Umfo wakwaThixo
1Kwathi uJerobhowam xa emi ngaseqongeni lamadini, eza kwenza iziqhumiso, nako kuvela umfo wakwaThixo owayeyalelwe *nguNdikhoyo ukuba aphume kwaJuda, aye eBhetele. 2Wadanduluka ngelizwi likaNdikhoyo, ekhalima ngenxa yelo qonga, wathi: “Qongandini! Qongandini! Utsho uNdikhoyo ukuthi: ‘Uyabona, kwindlu kaDavide kuza kuzalwa unyana ogama linguYosiya. Apha kanye phezu kwakho yena uya kwenza amadini ngaba babingeleli basezindulini, aba benza iziqhumiso apha ngoku. Ewe, phezu kwakho apha kuya kutshiswa amathambo abantu.’ ”
3Kwangaloo mini umfo wakwaThixo wenza umqondiso, wathi: “Nanku umqondiso awukhuphileyo uNdikhoyo: Niyabona, eli qonga liya kuqhekeka, luze uthuthu oluphezu kwalo luphalale.”
4Akuluva udaba lwalo mfo wakwaThixo mayela nelo qonga laseBhetele, ukumkani uJerobhowam wolula isandla sakhe elapho eqongeni, wathi: “Mbambeni!” Kambe ke eso sandla sakhe awayesolulela kuloo ndoda sasuka sashwabana soma, akaba nako ukusibuyisela kuye kwakhona. 5Neqonga elo lasuka laqhekeka, lwaza uthuthu oluphezu kwalo lwaphalala, kanye ngokomqondiso womfo wakwaThixo, lowo wayewunikwe nguNdikhoyo.
6Ke ukumkani wathetha nomfo lowo wakwaThixo wathi: “Khawuncede umkhunge uNdikhoyo uThixo wakho, undithandazele ukuze isandla sam sibuye siphile.” Umfo lowo wakhunga wathandaza uNdikhoyo, saza ke eso sandla sikakumkani sabuya saphila sanjengangaphambili.
7Ukumkani wathetha naloo mfo wakwaThixo wathi: “Hamba nam, siye ekhaya, ndikuphe into etyiwayo, ndikunike nesipho.”
8Kambe ke umfo lowo wakwaThixo wamphendula ukumkani wathi: “Noba ubuza kundinika isiqingatha sezinto zonke onazo, bendingayi kuhamba nawe, futhi bendingayi kutya ndingaseli nakusela apha. 9Kaloku ndifumene umyalelo kuNdikhoyo othi: ‘Uze ungatyi, ungaseli nokusela, futhi ungabuyi ngendlela obe uye ngayo.’ ” 10Ngoko ke wathatha ndlela yimbi, akahamba ngaleyo wayeye ngayo eBhetele.
Inkonde yomshumayeli
11Ngoko ke kwakukho nkonde ithile *yomshumayeli eyayihlala apho eBhetele. Oonyana bayo bazibona izinto awazenzayo loo mfo wakwaThixo apho ngaloo mini, baza ke baya kuchazela uyise lowo, uyise lowo bamchazela nento ayithethileyo kukumkani. 12Uyise wathi kubo: “Úhambe ngayiphi na indlela?” Oonyana ke bamkhombisa indlela ahambe ngayo umfo lowo wakwaThixo ovela kwelakwaJuda.
13Wathi koonyana bakhe: “Ndibopheleleni idonki.” Bambophelela idonki, wakhwela kuyo, 14waza walandela umfo wakwaThixo. Ke kaloku wamfumana ehleli phantsi komthi wom-oki, waza wathi kuye: “Unguye na laa mfo wakwaThixo uphuma kwelakwaJuda?”
Yena ke wathi: “Ndinguye!”
15Wathi kuye: “Yiza sihambe, uye kufumana into etyiwayo ekhaya.”
