< 2 Amakhosi 17 >
1 Ngomnyaka wetshumi lambili kaAhazi inkosi yakoJuda uHosheya indodana kaEla waba yinkosi eSamariya phezu kukaIsrayeli; wabusa iminyaka eyisificamunwemunye.
Elah’s son Hoshea began to rule Israel after King Ahaz had ruled Judah for twelve years. Hoshea ruled in Samaria for nine years.
2 Wasesenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi, loba kunjalo kungenjengamakhosi akoIsrayeli ayengaphambi kwakhe.
He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, but he did not do as many evil things as the previous kings of Israel had done.
3 UShalimaneseri inkosi yeAsiriya wenyuka wamelana laye; uHosheya wasesiba yinceku yakhe, wathela umthelo kuye.
[The army of] King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked and defeated [the army of] King Hoshea. As a result, the Israelis were forced to pay a lot of tribute/taxes to Assyria each year.
4 Kodwa inkosi yeAsiriya yafica ugobe kuHosheya, ngoba wayethume izithunywa kuSo inkosi yeGibhithe, kazabe esenyusa umthelo enkosini yeAsiriya umnyaka ngomnyaka. Ngakho inkosi yeAsiriya yamvalela yambopha entolongweni.
But several years later, Hoshea secretly planned to rebel against the rulers of Assyria. He sent messengers to So/Osorkon, the king of Egypt, [asking if his army could help the Israelis fight against the army of Assyria]. Hoshea also stopped paying the tribute/taxes that he had been paying to Assyria every year. But the king of Assyria found out about those things, so he told his officers to put Hoshea in prison.
5 Inkosi yeAsiriya yasisenyukela kulo lonke ilizwe, yenyukela eSamariya, yayivimbezela iminyaka emithathu.
Then he [brought the army of] Assyria to Israel, and they attacked everywhere in that land. His army surrounded Samaria [city] for three years.
6 Ngomnyaka wesificamunwemunye kaHosheya, inkosi yeAsiriya yathumba iSamariya yathumbela uIsrayeli eAsiriya, yabahlalisa eHala leHabori, umfula weGozani, lemizini yamaMede.
Finally, after King Hoshea had been ruling Israel for nine years, the army of Assyria [MTY] [forcefully entered] the city [and] captured [the people]. They took the Israeli people to Assyria and forced some of them to live in Halah [town]. They forced others to live near the Habor River in Gozan district. They forced others to live in the towns where the Mede people-group lived.
7 Lokhu-ke kwenzeka ngoba abantwana bakoIsrayeli babonile eNkosini uNkulunkulu wabo eyayibenyuse elizweni leGibhithe ibasusa ngaphansi kwesandla sikaFaro inkosi yeGibhithe, babesabe abanye onkulunkulu,
Those things happened because the Israeli people had sinned against Yahweh their God. He had rescued their [ancestors] from the power [MTY] of the king of Egypt and brought them [safely] out of Egypt, but later they began to worship other gods.
8 bahamba ezimisweni zezizwe iNkosi eyayizixotshe elifeni phambi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli, lezamakhosi akoIsrayeli, ayezenzile.
They imitated the things that the heathen/pagan people-groups did. Those were the groups that Yahweh had expelled as the Israelis occupied their land. The Israeli people also did the evil things that the kings of Israel (introduced/showed to them).
9 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli benza ensitha izinto ezingalunganga bemelene leNkosi uNkulunkulu wabo. Babezakhele indawo eziphakemeyo kuyo yonke imizi yabo, kusukela enqabeni yabalindi kuze kube semzini obiyelweyo.
The Israeli people also secretly did many things that were not pleasing to Yahweh their God. They built shrines [to worship idols] in all their cities, including small towns and big cities with walls around them.
10 Basebezimisela insika eziyizithombe lezixuku phezu kwawo wonke amaqaqa aphakemeyo langaphansi kwaso sonke isihlahla esiluhlaza.
