Ngwa pakati kwe Iziraela ne Moabu
1 Mu gole lebugumi lina ali zhanalume la Jehoshafati mambo we Juda, Joramu nkololo wa Ahabu kabe mambo we Iziraela mu Samariya, ngono kabusa makole ali gumi lina mabili. 2 Wakathama mbipo mu mesho a Yahwe, nenguba asakathama kunonga kwa tate babe na mme babe ngoti wakaliga phanda dza Bhaale dzakabe dzathamwa ndi tate babe. 3 Nenguba kwakajalo, wakanamatila zwibi zwa Jeroboamu nkololo wa Nebati, wakathama Iziraela kuti itjinye, aazotongo thubukana nazo.
4 Ngono Mesha mambo we Moabu wakabe ali nthuwi we pkhwizi, wakabe epa mambo we Iziraela gole ne gole pkhwizana dzili zwiwulu zwili zana (100 000), nenge wulu ye nyundo dzili zwiwulu zwili zana (100 000). 5 Koga kwakati Ahabu afa, mambo we Moabu kapandukila mambo we Iziraela. 6 Ndizo Mambo Jehoramu kabhuda mu Samariya nge tjibaka itjetjo ngono kakubunganya Iziraela yose. 7 Ngono katumila ndayidzo kuna Jehoshafati mambo we Juda eti, “Mambo we Moabu wandipandukila, apa unowoyenda nami kunobhayana naye kene?” Ngono kashandula eti, “Ndowoyenda nawe, ndonga iwe, ne bathu bangu banonga babo, ne mbizi dzangu dzonga dzidzo.” 8 Kabe eti, “Towoyenda nge zila ipi?” Jehoramu kadabila eti, “Nge zila ye tjilambanyika tje Edomu.” 9 Ndizo mambo we Iziraela kayenda na mambo we Juda na mambo we Edomu. Bakati basinopoteleka kwe mazhuba ali kutendeka, kukasheteka vula ye ngwa neye zwithuwo zwabakabe banazo. 10 Mambo we Iziraela kabe eti, “Yee mme wee, ilikuti Yahwe bakubunganya bomambo ibaba batatu kubalonga mu maboko e Moabu kene?” 11 Koga Jehoshafati kati, “Apa akuna nlebesambeli wa Yahwe ipapa watingabhuzwa kuna Yahwe ndiye kene?” Ipapo mmwe we balanda ba mambo we Iziraela kashandula eti, “Elisha nkololo wa Shafati uyapo, iye wakabe e ngudza Elija maboko.” 12 Jehoshafati kati, “Dama la Yahwe linaye.” Ndizo mambo we Iziraela na Jehoshafati na mambo we Edomu bakayenda kunli. 13 Ngono Elisha kadwa mambo we Iziraela kati, “Apa ndineni nawe kene? Yenda ku balebesambeli ba tate babo neku balebesambeli ba mmeyabo.” Ngono mambo we Iziraela kandwa kati, “Aa, ngoti ndi Yahwe bashanganya bomambo ibaba batatu kubalonga mu maboko e Moabu.” 14 Elisha kati, “Ndotuna na Yahwe Masimbawose banotjila, ibo bandinoshingila nditi, ha kwabe ilikuti andina hanya na Jehoshafati mambo we Juda, ndabe ndisowokulinga kene iko kukubona. 15 Ndizo ngwenu mundizhisileni n'lidzi.” Kwakati n'lidzi elidza, simba la Yahwe likabuya muna Elisha. 16 Ngono kati, “Tjinoleba Yahwe ndi etji, ‘Thama nkuku iwoyu uzhale makomba.’ 17 Ngoti etji nditjo tjinoleba Yahwe, ‘Amutowobona phepo kene vula, koga nkuku iwoyu unowozhala vula ngono imwi ne ng'ombe dzenyu ne zwithuwo zwenyu mowong'wa.’ 18 Ikoku tjithu tjilelulelu mu mesho a Yahwe, kakale banowolongabo Bamoabu mu maboko awo. 19 Mowokunda nzi nkulu mmwe ne mmwe we matizhilo ne nzi mmwe ne mmwe wakashalugwa. Mowotema nti mmwe ne mmwe wakanaka mukamisa mikukwana yose kuti isiwunge, mukatjinya nnda mmwe ne mmwe wakanaka nge mabgwe.” 20 Kwakati tjimuka mangwanana, kuli tjibaka tje kupa tjipo tje tjibhayilo, bonani, vula ika wunga idwa tjeku Edomu, kudzina shango izhala vula. 21 Kwakati Bamoabu bose behwa kuti bomambo babuya kuwobhayana nabo, bose bakabe betubula kuambala zwiambalo zwe ngwa kudwa mu ntjetjana kunoti mu hwola, bakanobigwa pa n'gathu. 22 Ngono bakati bemuka mangwanana, zhuba lakabe lipenya mu vula. Bamoabu bakabona vula kulingisana nabo ili shaba se malopa. 23 Ngono bakati, “Ikoku malopa, bomambo ba bhayana nge kwabo bakabulayana. Ngono ngwenu, Moabu katape.” 24 Koga bakati beswika ku makotokelo e Iziraela, Baiziraela bakamilika bakabanginilila kudzina betizha. Ngono Baiziraela bakangina mu shango ye Moabu bakababulaya. 25 Bakalobesa mizi mikulu, ngono nlume mmwe ne mmwe kalashila bgwe mu nnda mmwe ne mmwe wakanaka kuswikila uzhala, bakamisa mikukwana yose ye vula, bakatema nti mmwe ne mmwe wakanaka. Ngono bakati beswika ku nzi nkulu we Kirihariseti bakausiya ne mabgwe awo, ngono balume bezwivirimabgwe bakaunginilila bakaukunda. 26 Kwakati mambo we Moabu ebona kuti ngwa inonkulila katola balume bali mazana ali kutendeka (700) banoziba shingisa thumo kuti banothukila kuna mambo we Edomu ngono bakakong'wa. 27 Ipapo katola nkololo uwe we mbano, iye wakabe akafanila kun'gala thaka, kandusa kuli tjibhayilo tjinopisiwa pezhugwi kwe guma. Ngono Baiziraela bakagwadzamoyo kukulu, bakabhuda pa nli, bakabgwilila kushango yabo.