16Umfo wakwaThixo waphendula wathi: “Hayi, andinako ukujika ndihambe nawe, ndingenako nokutya ndisele apha kule ndawo. 17Ilizwi likaNdikhoyo lithe kum: ‘Phaya uze ungatyi, ungaseli nokusela, futhi ungabuyi ngendlela obe uye ngayo.’ ”
18Loo nkonde yomshumayeli yathi: “Hayi kaloku, nam ngokwam ndingumshumayeli njengawe lo, ngoku ke isithunywa sindixelele ilizwi likaNdikhoyo, sathi: ‘Yiya kumthatha ubuye naye, eze endlwini yakho, atye asele.’ ” Kambe ke wayexoka! 19Ngoko umfo wakwaThixo lowo wajika nayo, waza ke watya wasela apho endlwini yayo.
20Bathe ke besahleli etafileni, ilizwi likaNdikhoyo lafikela loo nkonde yomshumayeli, le yajika umfo wakwaThixo. 21Yaza ke yadanduluka, ibhekisa apho kuloo mfo wakwaThixo wayevela kwaJuda, yathi: “Utsho uNdikhoyo ukuthi: ‘Ulicekisile ilizwi likaNdikhoyo, awawukhathalela umyalelo owunikwe nguNdikhoyo uThixo wakho. 22Ujikile wafika watya wasela kanye kule ndawo ubuyalelwe ukuba ungatyi ungaseli kuyo. Ngoko ke isidumbu sakho asiyi kungcwatywa kumafihlo ooyihlo.’ ”
23Uthe ke akugqiba ukutya nokusela umfo wakwaThixo lowo, inkonde yomshumayeli leya ibimjikile isuke yambophela idonki yakhe. 24Uthe ke esahamba, kwee gqi ingonyama apho endleleni, yamqwenga yambulala. Waza ke umzimba wakhe wee gangalala apho endleleni, idonki nengonyama zona zingxange phezu kwakhe. 25Abantu ababedlula bawubona loo mzimba uthe gangalala apho endleleni, phezu kwawo kungxange ingonyama, baza ke baya kulubika olo daba apho kweso sixeko yayihlala kuso inkonde yomshumayeli.
26Loo mshumayeli wayemjike kuhambo lwakhe uthe akuziva ezo ndaba: “Iya kuba ngulaa mfo wakwaThixo walicekisayo ilizwi likaNdikhoyo. UNdikhoyo umnikele engonyameni esuke yamqwenga yambulala ngokwelizwi elalithethwe kuye nguNdikhoyo.”
27Umshumayeli lowo wayalela oonyana bakhe, wathi: “Ndibopheleni idonki.” Bayibopha. 28Waphuma ke, waza wawufumana loo mzimba uthe gangalala endleleni, phezu kwawo kungxange idonki nengonyama. Ingonyama leyo zange iwutye, ingazange iyiqwenge nedonki leyo. 29Ngoko ke umshumayeli lowo wawuthatha loo mzimba womfo wakwaThixo, wawuxhoma edonkini, wabuya nawo, wawuzisa esixekweni sakhe, ukuze alilelwe angcwatye. 30Umzimba lowo ke wawufaka kwelakhe ingcwaba, baza ke bamlilela besithi: “Yho-o-o, umntakwethu!”
31Bakugqiba ke ukumngcwaba, wathi koonyana bakhe: “Ndakuba ndifile ze nindifihle kweli ngcwaba lilele lo mfo wakwaThixo, amathambo am niwabeke ecaleni kwawakhe. 32Kaloku udaba alubhengezileyo eyalelwe nguNdikhoyo mayela neqonga laseBhetele, nazo zonke izibingelelo ezisezindulini kwiidolophu zaseSamariya, nanjani na luya kufezeka.”
33Kanti ke, nasemva kwesi siganeko, yena uJerobhowam zange abuye ezindleleni zakhe ezimbi; waphikela ukumisela ababingeleli basezindulini, ethatha nabani na. Wonke umntu owayefuna ukuba ngumbingeleli wayemmisela izibingelelo zasezindulini. 34Esi ke sisono esangenela indlu kaJerobhowam, sayirhuqa yada yawa yatshabalala tu ehlabathini.
