2 Imilando 18
1 Njalo uJehoshafathi wayelenotho lodumo ngobunengi; wahlangana ngobuhlobo loAhabi.
Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; he allied himself with Ahab by having one of his family marry his daughter.
2 Ekupheleni kweminyaka wasesehlela kuAhabi eSamariya. UAhabi wamhlabela izimvu lenkabi ngobunengi, labantu ababelaye, wamncenga ukuthi enyukele eRamothi-Gileyadi.
After some years, he went down to Ahab in Samaria. Ahab killed many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him. Ahab also persuaded him to attack Ramoth Gilead with him.
3 UAhabi inkosi yakoIsrayeli wasesithi kuJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda: Uzahamba lami eRamothi-Gileyadi yini? Wasesithi kuye: Njengami unjalo wena, labantu bami banjengabantu bakho. Sizakuba lawe empini.
Ahab, king of Israel, said to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat answered him, “I am like you, and my people are like your people. We will be with you in the war.”
4 UJehoshafathi wasesithi enkosini yakoIsrayeli: Akubuze lamuhla ilizwi leNkosi.
Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please first seek the word of Yahweh for your answer.”
5 Inkosi yakoIsrayeli yasibuthanisa abaprofethi, amadoda angamakhulu amane, yathi kubo: Sihambe yini eRamothi-Gileyadi empini kumbe ngiyekele? Basebesithi: Yenyuka, ngoba uNkulunkulu uzayinikela esandleni senkosi.
Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Should we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or should I not?” They said, “Attack, for God will give it into the hand of the king.”
6 Kodwa uJehoshafathi wathi: Kasekho yini lapha umprofethi weNkosi ukuthi sibuze kuye?
But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here still another prophet of Yahweh with whom we might seek advice?”
7 Inkosi yakoIsrayeli yasisithi kuJehoshafathi: Kusekhona indoda eyodwa esingabuza ngayo eNkosini, kodwa mina ngiyamzonda ngoba kaprofethi lutho oluhle ngami, kodwa okubi zonke izinsuku zakhe; lo nguMikhaya indodana kaImla. UJehoshafathi wasesithi: Inkosi ingatsho njalo.
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may seek the advice of Yahweh, Micaiah son of Imlah, but I hate him because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” But Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say that.”
8 Inkosi yakoIsrayeli yasibiza umthenwa othile yathi: Landa masinyane uMikhaya indodana kaImla.
Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”
9 Njalo inkosi yakoIsrayeli loJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda babehlezi ngulowo lalowo esihlalweni sakhe sobukhosi, begqoke izembatho, behlezi ebaleni engenelweni lesango leSamariya, bonke abaprofethi beprofetha-ke phambi kwabo.
Now Ahab the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on a throne, clothed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
10 UZedekhiya indodana kaKhenahana wasezenzela impondo zensimbi, wathi: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Ngalezi uzahlaba amaSiriya uze uwaqede.
Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made himself horns of iron and said, “Yahweh says this: With these you will push the Arameans until they are consumed.”
11 Labo bonke abaprofethi baprofetha njalo, besithi: Yenyukela eRamothi-Gileyadi uphumelele, ngoba iNkosi izayinikela esandleni senkosi.
All the prophets prophesied the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead and win, for Yahweh has given it into the hand of the king.”
12 Isithunywa esasiyebiza uMikhaya sakhuluma kuye sisithi: Khangela, amazwi abaprofethi ngamlomo munye mahle enkosini; ngakho ilizwi lakho ake lifanane lelomunye wabo, ukhulume okuhle.
The messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the words of the prophets with one mouth are favorable to the king. Let your words agree with theirs, and speak favorably.”
13 Kodwa uMikhaya wathi: Kuphila kukaJehova, ngeqiniso lokho uNkulunkulu wami akutshoyo, lokho ngizakukhuluma.
Micaiah replied, “As Yahweh lives, it is what God says that I will say.”
14 Esefikile enkosini, inkosi yathi kuye: Mikhaya, siye eRamothi-Gileyadi empini kumbe ngiyekele yini? Wasesithi: Yenyukani, liphumelele, ngoba bazanikelwa esandleni senu.
When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth Gilead for battle, or not?” Micaiah answered him, “Attack and be victorious! For it will be a great victory.”
15 Inkosi yasisithi kuye: Ngizakufungisa kuze kube yizikhathi ezingaki ukuze ungakhulumi kimi ngaphandle kweqiniso ebizweni leNkosi?
Then the king said to him, “How many times must I require you to swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?”
16 Wasesithi: Ngabona uIsrayeli wonke echithekile phezu kwezintaba njengezimvu ezingelamelusi; iNkosi yasisithi: Laba kabalamakhosi, kababuyele ngulowo endlini yakhe ngokuthula.
So Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep who have no shepherd, and Yahweh said, 'These have no shepherd. Let every man return to his house in peace.'”
17 Inkosi yakoIsrayeli yasisithi kuJehoshafathi: Kangikutshelanga yini: Kayikuprofetha okuhle ngami kodwa okubi kuphela?
So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but only disaster?”
