1
Na tazama, akatoka mtu wa Mungu katika Yuda kwa neno la Bwana, akafika Betheli. Naye Yeroboamu alikuwa akisimama penye madhabahu, afukize uvumba.
Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD.
2
Basi mtu huyo akapiga kelele juu ya madhabahu, kwa neno la Bwana akasema, Ee madhabahu, madhabahu, Bwana asema hivi, Angalia, mtoto atazaliwa katika nyumba ya Daudi, jina lake Yosia; na juu yako atawachinja makuhani wa mahali pa juu, wanaofukiza uvumba juu yako, na mifupa ya watu itateketezwa juu yako.
And he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, “O altar, O altar, this is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David, and upon you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and human bones will be burned upon you.’”
3
Akatoa ishara siku ile ile, akasema, Hii ndiyo ishara aliyoinena Bwana, Tazama, madhabahu itapasuka, na majivu yaliyo juu yake yatamwagika.
That day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’”
4
Ikawa, mfalme Yeroboamu alipoyasikia maneno ya yule mtu wa Mungu, alipopiga kelele juu ya madhabahu huko Betheli, alinyosha mkono wake pale madhabahuni, akasema, Mkamateni. Basi ule mkono wake aliounyosha ukakatika, wala hakuweza kuurudisha kwake tena.
Now when King Jeroboam, who was at the altar in Bethel, heard the word that the man of God had cried out against it, he stretched out his hand and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward him withered, so that he could not pull it back.
5
Madhabahu ikapasuka, majivu ya madhabahuni yakamwagika, sawasawa na ishara aliyoitoa mtu wa Mungu kwa neno la Bwana.
And the altar was split apart, and the ashes poured out, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.
6
Mfalme akajibu, akamwambia yule mtu wa Mungu, Umsihi sasa Bwana, Mungu wako, ukaniombee, ili nirudishiwe mkono wangu tena. Yule mtu wa Mungu akamwomba Bwana mkono wa mfalme ukarudishwa tena, ukawa kama ulivyokuwa kwanza.
Then the king responded to the man of God, “Intercede with the LORD your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him as it was before.
7
Mfalme akamwambia mtu wa Mungu, Karibu nyumbani kwangu ujiburudishe, nami nitakupa thawabu.
Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”
8
Mtu wa Mungu akamwambia mfalme, Ujaponipa nusu ya nyumba yako, sitaingia pamoja nawe, wala sitakula chakula, wala sitakunywa maji mahali hapa;
But the man of God replied, “If you were to give me half your possessions, I still would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place.
9
maana ndivyo nilivyoagizwa kwa neno la Bwana, kusema, Usile chakula cho chote wala usinywe maji, wala usirudi kwa njia ile uliyoijia.
For this is what I was commanded by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’”
10
Basi akaenda zake kwa njia nyingine, wala hakurudi kwa njia ile aliyoijia Betheli.
So the man of God went another way and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.
11
Basi nabii mmoja mzee alikuwa akikaa katika Betheli; na wanawe wakamwendea wakamwambia kila neno alilolitenda yule mtu wa Mungu siku ile katika Betheli; na maneno aliyomwambia mfalme, hayo nayo walimwambia baba yao.
Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words that the man had spoken to the king.
12
Baba yao akawaambia, Amekwenda zake kwa njia ipi? Kwa maana wanawe walikuwa wameiona njia ile aliyoiendea yule mtu wa Mungu aliyetoka katika Yuda.
“Which way did he go?” their father asked. And his sons showed him the way taken by the man of God, who had come from Judah.
13
Akawaambia wanawe, Nitandikieni punda. Wakamtandikia punda, naye akampanda.
So the prophet said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” Then they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it
14
Akamfuata mtu wa Mungu, akamkuta ameketi chini ya mwaloni, akamwambia, Je! Wewe ndiwe yule mtu wa Mungu aliyetoka katika Yuda? Akamwambia, Mimi ndiye.
and went after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” “I am,” he replied.
15
Akamwambia, Karibu kwangu nyumbani, ule chakula.
So the prophet said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some bread.”
16
Naye akamwambia, Siwezi kurudi pamoja nawe, wala kuingia pamoja nawe; wala sili chakula wala sinywi maji pamoja nawe hapa;
But the man replied, “I cannot go home with you, and I will not eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
17
kwani nimeambiwa kwa neno la Bwana, Usile chakula wala usinywe maji huko, wala usirudi kwa njia ile uliyoijia.
