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.
When Asa had been ruling [Judah] for almost 36 years, King Baasha of Israel went [with his army] to attack Judah. They [captured the town of] Ramah [north of Jerusalem] and started to build a wall around [it], in order to prevent any people from entering or leaving the area in Judah that was ruled by King Asa [because the only road into Judah from Israel went through Ramah].
2 UAsa wasekhupha isiliva legolide esiphaleni senotho sendlu kaJehova lendlu yenkosi, wathumela kuBenihadadi inkosi yeSiriya owayehlala eDamaseko, esithi:
So Asa told his workers to take all the silver and gold that was in the storerooms of the temple and in his own palace, and take and give it to Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, who was ruling in Damascus. [He sent him a message, ] saying
3 Kulesivumelwano phakathi kwami lawe laphakathi kukababa loyihlo; khangela, ngiyakuthumela isiliva legolide; hamba, yephula isivumelwano sakho loBahasha inkosi yakoIsrayeli ukuze enyuke asuke kimi.
“I want there to be a peace treaty between me and you, like there was between my father and your father. Look, I am sending you [a lot of] silver and gold. So please cancel the treaty that you have 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].”
4 UBenihadadi waseyilalela inkosi uAsa, wathuma induna zamabutho ayelawo ukuyamelana lemizi yakoIsrayeli, zasezitshaya iIjoni leDani leAbeli-Mayimi, lemizi yonke eyiziphala yakoNafithali.
Ben-Hadad agreed to do what King Asa [suggested]. He sent the commanders of his armies [with their soldiers] to attack some of the towns in Israel. They captured Ijon, Dan, Abel-Beth-Maacah and all the cities in the area belonging to the tribe of Naphtali where supplies were kept.
5 Kwasekusithi uBahasha esizwa wayekela ukwakha iRama, wawumisa umsebenzi wakhe.
When Baasha heard about that, he [commanded his troops to] stop fortifying Ramah and doing other work there.
6 UAsa inkosi wasethatha uJuda wonke, bathutha amatshe eRama lezigodo zayo uBahasha ayesakha ngakho; wasesakha ngakho iGeba leMizipa.
Then King Asa gathered all the men of Judah, and they took away from Ramah all the stones and timber that Baasha’s men had been using [to build the wall around that town]. They took those materials to [the town of] Geba and [the city of] Mizpah [north of Jerusalem] and built walls around 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.
At that time the prophet Hanani went to King Asa and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria and not on Yahweh our God, you missed your opportunity to destroy the army of the king of Syria.
8 AmaEthiyophiya lamaLibiya ayengeyisilo ibutho elikhulu, elezinqola labagadi bamabhiza abanengi kakhulu yini? Kanti lapho weyeme eNkosini, yawanikela esandleni sakho.
The huge armies from Ethiopia and Libya with all their chariots and soldiers [riding] on horses [were certainly very powerful. But] when you relied on Yahweh, he enabled your army to defeat them.
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.
That happened because Yahweh sees [what is happening] all over the earth, and he strengthens those who completely trust him. You have done a very foolish thing, so from now on other armies will be fighting your army.”
10 UAsa wasemcunukela umboni, wamfaka entolongweni, ngoba wamthukuthelela ngalokhu. UAsa wasecindezela abanye ebantwini ngalesosikhathi.
Asa was very angry with the prophet because of what the prophet had said. So he [commanded his officials to] put Hanani in prison. At that same time, he started to treat some of his people very cruelly.
11 Khangela-ke, izindaba zikaAsa, ezokuqala lezokucina, khangela, zibhaliwe egwalweni lwamakhosi akoJuda lakoIsrayeli.
All the things that Asa did while he was ruling, from the time he started to rule until he died, are written in the scroll containing the record of the [activities 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.
When Asa had been ruling for almost 39 years, he was afflicted with a disease in his feet. The disease was very severe, but in spite of that, he did not request help from Yahweh. Instead he sought help only from doctors.
13 UAsa waselala laboyise wafa ngomnyaka wamatshumi amane lanye wokubusa kwakhe.
When he had been ruling for almost 40 years, he died.
14 Basebemngcwaba emangcwabeni akhe ayezigebhele wona emzini kaDavida; bambeka embhedeni ayewugcwalise amaphunga amnandi lezinhlobonhlobo zamakha, ayenziwe ngokuhlakanipha kwezingcitshi zamakha; basebembasela umlilo omkhulu, omkhulukazi.
He was buried in the tomb that his workers had made for him in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’. They laid his corpse on a bed covered with spices and various perfumes that had been mixed together. They also lit a huge fire to honor him.