They set up stone pillars [to honor gods], and poles [to worship the goddess] Asherah at the top of every high hill and under every [big] tree.
11 Basebetshisa lapho impepha endaweni zonke eziphakemeyo, njengezizwe iNkosi eyazikhokhelela ekuthunjweni phambi kwabo; benza izinto ezimbi ukuyithukuthelisa iNkosi.
The Israelis burned incense in every place where they worshiped those gods, just like the people-groups who lived there previously had done—the groups that Yahweh had expelled from the land. The Israelis did many wicked things that caused Yahweh to become angry.
12 Ngoba bakhonza izithombe, iNkosi eyayithe ngazo kubo: Kaliyikuyenza linto.
Yahweh warned them many times that they should not worship idols, but they did it anyway.
13 Kanti iNkosi yafakaza imelene loIsrayeli njalo imelene loJuda ngesandla sabo bonke abaprofethi lababoni bonke isithi: Phendukani endleleni zenu ezimbi, ligcine imithetho yami, izimiso zami, njengokomlayo wonke engawulaya oyihlo lengawuthumela kini ngesandla senceku zami abaprofethi.
Yahweh frequently sent his prophets and (seers/those who saw visions from Yahweh) to warn the people of Israel and the people of Judah. The message that Yahweh gave them was, “Turn away from all your evil behavior. Obey my commands and my laws, the laws that I told your ancestors [to obey] and which I told the prophets who served me to tell to you [again].”
14 Loba kunjalo kabalalelanga, kodwa benza lukhuni intamo yabo, njengentamo yaboyise, abangakholwanga eNkosini uNkulunkulu wabo.
But the Israeli people would not pay attention. They were stubborn [IDM] just like their ancestors were. Just like their ancestors did, they refused to believe in Yahweh their God.
15 Njalo bala izimiso zayo lesivumelwano sayo eyasenza laboyise lezifakazelo zayo eyazifakaza imelene labo, balandela ize, baba yize, balandela izizwe ezazibahanqile, iNkosi eyayibalaye ngazo ukuthi bangenzi njengazo.
They rejected Yahweh’s laws and the agreement that he had made with their ancestors. They ignored Yahweh’s warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and as a result they themselves became worthless. Although Yahweh had commanded them not to imitate the evil behavior of the people-groups that lived near them, they disobeyed that command.
16 Bayitshiya yonke imilayo yeNkosi uNkulunkulu wabo, bazenzela izithombe ezibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa, amathole amabili, benza isixuku, bakhothamela lonke ibutho lamazulu, bakhonza uBhali.
The Israeli people disobeyed all of Yahweh’s commands. They made two metal calves [to worship]. They set up two poles [to worship the goddess] Asherah, and they worshiped [the god] Baal, and the sun, the moon, and the stars.
17 Benza amadodana abo lamadodakazi abo adabule emlilweni, benza ukuvumisa, benza imilingo, bazithengisela ukwenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi ukuyithukuthelisa.
They also burned their own sons and daughters to be sacrifices [to those gods]. They went to fortune-tellers and they practiced sorcery. They continually chose [MET] to do [all kinds of] evil things that caused Yahweh to become angry.
18 Ngakho iNkosi yamthukuthelela kakhulu uIsrayeli, yabasusa ebusweni bayo; kakusalanga loyedwa ngaphandle kwesizwe sakoJuda kuphela.
So, because Yahweh was very angry with the Israeli people, he allowed [their enemies] to take them away [from their country]. Only the people of the tribe of Judah were left [in the land].
19 Laye uJuda kayigcinanga imilayo yeNkosi uNkulunkulu wabo, kodwa bahamba ngezimiso zikaIsrayeli abazenzayo.
But even the people of Judah did not obey the commands of Yahweh their God. They imitated the evil customs that the Israelis had introduced.
20 INkosi yasiyala yonke inzalo yakoIsrayeli, yayihlupha, yayinikela esandleni sabaphangi, yaze yabalahla yabasusa phambi kwayo.
