2 Amakhosi 7
1 UElisha wasesithi: Zwanini ilizwi leNkosi; itsho njalo iNkosi: Ngalesisikhathi kusasa iseya lempuphu ecolekileyo lizathengiswa ngeshekeli, lamaseya amabili ebhali ngeshekeli, esangweni leSamariya.
Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the LORD says: ‘About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel, and two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel.’”
2 Induna inkosi eyayeyeme esandleni sayo yasiphendula umuntu kaNkulunkulu, yathi: Khangela, uba iNkosi ibingenza amawindi emazulwini, kungenzeka linto yini? Wasesithi: Khangela, uzakubona ngamehlo akho, kodwa kawuyikudla okwakho.
But the officer on whose arm the king leaned answered the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” “You will see it with your own eyes,” replied Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it.”
3 Njalo kwakulamadoda amane ayengamalephero ekungeneni kwesango, athi omunye komunye: Sihlaleleni lapha size sife?
Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate, and they said to one another, “Why just sit here until we die?
4 Uba sisithi: Sizangena emzini, lendlala isemzini, sizafela khona. Njalo uba sihlala lapha, sizakufa futhi. Ngakho-ke, wozani, siyewela enkambeni yamaSiriya; uba esiyekela siphile, sizaphila; uba-ke esibulala, sizakufa nje.
If we say, ‘Let us go into the city,’ we will die there from the famine in the city; but if we sit here, we will also die. So come now, let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die.”
5 Asesukuma kusahwalala ukuya enkambeni yamaSiriya; esefike ekucineni kwenkamba yamaSiriya, khangela-ke, kwakungelamuntu khona.
So they arose at twilight and went to the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the outskirts of the camp, there was not a man to be found.
6 Ngoba iNkosi yenza ibutho lamaSiriya lizwe umsindo wezinqola, umsindo wamabhiza, umsindo webutho elikhulu; athi omunye komunye: Khangela, inkosi yakoIsrayeli isisiqhatshele amakhosi amaHethi lamakhosi amaGibhithe ukuzamelana lathi.
For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us.”
7 Asesukuma abaleka kusahwalala, atshiya amathente awo lamabhiza awo labobabhemi bawo, inkamba njengoba injalo, abaleka ngenxa yempilo yawo.
Thus the Arameans had arisen and fled at twilight, abandoning their tents and horses and donkeys. The camp was intact, and they had run for their lives.
8 Amalephero la esefike ekucineni kwenkamba, angena kwelinye ithente, adla anatha, athatha lapho isiliva legolide lezigqoko, ayakufihla; abuyela angena kwelinye ithente, athatha lapho, ayakufihla.
When the lepers reached the edge of the camp, they went into a tent to eat and drink. Then they carried off the silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid them. On returning, they entered another tent, carried off some items from there, and hid them.
9 Asesithi omunye komunye: Kasenzi kuhle. Lolusuku lusuku lwemibiko emihle, kodwa sizithulele thina. Uba silinda kuze kube yikukhanya kwekuseni, isijeziso sizasifica. Khathesi-ke, wozani siyebikela indlu yenkosi.
Finally, they said to one another, “We are not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until morning light, our sin will overtake us. Now, therefore, let us go and tell the king’s household.”
10 Asesiza, amemeza kumlindi wesango womuzi, abatshela esithi: Sifike enkambeni yamaSiriya, khangela-ke, bekungelamuntu khona kumbe ilizwi lomuntu, kodwa amabhiza ebotshelwe labobabhemi bebotshelwe, lamathente enjengoba enjalo.
So they went and called out to the gatekeepers of the city, saying, “We went to the Aramean camp and no one was there—not a trace—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents were intact.”
11 Wasebiza abalindi bamasango, basebebikela indlu yenkosi phakathi.
The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported to the king’s household.
12 Inkosi yasivuka ebusuku, yathi encekwini zayo: Sengizalitshela ukuthi amaSiriya enzeni kithi. Ayazi ukuthi silambile, ngakho aphumile enkambeni ukuyacatsha egangeni esithi: Nxa bephuma emzini, sizababamba bephila, besesingena emzini.
So the king got up in the night and said to his servants, “Let me tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving, so they have left the camp to hide in the field, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and enter the city.’”
13 Enye yenceku zayo yasiphendula yathi: Ake bathathe amahlanu emabhizeni aseleyo, aseleyo phakathi komuzi, (khangela, afanana lexuku lonke lakoIsrayeli elitshiywe kuwo, khangela, afanana lexuku lonke lakoIsrayeli eliqothuliweyo), kasithume, sibone.
But one of his servants replied, “Please, have scouts take five of the horses that remain in the city. Their plight will be no worse than all the Israelites who are left here. You can see that all the Israelites here are doomed. So let us send them and find out.”
14 Basebethatha amabhiza amabili enqola; inkosi yasithuma emva kwebutho lamaSiriya isithi: Hambani, libone.
Then the scouts took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, “Go and see.”
15 Basebewalandela kwaze kwaba seJordani; khangela-ke, indlela yonke yayigcwele izembatho lempahla amaSiriya ayekulahlile ekuphangiseni kwawo. Izithunywa zasezibuyela, zayibikela inkosi.
And they tracked them as far as the Jordan, and indeed, the whole way was littered with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown off in haste. So the scouts returned and told the king.
16 Abantu basebephuma bayiphanga inkamba yamaSiriya. Ngakho iseya lempuphu ecolekileyo laselithengiswa ngeshekeli, lamaseya amabili ebhali ngeshekeli, njengokwelizwi leNkosi.
Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. It was then that a seah of fine flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
17 Inkosi yasibeka induna eyayeyeme esandleni sayo ukuba ngumlindi phezu kwesango. Abantu bayinyathela esangweni yaze yafa, njengokutsho komuntu kaNkulunkulu owakhuluma ekufikeni kwenkosi kuye.
Now the king had appointed the officer on whose arm he leaned to be in charge of the gate, but the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king had come to him.
18 Kwasekusithi njengokutsho komuntu kaNkulunkulu enkosini esithi: Amaseya amabili ebhali ngeshekeli, leseya lempuphu ecolekileyo ngeshekeli phose ngalesisikhathi kusasa azakuba sesangweni leSamariya.
It happened just as the man of God had told the king: “About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel.”
19 Induna yasimphendula umuntu kaNkulunkulu yathi: Khangela-ke, uba iNkosi ibingenza amawindi emazulwini, kungenzeka linto yini? Kodwa wathi: Khangela, uzakubona ngamehlo akho, kodwa kawuyikudla okwakho.
And the officer had answered the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” So Elisha had replied, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!”
20 Kwaba njalo-ke kuye, ngoba abantu bamnyathela esangweni waze wafa.
And that is just what happened to him. The people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.
