2 Wafalme 6
1 Wana wa manabii wakamwambia Elisha, “Tazama, mahali hapa tunapokutana nawe ni padogo sana kwetu.
The sons of the prophets told Elisha, “Look, the place we meet with you is too small for us.
2 Twendeni Yordani, mahali ambapo kila mmoja wetu anaweza kupata nguzo moja, nasi tujenge huko mahali petu pa kuishi.” Naye akawaambia, “Nendeni.”
Let's go to the Jordan and each of us can carry one log back. We can build a new place there for us to meet.” “Go ahead,” said Elisha.
3 Kisha mmoja wao akasema, “Je, tafadhali, huwezi kufuatana na watumishi wako?” Elisha akajibu, “Nitakuja.”
One of them asked, “Please come with your servants.” “I'll come,” he replied.
4 Naye akaenda pamoja nao. Basi wakaenda Yordani, nao wakaanza kukata miti.
So he went with them. When they got to the Jordan, they started cutting down trees.
5 Mmoja wao alipokuwa anakata mti, shoka lilitumbukia kwenye maji. Akalia, “Ee bwana wangu, shoka lilikuwa la kuazima!”
But as one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. “Oh no! My master, it was one that was borrowed!” he shouted.
6 Mtu wa Mungu akauliza, “Je, liliangukia wapi?” Alipomwonyesha mahali penyewe, Elisha akakata kijiti na kukitupa mahali pale, nalo shoka likaelea.
“Where did it fall?” the man of God asked. When he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it in there, and made the iron axhead float.
7 Akasema, “Lichukue.” Kisha yule mtu akanyoosha mkono wake, akalichukua.
“Pick it up,” Elisha told the man. So he reached out his hand and picked it up.
8 Wakati huo mfalme wa Aramu alikuwa akipigana vita na Israeli. Baada ya kukubaliana na maafisa wake, akasema, “Nitapiga kambi yangu mahali fulani na fulani.”
The Aramean king was at war with Israel. After consulting with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in this particular place.”
9 Mtu wa Mungu akatuma ujumbe kwa mfalme wa Israeli: “Jihadhari usije ukapita mahali pale, kwa sababu Waaramu wanashuka huko.”
Then the man of God sent a warning to the king of Israel: “Watch out if you go near this place, because the Arameans are going to be there.”
10 Kwa hiyo mfalme wa Israeli akatuma neno la tahadhari mahali pale alikokuwa ameelekezwa na mtu wa Mungu. Mara kwa mara Elisha alimwonya mfalme kwamba watu wawe macho kwenye maeneo kama hayo.
So the king of Israel sent a warning to the place the man of God had indicated. Elisha repeatedly warned the king, so that he was on the alert in those places.
11 Hili lilimfadhaisha sana mfalme wa Aramu. Akawaita maafisa wake, akawauliza, “Je, hamtaniambia ni nani miongoni mwenu aliye upande wa mfalme wa Israeli?”
This made the Aramean king really mad. He summoned his officers, demanding an answer: “Tell me, which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”
12 Mmoja wa maafisa wake akasema, “Mfalme bwana wangu, hakuna hata mmoja wetu. Lakini Elisha, yule nabii aliye Israeli, humwambia mfalme wa Israeli hata yale maneno unayozungumza katika chumba chako cha kulala.”
“It's none of us, my lord the king,” one of his officers replied. “It's Elisha, the prophet who lives in Israel—he tells the king of Israel even what you say in your bedroom.”
13 Mfalme akaagiza akisema, “Nendeni, mkatafute aliko, ili niweze kutuma watu kumkamata.” Taarifa ikarudi kwamba, “Yuko Dothani.”
So the king gave the order, “Go and find out where he is so I can send soldiers to capture him.” He was told, “Elisha is in Dothan.”
14 Ndipo akatuma farasi na magari ya vita na jeshi lenye nguvu huko. Walikwenda usiku na kuuzunguka mji.
So he sent horses, chariots, and a large army. They came at night and surrounded the town.
15 Kesho yake asubuhi na mapema, mtumishi wa mtu wa Mungu alipoamka na kutoka nje, jeshi, pamoja na farasi na magari ya vita, likawa limeuzunguka mji. Mtumishi wake akasema, “Ole wetu, bwana wangu! Tutafanya nini?”
Early in the morning when the servant of the man of God got up, he went out and saw that an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my master, what are we going to do?” he asked Elisha.
16 Nabii akajibu, “Usiogope. Wale walio pamoja nasi ni wengi zaidi kuliko wale walio pamoja nao.”
Elisha replied, “Don't be afraid, for there are many more who are with us than there are with them!”
17 Kisha Elisha akaomba, “Ee Bwana, mfumbue macho huyu mtumishi ili apate kuona.” Ndipo Bwana akayafumbua macho ya yule mtumishi, naye akatazama na kuona vilima vimejaa farasi na magari ya moto, yamemzunguka Elisha pande zote.
Elisha prayed, saying, “Lord, please open his eyes so he can see.” The Lord opened the servant's eyes, and when he looked he saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
18 Wakati adui waliposhuka kumwelekea, Elisha akamwomba Bwana: “Wapige watu hawa kwa upofu.” Basi Mungu akawapiga kwa upofu, kama Elisha alivyoomba.
As the army descended on him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Please strike these people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.