So Yahweh rejected all the people of Israel and of Judah. He punished them by allowing the armies of other nations to defeat them [and take them away]. He got rid of all of them.
21 Ngoba yamdabula uIsrayeli imsusa endlini kaDavida, basebebeka uJerobhowamu indodana kaNebati ukuthi abe yinkosi. UJerobhowamu wamqhuba wamphambula uIsrayeli ekulandeleni iNkosi, wabenza bona isono esikhulu.
Earlier, when Yahweh allowed the people of Israel to separate/break away from the area [MTY] that King David [had estabished], they chose Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, to be their king. Then Jeroboam enticed the people of Israel to stop worshiping Yahweh [and to worship idols instead]. He led them to commit great sins.
22 Ngoba abantwana bakoIsrayeli bahamba ngazo zonke izono zikaJerobhowamu azenzayo, kabasukanga kuzo,
And the Israeli people continued to do the evil things that Jeroboam introduced. They did not turn away from those sins,
23 iNkosi yaze yamsusa uIsrayeli phambi kwayo njengokutsho kwayo ngesandla sazo zonke inceku zayo abaprofethi. Ngakho uIsrayeli wathunjwa wasuswa elizweni lakhe wasiwa eAsiriya kuze kube lamuhla.
until finally Yahweh got rid of them. That was just what his prophets had warned would happen. The Israeli people were taken away to the land of Assyria, and they still remain there.
24 Inkosi yeAsiriya yasiletha abantu abavela eBhabhiloni labavela eKutha labavela eAva labavela eHamathi labavela eSefavayimi, yabahlalisa emizini yeSamariya esikhundleni sabantwana bakoIsrayeli, badla ilifa leSamariya, bahlala emizini yayo.
The king of Assyria [ordered his soldiers to] take [groups of] people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim [cities] to [the] Samaria [region], and to resettle them in the towns there, to take the place of the Israelis [who lived there previously]. Those people took control over [the whole] Samaria [region] and lived in the towns there.
25 Kwasekusithi ekuqaleni kokuhlala kwabo khona kabayesabanga iNkosi; ngakho iNkosi yathumela izilwane phakathi kwabo ezabulala abanye babo.
But those people [who came from other countries] did not worship Yahweh when they first arrived in Samaria. So Yahweh sent lions to kill some of them.
26 Ngakho bakhuluma enkosini yeAsiriya besithi: Izizwe owazisusayo wazihlalisa emizini yeSamariya kaziwazi umkhuba kaNkulunkulu walelolizwe; ngakho uthumele izilwane phakathi kwazo, khangela-ke ziyazibulala, ngoba kaziwazi umkhuba kaNkulunkulu walelolizwe.
Then those people sent a message to the king of Assyria. They wrote, “We people who have resettled in the towns in Samaria do not know how to worship the God [that the Israelis worshiped] in this land. So he has sent lions among us to kill us, because we have not worshiped him correctly.”
27 Inkosi yeAsiriya yasilaya isithi: Yisani khona omunye wabapristi elabathumbayo besuka lapho; kabayehlala khona, kabafundise umkhuba kaNkulunkulu walelolizwe.
[When] the king of Assyria [read this letter, he] commanded [his officers], “You brought many priests here from Samaria. Send one of them back there. Tell him to teach the people who are now living there how to worship correctly the God whom the Israelis worshiped in that land.”
28 Ngakho omunye wabapristi ababebathumbe besuka eSamariya weza wahlala eBhetheli, wabafundisa ukuthi bangayesaba njani iNkosi.
So [the officers did that]. They sent one of the Israeli priests back to Samaria. That priest went to live in Bethel [city], and he taught the people there how to worship Yahweh.
29 Loba kunjalo zonke izizwe zenza onkulunkulu bazo, zabafaka ezindlini zezindawo eziphakemeyo amaSamariya azenzayo, yileso laleso isizwe emizini yazo ezihlala kuyo.
But the people [who returned from Babylon and started to live in Samaria and] continued to make their own idols. They placed them in the shrines that the Israelis had built there. The people of each people-group made idols in the cities in which they were living.
