2 Amakhosi 8
1 UElisha wasekhuluma kowesifazana ondodana yakhe ayeyenze yaphila, esithi: Sukuma, uhambe wena lendlu yakho, uyehlala njengowezizwe lapho ongahlala khona njengowezizwe, ngoba iNkosi ibize indlala, ezafika njalo elizweni iminyaka eyisikhombisa.
After Elisha caused the son of the woman from Shunem [town] to become alive again, he told her that she should leave with her family and live somewhere else for a while, because Yahweh was going to (send a famine/cause food to become very scarce) in the land. He said that the famine would last for seven years.
2 Owesifazana wasukuma-ke, wenza njengokutsho komuntu kaNkulunkulu; wahamba yena lendlu yakhe, wahlala njengowezizwe elizweni lamaFilisti iminyaka eyisikhombisa.
So the woman did what Elisha told her to do. She and her family went to live in [the] Philistia [region] for seven years.
3 Kwasekusithi ekupheleni kweminyaka eyisikhombisa, owesifazana waphenduka evela elizweni lamaFilisti; waphuma ukuyakhala enkosini ngendlu yakhe langensimu yakhe.
After the seven years were ended, they returned to their home. The woman went to the king to request that her house and her land be given back to her.
4 Inkosi yayikhuluma-ke loGehazi inceku yomuntu kaNkulunkulu isithi: Akungilandisele izinto zonke ezinkulu uElisha asezenzile.
When she arrived, the king was talking with Gehazi, Elisha’s servant. The king was saying to him, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.”
5 Kwasekusithi esatshela inkosi ukuthi wavusa njani ofileyo, khangela-ke, owesifazana ondodana yakhe ayeyivuse ekufeni wakhala enkosini ngendlu yakhe langensimu yakhe. UGehazi wasesithi: Nkosi yami, nkosi, nguye lo owesifazana, njalo yiyo le indodana yakhe uElisha ayiphilisayo.
While Gehazi was telling the king that Elisha had caused the son of a woman [from Shunem] to become alive again, that woman came in and requested the king to enable her to get her house and land back again. Gehazi exclaimed, “Your Majesty, this is the woman whose son Elisha caused to become alive again!”
6 Lapho inkosi ibuza owesifazana, wayilandisela. Inkosi yasimmisela induna ethile, isithi: Buyisela konke okwakungokwakhe, laso sonke isivuno sensimu kusukela mhla esuka elizweni kuze kube lamuhla.
When the king asked her about it, she told him [that what Gehazi had said was true]. The king summoned one of his officials and said to him, “[I want] everything that this woman possessed previously, including the value of all the crops that have been harvested during these last seven years while she was away from her land, [to] be given back to her.” [So the official did that].
7 UElisha wasefika eDamaseko, njalo uBenihadadi inkosi yeSiriya wayegula. Wasetshelwa kwathiwa: Umuntu kaNkulunkulu ufikile lapha.
Elisha went to Damascus, [the capital of Syria], when Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, was [very] sick. When someone told the king that Elisha was in Damascus,
8 Inkosi yasisithi kuHazayeli: Thatha esandleni sakho isipho, uyehlangabeza umuntu kaNkulunkulu, ubusubuza eNkosini ngaye usithi: Ngizasila yini kulumkhuhlane?
the king told [one of his officials named] Hazael, “Go and talk to that prophet and take a present/gift with you to give to him. Request him to ask Yahweh if I will recover from my illness.”
9 UHazayeli wasesiyamhlangabeza, wathatha isipho esandleni sakhe, ngitsho esakho konke okuhle kweDamaseko, imithwalo yamakamela engamatshumi amane, weza wema phambi kwakhe, wathi: Indodana yakho uBenihadadi inkosi yeSiriya ingithumile kuwe isithi: Ngizasila yini kulumkhuhlane?
So Hazael went to talk with Elisha. He took with him forty camels that were carrying many kinds of goods that were produced in Damascus. When Hazael met him, he said to him, “Your friend Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, sent me to ask you whether [you think] he will recover from his illness.”
10 UElisha wasesithi kuye: Hamba uthi kuye: Ungasila lokusila, kodwa iNkosi ingibonisile ukuthi uzakufa lokufa.
Elisha said to Hazael, “Go and say to him, ‘Yes, you will certainly not die from this illness,’ but Yahweh has shown me that he will certainly die [before he recovers].”
11 Wasemjolozela waze waba lenhloni. Umuntu kaNkulunkulu waselila.
Then Elisha stared at him and had a terrified look on his face. That caused Hazael to feel uneasy/embarrassed. Then [suddenly] Elisha started to cry.
12 UHazayeli wasesithi: Inkosi yami ililelani? Wasesithi: Ngoba ngiyazi ububi ozabenza ebantwaneni bakoIsrayeli; uzathungela inqaba zabo ngomlilo, ubulale amajaha abo ngenkemba, uphahlaze abantwanyana babo, uqhaqhe abesifazana babo abakhulelweyo.
Hazael said, “Sir, why are you crying?” Elisha replied, “Because [Yahweh has enabled] me [to] know the terrible things that you will do to the people of Israel: You will burn their cities with walls around them, you will kill their fine young men with a sword, you will bash the heads of their children, and you will rip open the bellies of their pregnant women [with a sword].”
13 Kodwa uHazayeli wathi: Kodwa iyini inceku yakho eyinja nje, ukuthi yenze linto enkulu? UElisha wasesithi: INkosi ingibonisile ukuthi uzakuba yinkosi phezu kweSiriya.
