2 Imilando 16
1 Ngomnyaka wamatshumi amathathu lesithupha wokubusa kukaAsa uBahasha inkosi yakoIsrayeli wenyuka emelana loJuda, wakha iRama ukuze angavumeli ophumayo longenayo kuAsa inkosi yakoJuda.
Then, in the thirty-sixth year of his reign, Baasha, the king of Israel, ascended against Judah. And he encircled Ramah with a wall, so that no one could safely depart or enter from the kingdom of Asa.
2 UAsa wasekhupha isiliva legolide esiphaleni senotho sendlu kaJehova lendlu yenkosi, wathumela kuBenihadadi inkosi yeSiriya owayehlala eDamaseko, esithi:
Therefore, Asa brought forth silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord, and from the treasuries of the king. And he sent to Benhadad, the king of Syria, who was living in Damascus, saying:
3 Kulesivumelwano phakathi kwami lawe laphakathi kukababa loyihlo; khangela, ngiyakuthumela isiliva legolide; hamba, yephula isivumelwano sakho loBahasha inkosi yakoIsrayeli ukuze enyuke asuke kimi.
“There is a pact between me and you. Also, my father and your father had an agreement. For this reason, I have sent silver and gold to you, so that you may break the pact that you have with Baasha, the king of Israel, and so that you may cause him to withdraw from me.”
4 UBenihadadi waseyilalela inkosi uAsa, wathuma induna zamabutho ayelawo ukuyamelana lemizi yakoIsrayeli, zasezitshaya iIjoni leDani leAbeli-Mayimi, lemizi yonke eyiziphala yakoNafithali.
And when he verified this, Benhadad sent the leaders of his armies to the cities of Israel. And they struck Ahion, and Dan, and Abelmaim, and all the walled cities of Naphtali.
5 Kwasekusithi uBahasha esizwa wayekela ukwakha iRama, wawumisa umsebenzi wakhe.
And when Baasha had heard of it, he ceased to build around Ramah, and he interrupted his work.
6 UAsa inkosi wasethatha uJuda wonke, bathutha amatshe eRama lezigodo zayo uBahasha ayesakha ngakho; wasesakha ngakho iGeba leMizipa.
Then king Asa took all of Judah, and they carried away from Ramah the stones and the wood that Baasha had prepared for the things to be built. And he built up Gibeah and Mizpah with them.
7 Ngalesosikhathi uHanani umboni wasefika kuAsa inkosi yakoJuda, wathi kuye: Ngoba weyeme enkosini yeSiriya, ungeyamanga eNkosini uNkulunkulu wakho, ngalokho ibutho lenkosi yeSiriya liphunyukile esandleni sakho.
In that time, the prophet Hanani went to Asa, the king of Judah, and he said to him: “Because you have faith in the king of Syria, and not in the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.
8 AmaEthiyophiya lamaLibiya ayengeyisilo ibutho elikhulu, elezinqola labagadi bamabhiza abanengi kakhulu yini? Kanti lapho weyeme eNkosini, yawanikela esandleni sakho.
Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans much more numerous in chariots, and horsemen, and an exceedingly great multitude? Yet when you believed in the Lord, he delivered them into your hand.
9 Ngoba iNkosi, amehlo ayo agijima aye le lale emhlabeni wonke ukuthi izitshengise ilamandla ngalabo abanhliziyo yabo iphelele kuyo. Wenze ngobuthutha kulokhu, ngoba kusukela khathesi kuzakuba lezimpi kuwe.
For the eyes of the Lord contemplate the entire earth, and offer fortitude to those who believe in him with a perfect heart. And so, you acted foolishly. And so, because of this, from the present time wars shall rise up against you.”
10 UAsa wasemcunukela umboni, wamfaka entolongweni, ngoba wamthukuthelela ngalokhu. UAsa wasecindezela abanye ebantwini ngalesosikhathi.
And Asa was angry against the seer, and he ordered him to be sent into prison. For indeed, he had been very indignant over this. And in that time, he put to death very many of the people.
11 Khangela-ke, izindaba zikaAsa, ezokuqala lezokucina, khangela, zibhaliwe egwalweni lwamakhosi akoJuda lakoIsrayeli.
But the works of Asa, the first and the last, have been written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
12 UAsa waba lomkhuhlane enyaweni zakhe, ngomnyaka wamatshumi amathathu lesificamunwemunye wokubusa kwakhe, umkhuhlane wakhe waze wakhula kakhulu; kanti lekuguleni kwakhe kayidinganga iNkosi, kodwa izinyanga.
And now Asa became ill, in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, with a very severe pain in his feet. And yet, in his infirmity, he did not seek the Lord. Instead, he trusted more in the skill of physicians.
13 UAsa waselala laboyise wafa ngomnyaka wamatshumi amane lanye wokubusa kwakhe.
And he slept with his fathers. And he died in the forty-first year of his reign.
14 Basebemngcwaba emangcwabeni akhe ayezigebhele wona emzini kaDavida; bambeka embhedeni ayewugcwalise amaphunga amnandi lezinhlobonhlobo zamakha, ayenziwe ngokuhlakanipha kwezingcitshi zamakha; basebembasela umlilo omkhulu, omkhulukazi.
And they buried him in his own sepulcher, which he had made for himself in the City of David. And they placed him upon his bed, full of the aromatics and ointments of courtesans, which were composed with the skill of the perfumers. And they burned these over him with very great ostentation.
