Njudzi dze bunandzwa dzopanduka
(2 Zwiyitikalo 10:1-19)1 Rehoboamu kayenda ku Shekemu, ngobe Baiziraela bose bakabe bazha ku Shekemu kuwombiga mambo. 2 Ngono kukati Jeroboamu nkololo wa Nebati wakabe atizhila ku Egipiti etizha Mambo Solomoni, ehwa thawu idzedzi, kashanduka kudwa ku Egipiti kwaakabe atizhila. 3 Ngono bakatuma bathu kunon'dana. Jeroboamu ne gubungano lose le Iziraela bakayenda kuna Rehoboamu bakaswika bendwa beti, 4 “Tate babo bakabe betidziyidza, bakatisengesa ntolo unolema. Ngono ngwenu utilelusile ntolo watakakhigiwa ndi tate babo, towobe pasi kuko tikakushingila.”
5 Ngono Rehoboamu kabadabila eti, “Yendani zwenyu, mukobuya kundili shule kwe mazhuba matatu.” Bathu bakayenda zwabo.
6 Ndizo Mambo Rehoboamu kadana sholotjena dzakashinga na tate babe Solomoni batjatjila, kukumbila gumbuludzo. Kabadwa kati, “Mondipa gumbuludzo linotini, kuti ndizhe ndishandule bathu ibaba kene?”
7 Ngono bakandwa bakati, “Ha ungazwiyisa pasi kwe bathu ibaba, ukabalebesa nge matama mabuyanana banowobe balanda babo nge kusingapele.” 8 Koga Rehoboamu kalamba gumbuludzo laapiwa nge sholotjena, kanoshaka gumbuludzo ku bazhuzha baakakula nabo 9 kabadwa kati, “Mondipa gumbulodzo linotini kuti tidabile bathu ibaba bandidwa beti, ‘Utilelusile ntolo watakakhigiwa ndi tate babo’ kene?” 10 Ngono bazhuzha bakakula na Rehoboamu bakandwa bakati, “Udwe bathu ibaba bakakudwa beti, ‘Tate babo bakatikhiga ntolo unolema, ngono ngwenu utilelusile ntolo watakakhigiwa,’ uti, ‘Tjinyala tjangu tje luboko tjitikini tjikodu kupinda thunji dza tate. 11 Ngono ngwenu, tate bangu pabakamukhiga ntolo unolema, ndowutiliyanya ne unolema bo. Tate bakabe bemulaya nge rwabha, koga imi ndowomulaya nge makungubudza.’ ”
12 Shule kwe mazhuba matatu Jeroboamu ne bathu bose bakabuya kuna Rehoboamu kakale sekwa akabadwa. 13 Mambo kashandula bathu nge kubagongobola elasha gumbuludzo laakapiwa nge sholotjena. 14 Kabalebesa kuyenda nge gumbuludzo le bazhuzha eti, “Tate bakamukhiga ntolo unolema, koga imi ndowoutiliyanya nge mmwe. Tate bakabe bemulaya nge rwabha, koga imi ndowomulaya nge makungubudza.” 15 Ipapo mambo kasitongo teedza bathu, ngoti zwakabe zwili zwiyitikalo zwinozhisa kushanduka kwakalebgwa ndi Yahwe kuti kuzhadzisike dama la Yahwe lakalebgwa kuna Jeroboamu nkololo wa Nebati nge nlebesambeli Ahija we Nshilo.
16 Kukati Baiziraela bose be bona kuti mambo aatobateedza, bakashandula mambo beti,
“Apa tina gobe lipi muna Dafite?
Naiko atina lukata mu nkololo wa Jesi.
Baiziraela, atiyendeni kanyi!
Iwe Dafite, utjilinga be nsha uwo.”
Ndizo Baiziraela bakayenda ku mizi yabo. 17 Koga Rehoboamu kasala ebusa Baiziraela bakabe begala mu mizi mikulu ye Juda.
18 Ndizo Mambo Rehoboamu katuma Adoramu wakabe ali nlingi we bashingi, ngono Baiziraela bose bakankikithidza nge mabgwe kafa. Tjinyolotjo Mambo Rehoboamu katatha koloyi dzidze dze ngwa katizhila ku Jerusalema. 19 Tjinga kwe tjibaka itjetjo Iziraela ikapandukila nsha wa Dafite kuswikila nasi.
20 Kukati Baiziraela bose behwa kuti Jeroboamu wakabuya, bakatuma bathu kunon'danila ku gubungano, bakambiga mambo we Iziraela yose. Kukasala ludzi gwa Juda ndigo goga gwakasala guli pasi kwe ng'umba ya Dafite.
Bulebesambeli gwa Shemaya
(2 Zwiyitikalo 11:1-4)21 Kukati Rehoboamu eswika ku Jerusalema, kakubunganya babhayani bali zwiwulu zwili zana lina makumi ali zhanakadzi 180 000, kudwa mu nsha wose wa Juda ne ludzi gose gwa Bhenjamini. Akazwimisila kunogwa ne Iziraela kubuzila mbuso kuna Rehoboamu nkololo wa Solomoni. 22 Koga dama le Ndzimu likazha kuna Shemaya we nlebesambeli, likandwa likati, 23 Lebeleka na Rehoboamu nkololo wa Solomoni mambo we Juda ne bathu bose ne ng'umba yose ya Juda na Bhenjamini, ubadwe uti, 24 “Yahwe bakati musiyende kunogwa ne bakanyi kwenyu Baiziraela. Shandusila nlume mmwe ne mmwe ku nzi uwe, ngobe tjashingikala tjodwa kundili.” Ndizo bose bakateedza dama la Yahwe, bakashandukila ku nzi, sekwaleba Yahwe.
