2 Amakhosi 3
1 UJehoramu indodana kaAhabi waba-ke yinkosi phezu kukaIsrayeli eSamariya ngomnyaka wetshumi lesificaminwembili kaJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda; wabusa iminyaka elitshumi lambili.
Now in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Joram son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he reigned twelve years.
2 Wasesenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi, kodwa kungenjengoyise lanjengonina, ngoba wasusa insika kaBhali eyisithombe uyise ayeyenzile.
He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, but not like his father and his mother; for he removed the sacred stone pillar of Baal that his father had made.
3 Loba kunjalo wanamathela ezonweni zikaJerobhowamu indodana kaNebati owenza uIsrayeli one, kasukanga kukho.
Nevertheless he held on to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; he did not turn away from them.
4 Njalo uMesha inkosi yakoMowabi wayengumfuyi wezimvu, wayethela enkosini yakoIsrayeli amawundlu azinkulungwane ezilikhulu, lezinqama ezizinkulungwane ezilikhulu, loboya bezimvu.
Now Mesha king of Moab bred sheep. He had to give to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams.
5 Kodwa kwathi uAhabi esefile, inkosi yakoMowabi yavukela inkosi yakoIsrayeli.
But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 Inkosi uJehoramu yasiphuma ngalesosikhathi eSamariya, yabala uIsrayeli wonke.
So King Joram left Samaria at that time to mobilize all Israel for war.
7 Yasihamba yathumela kuJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda isithi: Inkosi yakoMowabi isingivukele; uzahamba lami yini siye koMowabi empini? Wasesithi: Ngizakwenyuka. Nginjengawe, njengabantu bami banjalo abantu bakho, njengamabhiza ami anjalo amabhiza akho.
He sent a message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me against Moab to battle?” Jehoshaphat replied, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
8 Yasisithi: Sizakwenyuka ngayiphi indlela? Wasesithi: Ngendlela yenkangala yeEdoma.
Then he said, “By which way should we attack?” Jehoshaphat answered, “By way of the wilderness of Edom.”
9 Yasihamba inkosi yakoIsrayeli, lenkosi yakoJuda, lenkosi yeEdoma; sebebhode uhambo lwensuku eziyisikhombisa, kwakungelamanzi ebutho lawezifuyo ezibalandelayo.
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They wandered around for seven days, and then there was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them.
10 Inkosi yakoIsrayeli yasisithi: Maye, ngoba uJehova ubize la amakhosi amathathu ukuwanikela esandleni sikaMowabi!
So the king of Israel said, “What is this? Has Yahweh called three kings to give them into the hand of Moab?”
11 Kodwa uJehoshafathi wathi: Kakulamprofethi weNkosi lapha yini esingabuza ngaye iNkosi? Enye yenceku zenkosi yakoIsrayeli yasiphendula yathi: Kukhona lapha uElisha indodana kaShafati owathela amanzi ezandleni zikaElija.
But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here a prophet of Yahweh, that we may consult Yahweh by him?” One of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.”
12 UJehoshafathi wasesithi: Ilizwi leNkosi likuye. Ngakho inkosi yakoIsrayeli loJehoshafathi lenkosi yeEdoma behlela kuye.
Jehoshaphat said, “The word of Yahweh is with him.” So the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom went down to him.
13 UElisha wasesithi enkosini yakoIsrayeli: Ngilani lawe? Hamba kubaprofethi bakayihlo lakubaprofethi bakanyoko. Kodwa inkosi yakoIsrayeli yathi kuye: Hatshi, ngoba iNkosi ibize lamakhosi amathathu ukuwanikela esandleni sikaMowabi.
Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and mother.” So the king of Israel said to him, “No, because Yahweh has called these three kings together to give them into the hand of Moab.”
14 UElisha wasesithi: Kuphila kukaJehova wamabandla engimi phambi kwakhe, sibili, uba bengingaphakamisi ubukhona bukaJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda, bengingayikukukhangela njalo ngingakuboni.
Elisha replied, “As Yahweh of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not for the fact that I honor the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay any attention to you, or even look at you.
