A Prophet Condemns the Altar at Bethel
1-2 One day, Jeroboam was standing at the altar in Bethel, ready to make an offering. Suddenly one of God's prophets arrived from Judah and shouted:
The Lord sent me with a message about this altar. A child named Josiah will be born into David's family. He will sacrifice on this altar the priests who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on it.
3 You will know that the Lord has said these things when the altar splits in half, and the ashes on it fall to the ground.
4 Jeroboam pointed at the prophet and shouted, “Grab him!” But at once, Jeroboam's hand became stiff, and he could not move it. 5 The altar split in half, and the ashes fell to the ground, just as the prophet had warned.
6 “Please pray to the Lord your God and ask him to heal my hand,” Jeroboam begged.
The prophet prayed, and Jeroboam's hand was healed.
7 “Come home with me and eat something,” Jeroboam said. “I want to give you a gift for what you have done.”
8 “No, I wouldn't go with you, even if you offered me half of your kingdom. I won't eat or drink here either. 9 The Lord said I can't eat or drink anything and that I can't go home the same way I came.” 10 Then he started home down a different road.
An Old Prophet from Bethel
11 At that time an old prophet lived in Bethel, and one of his sons told him what the prophet from Judah had said and done.
12 “Show me which way he went,” the old prophet said, and his sons pointed out the road. 13 “Put a saddle on my donkey,” he told them. After they did, he got on the donkey 14 and rode off to look for the prophet from Judah.
The old prophet found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the prophet from Judah?”
“Yes, I am.”
15 “Come home with me,” the old prophet said, “and have something to eat.”
16 “I can't go back with you,” the prophet replied, “and I can't eat or drink anything with you. 17 The Lord warned me not to eat or drink or to go home the same way I came.”
18 The old prophet said, “I'm a prophet too. One of the Lord's angels told me to take you to my house and give you something to eat and drink.”
The prophet from Judah did not know that the old prophet was lying, 19 so he went home with him and ate and drank.
20 During the meal the Lord gave the old prophet 21 a message for the prophet from Judah:
Listen to the Lord's message. You have disobeyed the Lord your God. 22 He told you not to eat or drink anything here, but you came home and ate with me. And so, when you die, your body won't be buried in your family tomb.
23 After the meal the old prophet got a donkey ready, 24 and the prophet from Judah left. Along the way, a lion attacked and killed him, and the donkey and the lion stood there beside his dead body.
25 Some people walked by and saw the body with the lion standing there. They ran into Bethel, telling everyone what they had seen.
26 When the old prophet heard the news, he said, “That must be the prophet from Judah. The Lord warned him, but he disobeyed. So the Lord sent a lion to kill him.”
27 The old prophet told his sons to saddle his donkey, and when it was ready, 28 he left. He found the body lying on the road, with the donkey and lion standing there. The lion had not eaten the body or attacked the donkey. 29 The old prophet picked up the body, put it on his own donkey, and took it back to Bethel, so he could bury it and mourn for the prophet from Judah.
30 He buried the body in his own family tomb and cried for the prophet. 31 He said to his sons, “When I die, bury my body next to this prophet. 32 I'm sure that everything he said about the altar in Bethel and the shrines in Samaria will happen.”
33 But Jeroboam kept on doing evil things. He appointed men to be priests at the local shrines, even if they were not Levites. In fact, anyone who wanted to be a priest could be one. 34 This sinful thing led to the downfall of his kingdom.
1 Jerobeammi ǀanǀanǁguibasab nî dīse altars tawa mâ, hîab ge kēbo-aoba ǃKhūb di mîmās ai Judaba xu Betels tawa ge hā. 2 Ob ge ǁnā khoeba altars ǁga ge ǃhao: “Altarse, altarse, nētib ge ǃKhūba ra mî: Davidi suriba xub ge Josia, ti nî ǀonǂgaihe ǀgôaba nî ǃnae. ǁÎb ge ǀgapigu ai ǁguibade ra ǁguiba pristerga sas ai nî ǂā, tsî khoeǂkhōn ge sas ai nî khauǃkhūhe.” 3 ǃAruǀîb ge buruxa sao-e ge ǂhôa: “Nēs ge saos ǃKhūb ge mîsa: Nē altars ge nî ǃkhom tsîb ge ǁîs ai hâ tsaoba nî tsoroxūsen.”
