2 Amakhosi 3
1 UJehoramu indodana kaAhabi waba-ke yinkosi phezu kukaIsrayeli eSamariya ngomnyaka wetshumi lesificaminwembili kaJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda; wabusa iminyaka elitshumi lambili.
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 Wasesenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi, kodwa kungenjengoyise lanjengonina, ngoba wasusa insika kaBhali eyisithombe uyise ayeyenzile.
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 Loba kunjalo wanamathela ezonweni zikaJerobhowamu indodana kaNebati owenza uIsrayeli one, kasukanga kukho.
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 Njalo uMesha inkosi yakoMowabi wayengumfuyi wezimvu, wayethela enkosini yakoIsrayeli amawundlu azinkulungwane ezilikhulu, lezinqama ezizinkulungwane ezilikhulu, loboya bezimvu.
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 Kodwa kwathi uAhabi esefile, inkosi yakoMowabi yavukela inkosi yakoIsrayeli.
But when Ahab was dead, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 Inkosi uJehoramu yasiphuma ngalesosikhathi eSamariya, yabala uIsrayeli wonke.
King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time, and mustered all Israel.
7 Yasihamba yathumela kuJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda isithi: Inkosi yakoMowabi isingivukele; uzahamba lami yini siye koMowabi empini? Wasesithi: Ngizakwenyuka. Nginjengawe, njengabantu bami banjalo abantu bakho, njengamabhiza ami anjalo amabhiza akho.
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 Yasisithi: Sizakwenyuka ngayiphi indlela? Wasesithi: Ngendlela yenkangala yeEdoma.
Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?” Jehoram answered, “The way of the wilderness of Edom.”
9 Yasihamba inkosi yakoIsrayeli, lenkosi yakoJuda, lenkosi yeEdoma; sebebhode uhambo lwensuku eziyisikhombisa, kwakungelamanzi ebutho lawezifuyo ezibalandelayo.
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 Inkosi yakoIsrayeli yasisithi: Maye, ngoba uJehova ubize la amakhosi amathathu ukuwanikela esandleni sikaMowabi!
The king of Israel said, “Alas! For the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”
11 Kodwa uJehoshafathi wathi: Kakulamprofethi weNkosi lapha yini esingabuza ngaye iNkosi? Enye yenceku zenkosi yakoIsrayeli yasiphendula yathi: Kukhona lapha uElisha indodana kaShafati owathela amanzi ezandleni zikaElija.
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 UJehoshafathi wasesithi: Ilizwi leNkosi likuye. Ngakho inkosi yakoIsrayeli loJehoshafathi lenkosi yeEdoma behlela kuye.
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 UElisha wasesithi enkosini yakoIsrayeli: Ngilani lawe? Hamba kubaprofethi bakayihlo lakubaprofethi bakanyoko. Kodwa inkosi yakoIsrayeli yathi kuye: Hatshi, ngoba iNkosi ibize lamakhosi amathathu ukuwanikela esandleni sikaMowabi.
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 UElisha wasesithi: Kuphila kukaJehova wamabandla engimi phambi kwakhe, sibili, uba bengingaphakamisi ubukhona bukaJehoshafathi inkosi yakoJuda, bengingayikukukhangela njalo ngingakuboni.
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 Ngakho-ke ngilethelani umtshayi wechacho. Kwathi umtshayi wechacho eselitshaya, isandla seNkosi saba phezu kwakhe.
But now bring me a musician.” When the musician played, the LORD’s hand came on him.
16 Wasesithi: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Yenzani lesisihotsha sibe yimigelogelo.
He said, “The LORD says, ‘Make this valley full of trenches.’
17 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi: Kaliyikubona umoya njalo kaliyikubona izulu, kodwa lesisihotsha sizagcwaliswa ngamanzi, ukuze linathe lina, lenkomo zenu lezifuyo zenu.
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 Kodwa lokhu kulula emehlweni eNkosi: Izanikela lamaMowabi esandleni senu.
This is an easy thing in the LORD’s sight. He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.
19 Njalo lizatshaya wonke umuzi obiyelweyo, lawo wonke umuzi okhethekileyo, ligamule sonke isihlahla esihle, ligqibele yonke imithombo yamanzi, lone yonke insimu enhle ngamatshe.
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 Kwasekusithi ekuseni ekunikelweni komnikelo wokudla, khangela-ke, kwafika amanzi evelela endleleni yeEdoma, ilizwe laseligcwaliswa ngamanzi.
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 Wonke amaMowabi esezwile ukuthi amakhosi enyukile ukulwa emelene lawo, abizelwa ndawonye, kusukela kuye wonke obhinca izikhali kusiya phezulu, asesima emngceleni.
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 Asevuka ekuseni kakhulu; ilanga selikhanya phezu kwamanzi, amaMowabi abona amanzi emaqondana lawo ebomvu njengegazi.
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 Asesithi: Ligazi leli; amakhosi achithiwe lokuchithwa, asetshayene. Ngakho-ke, empangweni, Mowabi!
They said, “This is blood. The kings are surely destroyed, and they have struck each other. Now therefore, Moab, to the plunder!”
24 Kwathi efika enkambeni yakoIsrayeli, amaIsrayeli asukuma atshaya amaMowabi, aze abaleka esuka phambi kwawo; kodwa angena elizweni atshaya amaMowabi.
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 Asediliza imizi; ngulowo wasephosa ilitshe lakhe kuyo yonke insimu enhle, ayigcwalisa, agqibela yonke imithombo yamanzi, agamula zonke izihlahla ezinhle, kwaze kwasala amatshe ayo eKiri-Haresethi kuphela; kodwa abaphosa ngezavutha bayigombolozela, bayitshaya.
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 Inkosi yakoMowabi isibonile ukuthi impi ilukhuni kakhulu kuyo, yathatha abantu abangamakhulu ayisikhombisa abahwatsha inkemba kanye layo, ukuze ifohlele enkosini yeEdoma, kodwa behluleka.
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 Yasithatha indodana yayo elizibulo eyayizakuba yinkosi esikhundleni sayo, yayinikela yaba ngumnikelo wokutshiswa phezu komduli. Kwasekusiba lolaka olukhulu olumelene loIsrayeli; basebesuka kuyo babuyela elizweni lakibo.
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.