15 Ngakho-ke ngilethelani umtshayi wechacho. Kwathi umtshayi wechacho eselitshaya, isandla seNkosi saba phezu kwakhe.
But now bring me a musician.” Then it came to pass when the harpist played, the hand of Yahweh came upon Elisha.
16 Wasesithi: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Yenzani lesisihotsha sibe yimigelogelo.
He said, “Yahweh says this, 'Make this dry river valley full of trenches.'
17 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi: Kaliyikubona umoya njalo kaliyikubona izulu, kodwa lesisihotsha sizagcwaliswa ngamanzi, ukuze linathe lina, lenkomo zenu lezifuyo zenu.
For Yahweh says this, 'You will not see wind, neither will you see rain, but this river valley will be filled with water, and you will drink, you and your livestock and all your animals.'
18 Kodwa lokhu kulula emehlweni eNkosi: Izanikela lamaMowabi esandleni senu.
This is an easy thing in the sight of Yahweh. He will also give you victory over the Moabites.
19 Njalo lizatshaya wonke umuzi obiyelweyo, lawo wonke umuzi okhethekileyo, ligamule sonke isihlahla esihle, ligqibele yonke imithombo yamanzi, lone yonke insimu enhle ngamatshe.
You will attack every fortified city and every good city, cut down every good tree, stop up all springs of water, and ruin every good piece of land with rocks.”
20 Kwasekusithi ekuseni ekunikelweni komnikelo wokudla, khangela-ke, kwafika amanzi evelela endleleni yeEdoma, ilizwe laseligcwaliswa ngamanzi.
So in the morning about the time of offering the sacrifice, there came water from the direction of Edom; the country was filled with water.
21 Wonke amaMowabi esezwile ukuthi amakhosi enyukile ukulwa emelene lawo, abizelwa ndawonye, kusukela kuye wonke obhinca izikhali kusiya phezulu, asesima emngceleni.
Now when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come to fight against them, they gathered themselves together, all who were able to put on armor, and they stood at the border.
22 Asevuka ekuseni kakhulu; ilanga selikhanya phezu kwamanzi, amaMowabi abona amanzi emaqondana lawo ebomvu njengegazi.
They awakened early in the morning and the sun reflected on the water. When the Moabites saw the water opposite them, it looked as red as blood.
23 Asesithi: Ligazi leli; amakhosi achithiwe lokuchithwa, asetshayene. Ngakho-ke, empangweni, Mowabi!
They exclaimed, “This is blood! The kings have certainly been destroyed, and they have killed each other! So now, Moab, let us go plunder them!”
24 Kwathi efika enkambeni yakoIsrayeli, amaIsrayeli asukuma atshaya amaMowabi, aze abaleka esuka phambi kwawo; kodwa angena elizweni atshaya amaMowabi.
When they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites surprised them and attacked the Moabites, who fled before them. The army of Israel drove the Moabites across the land, killing them.
25 Asediliza imizi; ngulowo wasephosa ilitshe lakhe kuyo yonke insimu enhle, ayigcwalisa, agqibela yonke imithombo yamanzi, agamula zonke izihlahla ezinhle, kwaze kwasala amatshe ayo eKiri-Haresethi kuphela; kodwa abaphosa ngezavutha bayigombolozela, bayitshaya.
They destroyed the cities, and on every good piece of land every man threw a rock until it was covered up. They stopped up every spring of water and chopped down all the good trees. Only Kir Hareseth was left with its rocks in place. But the soldiers armed with slings surrounded and attacked it.
26 Inkosi yakoMowabi isibonile ukuthi impi ilukhuni kakhulu kuyo, yathatha abantu abangamakhulu ayisikhombisa abahwatsha inkemba kanye layo, ukuze ifohlele enkosini yeEdoma, kodwa behluleka.
When King Mesha of Moab saw that the battle was lost, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed.
27 Yasithatha indodana yayo elizibulo eyayizakuba yinkosi esikhundleni sayo, yayinikela yaba ngumnikelo wokutshiswa phezu komduli. Kwasekusiba lolaka olukhulu olumelene loIsrayeli; basebesuka kuyo babuyela elizweni lakibo.
Then he took his oldest son, who should have reigned after him, and offered him as a burnt offering upon the wall. So there was great anger against Israel, and the Israelite army left King Mesha and returned to their own land.
