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.
Exunganeko tali popi oaltari yomuBetel naJerobeam
1 Palombwelo lOmwene omulumenhu waKalunga, a dja kuJuda, e uya kuBetel pefimbo olo Jerobeam a kala ofika poaltari, ndele ta twimine. 2 Ndele ye okwa popya pombada, ta lombwele oaltari pandjovo yOmwene ndele ta ti: “Oaltari, oaltari Omwene ta ti ngaha: ‘Tala, omumati ta ka dalelwa mepata laDavid, edina laye Josia, ye ota ka toma kombada yoye ovapristeli vokoikulundu yeealtari, ovo hava ambe omayambo kombada yoye, ndele kombada yoye omakipa ovanhu taa ka xwikwa po.’ ” 3 Nefiku tuu olo okwa udifa edidiliko loshikumwifa ndele ta ti: “Edidiliko loshikumwifa, Omwene e li popya oleli: ‘Tala, oaltari otai ka tenda omufya nomute ou u li kuyo tau tikile poshi.’ ” 4 Ohamba Jerobeam eshi a uda ondjovo yomulumenhu waKalunga, oyo e i lombwela oaltari yomuBetel, yo oya nana eke layo koaltari ndele tai ti: “Mu kwateni!” Opo nee okwooko kwayo ye mu ulika okwa kukuta yo ya nyengwa oku ku alula. 5 Noaltari ya tenda pokati, nomute ou wa li koaltari wa tikila poshi padidiliko loshikumwifa, omulumenhu waKalunga e li udifa pandjovo yOmwene. 6 Opo nee ohamba ya hovela okulombwela omulumenhu waKalunga, tai ti: “Handukululifa Omwene, Kalunga koye, u indilile nge onghenda, opo ndi dule okwaalula okwooko kwange.” Nomulumenhu waKalunga okwa handukululifa Omwene, nohamba ya dula okwaalula okwooko kwayo ndele kwa li ngaashi shito. 7 Opo nee ohamba ya lombwela omulumenhu waKalunga, tai ti: “Ila, tu ye keumbo, ove u lipameke nondi ku pe oshali.” 8 Ndelenee omulumenhu waKalunga ta ti kohamba: “Nande u pe nge etata leumbo loye, ame itandi i pamwe naave, ndele itandi li omungome noitandi nu omeva monhele ei. 9 Osheshi Omwene okwa lombwela nge pandjovo ei, ta ti: ‘Ino lya ko omungome, ndele ino nwa ko omeva, ndele ino aluka nondjila oyo wa ya ko nayo.’ ” 10 Ye okwa ya nondjila imwe ndele ina shuna nondjila ei e uya nayo muBetel.
Efyo lomuxunganeki ina dulika
11 Ndele muBetel mwa li omuxunganeki a kulupa. Ovana vaye ovamati ve uya ndele ve mu hepaululila ashishe osho omulumenhu waKalunga a ninga efiku olo muBetel. Nosho yo eendjovo e di lombwela ohamba. Ndele vo eshi ve shi lombwela xe, 12 xe e va pula: “Okwa ya nondjila ilipipo?” Osheshi ovana vaye va mona mondjila oyo omulumenhu waKalunga, ou a dile kuJuda, a shuna nayo. 13 Opo nee ye ta ti kovana vaye ovamati: “Mangelei nge ondongi.” Ndele ve mu mangela ondongi, ndele ye okwa londa kuyo. 14 Nokwa shikula omulumenhu nokwe mu hanga e li omutumba momwandi. Ndele ta ti kuye: “Oove tuu omulumenhu ou waKalunga ou a dile kuJuda?” Ndele winya ta nyamukula: “Heeno.” 15 Opo nee ye ta ti kuye: “Ila tu ye pamwe keumbo lange, tu lye omungome.” 16 Ndelenee winya ta nyamukula: “Ame ihandi dulu okushuna naave ile okuya naave meumbo loye. Ame ihandi dulu yo okulya omungome ile okunwa omeva naave monhele ei. 17 Osheshi ondjovo yOmwene ya lombwela nge: ‘Ino lya ko omungome ndele ino nwa ko omeva. Ino shuna nondjila tuu oyo wa ya ko nayo.’ ” 18 Ndelenee ye ta ti kuye: “Naame yo omuxunganeki ngaave, ndele omweengeli okwa lombwela nge pandjovo yOmwene ndele ta ti: ‘Mu twala pamwe naave keumbo loye, opo a lye omungome ndele a nwe omeva.’ ” Ye okwe mu lombwela oipupulu. 19 Opo nee ye a ya pamwe naye ndele ta li omungome ndele ta nu omeva meumbo laye. 20 Ndelenee fimbo va li omutumba poshililo, ondjovo yOmwene ye uya komuxunganeki ou e mu alula, 21 nokwe mu lombwela pombada nokwiingida komulumenhu winya waKalunga a dile muJuda ndele ta ti: “Omwene ta ti ngaha: ‘Ove eshi wa twa ondubo nokanya kOmwene shaashi ino diinina oshipango shaye, Omwene Kalunga koye e ku lombwela, 22 ndelenee wa aluka ko, wa lya omungome ndele wa nwa omeva monhele oyo, wa lombwelwa kOmwene: “Ino lya ko omungome ndele ino nwa ko omeva,” onghee oshimhu shoye shihe nokuuya kombila yooxo.’ ”
23 Ye eshi a lya nokwa nwa, okwa mangela omuxunganeki oo a alulwa kuye ondongi. 24 Okwa dja po. Opo nee onghoshi ye mu shakeneka mondjila ndele tai mu dipaa. Noshimhu shaye sha wa ko ndele sha kala nokunangala mondjila nondongi yaye ya kala ofika pusho nonghoshi yo ya kala ofika poshimhu. 25 Ndele tala, ovalumenhu va enda po ndele va mona oshimhu sha nangala mondjila nonghoshi ya kala ofika poshimhu ndele ve uya noku shi popya moshilando osho omuxunganeki ou a kulupa a li mo. 26 Omuxunganeki oo e mu alula mondjila eshi e shi uda, ta ti: “Oye omulumenhu ou waKalunga a twa ondubo nokanya kOmwene. Onghee hano Omwene e mu yandja a nyanyaulwe nokudipawa konghoshi pandjovo yOmwene e i mu lombwela.” 27 Opo nee ye ta ti kovana: “Mangelei nge ondongi.” Ndele va manga. 28 Opo nee ye a ya nokwa mona oshimhu sha nangala mondjila, fimbo ondongi nonghoshi ya li ofika poshimhu. Onghoshi inai lya oshimhu noinai nyanyaula ondongi. 29 Opo nee omuxunganeki okwa kufa oshimhu shomulumenhu waKalunga nokwe shi londeka kondongi nokwe shi alula ko ndele te uya moshilando shomuxunganeki ou a kulupa, a lile eefya noku shi paka. 30 Nokwa paka oshimhu mombila yaye, ndele ve mu lila eefya tava ti: “Akutu, omukwetu!” 31 Ndele ye eshi e mu paka, ta ti kovana vaye: “Ame ngeenge nda fi, mu nokupaka nge mombila omo omulumenhu waKalunga a pakwa mo. Nangekeni omakipa ange ponho yomakipa aye. 32 Osheshi ondjovo yOmwene tai ka wanifwa shili, oyo e i lombwela oaltari yomuBetel neetembeli adishe doikulundu i li moilando yomuSamaria.”
33 Ndelenee nande oinima ei ya ningwa Jerobeam ine lidilulula a aluke ngeno mondjila yaye ii, ndelenee okwa tula ovapristeli vomovanhu ve lili nove lili moshilonga shomoikulundu yeealtari. Keshe umwe ou e shi hala, okwe mu yapulila moshilonga shoupristeli, nosho a ninga omupristeli woshikulundu sheyambelo. 34 Ndele oshinima eshi sha etela eumbo laJerobeam etimba, nomolwaasho epata laye la hanaunwa nokukombwa po kombada yedu.