Hazael replied, “I am [as insignificant as] [MET] a dog; (how could I do such things?/I would never do such terrible things!)” [RHQ] Elisha replied, “Yahweh has also revealed to me that you will become the king of Syria.”
14 Wasesuka kuElisha weza enkosini yakhe eyathi kuye: UElisha utheni kuwe? Wasesithi: Ungitshele ukuthi uzasila lokusila.
Then Hazael left and returned to his master/boss [the king], who asked him, “What did Elisha say?” He replied, “He told me that you would certainly recover.”
15 Kwasekusithi kusisa wathatha ingubo, wayigxamuza emanzini, wayendlala phezu kobuso bakhe waze wafa. UHazayeli wasesiba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
But the next day, [while the king was sleeping, ] Hazael took a blanket and soaked it in water. Then he spread it on the king’s face [in order that he could not breathe], and he died. Then Hazael became the king of Syria instead of Ben-Hadad.
16 Njalo ngomnyaka wesihlanu kaJoramu indodana kaAhabi inkosi yakoIsrayeli, lapho uJehoshafathi eyinkosi yakoJuda, uJehoramu indodana kaJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda waba yinkosi.
After King Joram, the son of Ahab, had been ruling in Israel for almost five years, Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram became the king of Judah.
17 Wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amathathu lambili lapho esiba yinkosi, wabusa iminyaka eyisificaminwembili eJerusalema.
He was thirty-two years old when he became the king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eight years.
18 Wasehamba ezindleleni zamakhosi akoIsrayeli njengokwenza kwendlu kaAhabi, ngoba indodakazi kaAhabi yayingumkakhe; wenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi.
His wife was the daughter of King Ahab. And like everyone in Ahab’s family, he continually did the evil things that the previous kings of Israel had done. He did things that Yahweh considered to be evil.
19 Kodwa iNkosi kayithandanga ukuchitha uJuda ngenxa kaDavida inceku yayo, njengokuthembisa kwayo kuye ukuthi izanika isibane kuye zonke izinsuku, lemadodaneni akhe.
But Yahweh did not want to get rid of the people of Judah, because of what he had promised David, who served him [very well]. He had promised David that his descendants [MET] would always rule Judah.
20 Ensukwini zakhe iEdoma yahlamuka isuka phansi kwesandla sakoJuda, yabeka inkosi phezu kwayo.
During the time that Jehoram ruled, [the king of] Edom rebelled against Judah, and they appointed their own king.
21 UJoramu wasewelela eZayiri lazo zonke inqola zilaye; yena wavuka ebusuku watshaya amaEdoma ayemzingelezele, lenduna zezinqola; labantu babalekela emathenteni abo.
So Jehoram went with his army and all their chariots to Zair [city near the border of Edom]. There the army of Edom surrounded them. But during the night, Jehoram and the commanders in their chariots were able to get through the enemy lines and escaped. And all his soldiers also fled to their homes.
22 Ngakho iEdoma yahlamuka isuka phansi kwesandla sakoJuda kuze kube lamuhla. Khona iLibhina yahlamuka ngalesosikhathi.
So after that, Edom was no longer controlled by Judah, and it is still like that. During that same time, the people of Libnah [city] also freed themselves from being controlled by Judah.
23 Ezinye-ke zezindaba zikaJoramu, lakho konke akwenzayo, kakubhalwanga yini egwalweni lwemilando yamakhosi akoJuda?
[If you want to read about] the other things that Jehoram did, they are written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.
24 UJoramu waselala laboyise, wangcwatshelwa kuboyise emzini kaDavida. UAhaziya indodana yakhe wasesiba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
Jehoram died [EUP] and was buried where the other kings of Judah had been buried in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’. Then Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became the king.
25 Ngomnyaka wetshumi lambili kaJoramu indodana kaAhabi inkosi yakoIsrayeli uAhaziya indodana kaJehoramu, inkosi yakoJuda, waba yinkosi.
After Ahab’s son Joram has been ruling in Israel for almost twelve years, Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became the king of Judah.
26 UAhaziya wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lambili lapho esiba yinkosi, wabusa umnyaka owodwa eJerusalema. Lebizo likanina lalinguAthaliya, indodakazi kaOmri inkosi yakoIsrayeli.
Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he started to rule. He ruled in Jerusalem for [only] one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, [the daughter of King Ahab and] the granddaughter of King Omri of Israel.
27 Wasehamba ngendlela yendlu kaAhabi, wenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi, njengendlu kaAhabi, ngoba wayengumkhwenyana wendlu kaAhabi.
King Ahab conducted his life just like the members of Ahab’s family had done. He did things that Yahweh considered to be very evil.
28 Wasehamba loJoramu indodana kaAhabi ukulwa loHazayeli inkosi yeSiriya eRamothi-Gileyadi; amaSiriya aselimaza uJoramu.
Ahaziah’s army joined the army of King Joram of Israel to fight against the army of King Hazael of Syria. Their armies started fighting at Ramoth [city] in [the] Gilead [region], and the soldiers of Syria wounded Joram.
29 UJoramu inkosi wabuyela ukwelatshwa eJizereyeli amanxeba amaSiriya ayemtshaye wona eRama ekulweni kwakhe loHazayeli inkosi yeSiriya. UAhaziya indodana kaJehoramu inkosi yakoJuda wasesehla ukubona uJoramu indodana kaAhabi eJizereyeli, ngoba wayegula.
King Joram returned to Jezreel [city] to recover from his wounds. King Ahaziah went to visit him there.
