men to testify that they heard Naboth say things that criticized God and the king. Then take Naboth out of the city and kill him by throwing stones at him.”
11 Lamadoda alumuzi wakhe, abadala lezikhulu ababehlala emzini wakhe, benza njengokuthumela kukaJezebeli kuwo, njengokubhalwe ezincwadini ayewathumele zona.
The leaders [received the letters and] did what Jezebel had written in the letters for them to do.
12 Amemezela izilo lokudla, ahlalisa uNabothi phezulu kwabantu.
They declared a day on which the people would all (fast/abstain from food). And they gave Naboth a seat in a place where honored people sat, in front of the people.
13 Asengena amadoda amabili, amadodana kaBheliyali, ahlala maqondana laye; lamadoda kaBheliyali afakaza emelene laye, emelene loNabothi, phambi kwabantu, esithi: UNabothi uthuke uNkulunkulu lenkosi. Basebemkhuphela ngaphandle komuzi, bamkhanda ngamatshe waze wafa.
Two men who always caused trouble sat opposite/facing Naboth. While everyone was listening, they stated that they had heard Naboth say things that criticized God and the king. So the people seized Naboth. They took him outside the city and killed him [by throwing] stones at him.
14 Basebethumela kuJezebeli besithi: UNabothi usekhandwe ngamatshe wafa.
Then those leaders sent a message to Jezebel, saying “We have executed Naboth.”
15 Kwasekusithi uJezebeli esezwile ukuthi uNabothi usekhandwe ngamatshe wafa, uJezebeli wathi kuAhabi: Vuka uthathe isivini sikaNabothi umJizereyeli sibe ngesakho, ala ukukunika sona ngemali, ngoba uNabothi kaphili, kodwa ufile.
When Jezebel found out that Naboth had been killed, she told Ahab, “Naboth is dead. Now you can go and take possession of the vineyard that he refused to sell to you.”
16 Kwasekusithi uAhabi esezwile ukuthi uNabothi ufile, uAhabi wasukuma ukwehlela esivinini sikaNabothi umJizereyeli, ukusithatha sibe ngesakhe.
When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went to the vineyard to claim that he now owned it.
17 Kwasekufika ilizwi leNkosi kuElija umTishibi lisithi:
Then Yahweh spoke to Elijah the prophet. He said,
18 Sukuma wehle ukuhlangabeza uAhabi inkosi yakoIsrayeli, oseSamariya; khangela, usesivinini sikaNabothi, ehlele khona ukuze asithathe sibe ngesakhe.
“Go to Samaria and talk to Ahab, the king of Israel. He is in the vineyard of a man named Naboth. He has gone there to claim that he now owns it.
19 Uzakhuluma kuye uthi: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Ubulele futhi wathatha yini kwaba ngokwakho? Njalo uzakhuluma kuye uthi: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Endaweni lapho izinja ezikhothe khona igazi likaNabothi, izinja zizakhotha igazi lakho, ngitsho elakho.
Tell Ahab that this is what I, Yahweh, say to him: ‘You have murdered Naboth and taken his land.’ So I am telling you this: ‘In the same place where [Naboth died and] dogs came and licked up Naboth’s blood, [you will die and] the dogs will lick up your blood, too!’”
20 UAhabi wasesithi kuElija: Ungificile yini, sitha sami? Wasesithi: Ngikutholile, ngoba uzithengisile ukwenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi.
So when Elijah met with Ahab, Ahab said to him, “You, my enemy, have found me!” [RHQ] Elijah answered, “Yes, I have found you. You have never stopped doing the things that Yahweh says are wrong.
21 Khangela, ngizakwehlisela ububi, ngiqothule inzalo yakho, ngiqume asuke kuAhabi ochamela emdulini, lovalelweyo lokhululekileyo koIsrayeli.
So this is what Yahweh says to you: ‘I will soon get rid of you. I will kill you, and I will also kill every male in your household, including those who are slaves and those who are not slaves.
22 Njalo ngizakwenza indlu yakho ibe njengendlu kaJerobhowamu indodana kaNebati lanjengendlu kaBahasha indodana kaAhiya, ngenxa yesicunulo ongicunule ngaso, wenza uIsrayeli one.
Your family will all be killed, just like the family of King Jeroboam and like the family of King Baasha were killed. I will get rid of you because you have caused me to become very angry, and you have also led the Israeli people to sin.’
23 LangoJezebeli laye iNkosi yakhuluma isithi: Izinja zizamudla uJezebeli emthangaleni weJizereyeli.
Yahweh has also told me that [your wife] Jezebel [will be killed, and] dogs in Jezreel will eat her corpse.
24 OkaAhabi ofela phakathi komuzi zizamudla izinja, lofela egangeni zizamudla inyoni zamazulu.
The [dead bodies of the] members of your family who die in this city [will not be buried, they] will be eaten by dogs, and [the corpses of] those who die in the fields will be eaten by vultures.”
25 Kodwa kakubanga khona onjengoAhabi owazithengisa ukwenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi, uJezebeli umkakhe amkhuthazayo.
There was no man no man like Ahab who always did things that Yahweh considered to be evil. His wife Jezebel incited/urged him to do [many of] those things.
26 Wenza amanyala kakhulu ngokulandela izithombe, njengakho konke amaAmori akwenzayo, iNkosi eyawaxotsha elifeni phambi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
The most abominable/detestable thing that Ahab did was to worship idols, just like the Amor people-group had done. And that is why Yahweh took the Amor people’s land from them and gave it to the Israelis.
27 Kwasekusithi uAhabi esizwa lamazwi wadabula izigqoko zakhe, wafaka isaka phezu komzimba wakhe, wazila ukudla, walala ngesaka, wahamba buthakathaka.
After Elijah finished talking to Ahab, Ahab tore his clothes [to show that he was sorry for all the sins that he had committed]. He put on rough clothes that were made from sacks, and he refused to eat anything. He even wore those rough clothes made from sacks when he slept, to show that he was sorry.
28 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kuElija umTishibi lisithi:
Then Yahweh said this to Elijah:
29 Ubonile yini ukuthi uAhabi uzithobe phambi kwami? Ngenxa yokuthi ezithobile phambi kwami kangiyikuletha ububi ensukwini zakhe; ensukwini zendodana yakhe ngizaletha lobububi endlini yakhe.
“I have seen [RHQ] that Ahab is now very sorry for all the evil things that he has done. So the things that I promised to do to his [family] will not happen while he is still alive. I will cause them to happen after his son becomes king. Then those things will happen to his family.” [MTY]
