< 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.
Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and 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.
He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, but not like his father and like his mother, for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made.
3 Hata hivyo akashikamana na dhambi za Yeroboamu mwana wa Nebati, ambazo alisababisha Israeli kuzitenda, wala hakuziacha.
Nevertheless he held to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin. He didn’t 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 Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder; and he supplied the king of Israel with one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams.
5 Lakini baada ya Ahabu kufa, mfalme wa Moabu aliasi dhidi ya mfalme wa Israeli.
But when Ahab was dead, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 Kwa hiyo wakati ule Mfalme Yehoramu akaondoka kutoka Samaria na kukusanya Israeli yote tayari kwenda vitani.
King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time, 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.”
He went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me against Moab to battle?” He said, “I will go up. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
8 Akauliza, “Je, tutashambulia kupitia njia gani?” Akajibu, “Kupitia Jangwa la Edomu.”
Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?” Jehoram answered, “The way of the wilderness 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 went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they marched for seven days along a circuitous route. There was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them.
10 Mfalme wa Israeli akamaka, “Nini! Je, Bwana ametuita sisi wafalme watatu ili tu kututia mikononi mwa Moabu?”
The king of Israel said, “Alas! For the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand 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.”
But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there a prophet of the LORD here, that we may enquire of the LORD by him?” One of the king of Israel’s servants answered, “Elisha the son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah, is here.”
12 Yehoshafati akasema, “Neno la Bwana liko pamoja naye.” Kwa hiyo mfalme wa Israeli na Yehoshafati pamoja na mfalme wa Edomu wakamwendea.
Jehoshaphat said, “The LORD’s word is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat 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.”
Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father, and to the prophets of your mother.” The king of Israel said to him, “No, for the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand 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.
Elisha said, “As the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I respect the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look towards you, nor see you.
15 Lakini sasa, nileteeni mpiga kinubi.” Mpiga kinubi alipokuwa akipiga, mkono wa Bwana ukaja juu ya Elisha,
But now bring me a musician.” When the musician played, the LORD’s hand came on him.
16 naye akasema, “Hivi ndivyo asemavyo Bwana, ‘Chimbeni bonde hili lijae mahandaki.’
He said, “The LORD says, ‘Make this valley full of trenches.’
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 the LORD says, ‘You will not see wind, neither will you see rain, yet that valley will be filled with water, and you will drink, both you and your livestock and your other animals.
18 Hili ni jambo rahisi machoni pa Bwana. Pia ataitia Moabu mikononi mwenu.
This is an easy thing in the LORD’s sight. He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.
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.”
You shall strike every fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all springs of water, and mar every good piece of land 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.
In the morning, about the time of offering the sacrifice, 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.
Now when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, they gathered themselves together, all who were able to put on armour, young and old, and stood on the border.
22 Walipoamka asubuhi na mapema, jua likawa linamulika juu ya maji. Wamoabu waliokuwa upande wa pili wakaona maji ni mekundu, kama damu.
They rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.
23 Wamoabu wakasema, “Ile ni damu! Lazima hao wafalme wamepigana na kuchinjana wao kwa wao. Sasa Moabu, twendeni tukateke nyara!”
They said, “This is blood. The kings are surely destroyed, and they have struck each other. Now therefore, Moab, to the plunder!”
24 Lakini Wamoabu walipofika kwenye kambi ya Israeli, Waisraeli wakainuka na kuwapiga mpaka wakakimbia. Nao Waisraeli wakaivamia nchi na kuwachinja Wamoabu.
When they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and struck the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they went forward into the land attacking the Moabites.
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.
They beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land each man cast his stone, and filled it. They also stopped all the springs of water and cut down all the good trees, until in Kir Hareseth all they left was its stones; however the men armed with slings went around it and attacked it.
26 Mfalme wa Moabu alipoona kuwa vita vimekuwa vikali dhidi yake, akachukua watu 700 wenye panga ili kuingia kwa mfalme wa Edomu, lakini wakashindwa.
When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too severe for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew a sword, to break through to 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 oldest son who would have reigned in his place, and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. There was great wrath against Israel; and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.

< 2 Wafalme 3 >