A Man of God From Judah
1A man of God went from Judah to Bethel. He had received a message from the Lord. He arrived in Bethel just as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to offer a sacrifice. 2The man cried out. He shouted a message from the Lord against the altar. He said, “Altar! Altar! The Lord says, ‘A son named Josiah will be born into the royal family of David. Altar, listen to me! Josiah will sacrifice the priests of the high places on you. They will be the children of the priests who are offering sacrifices here. So human bones will be burned on you.’ ” 3That same day the man of God spoke about a miraculous sign. He said, “Here is the sign the Lord has announced. This altar will be broken to pieces. The ashes on it will be spilled out.”
4The man of God announced that message against the altar at Bethel. When King Jeroboam heard it, he reached out his hand from the altar. He said, “Grab him!” But as he reached out his hand toward the man, it dried up. He couldn’t even pull it back. 5Also, the altar broke into pieces. Its ashes spilled out. That happened in keeping with the miraculous sign the man of God had announced. He had received a message from the Lord.
6King Jeroboam spoke to the man of God. He said, “Pray to the Lord your God for me. Pray that my hand will be as good as new again.” So the man of God prayed to the Lord for the king. And the king’s hand became as good as new. It was just as healthy as it had been before.
7The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me for a meal. I’ll give you a gift.”
8But the man of God replied to the king. He said, “What if you were to give me half of what you own? Even then I wouldn’t go with you. I wouldn’t eat bread or drink water here. 9The Lord gave me a command. He said, ‘Do not eat bread or drink water there. Do not return the same way you came.’ ” 10So he took another road. He didn’t go back on the same road he had taken when he came to Bethel.
11An old prophet was living in Bethel. His sons came and spoke to him. They told him everything the man of God had done there that day. They also told their father what the man had said to the king. 12Their father asked them, “Which way did he go?” His sons showed him the road the man of God from Judah had taken. 13So he said to his sons, “Put a saddle on the donkey for me.” When they had done it, he got on the donkey. 14He traveled on the same road the man of God had taken. He found the man sitting under an oak tree. He asked him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”
“I am,” he replied.
15So the prophet said to him, “Come home with me. I’ll give you something to eat.”
16The man of God said, “I can’t go back to Bethel with you. I can’t eat bread or drink water with you there. 17I’ve received a message from the Lord. He told me, ‘Do not eat bread or drink water there. Do not return the same way you came.’ ”
18The old prophet answered, “I’m also a prophet, just like you. An angel gave me a message from the Lord. The message said, ‘Bring the man of God back with you to your house. Then he can eat bread and drink water with you.’ ” But the old prophet was telling him a lie. 19The man of God returned with him. He ate and drank in his house.
20They were sitting at the table. The Lord gave a message to the old prophet who had brought the man of God back. 21He cried out to the man who had come from Judah. He told him, “The Lord says, ‘You have not done what I told you to do. You have not obeyed the command I gave you. I am the Lord your God. 22You came back here and ate bread and drank water. You did it in the place where I told you not to. So your body will not be buried in your family tomb.’ ”
23The man of God finished eating and drinking. Then the old prophet who had brought him back put a saddle on the man’s donkey for him. 24And the man went on his way. A lion attacked him on the road and killed him. His body was left lying on the road. The donkey and the lion were standing beside it. 25Some people passed by. They saw the body lying on the road. They saw the lion standing beside the body. Then they went and reported it in the city where the old prophet lived.
26The prophet who had brought the man back from his journey heard about what had happened. He said, “It’s the man of God. He didn’t do what the Lord told him to do. So the Lord has given him over to the lion. The lion has attacked him and killed him. Everything has happened just as the Lord’s message had warned him it would.”
27The old prophet said to his sons, “Put a saddle on the donkey for me.” So they did. 28Then he went out. He found the body of the man of God lying on the road. The donkey and the lion were standing beside it. The lion hadn’t eaten the body. It hadn’t attacked the donkey either. 29So the prophet picked up the man’s body. He put it on the donkey. He brought it back to his own city. He wanted to mourn for him and bury him. 30Then he placed the body in his own tomb. People mourned for him. They said, “Oh, no, my friend! My dear friend!”
31After the old prophet had buried the man of God, he spoke to his sons. He said, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried. Put my bones next to his bones. 32I want you to do that because he announced a message from the Lord. He spoke against the altar in Bethel. He also spoke against all the temples that are on the high places. They are in the towns of Samaria. What the man of God said will certainly come true.”
33Even after all of that happened, Jeroboam still didn’t change his evil ways. Once more he appointed priests for the high places. He made priests out of all kinds of people. In fact, he let anyone become a priest who wanted to. He set them apart to serve at the high places. 34All of that was the great sin the royal family of Jeroboam committed. It led to their fall from power. Because of it, they were destroyed from the face of the earth.
Munthu wa Mulungu Wochokera ku Yuda
1Ndipo taonani, munthu wa Mulungu wochokera ku Yuda anapita ku Beteli molamulidwa ndi Yehova. Nthawi imeneyo nʼkuti Yeroboamu atayimirira pambali pa guwa akufukiza lubani. 2Mneneriyo anatemberera guwalo mofuwula potsata mawu a Yehova nati: “Guwa iwe, guwa iwe! Yehova akuti, ‘Taonani mʼbanja la Davide mudzabadwa mwana dzina lake Yosiya. Pa iwe, iyeyo adzaperekapo ngati nsembe, ansembe otumikira ku malo achipembedzo amene tsopano akufukiza lubani pa iwe, ndipo pa iwe adzatenthapo mafupa a anthu.’ ” 3Tsiku lomwelo munthu wa Mulungu uja anapereka chizindikiro ichi: “Chizindikiro chimene Yehova wanena ndi ichi: Taonani guwali lidzangʼambika pakati ndipo phulusa lili pamenepo lidzamwazika.”
