1 At the Lord's command a prophet from Judah went to Bethel and arrived there as Jeroboam stood at the altar to offer the sacrifice. 2 Following the Lord's command, the prophet denounced the altar: “O altar, altar, this is what the Lord says: A child, whose name will be Josiah, will be born to the family of David. He will slaughter on you the priests serving at the pagan altars who offer sacrifices on you, and he will burn human bones on you.” 3 And the prophet went on to say, “This altar will fall apart, and the ashes on it will be scattered. Then you will know that the Lord has spoken through me.”
4 When King Jeroboam heard this, he pointed at him and ordered, “Seize that man!” At once the king's arm became paralyzed so that he couldn't pull it back. 5 The altar suddenly fell apart and the ashes spilled to the ground, as the prophet had predicted in the name of the Lord. 6 King Jeroboam said to the prophet, “Please pray for me to the Lord your God, and ask him to heal my arm!”
The prophet prayed to the Lord, and the king's arm was healed. 7 Then the king said to the prophet, “Come home with me and have something to eat. I will reward you for what you have done.”
8 The prophet answered, “Even if you gave me half of your wealth, I would not go with you or eat or drink anything with you. 9 The Lord has commanded me not to eat or drink a thing, and not to return home the same way I came.” 10 So he did not go back the same way he had come, but by another road.
The Old Prophet of Bethel
11 At that time there was an old prophet living in Bethel. His sons came and told him what the prophet from Judah had done in Bethel that day and what he had said to King Jeroboam. 12 “Which way did he go when he left?” the old prophet asked them. They showed him the road 13 and he told them to saddle his donkey for him. They did so, and he rode off 14 down the road after the prophet from Judah and found him sitting under an oak tree. “Are you the prophet from Judah?” he asked.
“I am,” the man answered.
15 “Come home and have a meal with me,” he said.
16 But the prophet from Judah answered, “I can't go home with you or accept your hospitality. And I won't eat or drink anything with you here, 17 because the Lord has commanded me not to eat or drink a thing, and not to return home the same way I came.”
18 Then the old prophet from Bethel said to him, “I, too, am a prophet just like you, and at the Lord's command an angel told me to take you home with me and offer you my hospitality.” But the old prophet was lying.
19 So the prophet from Judah went home with the old prophet and had a meal with him. 20 As they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the old prophet, 21 and he cried out to the prophet from Judah, “The Lord says that you disobeyed him and did not do what he commanded. 22 Instead, you returned and ate a meal in a place he had ordered you not to eat in. Because of this you will be killed, and your body will not be buried in your family grave.”
23 After they had finished eating, the old prophet saddled the donkey for the prophet from Judah, 24 who rode off. On the way a lion met him and killed him. His body lay on the road, and the donkey and the lion stood beside it. 25 Some men passed by and saw the body on the road, with the lion standing near by. They went on into Bethel and reported what they had seen.
26 When the old prophet heard about it, he said, “That is the prophet who disobeyed the Lord's command! And so the Lord sent the lion to attack and kill him, just as the Lord said he would.” 27 Then he said to his sons, “Saddle my donkey for me.” They did so, 28 and he rode off and found the prophet's body lying on the road, with the donkey and the lion still standing by it. The lion had not eaten the body or attacked the donkey. 29 The old prophet picked up the body, put it on the donkey, and brought it back to Bethel to mourn over it and bury it. 30 He buried it in his own family grave, and he and his sons mourned over it, saying, “Oh my brother, my brother!” 31 After the burial the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in this grave and lay my body next to his. 32 The words that he spoke at the Lord's command against the altar in Bethel and against all the places of worship in the towns of Samaria will surely come true.”
Jeroboam's Fatal Sin
33 King Jeroboam of Israel still did not turn from his evil ways but continued to choose priests from ordinary families to serve at the altars he had built. He ordained as priest anyone who wanted to be one. 34 This sin on his part brought about the ruin and total destruction of his dynasty.
1 Omuprofete ngwa zire kOjuda wa ya kObetel otja komarakiza wa Muhona; eye weya mbo Jerobeam ngunda a kurama potjipunguhiro okupunguha. 2 Omuprofete ngwi wa ravaerera otjipunguhiro otja komarakiza wa Muhona na tja: “Tjipunguhiro, tjipunguhiro, Muhona ma tja nai: ‘Omuatje ngu ma rukwa Josija, ma pandukirwa eṱunḓu ra David. Eye ma zepere ovapristeri kombanda yoye, mbe karera povipunguhiro vyovisenginina, nu mbe punguhira kove, neye ma ningiririsire omaṱupa wovandu kombanda yoye.’ ” 3 Moruveze tjingero ndo eye wa zuvarisa kutja mape ya otjiraisiro, na tja: “Otjiraisiro tjokutja Muhona ongwa hungire nai, otjo hi: Otjipunguhiro hi matji pamuka mokati, nomutwe watjo mau ṱika.”
4 Nombara Jerobeam tja zuva omambo omuprofete ngwi nga ravaerere otjipunguhiro, otje mu urika na tja: “Kambureye omurumendu ngo!” Kamanga okuoko kwombara arire tji kwa kerembe, nga tjiyai ha sora okukukotora. 5 Notjipunguhiro tja pamuka mokati, nomutwe wa tikira pehi otja omuprofete pa zuvarisa mena ra Muhona. 6 Ombara Jerobeam opa hungirira komuprofete na tja: “Arikana, ndji kumbira ku Muhona, Ndjambi woye, nu u ningire kutja eye a verukise okuoko kwandje!”
