Elija ali pezhugwi kwe Dombo le Sinai
1 Ahabu kabudza nkadzi uwe Jezebele tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakathamwa ndi Elija, nenge sekwa akabulaya balebesambeli ba Bhaale nge thumo. 2 Ipapo Jezebele katuma ntumwa kuna Elija kunon'dwa eti, “Dzene midzimu ingandiloba ipaphulula, ha kungati mangwana nge tjibaka itjetji abe ndisakubulayabo sekwa wakabulaya balebesambeli.” 3 Elija katja, kamilika katizhila ku Bheerisheba umu Juda ne nlanda uwe.
Kasiya nlanda uwe ko. 4 Elija wakayenda mu tjilambanyika zhuba lose, kaswika pa nsu kagala mu ntutshi wawo, katembezela eti, “Ngwenu kwatjilizana, Yahwe, dusani butjilo gwangu ngoti anditoyita pana botate bangu!”
5 Kalala pasi mu ntutshi we nti, ngono tjinyolotjo ntumwa we Ndzimu ukankutha ukandwa ukati, “Muka uje.” 6 Ngono kati elinga kabona tjiwunga tjakagotjiwa pa masimbe ne hajana ye vula ku misholo iye. Ngono katola tjiwunga kaja, kang'wa vula, kayizela kakale. 7 Ngono ntumwa wa Yahwe kazha kammusa gwe bubili kandwa kati, “Muka uje, ngoti gwendo gowokukulila.” 8 Elija kamuka kaja kang'wa, zojiwa zwikampa simba kayenda siku ne sikati mazhuba ali makumi manna (40) kunoti ku Horebu, Dombo le Ndzimu. 9 Ipapo kangina mu guwu, kagala mukati busiku gose.
Ngono bonani, dama likadwa kuna Yahwe likambhuzwa liti, “Elija, unothamani ipapa?”
10 Kashandula eti, “Ndakagwa fupa ngekwa Yahwe, Ndzimu Masimbawose, ngoti bana be Iziraela bakabe balasha tjidumano tjenyu, bakapkhwanya zwibeso zwenyu zwe zwibhayilo bebuya bebulaya balebesambeli benyu bose nge thumo. Ngono ndimi ndoga ndakasala pafa, ngono banoshaka kundibulaya!”
11 Yahwe bakadwa Elija bakati, “Bhuda unoma pezhugwi kwe dombo mbeli kwangu.” Ipapo Yahwe bakapinda, ngono phepo isishoma ikazha nge masimba ikatjakanyula shongwe mbeli kwabo, koga Yahwe bakabe basi mu phepo, ngono shule kwe phepo, kukabe ne kutengenyeka kwe shango, koga Yahwe bakabe basi mu kutengenyeka kwe shango. 12 Shule kwe kutengenyeka kwe shango, kukabe moto, koga Yahwe bakabe basi mu moto. Ngono shule kwe moto kukabe hwi dukununu lakadzikama. 13 Ngono Elija kati ehwa hwi kazwizwimba buso nge hazu iye kabhuda kanoma pa nkoba we guwu. Ipapo hwi likazha kunli liti, “Elija, unothamani ipapa?”
14 Ngono kadabila eti, “Ndakagwa fupa ngekwa Yahwe, Ndzimu Masimbawose ngoti bana be Iziraela bakalasha tjidumano tjenyu, bakapkhwanya zwibeso zwenyu bebuya bebulaya balebesambeli benyu nge thumo. Ndimi ndoga ndakasala pafa, ngono banoshaka kundibulaya.”
15 Yahwe bakandwa bakati, “Yenda, shandukila ku tjilambanyika tje Damasiko, unowoti uswikako ukazhodza Hazaele kube mambo we Aramu. 16 Ube uzhodza Jehu nkololo wa Nimishi kube mambo we Iziraela. Kakale uzhodze Elisha nkololo wa Shafati we Abelimehola kube nlebesambeli mu bumo gugo. 17 Ngono unowopudzumuka mu thumo la Hazaele unowobulawa ndi Jehu, unowopudzumuka mu thumo la Jehu Elisha unowombulaya. 18 Nenguba kwakajalo ndowosiya bathu bali zwiwulu zwili kutendeka 7 000 mu Iziraela betjila basakatongo thigamila kene kuli kuputa Bhaale.”
