2 Imilando 11
1 URehobhowamu esefikile eJerusalema wabuthanisa indlu yakoJuda leyakoBhenjamini, abakhethiweyo abazinkulungwane ezilikhulu lamatshumi ayisificaminwembili, abalwa impi, ukuze balwe loIsrayeli ukubuyisela umbuso kuRehobhowamu.
When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered 180,000 of the best soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. He wanted them to fight against [the northern tribes of] Israel [and defeat them], in order that he could rule [all the tribes of] the kingdom again.
2 Kodwa ilizwi leNkosi lafika kuShemaya umuntu kaNkulunkulu lisithi:
But Yahweh spoke to the prophet Shemaiah and said this to him:
3 Khuluma kuRehobhowamu indodana kaSolomoni, inkosi yakoJuda, lakuIsrayeli wonke koJuda lakoBhenjamini, uthi:
“Go and tell this to [Solomon’s son] Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all the Israeli people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin:
4 Itsho njalo iNkosi: Kaliyikwenyuka njalo lingalwi labafowenu. Buyelani ngulowo endlini yakhe, ngoba linto yenziwe yimi. Basebelilalela ilizwi leNkosi, baphenduka ekuyenimelana loJerobhowamu.
‘Yahweh says that you must not go to fight against [the people of Israel; they are] your distant relatives. All of you must go home. What has happened is what Yahweh wanted to happen.’” [So Shemaiah went and told that to them, ] and they all heeded what Yahweh had commanded them to do, and they did not attack Jeroboam [and his soldiers].
5 URehobhowamu wasehlala eJerusalema, wakha imizi eyizinqaba koJuda.
Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and his workers built walls around several of the cities and towns in Judah to protect them [against enemy attacks].
6 Wasesakha iBhethelehema leEtamu leThekhowa
In [the area that belonged to] the tribes of Judah and Benjamin they built walls around Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7 leBeti-Zuri leSoko leAdulamu
Beth-Zur, Soco, Adullam,
8 leGathi leMaresha leZifi
Gath, Mareshah,
9 leAdorayimi leLakishi leAzeka
Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10 leZora leAjaloni leHebroni, eyayikoJuda lakoBhenjamini, imizi ebiyelweyo.
Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron.
11 Waseqinisa izinqaba, wabeka abalawulimabutho kizo, leziphala zokudla lamafutha lewayini.
He also appointed an army commander in each of those cities and towns, and gave them supplies of food, olive oil, and wine [to keep in storage].
12 Lakuwo wonke umuzi lomuzi wabeka izihlangu ezinkulu lemikhonto, wayiqinisa kakhulukazi. Njalo uJuda loBhenjamini babengabakhe.
He put shields and spears in all the cities and made them well-protected. So he continued to rule the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
13 Labapristi lamaLevi ababekoIsrayeli wonke bazimisa kuye bevela kuyo yonke imingcele yabo.
The priests and other descendants of Levi throughout Israel supported Rehoboam.
14 Ngoba amaLevi atshiya amadlelo awo lemfuyo yabo, aya koJuda leJerusalema, ngoba uJerobhowamu lamadodana akhe bawala ekusebenzeleni iNkosi njengabapristi;
The descendants of Levi [who lived outside the territory of Judah and Benjamin] abandoned their property and their pastureland, and they came to Jerusalem and [to other places in] Judah, because Jeroboam and his sons would not allow them to do the work of priests of Yahweh.
15 wasezibekela abapristi bendawo eziphakemeyo, labamadimoni, labamathole ayewenzile.
Instead, Jeroboam appointed the priests that he wanted to work [at the altars he commanded to be built] on the hilltops, [to offer sacrifices to] the idols that he commanded to be made [that resembled] goats and calves.
16 Lemva kwawo kweza eJerusalema labo ababenikele inhliziyo yabo ukuyidinga iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, bevela kuzo zonke izizwe zakoIsrayeli, ukuyahlabela iNkosi, uNkulunkulu waboyise.
And people from every tribe in Israel who wanted to worship Yahweh, the God to whom the Israelis belonged, went with the descendants of Levi to Jerusalem to live there and to offer sacrifices to Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors [worshiped].
17 Ngokunjalo bawuqinisa umbuso wakoJuda, benza uRehobhowamu indodana kaSolomoni waba lamandla iminyaka emithathu; ngoba bahamba endleleni kaDavida loSolomoni iminyaka emithathu.
They caused the kingdom of Judah to be strong, and for three years they were happy that Solomon’s son Rehoboam was the king. During that time they conducted their lives [righteously] as David and Solomon had done previously.
18 URehobhowamu wasezithathela uMahalathi indodakazi kaJerimothi indodana kaDavida waba ngumkakhe, loAbihayili indodakazi kaEliyabi indodana kaJese,
Rehoboam married Mahalath. She was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth, and her mother was Abihail, the daughter of Eliab and granddaughter of Jesse.
19 owamzalela amadodana, oJewushi loShemariya loZahamu.
Rehoboam and Mahalath had three sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 Langemva kwakhe wathatha uMahaka indodakazi kaAbisalomu, owamzalela oAbhiya loAthayi loZiza loShelomithi.
Later Rehoboam married Maacah, the daughter of Absalom, and they had four sons: Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 URehobhowamu wasemthanda uMahaka indodakazi kaAbisalomu okwedlula bonke omkakhe labafazi bakhe abancinyane - ngoba wathatha abafazi abalitshumi lesificaminwembili, labafazi abancinyane abangamatshumi ayisithupha, wazala amadodana angamatshumi amabili lesificaminwembili lamadodakazi angamatshumi ayisithupha.
Rehoboam loved Maacah more than he loved any other of his wives and slave wives. Altogether he had 18 wives and 60 slave wives, and 28 sons and 60 daughters.
22 URehobhowamu wasebeka uAbhiya indodana kaMahaka waba yinhloko ukubusa phakathi kwabafowabo, ngoba kwakuyikumenza inkosi.
Rehoboam appointed his son Abijah to be the leader of his [older and younger] brothers, because he wanted to appoint Abijah to be the next king.
23 Wenza ngokuhlakanipha, wasabalalisa kuwo wonke amadodana akhe emazweni wonke akoJuda lakoBhenjamini, kuwo wonke umuzi obiyelweyo, wawanika ukudla ngobunengi, wadinga inengi labafazi.
He very wisely sent some of his other sons to other cities in the areas of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the other cities that had walls around them. He gave them plenty of supplies and many wives.