4 Gao-aob Jerobeammi ge ǁnā mîs Elob aob ge Betels di altars ǁga ǃhoasab ge ǁnâuo, ǁîba ǃoa ǁôab âb ǀkha ǁnaeǁgau tsî “ǃKhō bi!” ti ge mî. Ob ge ǁîb di ǁôab hîab ge ǀhōǂuiba, ǂgae-oa ǁoab gese ge karomâ. 5 Altars ge ge ǃkhom tsîb ge tsaob ǁîs ai ge hâ iba ge tsoroxūsen. ǁNās ge saos Elob aob ge ǃKhūb ge mîmā bi khami mî hâ isa. 6 Ob ge gao-aoba kēbo-aob ǃoa ge mî: “ǃKhūb sa Elob ǃoa ǀgore, î ǀkhomaba te re, îb ti ǁôaba ǁkhawa ǂuru.”
Tsî kēbo-aob ge ǃKhūb ǃoa ǀgore, ob ge gao-aob di ǁôaba ǀnaib ge ī i khami ge ǂuru. 7 Ob ge gao-aoba kēbo-aob ǃoa ge mî: “Tita ǀkha ti oms ǁga ǃgû, î xūro-e sī ǂû re, î ta dīts gon ǃaroma matare tsi.”
8 Xaweb ge kēbo-aoba gao-aob ǃoa ge mî: “ǃKhare ǃâb sa ǃkhūsib dibats ga mā te, xawes tsîna ta ge sao tsi tide tsî nēpa xū-i xare-e ǂû tamas ka io ā tide. 9 ǃKhūb ge ǀgui xū-i tsîna ta nēpa ǂû tamas ka io ā tide tsî ǀkhī-ū ta ge daob ǁkhāb ǀkha ta ǁkhawa oa tide ǃkhaisa mîmā te xui-ao.” 10 Tsîb ge Betelsa ǃoab ge ǀkhī-ū daob ǁkhāb ǀkha oa tama i tsî ǀkhara daob ǀkha ge oa.
Kaira kēbo-aob Betels dib
11 Kaira kēbo-aob ge Betels ǃnâ ge ǁan hâ i. Tsî gu ge ǀgôagu âba Judaba xu ge hā kēbo-aob ge ǁnātsē Betels ǃnâ a dī xūn tsî gao-aob ǃoab ge mîn tsîn hoana hā ge mîba bi. 12 Ob ge ǁîba “Mâ daob ǀkhab go oa?” ti ǀgôagu âba ge dî. O gu ge ǁîga ge ǁgau bi, mâ daoba-ub ge Judaba xu ge hā kēbo-aoba oasa. 13 ǁÎb ge ǀgôagu âb ǃoa “Dâukiba ǃgaeǃgâba te” ti mî tsî ǃgaeǃgâbaheb geo ǁîb ai ǂoa 14 tsî Judaba xu ge hā kēbo-aoba ǃgapiǃgon tsî aikehais ǃgaob ǂnôa hîa sī ge ǀhao-ū. Ob ge “Judaba xu ge hā kēbo-aotsa satsa?” ti ge dî.
Ob ge “ǁÎta ge” ti ge ǃeream.
15 Ob ge kaira kēbo-aoba ge mî: “Ti oms ǁga sao te re, î tita ǀkha sī ǂûǀhao re.”
16 Xaweb ge ǁîba ge ǃeream: “Tita ge sats ǀkha a oa ǁoa; ǁkhāti ta ge sats ǀkha nē ǃkhais tawa xū-i xare-e ǂû tamas ka io a ā ǁoa, 17 ǃKhūb ge mîmā te amaga, xū-i xare-e ta ǂû tamas ka io ā tide tsî ta ǀkhī-ū ta ge daob ǁkhāb ǀkha oa tide ǃkhaisa.”
18 Ob ge kaira kēbo-aoba ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “Tita on ge sats ǁkhāts khami a kēbo-ao tsîb ge ǀhomǃgāba ǃKhūb di mîmās ai tita ǃoa go mî, î ta ǁnāpats nî sī ǂû tsî āse ti oms ǁga ūsao tsi.” Xaweb ge kaira kēbo-aoba gere ǂhumi.
