2 Amakhosi 13
1 Ngomnyaka wamatshumi amabili lantathu kaJowashi indodana kaAhaziya inkosi yakoJuda uJehowahazi indodana kaJehu waba yinkosi phezu kukaIsrayeli eSamariya, wabusa iminyaka elitshumi lesikhombisa.
After Joash had been ruling Judah for almost 23 years, Jehu’s son Jehoahaz became the king of Israel. He ruled in Samaria [city] for 17 years.
2 Wenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi, walandela izono zikaJerobhowamu indodana kaNebati owenza uIsrayeli one, kasukanga kuzo.
He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil and committed the same kind of sins that Jeroboam had committed, sins which led the people of Israel to sin. He did not stop committing those sins.
3 Ulaka lweNkosi lwaselumvuthela uIsrayeli, yabanikela esandleni sikaHazayeli inkosi yeSiriya lesandleni sikaBenihadadi indodana kaHazayeli, zonke lezonsuku.
So Yahweh became very angry with the Israeli people, and he allowed the army of King Hazael of Syria and his son Ben-Hadad to defeat the Israelis many times.
4 UJehowahazi wasencenga ubuso beNkosi, iNkosi yamuzwa, ngoba yabona incindezelo kaIsrayeli, ngoba inkosi yeSiriya yabacindezela.
Then Jehoahaz prayed to Yahweh [for help], and Yahweh heeded him, because he saw that the army of the king of Syria was oppressing the Israelis.
5 (INkosi yasisipha uIsrayeli umsindisi ukuze baphume ngaphansi kwesandla samaSiriya; abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebehlala emathenteni abo njengakuqala.
Yahweh sent a leader to Israel, who enabled them to be freed from being controlled by Syria. After that, the Israeli people lived peacefully as they had done previously.
6 Loba kunjalo kabasukanga ezonweni zendlu kaJerobhowamu owenza uIsrayeli one, bahamba kuzo; lesixuku laso sasilokhu siseSamariya.)
But they still continued to commit the same kind of sins that Jeroboam and his family had committed and which led the Israelis to [also] sin. And the statue of the goddess Asherah remained in Samaria.
7 Ngoba kayimtshiyelanga uJehowahazi abantu, kuphela abagadi bamabhiza abangamatshumi amahlanu, lenqola ezilitshumi, labahamba ngenyawo abazinkulungwane ezilitshumi; ngoba inkosi yeSiriya yayibabhubhisile, yabenza baba njengothuli ngokubhula.
Jehoahaz had only 50 men who rode on horses and ten chariots and 10,000 other soldiers, because the army of Syria had killed all the rest, trampling them like people walk on dirt.
8 Ezinye-ke zezindaba zikaJehowahazi, lakho konke akwenzayo, lamandla akhe, kakubhalwanga yini egwalweni lwemilando yamakhosi akoIsrayeli?
[If you want to read about] [RHQ] everything else that Jehoahaz did, you can read about it in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.
9 UJehowahazi waselala laboyise, bamngcwabela eSamariya; uJowashi indodana yakhe wasesiba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
Jehoahaz died [EUP] and was buried in Samaria. Then his son Jehoash became the king.
10 Ngomnyaka wamatshumi amathathu lesikhombisa kaJowashi inkosi yakoJuda uJehowashi indodana kaJehowahazi waba yinkosi phezu kukaIsrayeli eSamariya; wabusa iminyaka elitshumi lesithupha.
Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, started to rule in Israel after King Joash had been ruling in Judah for 23 years. Jehoash ruled in Samaria for 17 years.
11 Laye wenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi, kasukanga ezonweni zonke zikaJerobhowamu indodana kaNebati owenza uIsrayeli one; wahamba kuzo.
He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil. He refused to turn away from worshiping idols, which was the sin that [many years earlier King] Jeroboam had told the Israeli people to commit.
12 Ezinye-ke zezindaba zikaJowashi, lakho konke akwenzayo, lamandla akhe alwa ngawo loAmaziya inkosi yakoJuda, kakubhalwanga yini egwalweni lwemilando yamakhosi akoIsrayeli?
The other things that happened while Jehoash was king and all the things that he did are written in the book called ‘The Account of What the Kings of Israel Did’. In that account they wrote about Jehoash’s [army’s] victories, and their war with [the army of] King Amaziah of Judah.
13 UJowashi waselala laboyise, uJerobhowamu wasehlala esihlalweni sakhe sobukhosi. UJowashi wangcwatshelwa eSamariya lamakhosi akoIsrayeli.
When Jehoash died, he was buried in Samaria where the [other] kings of Israel were buried. Then his son Jeroboam became king.
