< 2 Amakhosi 7 >

1 UElisha wasesithi: Zwanini ilizwi leNkosi; itsho njalo iNkosi: Ngalesisikhathi kusasa iseya lempuphu ecolekileyo lizathengiswa ngeshekeli, lamaseya amabili ebhali ngeshekeli, esangweni leSamariya.
Elisha said, “Hear the LORD’s word. The LORD says, ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’”
2 Induna inkosi eyayeyeme esandleni sayo yasiphendula umuntu kaNkulunkulu, yathi: Khangela, uba iNkosi ibingenza amawindi emazulwini, kungenzeka linto yini? Wasesithi: Khangela, uzakubona ngamehlo akho, kodwa kawuyikudla okwakho.
Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, “Behold, if the LORD made windows in heaven, could this thing be?” He said, “Behold, you will see it with your eyes, but will not eat of it.”
3 Njalo kwakulamadoda amane ayengamalephero ekungeneni kwesango, athi omunye komunye: Sihlaleleni lapha size sife?
Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate. They said to one another, “Why do we sit here until we die?
4 Uba sisithi: Sizangena emzini, lendlala isemzini, sizafela khona. Njalo uba sihlala lapha, sizakufa futhi. Ngakho-ke, wozani, siyewela enkambeni yamaSiriya; uba esiyekela siphile, sizaphila; uba-ke esibulala, sizakufa nje.
If we say, ‘We will enter into the city,’ then the famine is in the city, and we will die there. If we sit still here, we also die. Now therefore come, and let’s surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they save us alive, we will live; and if they kill us, we will only die.”
5 Asesukuma kusahwalala ukuya enkambeni yamaSiriya; esefike ekucineni kwenkamba yamaSiriya, khangela-ke, kwakungelamuntu khona.
They rose up in the twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians. When they had come to the outermost part of the camp of the Syrians, behold, no man was there.
6 Ngoba iNkosi yenza ibutho lamaSiriya lizwe umsindo wezinqola, umsindo wamabhiza, umsindo webutho elikhulu; athi omunye komunye: Khangela, inkosi yakoIsrayeli isisiqhatshele amakhosi amaHethi lamakhosi amaGibhithe ukuzamelana lathi.
For the Lord had made the army of the Syrians to hear the sound of chariots and the sound of horses, even the noise of a great army; and they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us.”
7 Asesukuma abaleka kusahwalala, atshiya amathente awo lamabhiza awo labobabhemi bawo, inkamba njengoba injalo, abaleka ngenxa yempilo yawo.
Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, their horses, and their donkeys, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.
8 Amalephero la esefike ekucineni kwenkamba, angena kwelinye ithente, adla anatha, athatha lapho isiliva legolide lezigqoko, ayakufihla; abuyela angena kwelinye ithente, athatha lapho, ayakufihla.
When these lepers came to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and ate and drank, then carried away silver, gold, and clothing and went and hid it. Then they came back, and entered into another tent and carried things from there also, and went and hid them.
9 Asesithi omunye komunye: Kasenzi kuhle. Lolusuku lusuku lwemibiko emihle, kodwa sizithulele thina. Uba silinda kuze kube yikukhanya kwekuseni, isijeziso sizasifica. Khathesi-ke, wozani siyebikela indlu yenkosi.
Then they said to one another, “We aren’t doing right. Today is a day of good news, and we keep silent. If we wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let’s go and tell the king’s household.”
10 Asesiza, amemeza kumlindi wesango womuzi, abatshela esithi: Sifike enkambeni yamaSiriya, khangela-ke, bekungelamuntu khona kumbe ilizwi lomuntu, kodwa amabhiza ebotshelwe labobabhemi bebotshelwe, lamathente enjengoba enjalo.
So they came and called to the city gatekeepers; and they told them, “We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, not even a man’s voice, but the horses tied, and the donkeys tied, and the tents as they were.”
11 Wasebiza abalindi bamasango, basebebikela indlu yenkosi phakathi.
Then the gatekeepers called out and told it to the king’s household within.
12 Inkosi yasivuka ebusuku, yathi encekwini zayo: Sengizalitshela ukuthi amaSiriya enzeni kithi. Ayazi ukuthi silambile, ngakho aphumile enkambeni ukuyacatsha egangeni esithi: Nxa bephuma emzini, sizababamba bephila, besesingena emzini.
The king arose in the night, and said to his servants, “I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry. Therefore they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, ‘When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive, and get into the city.’”
13 Enye yenceku zayo yasiphendula yathi: Ake bathathe amahlanu emabhizeni aseleyo, aseleyo phakathi komuzi, (khangela, afanana lexuku lonke lakoIsrayeli elitshiywe kuwo, khangela, afanana lexuku lonke lakoIsrayeli eliqothuliweyo), kasithume, sibone.
One of his servants answered, “Please let some people take five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city. Behold, they are like all the multitude of Israel who are left in it. Behold, they are like all the multitude of Israel who are consumed. Let’s send and see.”
14 Basebethatha amabhiza amabili enqola; inkosi yasithuma emva kwebutho lamaSiriya isithi: Hambani, libone.
Therefore they took two chariots with horses; and the king sent them out to the Syrian army, saying, “Go and see.”
15 Basebewalandela kwaze kwaba seJordani; khangela-ke, indlela yonke yayigcwele izembatho lempahla amaSiriya ayekulahlile ekuphangiseni kwawo. Izithunywa zasezibuyela, zayibikela inkosi.
They went after them to the Jordan; and behold, all the path was full of garments and equipment which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. The messengers returned and told the king.
16 Abantu basebephuma bayiphanga inkamba yamaSiriya. Ngakho iseya lempuphu ecolekileyo laselithengiswa ngeshekeli, lamaseya amabili ebhali ngeshekeli, njengokwelizwi leNkosi.
The people went out and plundered the camp of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the LORD’s word.
17 Inkosi yasibeka induna eyayeyeme esandleni sayo ukuba ngumlindi phezu kwesango. Abantu bayinyathela esangweni yaze yafa, njengokutsho komuntu kaNkulunkulu owakhuluma ekufikeni kwenkosi kuye.
The king had appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to be in charge of the gate; and the people trampled over him in the gate, and he died as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.
18 Kwasekusithi njengokutsho komuntu kaNkulunkulu enkosini esithi: Amaseya amabili ebhali ngeshekeli, leseya lempuphu ecolekileyo ngeshekeli phose ngalesisikhathi kusasa azakuba sesangweni leSamariya.
It happened as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, “Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, shall be tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria;”
19 Induna yasimphendula umuntu kaNkulunkulu yathi: Khangela-ke, uba iNkosi ibingenza amawindi emazulwini, kungenzeka linto yini? Kodwa wathi: Khangela, uzakubona ngamehlo akho, kodwa kawuyikudla okwakho.
and that captain answered the man of God, and said, “Now, behold, if the LORD made windows in heaven, might such a thing be?” and he said, “Behold, you will see it with your eyes, but will not eat of it.”
20 Kwaba njalo-ke kuye, ngoba abantu bamnyathela esangweni waze wafa.
It happened like that to him, for the people trampled over him in the gate, and he died.

< 2 Amakhosi 7 >