Nomuprofete wa kumba ku Muhona, nokuoko kwombara kwa veruka. 7 Tjazumba ombara otji ya tja nai komuprofete: “Indjo koyandje puna ami, u karye otjiṋa. Ami me ku pe ondjambi ku ihi tji wa tjiti ku ami.”
8 Nomuprofete wa zira a tja: “Nandarire kutja mo ndji pe ohinga youtumbe woye, ami himee i puna ove okukarya nokukanwa ngamwa otjiṋa puna ove. 9 Orondu Muhona tje ndji rakiza kutja e ha ri poo e ha nu otjiṋa, nokutja e ha yaruka nondjira tjingeyo indji ndji mba eta.” 10 Komuhingo mbwi omuprofete otje ha yarukire nondjira tjingeyo ndji ndje ya na yo kObetel, nungwari wa twara ondjira yarwe.
Omuprofete omukururume wa Betel
11 Moruveze ndo mwa turire omuprofete omukururume mObetel. Ovazandu ve ve ya nave mu raere imbi omuprofete wa Juda mbya tjitire mObetel meyuva ndo, nomambo eye nga hungirire kombara Jerobeam. 12 Nomuprofete ngwi omukururume we ve pura na tja: “Eye hapo wa i nondjira ine?” Owo ve mu urikira ondjira; 13 neye otje ve raera kutja ve mu kuturire okasino ke. Owo va tjita nao, neye wa kavira. 14 Eye wa kavira nondjira ndjo ama tezere omuprofete wa Juda ne kemuvaza a haama kehi yomumbonde. Eye we mu pura na tja: “Oove ngu u ri omuprofete wa Juda?”
Nomurumendu wa zira a tja: “Ii, owami!”
15 Nu ingwi omuprofete omukururume wa tja ku ye: “Indjo koyandje puna ami u karye okahumburwa.”
16 Nungwari omuprofete wa Juda wa zira a tja: “Hi nokusora okuyenda koyoye puna ove poo okuitavera komaṋangero woye; nu ami hi nokurya nokunwa otjiṋa puna ove mba, 17 orondu Muhona we ndji rakiza kutja e ha ri ne ha nu otjiṋa, nokutja e ha yaruka nondjira tjingeyo ndji ndji mba eta.”
18 Ingwi omuprofete omukururume wa Betel wa tja ku ye: “Ami wina owami omuprofete tjimuna ove, nu otja komarakiza wa Muhona omuengeri we ndji raera kutja hi ku tware koyandje u karye nu u kanwe puna ami.” Nungwari ingwi omuprofete omukururume aa kora ovizeze.
19 Nomuprofete wa Juda opa ira puna omuprofete ingwi omukururume koye na karya puna ye. 20 Ngunda ava haama potjiriro, embo ra Muhona re ya komuprofete omukururume, 21 neye wa ravaera komuprofete ingwi wa Juda na tja: “Muhona ma tja nai: ‘Mena rokutja ko karere nonḓuviro ku ye, nu ko tjitire imbi eye mbye ku rakiza, 22 nu wa yaruka no karira omariro moṋa, eye me ku rakiza kutja o ha karira mo, indino ove otji mo ṱu, norurova rwoye karu nokupakwa meyendo reṱunḓu roye.’ ”
23 Nowo tji va mana okurya, omuprofete ingwi omukururume otja kutirira ingwi omuprofete wa Juda okasino, 24 neye wa kavira. Mondjira eye wa hakaena nongeyama nai mu zepa. Orurova rwe rwa saravara mondjira, nokasino nongeyama vya kurama posi yarwo. 25 Ovarumendu tjiva va kapita mbo nave munu orurova mondjira nongeyama ndja kurama popezu. Owo va kahita mObetel nave kahepura imbi mbi va muna.
26 Omuprofete ingwi omukururume tja zuva otjiṋa hi, arire tja tja: “Eye ngwi omuprofete ngu ha zuvire komambo wa Muhona. Nu Muhona opa hindira ongeyama okukemuzepa otja Muhona pa heya.” 27 Neye wa tja nai kovazandu ve: “Ndji kutirireye okasino kandje.” Nowo va tjita nao, 28 eye wa kavira na kavaza orurova rwomuprofete arwa saravara mondjira, okasino nongeyama ngunda avya kurama mbo. Ongeyama kai rire orurova nu kai nyondororere okasino. 29 Omuprofete ngwi omukururume wa toora orurova ne ru twa kokasino, ne ru yarura kObetel okukerutjitira omutambo nokukerupaka. 30 Eye we ru paka meyendo reṱunḓu re omuini; neye novazandu ve ve mu rira nave tja: “Owee, mukwetu wandje, mukwetu wandje!” 31 Kombunda yombakero omuprofete ngwi omukururume wa tja nai kovazandu ve: “Tji mba koka, ndji pakeye meyendo ndi, nu ndji tweye posi ye. 32 Omambo, nga hungirira otjipunguhiro mObetel nopoṋa apehe pomerikotameneno movirongo vya Samaria maye yenenisiwa, tjiri, otja komarakiza wa Muhona.”
33 Jerobeam, ombara ya Israel, inga ke na pa za ko kozondjira ze ozombi, nungwari wa kara pokutoorora ovapristeri momaṱunḓu wovandu mbe ha pwire okukarera povipunguhiro mbya tunga. Eye wa yapura omundu auhe ngwaa vanga okurira omupristeri. 34 Ouvi mbwi momukuma we wa eta omawiro nonyonokero kouhona we.
