< 2 Wafalme 3 >
1 Yehoramu mwana wa Ahabu akawa mfalme wa Israeli katika Samaria mwaka wa kumi na nane wa utawala wa Yehoshafati mfalme wa Yuda, naye akatawala kwa miaka kumi na miwili.
And Joram the son of Achab reigned over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Josaphat king of Juda. And he reigned twelve years.
2 Akafanya maovu machoni pa Bwana, lakini sio kama baba yake na mama yake walivyokuwa wamefanya. Akaondoa nguzo ya ibada ya Baali ambayo baba yake alikuwa ameitengeneza.
And he did evil before the Lord, but not like his father and his mother: for he took away the statues of Baal, which his father had made.
3 Hata hivyo akashikamana na dhambi za Yeroboamu mwana wa Nebati, ambazo alisababisha Israeli kuzitenda, wala hakuziacha.
Nevertheless he stuck to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin, nor did he depart from them.
4 Basi Mesha mfalme wa Moabu akafuga kondoo, naye akawa ampatie mfalme wa Israeli wana-kondoo 100,000 pamoja na sufu ya kondoo dume 100,000.
Now Mesa, king of Moab, nourished many sheep, and he paid to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs, and a hundred thousand rams with their fleeces.
5 Lakini baada ya Ahabu kufa, mfalme wa Moabu aliasi dhidi ya mfalme wa Israeli.
And when Achab was dead, he broke the league which he had made with the king of Israel.
6 Kwa hiyo wakati ule Mfalme Yehoramu akaondoka kutoka Samaria na kukusanya Israeli yote tayari kwenda vitani.
And king Joram went out that day from Samaria, and mustered all Israel.
7 Akapeleka pia ujumbe ufuatao kwa Yehoshafati mfalme wa Yuda: “Mfalme wa Moabu ameasi dhidi yangu. Je, utakwenda pamoja nami kupigana dhidi ya Moabu?” Akajibu, “Nitakwenda pamoja nawe. Mimi ni kama wewe, watu wangu ni kama watu wako, farasi wangu ni kama farasi wako.”
And he sent to Josaphat king of Juda, saying: The king of Moab is revolted from me, come with me against him to battle. And he answered: I will come up: he that is mine, is thine: my people, thy people: and my horses, thy horses.
8 Akauliza, “Je, tutashambulia kupitia njia gani?” Akajibu, “Kupitia Jangwa la Edomu.”
And he said: Which way shall we go up? But he answered: By the desert of Edom.
9 Hivyo mfalme wa Israeli akaondoka akiwa pamoja na mfalme wa Yuda na mfalme wa Edomu. Baada ya kuzunguka kwa siku saba, jeshi likawa limeishiwa maji kwa matumizi yao na kwa ajili ya wanyama waliokuwa nao.
So the king of Israel, and the king of Juda, and the king of Edom went, and they fetched a compass of seven days’ journey, and there was no water for the army, and for the beasts, that followed them.
10 Mfalme wa Israeli akamaka, “Nini! Je, Bwana ametuita sisi wafalme watatu ili tu kututia mikononi mwa Moabu?”
And the king of Israel said: Alas, alas, alas, the Lord hath gathered us three kings together, to deliver us into the hands of Moab!
11 Lakini Yehoshafati akauliza, “Je, hayuko nabii wa Bwana hapa, ili tuweze kumuuliza Bwana kupitia kwake?” Afisa mmoja wa mfalme wa Israeli akajibu, “Elisha mwana wa Shafati yuko hapa. Ndiye alikuwa akimimina maji juu ya mikono ya Eliya.”
And Josaphat said: Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may beseech the Lord by him? And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered: Here is Eliseus the son of Saphat, who poured water on the hands of Elias.
12 Yehoshafati akasema, “Neno la Bwana liko pamoja naye.” Kwa hiyo mfalme wa Israeli na Yehoshafati pamoja na mfalme wa Edomu wakamwendea.
And Josaphat said: The word of the Lord is with him. And the king of Israel, and Josaphat king of Juda, and the king of Edom went down to him.
13 Elisha akamwambia mfalme wa Israeli, “Nina nini mimi nawe? Nenda kwa manabii wa baba yako na manabii wa mama yako.” Mfalme wa Israeli akajibu, “La hasha, kwa sababu ni Bwana ambaye ametuita pamoja sisi wafalme watatu ili atutie mikononi mwa Moabu.”
And Eliseus said to the king of Israel: What have I to do with thee? go to the prophets of thy father, and thy mother. And the king of Israel said to him: Why hath the Lord gathered together these three kings, to deliver them into the hands of Moab?