For I have been told by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’”
18
Akamwambia, Mimi nami ni nabii kama wewe, na malaika akaniambia kwa neno la Bwana, kusema, Mrudishe pamoja nawe nyumbani kwako, ale chakula, akanywe maji. Lakini alisema uongo.
Then the prophet replied, “I too am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” The old prophet was lying to him,
19
Basi mtu yule akarudi pamoja naye, akala chakula, akanywa maji nyumbani mwake.
but the man of God went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water.
20
Hata ikawa, walipokuwa wameketi mezani, neno la Bwana likamjia nabii yule aliyemrudisha;
While they were sitting at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back,
21
akamlilia yule mtu wa Mungu aliyetoka katika Yuda, akinena, Bwana asema hivi, Kwa sababu umeiasi kauli ya Bwana, wala hukuishika amri ile aliyokuamuru Bwana, Mungu wako,
and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the commandment that the LORD your God gave you,
22
bali umerudi, ukala chakula ukanywa maji, hapo alipokuambia, Usile chakula, wala usinywe maji; maiti yako haitaliingia kaburi la baba zako.
but you went back and ate bread and drank water in the place where He told you not to do so, your body shall never reach the tomb of your fathers.’”
23
Basi ikawa, alipokwisha kula chakula na kunywa maji, yule nabii aliyemrudisha akamtandikia punda.
And after the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet who had brought him back saddled the donkey for him.
24
Na alipokuwa amekwenda zake, simba alimkuta njiani, akamwua. Maiti yake ikatupwa njiani, na yule punda akasimama karibu naye; na yule simba naye akasimama karibu na maiti.
As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.
25
Na tazama, watu wakapita, wakauona mzoga umetupwa njiani, na yule simba akisimama karibu na mzoga, wakaenda, wakatoa habari katika mji ule alimokaa yule nabii mzee.
And there were men passing by who saw the body lying in the road with the lion standing beside it, and they went and reported this in the city where the old prophet lived.
26
Na yule nabii aliyemrudisha njiani alipopata habari, akasema; Ndiye yule mtu wa Mungu, aliyeiasi kauli ya Bwana; kwa hiyo Bwana amempambanisha na simba, simba akamrarua, akamwua, sawasawa na neno la Bwana alilomwambia.
When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard this, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the command of the LORD. Therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, and it has mauled him and killed him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to him.”
27
Akawaambia wanawe, akasema, Nitandikieni punda. Wakamtandikia.
Then the old prophet instructed his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled it,
28
Akaenda, akamwona yule maiti ametupwa njiani, na punda na simba wamesimama karibu na maiti; yule simba alikuwa hakumla maiti, wala hakumrarua punda.
and he went and found the body lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or mauled the donkey.
29
Nabii yule akamtwaa maiti wa yule mtu wa Mungu, akamweka juu ya punda wake, akamrudisha; yule nabii mzee akaenda mjini mwake, kukaa matanga, na kumzika.
So the old prophet lifted up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him and bury him.
30
Akamweka maiti katika kaburi lake mwenyewe; wakamlilia, wakisema, Aa! Ndugu yangu!
Then he laid the body in his own tomb, and they lamented over him, “Oh, my brother!”
31
Hata ikawa, alipokwisha kumzika, akawaambia wanawe, akasema, Nikifa mimi, nizikeni katika kaburi hili alimozikwa yule mtu wa Mungu; iwekeni mifupa yangu kando ya mifupa yake.
After he had buried him, the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, you must bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones,
32
Kwa maana neno hilo alilolia juu ya madhabahu katika Betheli, kwa neno la Bwana, na juu ya nyumba zote za mahali pa juu zilizo katika miji ya Samaria, hakika litatimizwa.
for the message that he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria will surely come to pass.”
33
Baada ya hayo Yeroboamu hakuiacha njia yake mbovu, lakini akafanya tena makuhani wa mahali pa juu, wa watu wo wote.
Even after these events, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil ways, but again he appointed priests for the high places from every class of people. He ordained anyone who desired to be a priest of the high places.
34
Kila aliyetaka akamfanya wakfu, ili wawepo makuhani wa mahali pa juu. Jambo hilo likawa dhambi kwa nyumba ya Yeroboamu, hata kuiharibu, na kuifuta usoni pa nchi.
And this was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its extermination and destruction from the face of the earth.