14 UElisha wasegula umkhuhlane wakhe afa ngawo; uJowashi inkosi yakoIsrayeli wasesehlela kuye, wakhala inyembezi phezu kobuso bakhe, wathi: Baba wami! Baba wami! Nqola yakoIsrayeli lamabhiza ayo!
Elisha became very ill. Just before he died, King Jehoash went to Elisha and cried in front of him. [Saying the same words that Elisha had said when Elijah was taken to heaven], he said, “My father/master! My father/master! The chariots of us Israeli people and their drivers [are taking my master away]!”
15 UElisha wasesithi kuye: Thatha idandili lemitshoko. Wasezithathela idandili lemitshoko.
Elisha said to him, “Bring to me a bow and some arrows!” So the king did that.
16 Wasesithi enkosini yakoIsrayeli: Beka isandla sakho edandilini. Wasesibeka isandla sakhe. UElisha wasebeka izandla zakhe phezu kwezandla zenkosi.
Then Elisha told the king to put his hands on the bow [and prepare to shoot some arrows]. And then Elisha put his own hands on the king’s hands.
17 Wasesithi: Vula iwindi ngempumalanga. Yasilivula. UElisha wasesithi: Tshoka! Yasitshoka. Wasesithi: Umtshoko wenkululeko yeNkosi, lomtshoko wenkululeko kuSiriya. Ngoba uzatshaya amaSiriya eAfeki uze uwaqede.
Then Elisha told him, “[Have someone] open that window toward the east.” So they opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” So the king did. Then Elisha said, “That is the arrow that [indicates that your army] will defeat the Syrian army. Your army will completely defeat their [army] at Aphek [town].”
18 Wasesithi: Thatha imitshoko. Yasiyithatha. Wasesithi enkosini yakoIsrayeli: Tshaya emhlabathini. Yasitshaya kathathu, yasisima.
Then Elisha said, “Pick up the other arrows and strike the ground with them!” So the king picked up the arrows and struck the ground three times.
19 Umuntu kaNkulunkulu waseyithukuthelela, wathi: Ngabe utshaye kahlanu kumbe kasithupha, ngakho ubuzayitshaya iSiriya uze uyiqede; khathesi-ke uzatshaya iSiriya kathathu kuphela.
But Elisha was angry with him. He exclaimed, “You should have struck the ground five or six times! If you had done that, your army would have defeated the Syrian [army] until they were completely wiped out! But now, [because you struck the ground only three times, ] your army will defeat them only three times!”
20 UElisha wasesifa, basebemngcwaba. Amaviyo amaMowabi asengena elizweni ekuthwaseni komnyaka.
Then Elisha died and was buried. Groups of raiders from Moab came to Israel each year during (spring/the time when the cold season was ending).
21 Kwasekusithi bengcwaba umuntu, khangela-ke, babona iviyo, baphosela lowomuntu engcwabeni likaElisha. Kwathi umuntu esiyathinta amathambo kaElisha waphila, wasukuma wema ngenyawo.
One year, when some Israeli people were burying a man’s body, they saw a group of those raiders. [They were afraid, ] so quickly they threw that man’s body into the tomb where Elisha [had been buried, and they ran away]. But as soon as the man’s body touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man became alive again and jumped up!
22 UHazayeli inkosi yeSiriya wasecindezela uIsrayeli insuku zonke zikaJehowahazi.
King Hazael of Syria [sent soldiers to] oppress the Israeli people all during the years that Jehoahaz [ruled Judah].
23 INkosi yasisiba lomusa kibo, yaba lesihawu kubo, yaphendukela kibo ngenxa yesivumelwano sayo loAbrahama, uIsaka, loJakobe, kayithandanga ukubabhubhisa, kayibaxotshanga ebusweni bayo kuze kube khathesi.
But Yahweh was very kind [DOU] to the Israeli people. He helped them because of the agreement that he had made with [their ancestors] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He did not get rid of the Israelis, and he still has not rejected them.
24 UHazayeli inkosi yeSiriya wasesifa; uBenihadadi indodana yakhe wasesiba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
When Hazael the king of Syria died, his son Ben-Hadad became the king.
25 UJehowashi indodana kaJehowahazi wasebuya wathatha imizi esandleni sikaBenihadadi indodana kaHazayeli owayeyithethe esandleni sikaJehowahazi uyise ngempi. UJowashi wamtshaya kathathu, waseyibuyisela imizi yakoIsrayeli.
[The army of] King Jehoash of Israel defeated [the army of] King Ben-Hadad three times, and recaptured the cities that Ben-Hadad’s army had captured during the time that Jehoash’s father Jehoahaz was ruling Israel.