19 Elisha akawaambia, “Hii sio njia yenyewe, na huu sio huo mji. Nifuateni mimi, nami nitawapeleka kwa huyo mtu mnayemtafuta.” Naye akawapeleka Samaria.
Then Elisha went and told them, “This isn't the right road, and this isn't the right town. Follow me, and I'll take you to the man you're looking for.” He led them to Samaria.
20 Baada ya kuingia mjini, Elisha akasema, “Bwana, yafungue macho ya watu hawa ili wapate kuona.” Ndipo Bwana akayafungua macho yao, na walipotazama, kumbe hapo ndipo walipojikuta, ndani ya Samaria.
After they had entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, “Lord, open the eyes of these men that they can see.” The Lord opened their eyes, and they looked around and saw that they were in Samaria.
21 Wakati mfalme wa Israeli alipowaona, akamuuliza Elisha, “Je, baba yangu, niwaue?”
When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?”
22 Naye akajibu, “Usiwaue. Je, utawaua watu uliowateka kwa upanga wako mwenyewe na upinde wako? Wape chakula na maji ili wapate kula na kunywa, na kisha wamrudie bwana wao.”
“No, don't you kill them!” he replied. “Would you kill prisoners you captured with your own sword or bow? Give them some food and water so that they may eat and drink, and then let them go back to their master.”
23 Basi akawaandalia karamu kubwa, na baada ya kula na kunywa, akawaaga nao wakarudi kwa bwana wao. Hivyo, vikosi kutoka Aramu vikakoma kuvamia nchi ya Israeli.
So the king had a great feast prepared for them, and once they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them back to their master. The Aramean raiders did not enter the land of Israel again.
24 Baada ya kitambo kidogo, Ben-Hadadi mfalme wa Aramu akaandaa jeshi lake lote akapanda kwenda kuihusuru Samaria.
Sometime after this Ben-hadad king of Aram called up all his army and went to lay siege to Samaria.
25 Kukawa na njaa kuu katika mji. Samaria ilizingirwa kwa muda mrefu, kiasi kwamba kichwa cha punda kiliuzwa kwa shekeli themanini za fedha, na robo ya kibaba cha mavi ya njiwa kiliuzwa kwa shekeli tano za fedha.
So there was a major famine in Samaria. In fact the siege lasted so long that a donkey's head cost eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove's dung cost five shekels of silver.
26 Wakati mfalme wa Israeli alipokuwa anapita juu ya ukuta, mwanamke mmoja akamlilia, “Bwana wangu mfalme, nisaidie!”
As the king of Israel was walking by on the city wall, a woman called out to him, “Help me, my lord the king!”
27 Mfalme akajibu, “Ikiwa Bwana hakusaidii, nitakutolea wapi msaada? Je, ni kutoka kwenye sakafu ya kupuria? Au kwenye shinikizo la divai?”
“If the Lord doesn't help you, why would you think I can help you?” the king replied. “I don't have grain from the threshing floor, or wine from the winepress.”
28 Kisha akamuuliza, “Kwani kuna nini?” Yule mwanamke akamjibu, “Huyu mwanamke aliniambia, ‘Mtoe mwanao ili tupate kumla leo, na kesho tutamla mwanangu.’
But then he asked her, “What's the problem?” “This woman told me, ‘Give up your son and we'll eat him today, and tomorrow we'll eat my son,’” she answered.
29 Basi tukampika mwanangu na kumla. Siku iliyofuata nikamwambia, ‘Mtoe mwanao ili tupate kumla.’ Lakini akawa amemficha.”
“So we cooked my son and we ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son so we can eat him,’ but she's hidden her son.”
30 Wakati mfalme aliposikia maneno ya yule mwanamke, alirarua mavazi yake. Naye alipoendelea kutembea ukutani, watu wakamtazama, na ndani ya mavazi yake alikuwa amevaa nguo ya gunia mwilini mwake.
When the king heard what the woman said he ripped his clothes. As he walked by on the wall, the people saw that he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin.
31 Akasema, “Mungu na anitendee hivyo na kuzidi, ikiwa kichwa cha Elisha mwana wa Shafati kitabaki juu ya mabega yake leo!”
“May God punish me very severely if the head of Elisha, son of Shaphat, remains on his shoulders today!” he declared.
32 Wakati huu, Elisha alikuwa ameketi ndani ya nyumba yake, akiwa pamoja na wazee. Mfalme akatuma mjumbe kumtangulia, lakini kabla hajafika, Elisha akawaambia wale wazee, “Hammwoni huyu muuaji jinsi anavyotuma mtu kukata kichwa changu? Tazama, wakati mjumbe huyo atakapofika, fungeni mlango na mzuieni asiingie. Je, vishindo vya nyayo za bwana wake haviko nyuma yake?”
Elisha was sitting in his house with the elders. The king had sent a messenger on ahead, but before he got there, Elisha told the elders, “Can you see how this murderer is sending someone to cut off my head? So, as soon as the messenger arrives, close the door and hold it shut against him. Isn't that the sound of his master's footsteps following him?”
33 Alipokuwa angali bado anazungumza nao, mjumbe akamfikia. Naye mfalme akasema, “Maafa haya yanatoka kwa Bwana. Kwa nini niendelee kumngoja Bwana zaidi?”
While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger arrived. The king said, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”