18 Wasesithi: Ngakho zwanini ilizwi leNkosi. Ngabona iNkosi ihlezi esihlalweni sayo sobukhosi, lexuku lonke lamazulu limi ngakwesokunene sayo langakwesokhohlo sayo.
Then Micaiah said, “Therefore all of you should hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven were standing on his right hand and on his left.
19 INkosi yasisithi: Ngubani ozahuga uAhabi inkosi yakoIsrayeli ukuze enyuke awe eRamothi-Gileyadi? Omunye wasekhuluma esitsho ngokunjalo, lomunye esitsho ngokunjalo.
Yahweh said, 'Who will entice Ahab, king of Israel, so that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?' One said this and another that.
20 Kwasekuphuma umoya, wema phambi kweNkosi wathi: Mina ngizamhuga. INkosi yasisithi kuwo: Ngani?
Then a spirit came forward and it stood before Yahweh and said, 'I will entice him.' Yahweh said to him, 'How?'
21 Wasusithi: Ngizaphuma ngibe ngumoya wamanga emlonyeni wabo bonke abaprofethi bakhe. Yasisithi: Uzamhuga, njalo uzakuba lamandla; phuma wenze njalo.
The spirit replied, 'I will go out and I will become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Yahweh replied, 'You will entice him, and you will also be successful. Go now and do so.'
22 Ngakho-ke, khangela, iNkosi ifake umoya wamanga emlonyeni walababaprofethi bakho, njalo iNkosi ikhulume okubi ngawe.
Now see, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and Yahweh has decreed disaster for you.”
23 UZedekhiya indodana kaKhenahana wasesondela, watshaya uMikhaya esihlathini, wathi: UMoya weNkosi wedlula ngandlela bani esuka kimi ukuthi akhulume lawe?
Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, came up, slapped Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the Spirit of Yahweh take to go from me to speak to you?”
24 UMikhaya wasesithi: Khangela, uzabona ngalolosuku mhla uzangena ekamelweni phakathi kwekamelo ukuthi ucatshe.
Micaiah said, “Look, you will know that on that day, when you run into some inner room to hide.”
25 Inkosi yakoIsrayeli yasisithi: Thathani uMikhaya, limbuyisele kuAmoni umbusi womuzi lakuJowashi indodana yenkosi,
The king of Israel said to some servants, “You people seize Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, my son.
26 lithi: Itsho njalo inkosi: Fakani lo entolongweni, limdlise isinkwa senhlupho lamanzi enhlupho ngize ngibuye ngokuthula.
You people will say to him, 'The king says: Put this man in prison and feed him with only a little bread and only a little water, until I return safely.'”
27 UMikhaya wasesithi: Uba ubuya lokubuya ngokuthula, iNkosi izabe ingakhulumanga ngami. Wathi: Lalelani, bantu lonke.
Then Micaiah said, “If you return safely, then Yahweh has not spoken by me.” Then he added, “Listen to this, all you people.”
28 Ngakho inkosi yakoIsrayeli loJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda benyukela eRamothi-Gileyadi.
So Ahab, the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up against Ramoth Gilead.
29 Inkosi yakoIsrayeli yasisithi kuJehoshafathi: Ngizazifihla isimo, ngingene empini, kodwa wena gqoka izembatho zakho. Inkosi yakoIsrayeli yasizifihla isimo, basebengena empini.
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into the battle.
30 Inkosi yeSiriya yayilayile-ke izinduna zenqola eyayilazo isithi: Lingalwi lomncane loba omkhulu, kodwa lenkosi yakoIsrayeli kuphela.
Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, “Do not attack the unimportant or the important soldiers. Instead, attack only the king of Israel.”
31 Kwasekusithi induna zezinqola zibona uJehoshafathi zona zathi: Yena uyinkosi yakoIsrayeli. Ngakho zamhanqela ukulwa. Kodwa uJehoshafathi wahlaba umkhosi; iNkosi yasimsiza. UNkulunkulu wazihuga zasuka kuye.
It came about that when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat they said, “That is the king of Israel.” They turned around to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and Yahweh helped him. God turned them away from him.
32 Ngoba kwathi lapho induna zezinqola zibona ukuthi kwakungayisiyo inkosi yakoIsrayeli, zaphenduka ekuyilandeleni.
It came about that when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
33 Umuntu othile wasedonsa idandili engananzelele, wahlaba inkosi yakoIsrayeli phakathi kwenhlangano lebhatshi lensimbi; yasisithi kumtshayeli wenqola: Phendula isandla sakho, ungikhuphe ebuthweni, ngoba ngilimele.
But a certain man drew his bow at random and shot the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. Then Ahab said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded.”
34 Impi yasikhula mhlalokho; inkosi yayisekelwe enqoleni iqondene lamaSiriya kwaze kwaba ntambama; yafa ngesikhathi sokutshona kwelanga.
The battle grew worse that day, and the king of Israel was held up in his chariot facing the Arameans until the evening. About the time that the sun was going down, he died.