30 Labantu beBhabhiloni benza uSukothi-Benothi, labantu beKuthi benza uNerigali, labantu beHamathi benza uAshima,
The people from Babylon made idols to represent their god Succoth-Benoth. The people from Cuthah made idols to represent their god Nergal. The people from Hamath made idols to represent their god Ashima.
31 lamaAvi enza uNibazi loTaritaki, lamaSefavayimi ayetshisa abantwana bawo emlilweni esenzela uAdrameleki loAnameleki onkulunkulu beSefavayimi.
The people of Avva made idols to represent their gods Nibhaz and Tartak. The people from Sepharvaim sacrificed their own children. They completely burned them [in pits where hot fires were kept burning, ] as offerings to their gods Adrammelech and Anammelech.
32 Babeyesaba leNkosi, bazenzela abapristi bezindawo eziphakemeyo kwabaphansi kakhulu babo, ababebasebenzela ezindlini zezindawo eziphakemeyo.
But those people also worshiped Yahweh, and they appointed from among their own groups many people to be priests at the shrines on the tops of the hills, in order that those priests could offer sacrifices for them there.
33 Babeyesaba iNkosi, njalo babekhonza onkulunkulu babo njengomkhuba wezizwe ezabathumbayo besuka lapho.
So they revered Yahweh, but they also worshiped their own gods, just as the people living in the countries from which they had been taken to Samaria did.
34 Kuze kube lamuhla benza njengemikhuba yakuqala. Kabayesabi iNkosi, kabenzi njengezimiso zabo lanjengezimiselo zabo lanjengomlayo lanjengomthetho iNkosi eyakulaya abantwana bakaJakobe, owamutha ibizo elithi uIsrayeli.
They still keep their old customs. They really do not worship Yahweh, and they do not obey all the laws and commands that Yahweh gave to the descendants of Jacob, to whom he gave the new name Israel.
35 INkosi eyenza isivumelwano labo, yabalaya isithi: Kaliyikwesaba abanye onkulunkulu, lingabakhothameli, lingabasebenzeli, lingabahlabeli.
Yahweh had previously made an agreement with their ancestors, commanding them not to worship other gods or bow down to honor them or do other things to please them or offer sacrifices to them.
36 Kodwa iNkosi eyalenyusa elizweni leGibhithe ngamandla amakhulu langengalo eyeluliweyo, yona lizayesaba njalo yona lizayikhothamela njalo yona lizayihlabela.
He had said to them, “You must have an awesome respect for me, Yahweh, the one who brought you out of Egypt with my very great power [DOU]. I am the one whom you must bow down to honor, and I am the one to whom you must offer sacrifices.
37 Lezimiso lezimiselo lomlayo lomthetho eyalibhalela khona, lizaqaphelisa ukukwenza zonke izinsuku, lingesabi abanye onkulunkulu.
You must always obey the laws and commands that I [told Moses to] write for you. You must not worship other gods.
38 Lesivumelwano engasenza lani lingasikhohlwa, lingesabi abanye onkulunkulu.
And you must not forget the agreement that I made with your ancestors. You must not revere other gods.
39 Kodwa iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu lizayesaba; yona-ke izalikhulula esandleni sezitha zenu zonke.
Instead, you must revere me, Yahweh, your God. If you do that, I will rescue you from the power [MTY] of all your enemies.”
40 Loba kunjalo kabalalelanga, kodwa benza njengomkhuba wabo wakuqala.
But the people [from those foreign nations] would not heed what Yahweh said. Instead, they continued to adhere to their old customs.
41 Lezizizwe zayesaba-ke iNkosi, kodwa zakhonza izithombe zazo ezibaziweyo; bobabili abantwana bazo labantwana babantwana bazo, njengokwenza kwaboyise benza labo kuze kube lamuhla.
So, they worshiped Yahweh, but they also worshiped their idols. And their descendants still do the same thing.