< 1 Wafalme 13 >
1 Kwa neno la Bwana, mtu wa Mungu alifika Betheli kutoka Yuda wakati Yeroboamu alipokuwa amesimama kando ya madhabahu ili kutoa sadaka.
And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of Jehovah to Bethel. And Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense.
2 Akapiga kelele dhidi ya madhabahu kwa neno la Bwana: “Ee madhabahu, madhabahu! Hivi ndivyo asemavyo Bwana: ‘Mwana aitwaye Yosia atazaliwa katika nyumba ya Daudi. Juu yako atawatoa dhabihu makuhani wa mahali pa juu pa kuabudia miungu wale ambao wanatoa sadaka hapa sasa, nayo mifupa ya wanadamu itachomwa juu yako.’”
And he cried against the altar by the word of Jehovah, and said, O altar, altar, thus says Jehovah: Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name. And upon thee shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones they shall burn upon thee.
3 Siku iyo hiyo, mtu wa Mungu akatoa ishara: “Hii ndiyo ishara Bwana aliyotangaza: Madhabahu haya yatapasuka na majivu yaliyo juu yake yatamwagika.”
And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which Jehovah has spoken: Behold, the altar shall be torn, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
4 Mfalme Yeroboamu aliposikia kile mtu wa Mungu alichosema, alipopiga kelele dhidi ya madhabahu huko Betheli, akanyoosha mkono wake kutoka madhabahuni na kusema, “Mkamate!” Lakini mkono aliokuwa ameunyoosha kumwelekea yule mtu ukasinyaa na kubaki hapo hapo, kiasi kwamba hakuweza kuurudisha.
And it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to him.
5 Pia, madhabahu yalipasuka na majivu yakamwagika sawasawa na ishara iliyotolewa na mtu wa Mungu kwa neno la Bwana.
The altar also was torn, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of Jehovah.
6 Kisha mfalme akamwambia mtu wa Mungu, “Niombee kwa Bwana Mungu wako ili mkono wangu upate kupona.” Kwa hiyo mtu wa Mungu akamwombea kwa Bwana, nao mkono wa mfalme ukapona na kuwa kama ulivyokuwa hapo kwanza.
And the king answered and said to the man of God, Entreat now the favor of Jehovah thy God, and pray for me that my hand may be restored to me again. And the man of God entreated Jehovah, and the king's hand was restored to him again, and became as it was before.
7 Mfalme akamwambia yule mtu wa Mungu, “Twende nyumbani kwangu upate chakula, nami nitakupa zawadi.”
And the king said to the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
8 Lakini yule mtu wa Mungu akamjibu mfalme, “Hata kama ungenipa nusu ya mali zako, nisingekwenda pamoja na wewe, wala nisingekula mkate au kunywa maji hapa.
And the man of God said to the king, If thou will give me half thy house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place;
9 Kwa kuwa niliagizwa kwa neno la Bwana: ‘Kamwe usile mkate wala usinywe maji au kurudi kwa njia uliyojia.’”
for so it was charged me by the word of Jehovah, saying, Thou shall eat no bread, nor drink water, neither return by the way that thou came.
10 Kwa hiyo akafuata njia nyingine na hakurudi kupitia njia ile ambayo alikuwa ameijia Betheli.
So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.
11 Basi kulikuwepo na nabii fulani mzee aliyekuwa anaishi Betheli, ambaye wanawe walikuja kumwambia yote ambayo mtu wa Mungu alikuwa ameyafanya pale siku ile. Pia wakamwambia baba yao yale aliyomwambia mfalme.
Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel. And one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. The words which he had spoken to the king, they also told them to their father.
12 Baba yao akawauliza, “Ameelekea njia gani?” Nao wanawe wakamwonyesha ile njia yule mtu wa Mungu kutoka Yuda aliyopita.
And their father said to them, What way did he go? Now his sons had seen what way the man of God went, who came from Judah.
13 Hivyo akawaambia wanawe, “Nitandikieni punda.” Walipokwisha kumtandikia punda, akampanda
And he said to his sons, Saddle the donkey for me. So they saddled him the donkey, and he rode on it.
14 na kumfuatilia yule mtu wa Mungu. Akamkuta ameketi chini ya mwaloni na akamuuliza, “Je, wewe ndiwe mtu wa Mungu kutoka Yuda?” Akamjibu, “Mimi ndiye.”
And he went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. And he said to him, Are thou the man of God who came from Judah? And he said, I am.
15 Basi nabii akamwambia, “Karibu nyumbani pamoja na mimi ule.”
Then he said to him, Come home with me, and eat bread.
16 Yule mtu wa Mungu akasema, “Siwezi kurudi na kwenda nawe, wala siwezi kula mkate au kunywa maji pamoja nawe mahali hapa.
And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee. Neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place;
17 Nimeambiwa kwa neno la Bwana: ‘Kamwe usile mkate au kunywa maji huko au kurudia njia uliyojia.’”
for it was said to me by the word of Jehovah, Thou shall eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou came.