Phulu dze Golide dza Jeroboamu
25 Ndizo Jeroboamu kabaka Shekemu mu shango ye matuthu ye Ifureimi kagalapo. Shule kabhuda kanobaka Penuele. 26 Ngono Jeroboamu kazwidwa mu moyo kati, “Ngwenu mbuso unowobgwilila mu ng'umba ya Dafite. 27 Ha bathu ibaba bangatathila ku Jerusalema kunoyisa zwibhayilo kuna Yahwe, mu Ng'umba ye Ndzimu, moyo yabo inowoshandukila kakale kuna Mambo Rehoboamu we Juda bebe bendibulaya.”
28 Ipapo mambo kashaka gumbuludzo, kathama mikong'wana mibili ye golide. Ngono kadwa bathu kati, “Makatathila ku Jerusalema kwatjilizana. Bonani, imwi Baiziraela, midzimu yenyu eyi, yakamudusa mu shango ye Egipiti.” 29 Kabiga nkong'wana mmwe we golide mu Bhetele, mmwe kaubiga mu Dani. 30 Ngono kuthu ikoku kukabe tjibi, ngobe bathu bakabe benonamata nkong'wana uku Bhetele bamwe bakayenda bukule kunonamata nkong'wana umu Dani. 31 Jeroboamu kabaka dzimwe ng'umba dze minamato makatuthumala, ebe eshalula bamwe bathu ebabiga bapirisiti, nenguba basi be ng'umba ye Balevi.
Kunamata ku Bhetele akutoamutjigwa
32 Jeroboamu kabiga zhuba le bugumi lina kushanu le mwedzi we buzhanakadzi kube le nzano unonga nzano umu Juda. Kayisila mikong'wana ye golide zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa mu tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tjimu Bhetele. Ngono kabiga bapirisiti mu magalo e minamato akatuthumala, aakathama mu Bhetele. 33 Mu zhuba le bugumi lina bushanu le mwedzi we buzhanakadzi, laakazwibigila, wakabe eyenda ku Bhetele kunoyisa tjibhayilo tjinopisiwa mu tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo. Kushathisa nzano waakabigila bana be Iziraela.
The Northern Tribes Revolt
(2 Chronicles 10.1-19)1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all the people of northern Israel had gathered to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had gone to Egypt to escape from King Solomon, heard this news, he returned from Egypt. 3 The people of the northern tribes sent for him, and then they all went together to Rehoboam and said to him, 4 “Your father Solomon treated us harshly and placed heavy burdens on us. If you make these burdens lighter and make life easier for us, we will be your loyal subjects.”
5 “Come back in three days and I will give you my answer,” he replied. So they left.
6 King Rehoboam consulted the older men who had served as his father Solomon's advisers. “What answer do you advise me to give these people?” he asked.
7 They replied, “If you want to serve this people well, give a favorable answer to their request, and they will always serve you loyally.”
8 But he ignored the advice of the older men and went instead to the young men who had grown up with him and who were now his advisers. 9 “What do you advise me to do?” he asked. “What shall I say to the people who are asking me to make their burdens lighter?”
10 They replied, “This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!’ 11 Tell them, ‘My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I'll flog you with bullwhips!’”
12 Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to King Rehoboam, as he had instructed them. 13 The king ignored the advice of the older men and spoke harshly to the people, 14 as the younger men had advised. He said, “My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I'll flog you with bullwhips!” 15 It was the will of the Lord to bring about what he had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. This is why the king did not pay any attention to the people.
16 When the people saw that the king would not listen to them, they shouted, “Down with David and his family! What have they ever done for us? People of Israel, let's go home! Let Rehoboam look out for himself!”
So the people of Israel rebelled, 17 leaving Rehoboam as king only of the people who lived in the territory of Judah.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was in charge of the forced labor, to go to the Israelites, but they stoned him to death. At this, Rehoboam hurriedly got in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem. 19 Ever since that time the people of the northern kingdom of Israel have been in rebellion against the dynasty of David.
20 When the people of Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned from Egypt, they invited him to a meeting of the people and made him king of Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to David's descendants.
Shemaiah's Prophecy
(2 Chronicles 11.1-4)21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he called together 180,000 of the best soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. He intended to go to war and restore his control over the northern tribes of Israel. 22 But God told the prophet Shemaiah 23 to give this message to Rehoboam and to all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin: 24 “Do not attack your own relatives, the people of Israel. Go home, all of you. What has happened is my will.” They all obeyed the Lord's command and went back home.
Jeroboam Turns Away from God
25 King Jeroboam of Israel fortified the town of Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there for a while. Then he left and fortified the town of Penuel. 26-27 He said to himself, “As things are now, if my people go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices to the Lord in the Temple there, they will transfer their allegiance to King Rehoboam of Judah and will kill me.”
28 After thinking it over, he made two bull-calves of gold and said to his people, “You have been going long enough to Jerusalem to worship. People of Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt!” 29 He placed one of the gold bull-calves in Bethel and the other in Dan. 30 And so the people sinned, going to worship in Bethel and in Dan. 31 Jeroboam also built places of worship on hilltops, and he chose priests from families who were not of the tribe of Levi.
Worship at Bethel Is Condemned
32 Jeroboam also instituted a religious festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival in Judah. On the altar in Bethel he offered sacrifices to the gold bull-calves he had made, and he placed there in Bethel the priests serving at the places of worship he had built. 33 And on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the day that he himself had set, he went to Bethel and offered a sacrifice on the altar in celebration of the festival he had instituted for the people of Israel.