19 Ob ge kaira kēbo-aob ǀkha oms ǁga oa tsî ǁnāpa sī ǂû tsî ge ā. 20 Tsî ǂû tsî kha ǂnôa ra ā hîas ge ǃKhūb di mîsa kaira kēbo-aob ǃoa ge hā. 21 Ob ge ǁîba Judaba xu ge hā kēbo-aob ǃoa ge mî: “ǃKhūb ge ra mî, sats ge ǁîb di mîmāsa ǁnâuǀnam tama ge i tsîts ge ǁîb ge mîba tsi khami dī tama i, 22 tsî oa tsî sī ǂû tsî go ā. ǁNā-amagats ge satsa sa îgu di ǀhobas ǃnâ ǁkhōhe tide.”
23 ǂÛtoa kha ges khaoǃgâb ge kaira kēbo-aoba, Judaba xu ge hā kēbo-aoba dâukiba ge ǃgaeǃgâba 24 tsîb ge ge ǃgapi. Daob aib ge xamma ǁîba ǀhao-ū tsî ǁîba ge ǃgam. ǁÎb di soros ge daob ǃnâ ge ǁgoe i tsî dâukib tsî xammi tsîkha ge soros xōǀkhā ge mâ i. 25 ǁNāpa-u ge hā ǃkharu khoen ge sorosa daob ǃnâ ge mûǁgoe, xammi ǁîs xōǀkhā mâse; tsîn ge kaira kēbo-aob ge ǁan hâ i ǃās ǃnâ nēsa sī ge ǂanǂan.
26 Kaira kēbo-aob ge nēsab ge ǁnâuo, nēti ge mî: “ǁNāb ge ǃKhūb di mîmāsa ge ǁnâuǀnam tama i kēbo-aoba. Ob ge ǃKhūba xamma go sî, ǁîbab ǃkhō tsî nî ǃgamse ǃKhūb ge ǀnai ǁîb xa mî hâ i khami.” 27 Tsîb ge ǀgôagu âb ǃoa “Dâukiba ǃgaeǃgâba te” ti ge mî, o gu ge ǁnāti ge dī. 28 Ob ge ǃgapi tsî sorosa daob ǃnâ sī ge hō, dâukib tsî xammi tsîkha noxopa ǁnāpa mâse. Xammi ge sorosa ge ō tama hâ i tsî ǁkhāti dâukib tsîna ge nâǃan tama hâ i. 29 Kaira kēbo-aob ge sorosa ūkhâi, dâukib ai ǃnao tsî ǁîb di ǃās, Betels ǁga ge ǃgû-ū, ǁnāpab ǁîb ǂama ǃoa tsî nî ǁkhō bise. 30 Kaira kēbo-aob ge sorosa ǁîb di ǀhobas ǂûs ǃnâ ge ǁkhō tsî gu ge ǁîb tsî ǀgôagu âb tsîga ǁîba āba tsî ge mî: “Ae, ti ǃgâsatse.” 31 ǁKhōs khaoǃgâb ge ǀgôagu âb ǃoa ge mî: “ǁŌ ta kao, o go ge nē ǀhobas ǁkhās ǃnâ nî ǁkhō te tsî go ge ti sorosa ǁîb dis xōǀkhā nî ǁgui. 32 ǁÎb ge ǃKhūb di mîmās ai Betels ǃnâ hâ altars tsî ǀgapigu ai hâ ǀgoreǀîǃkhaidi Samariaǁî ǃādi didi tsîn ǃoagu mî xūn hoan ge amase nî ī.”
Jerobeammi di ǁoreb
33 Gao-aob Jerobeammi ge noxopa ǁîb di tsū dīga xu ge ǃhobasen tama hâ i. ǁÎb ge ǀgapigu ai gu nî ǃoabase noxopa pristerga ǁaesa xu gere ǁhûiǂui. ǁÎb ge prister kai ǂgao ra khoe-i hoa-e ǁnā ǃoabas ǃnâ gere ǁgaumâi. 34 Tsî nē ǁoreb âb ge ǁîb gaosis ge ǀamǀamhe tsî hoaragase hîkākāhe ǃkhaisa ge ǃaroma.
