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.
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.