18 Yule nabii mzee akajibu, “Mimi pia ni nabii, kama wewe. Naye malaika alisema nami kwa neno la Bwana: ‘Mrudishe aje katika nyumba yako ili apate kula mkate na kunywa maji.’” (Lakini alikuwa akimwambia uongo.)
And he said to him, I also am a prophet as thou are. And an agent spoke to me by the word of Jehovah, saying, Bring him back with thee into thy house that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied to him.
19 Hivyo mtu wa Mungu akarudi pamoja naye na akala na kunywa katika nyumba yake.
So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.
20 Wakati walipokuwa wameketi mezani, neno la Bwana likamjia yule nabii mzee aliyemrudisha huyo mtu wa Mungu.
And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of Jehovah came to the prophet who brought him back.
21 Akampazia sauti yule mtu wa Mungu aliyekuwa ametoka Yuda, “Hivi ndivyo asemavyo Bwana: ‘Umeasi neno la Bwana na hukushika amri uliyopewa na Bwana Mungu wako,
And he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, Thus says Jehovah, Forasmuch as thou have been disobedient to the mouth of Jehovah, and have not kept the commandment which Jehovah thy God commanded thee,
22 bali ulirudi na ukala mkate na kunywa maji mahali ambapo alikuambia usile wala usinywe. Kwa hiyo maiti yako haitazikwa katika kaburi la baba zako.’”
but came back, and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water, thy body shall not come to the sepulcher of thy fathers.
23 Wakati huyo mtu wa Mungu alipomaliza kula na kunywa, nabii aliyekuwa amemrudisha akamtandikia punda wake.
And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, namely, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
24 Alipokuwa akienda akakutana na simba njiani, akamuua na maiti yake ikabwagwa barabarani, yule punda wake na simba wakiwa wamesimama karibu yake.
And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and killed him. And his body was cast in the way, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the body.
25 Baadhi ya watu waliopita pale waliona maiti imebwagwa pale chini, simba akiwa amesimama kando ya maiti, wakaenda na kutoa habari katika mji ambao nabii mzee aliishi.
And, behold, men passed by, and saw the body cast in the way, and the lion standing by the body. And they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
26 Yule nabii aliyekuwa amemrudisha kutoka safari yake aliposikia habari hii akasema, “Ni yule mtu wa Mungu ambaye aliasi neno la Bwana. Bwana amemtoa kwa simba, ambaye amemrarua na kumuua, sawasawa na neno la Bwana lilivyokuwa limemwonya.”
And when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, It is the man of God who was disobedient to the mouth of Jehovah. Therefore Jehovah has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him, and slain him, according to the word of Jehovah which he spoke to him.
27 Nabii akawaambia wanawe, “Nitandikieni punda,” nao wakafanya hivyo.
And he spoke to his sons, saying, Saddle the donkey for me. And they saddled it.
28 Kisha akatoka akaenda akakuta maiti imebwagwa chini barabarani, punda na simba wakiwa wamesimama kando yake. Simba hakuwa amekula ile maiti wala kumrarua punda.
And he went and found his body cast in the way, and the donkey and the lion standing by the body. The lion had not eaten the body, nor torn the donkey.
29 Basi yule nabii mzee akachukua maiti ya mtu wa Mungu, akailaza juu ya punda na akairudisha katika mji wake, ili amwombolezee na kumzika.
And the prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it upon the donkey, and brought it back. And he came to the city of the old prophet, to mourn, and to bury him.
30 Kisha akailaza ile maiti katika kaburi lake huyo nabii mzee, nao wakaomboleza juu yake na kusema, “Ee ndugu yangu!”
And he laid his body in his own grave. And they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!
31 Baada ya kumzika, akawaambia wanawe, “Wakati nitakapokufa, mnizike kwenye kaburi alimozikwa huyu mtu wa Mungu; lazeni mifupa yangu kando ya mifupa yake.
And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulcher in which the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones.
32 Kwa maana ujumbe alioutangaza kwa neno la Bwana dhidi ya madhabahu huko Betheli na dhidi ya madhabahu yote katika mahali pa juu pa kuabudia miungu katika miji ya Samaria, hakika yatatokea kweli.”
For the saying which he cried by the word of Jehovah against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
33 Hata baada ya haya, Yeroboamu hakubadili njia zake mbaya, lakini mara nyingine tena akaweka makuhani kwa ajili ya mahali pa juu pa kuabudia miungu kutoka watu wa aina zote. Yeyote aliyetaka kuwa kuhani alimweka wakfu kwa ajili ya mahali pa juu pa kuabudia miungu.
After this thing Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but again made from among all the people priests of the high places. Whoever would, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places.
34 Hii ilikuwa ndiyo dhambi ya nyumba ya Yeroboamu ambayo iliisababishia kuanguka na kuangamia kwake hadi kutoweka kwenye uso wa dunia.
And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.