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.
The Lord ordered a man of God from Judah to go to Bethel. He arrived just as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar about to present a burnt offering.
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.’”
He shouted out the Lord's condemnation of the altar: “Altar, altar, this is what the Lord says. A son will be born to the house of David. His name will be Josiah, and on you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn offerings on you, and human bones will be burned on you.”
3 Siku iyo hiyo, mtu wa Mungu akatoa ishara: “Hii ndiyo ishara Bwana aliyotangaza: Madhabahu haya yatapasuka na majivu yaliyo juu yake yatamwagika.”
The same day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “This is the sign to prove that the Lord has spoken. Look! The altar will be split apart, and the ashes on it will spill 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.
When King Jeroboam heard the condemnation the man of God had shouted out against the altar in Bethel, he pointed his hand at him and said, “Arrest him!” But the hand the king had pointed at him had become paralyzed and he couldn't draw it back.
5 Pia, madhabahu yalipasuka na majivu yakamwagika sawasawa na ishara iliyotolewa na mtu wa Mungu kwa neno la Bwana.
The altar split apart, and the ashes spilled out from it, fulfilling the sign that the man of God had given from the Lord.
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.
Then the king said to the man of God, “Please plead with the Lord your God—pray for me that I may have my hand back!” The man of God pleaded with the Lord, and the king was given back the use of his hand as it was before.
7 Mfalme akamwambia yule mtu wa Mungu, “Twende nyumbani kwangu upate chakula, nami nitakupa zawadi.”
Then the king said to the man of God, “Come to my home and have a meal so I can give you a present.”
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.
But the man of God told the king, “Even if you gave me half of everything you own, I still wouldn't go with you. In fact I refuse to eat or drink anything in this place.
9 Kwa kuwa niliagizwa kwa neno la Bwana: ‘Kamwe usile mkate wala usinywe maji au kurudi kwa njia uliyojia.’”
The Lord ordered me not to eat or drink anything, and not to return by the way I came.”
10 Kwa hiyo akafuata njia nyingine na hakurudi kupitia njia ile ambayo alikuwa ameijia Betheli.
So he went a different way—he did not return the way he had come 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.
It so happened that an old prophet lived in Bethel. His sons came and told him everything the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father what the man had said to the king.
12 Baba yao akawauliza, “Ameelekea njia gani?” Nao wanawe wakamwonyesha ile njia yule mtu wa Mungu kutoka Yuda aliyopita.
“Which way did he go?” their father asked them. So his sons showed him the way taken by the man of God from Judah.
13 Hivyo akawaambia wanawe, “Nitandikieni punda.” Walipokwisha kumtandikia punda, akampanda
“Saddle up a donkey for me,” he told his sons. They saddled up a donkey and he got on.
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.”
He rode after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree. “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” he asked him. “Yes I am,” the man replied.
15 Basi nabii akamwambia, “Karibu nyumbani pamoja na mimi ule.”
“Come home with me and have something to eat,” he told him.
16 Yule mtu wa Mungu akasema, “Siwezi kurudi na kwenda nawe, wala siwezi kula mkate au kunywa maji pamoja nawe mahali hapa.
“I can't turn around and go with you, and I won't eat or drink with you in this place,” the man of God replied.
17 Nimeambiwa kwa neno la Bwana: ‘Kamwe usile mkate au kunywa maji huko au kurudia njia uliyojia.’”
“The Lord ordered me, saying ‘You must not eat or drink anything there, or return by the way you 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.)
But the old prophet told him, “I am also a prophet, just like you. An angel told me God said, ‘Take him home with you so that he can have something to eat and drink’” But he was lying to him.
19 Hivyo mtu wa Mungu akarudi pamoja naye na akala na kunywa katika nyumba yake.
So the man of God went back with him, and ate and drank in his house.
20 Wakati walipokuwa wameketi mezani, neno la Bwana likamjia yule nabii mzee aliyemrudisha huyo mtu wa Mungu.
As they were sitting at the table, a message from the Lord came to the prophet who had 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,
He called out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the Lord says: Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord and have not followed the orders that the Lord your God gave you,
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.’”
instead you went back and ate and drank in the place where he told you not to, your body will not be buried in the tomb of your fathers.”
23 Wakati huyo mtu wa Mungu alipomaliza kula na kunywa, nabii aliyekuwa amemrudisha akamtandikia punda wake.
After the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the prophet who had brought him back saddled his own donkey for him.
24 Alipokuwa akienda akakutana na simba njiani, akamuua na maiti yake ikabwagwa barabarani, yule punda wake na simba wakiwa wamesimama karibu yake.
But as he went on his way a lion came across him on the road and killed him. His body was left lying in the road, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it.
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.
Some passers-by saw the body lying in the road with the lion standing beside it, so they went and let people know about it in the town where the old prophet lived.
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.”
When the old prophet who had led the other astray heard what had happened, he said, “It's the man of God who disobeyed the Lord's orders. That's why the Lord put him in the path of the lion, and it has mauled him and killed him, just as the Lord told him would happen.”
27 Nabii akawaambia wanawe, “Nitandikieni punda,” nao wakafanya hivyo.
The prophet told his sons, “Saddle up a donkey for me.” So they saddled a donkey,
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 the body. It was still lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or attacked 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.
The prophet picked up the body of the man of God, placed it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own town to mourn over him and bury him.
30 Kisha akailaza ile maiti katika kaburi lake huyo nabii mzee, nao wakaomboleza juu yake na kusema, “Ee ndugu yangu!”
He laid the body in his own tomb, and they mourned over him, crying, “My poor brother!”
31 Baada ya kumzika, akawaambia wanawe, “Wakati nitakapokufa, mnizike kwenye kaburi alimozikwa huyu mtu wa Mungu; lazeni mifupa yangu kando ya mifupa yake.
After he'd buried him, he told his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where 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 message from the Lord that he gave in condemnation against the altar in Bethel, and against all the shrines on the high places in the towns of Samaria, will definitely happen.”
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.
But even after all this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways. He went on choosing priests from all kinds of people. He appointed anyone who wanted to be a priest 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.
This was because of this sin that the house of Jeroboam was wiped out, completely destroyed from the face of the earth.