King Joram of Israel
1 Joram son of Ahab became king of Israel in Jehoshaphat's eighteenth year as king of Judah. Joram ruled twelve years from Samaria 2 and disobeyed the Lord by doing wrong. He tore down the stone image his father had made to honor Baal, and so he wasn't as sinful as his parents. 3 But he kept doing the sinful things that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to do.
The Country of Moab Rebels against Israel
4 For many years the country of Moab had been controlled by Israel and was forced to pay taxes to the kings of Israel. King Mesha of Moab raised sheep, so he paid the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool from 100,000 rams. 5 But soon after the death of Ahab, Mesha rebelled against Israel.
6 One day, Joram left Samaria and called together Israel's army. 7 He sent this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah, “The king of Moab has rebelled. Will you go with me to attack him?”
“Yes, I will,” Jehoshaphat answered. “I'm on your side, and my soldiers and horses are at your command. 8 But which way should we go?”
“We will march through Edom Desert,” Joram replied.
9 So Joram, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom led their troops out. But seven days later, there was no drinking water left for them or their animals. 10 Joram cried out, “This is terrible! The Lord must have led us out here to be captured by Moab's army.”
11 Jehoshaphat said, “Which of the Lord's prophets is with us? We can find out from him what the Lord wants us to do.”
One of Joram's officers answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He was one of Elijah's closest followers.”
12 Jehoshaphat replied, “He can give us the Lord's message.”
The three kings went over to Elisha, 13 and he asked Joram, “Why did you come to me? Go talk to the prophets of the foreign gods your parents worshiped.”
“No,” Joram answered. “It was the Lord who led us out here, so that Moab's army could capture us.”
14 Elisha said to him, “I serve the Lord All-Powerful, and as surely as he lives, I swear I wouldn't even look at you if I didn't respect King Jehoshaphat.” 15 Then Elisha said, “Send for someone who can play the harp.”
The harpist began playing, and the Lord gave Elisha this message for Joram:
16 The Lord says that this dry riverbed will be filled with water. 17 You won't feel any wind or see any rain, but there will be plenty of water for you and your animals.
18 That simple thing isn't all the Lord is going to do. He will also help you defeat Moab's army. 19 You will capture all their walled cities and important towns. You will chop down every good tree and stop up every spring of water, then ruin their fertile fields by covering them with rocks.
20 The next morning, while the sacrifice was being offered, water suddenly started flowing from the direction of Edom, and it flooded the land.
21 Meanwhile, the people of Moab had heard that the three kings were coming to attack them. They had called together all of their fighting men, from the youngest to the oldest, and these troops were now standing at their border, ready for battle. 22 When they got up that morning, the sun was shining across the water, making it look red. The Moabite troops took one look 23 and shouted, “Look at that blood! The armies of those kings must have fought and killed each other. Come on, let's go take what's left in their camp.”
24 But when they arrived at Israel's camp, the Israelite soldiers came out and attacked them, until they turned and ran away. Israel's army chased them all the way back to Moab, and even there they kept up the attack. 25 The Israelites destroyed the Moabite towns. They chopped down the good trees and stopped up the springs of water, then covered the fertile fields with rocks.
Finally, the only city left standing was Kir-Hareseth, but soldiers armed with slings surrounded and attacked it. 26 King Mesha of Moab saw that he was about to be defeated. So he took along 700 soldiers with swords and tried to break through the front line where the Edomite troops were positioned. But he failed. 27 He then grabbed his oldest son who was to be the next king and sacrificed him as an offering on the city wall. The Israelite troops were so horrified that they left the city and went back home.