14 Elisha akasema, “Hakika, kama Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote aishivyo ambaye ninamtumikia, kama si kuheshimu Yehoshafati mfalme wa Yuda, nisingekutazama wala hata kukutupia jicho.
And Eliseus said to him: As the Lord of hosts liveth, in whose sight I stand, if I did not reverence the face of Josaphat king of Juda, I would not have hearkened to thee, nor looked on thee.
15 Lakini sasa, nileteeni mpiga kinubi.” Mpiga kinubi alipokuwa akipiga, mkono wa Bwana ukaja juu ya Elisha,
But now bring me hither a minstrel. And when the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord came upon him, and he said:
16 naye akasema, “Hivi ndivyo asemavyo Bwana, ‘Chimbeni bonde hili lijae mahandaki.’
Thus saith the Lord: Make the channel of this torrent full of ditches.
17 Kwa kuwa hivi ndivyo asemavyo Bwana: Hamtaona upepo wala mvua, lakini bonde hili litajaa maji, nanyi pamoja na ngʼombe wenu na wanyama wenu wengine mtakunywa.
For thus saith the Lord: You shall not see wind, nor rain: and yet this channel shall be filled with waters, and you shall drink, you and your families, and your beasts.
18 Hili ni jambo rahisi machoni pa Bwana. Pia ataitia Moabu mikononi mwenu.
And this is a small thing in the sight of the Lord: moreover he will deliver also Moab into your hands.
19 Mtaushinda kila mji wenye ngome na kila mji mkubwa. Mtakata kila mti ulio mzuri, mtaziba chemchemi zote, na kuharibu kila shamba zuri kwa mawe.”
And you shall destroy every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall cut down every fruitful tree, and shall stop up all the springs of waters, and every goodly field you shall cover with stones.
20 Kesho yake asubuhi, karibu na wakati wa kutoa dhabihu ya asubuhi, tazama, maji yakawa yanatiririka kutoka upande wa Edomu! Nayo nchi ikajaa maji.
And it came to pass in the morning, when the sacrifices used to be offered, that behold, water came by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.
21 Basi Wamoabu wote walikuwa wamesikia kuwa wale wafalme wamekuja kupigana dhidi yao. Hivyo kila mtu, kijana na mzee, ambaye angeweza kushika silaha akaitwa na kuwekwa mpakani.
And all the Moabites hearing that the kings were come up to fight against them, gathered together all that were girded with a belt upon them, and stood in the borders.
22 Walipoamka asubuhi na mapema, jua likawa linamulika juu ya maji. Wamoabu waliokuwa upande wa pili wakaona maji ni mekundu, kama damu.
And they rose early in the morning, and the sun being now up, and shining upon the waters, the Moabites saw the waters over against them red, like blood,
23 Wamoabu wakasema, “Ile ni damu! Lazima hao wafalme wamepigana na kuchinjana wao kwa wao. Sasa Moabu, twendeni tukateke nyara!”
And they said: It is the blood of the sword: the kings have fought among themselves, and they have killed one another: go now, Moab, to the spoils.
24 Lakini Wamoabu walipofika kwenye kambi ya Israeli, Waisraeli wakainuka na kuwapiga mpaka wakakimbia. Nao Waisraeli wakaivamia nchi na kuwachinja Wamoabu.
And they went into the camp of Israel: but Israel rising up defeated Moab, who fled before them. And they being conquerors, went and smote Moab.
25 Wakaiharibu miji, kila mtu akatupa jiwe juu ya kila shamba zuri mpaka likafunikwa. Wakaziba chemchemi zote na kukata kila mti mzuri. Kir-Haresethi peke yake ndio uliobaki na mawe yake yakiwa mahali pake. Lakini hata hivyo watu waliokuwa na makombeo wakauzunguka na kuushambulia vilevile.
And they destroyed the cities: and they filled every goodly field, every man casting his stone: and they stopt up all the springs of waters: and cut down all the trees that bore fruit, so that brick walls only remained: and the city was beset by the slingers, and a great part thereof destroyed.
26 Mfalme wa Moabu alipoona kuwa vita vimekuwa vikali dhidi yake, akachukua watu 700 wenye panga ili kuingia kwa mfalme wa Edomu, lakini wakashindwa.
And when the king of Moab saw this, to wit, that the enemies had prevailed, he took with him seven hundred men that drew the sword, to break in upon the king of Edom: but they could not.
27 Ndipo akamchukua mwanawe mzaliwa wake wa kwanza, ambaye angekuwa mfalme baada yake, akamtoa kama dhabihu ya kuteketezwa juu ya ukuta wa mji. Ghadhabu ikawa kubwa dhidi ya Israeli; wakajiondoa kwake na kurudi katika nchi yao wenyewe.
Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall: and there was great indignation in Israel, and presently they departed from him, and returned into their own country.