Kudang'wa kwa Elisha
19 Ndizo Elija kabhuda ipapo kanowana Elisha nkololo wa Shafati elima. Kwakabe kuna zwipani zwili gumi lina tjing'ompela (11) mbeli kukwe, Elisha iye elima nge tje bugumi lina zwibili (12). Elija kapinda pana Elisha kambula tjiambalo tjitje katjiambadza Elisha. 20 Ngono Elisha kasiya ng'ombe kalabuka shule kwa Elija ngono kandwa kati, “Imani ndinowoneka mme na tate, ndizo ndikomutobela.”
Elija kanshandula eti, “Shandukazo, ndabe ndakuthamani?” 21 Ndizo Elisha kasiya Elija kashandukila shule. Kaswika ebhaya mangabe ebe etola majokwe ebesa moto ndiwo, ebe ebhika nyama epa bathu beja. Ndizo ebe emilika etobela Elija kunoshinga ali mbhatshi uwe.
Elijah Runs Away from Ahab and Jezebel
1 Ahab told his wife Jezebel what Elijah had done and that he had killed the prophets. 2 She sent a message to Elijah: “You killed my prophets. Now I'm going to kill you! I pray that the gods will punish me even more severely if I don't do it by this time tomorrow.”
3 Elijah was afraid when he got her message, and he ran to the town of Beersheba in Judah. He left his servant there, 4 then walked another whole day into the desert. Finally, he came to a large bush and sat down in its shade. He begged the Lord, “I've had enough. Just let me die! I'm no better off than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down in the shade and fell asleep.
Suddenly an angel woke him up and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 Elijah looked around, and by his head was a jar of water and some baked bread. He sat up, ate and drank, then lay down and went back to sleep.
7 Soon the Lord's angel woke him again and said, “Get up and eat, or else you'll get too tired to travel.” 8 So Elijah sat up and ate and drank.
The food and water made him strong enough to walk 40 more days. At last, he reached Mount Sinai, the mountain of God, 9 and he spent the night there in a cave.
The Lord Appears to Elijah
While Elijah was on Mount Sinai, the Lord asked, “Elijah, why are you here?”
10 He answered, “Lord God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!”
11 “Go out and stand on the mountain,” the Lord replied. “I want you to be there when I pass by.”
All at once, a strong wind shook the mountain and shattered the rocks. But the Lord was not in the wind. Next, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 Then there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.
Finally, there was a gentle breeze, 13 and when Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat. He went out and stood at the entrance to the cave.
A voice asked, “Elijah, why are you here?”
14 Elijah answered, “Lord God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!”
15 The Lord said:
Elijah, you can go back to the desert near Damascus. And when you get there, appoint Hazael to be king of Syria. 16 Then appoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat to take your place as my prophet.
17 Hazael will start killing the people who worship Baal. Jehu will kill those who escape from Hazael, and Elisha will kill those who escape from Jehu.
18 But 7,000 Israelites have refused to worship Baal, and they will live.
Elisha Becomes Elijah's Assistant
19 Elijah left and found Elisha plowing a field with a pair of oxen. There were eleven other men in front of him, and each one was also plowing with a pair of oxen. Elijah went over and put his own coat on Elisha.
20 Elisha stopped plowing and ran after him. “Let me kiss my parents goodbye, then I'll go with you,” he said.
“You can go,” Elijah said. “But remember what I've done for you.”
21 Elisha left and took his oxen with him. He killed them and boiled them over a fire he had made with the wood from his plow. He gave the meat to the people who were with him, and they ate it. Then he left with Elijah and became his assistant.