4Mfumu Yeroboamu atamva zimene munthu wa Mulungu ananena motemberera guwa lansembe ku Beteli, anatambasula dzanja lake ali ku guwako ndipo anati, “Mugwireni!” Koma dzanja limene anatambasula kuloza munthu wa Mulunguyo linawuma kuti gwaa, kotero kuti sanathenso kulibweza. 5Nthawi yomweyo guwa lija linangʼambika pakati ndipo phulusa lake linamwazika molingana ndi chizindikiro chimene munthu wa Mulungu anapereka potsata mawu a Yehova.
6Pamenepo mfumu inati kwa munthu wa Mulunguyo, “Undipempherere kwa Yehova Mulungu wako kuti andikomere mtima ndipo undipempherere kuti dzanja langa lichire.” Choncho munthu wa Mulungu anapempha kwa Yehova, ndipo dzanja la mfumu linachiritsidwa nʼkukhala ngati momwe linalili kale.
7Mfumu inati kwa munthu wa Mulunguyo, “Tiye kwathu kuti ukadye chakudya, ndipo ndidzakupatsa mphatso.”
8Koma munthu wa Mulunguyo anayankha mfumu kuti, “Ngakhale mutandipatsa theka la chuma chanu, sindingapite nanu, kapena kudya chakudya, kapenanso kumwa madzi kuno. 9Pakuti Yehova anandilamula kuti, ‘Usakadye chakudya kapena kumwa madzi kapena kubwerera podzera njira imene unayendamo kale.’ ” 10Choncho munthu wa Mulunguyo anadzera njira ina ndipo sanatsate njira imene anayendamo pobwera ku Beteliko.
11Tsono ku Beteli kunkakhala mneneri wina wokalamba. Mmodzi mwa ana ake anamufotokozera zonse zomwe munthu wa Mulungu anachita kumeneko tsiku limenelo. Anawuzanso abambo ake zimene ananena kwa mfumu. 12Abambo awo aja anawafunsa kuti, “Kodi wadzera njira iti?” Ana akewo anamufotokozera njira imene munthu wa Mulungu wochokera ku Yudayo anadzera. 13Ndipo abambo aja anati kwa ana akewo, “Mangireni chishalo pa bulu.” Anawo atamangirira chishalo pa bulu, nkhalambayo inakwera buluyo 14ndipo inalondola munthu wa Mulunguyo. Inamupeza atakhala pansi pa mtengo wa thundu ndipo inamufunsa kuti, “Kodi ndiwe munthu wa Mulungu amene anabwera kuchokera ku Yuda?”
Munthuyo anayankha kuti, “Inde, ndineyo.”
15Choncho mneneri wokalambayo anati kwa iye, “Tiye kwathu kuti ukadye chakudya.”
16Munthu wa Mulungu uja anati, “Sindingabwerere nanu kapena kudya chakudya kapenanso kumwa madzi kuno. 17Pakuti ndawuzidwa ndi Yehova kuti, ‘Usadye chakudya kapena kumwa madzi kumeneko kapenanso kubwerera poyenda njira imene unayendamo popita.’ ”
18Mneneri wokalambayo anayankha kuti, “Inenso ndine mneneri ngati iwe. Ndipo mngelo wa Yehova anayankhula nane mawu a Yehova kuti, ‘Kamubweze abwere ku nyumba yako kuti akadye chakudya ndi kumwa madzi.’ ” Koma anamunamiza. 19Choncho munthu wa Mulungu uja anabwerera naye ndipo anakadya ndi kumwa madzi mʼnyumba mwake.
20Ali pa tebulo, Yehova anayankhula ndi mneneri wokalambayo amene anamubweza munthu wa Mulunguyo. 21Iye anafuwulira munthu wa Mulungu wochokera ku Yudayo kuti, “Yehova akuti, ‘Iwe wanyoza mawu a Yehova ndipo sunasunge lamulo limene Yehova Mulungu wako anakupatsa. 22Iwe wabwerera ndi kudya chakudya ndiponso kumwa madzi ku malo amene Iye anakuwuza kuti usadye chakudya kapena kumwa madzi. Choncho mtembo wako sadzawuyika mʼmanda a makolo ako.’ ”
23Munthu wa Mulungu atatha kudya ndi kumwa, mneneri amene anamubweza uja anamangirira chishalo pa bulu wa munthu wa Mulunguyo. 24Akupita, anakumana ndi mkango pa msewu ndipo unamupha, mtembo wake unagwera pansi pa msewu, bulu uja anayima pambali pake ndipo mkango unayima pafupi ndi mtembowo. 25Ndipo taonani, anthu ena amene ankapita mu msewumo anaona mtembowo uli pansi potero, mkango utayima pa mbali pa mtembo uja ndipo anapita nakafotokozera anthu mu mzinda umene mumakhala mneneri wokalamba uja.
26Mneneri amene anamubweza mnzake ku njira uja atamva zimenezi, anati, “Ameneyo ndi munthu wa Mulungu amene wanyoza mawu a Yehova. Yehova wamupereka kwa mkango umene wamukhadzula ndi kumupha, monga momwe Yehova anamuchenjezera.”
27Mneneri wokalambayo anati kwa ana ake, “Mundimangire chishalo pa bulu,” ndipo anaterodi. 28Ndipo anapita, nakapezadi mtembo utagwera pansi mu msewu, bulu pamodzi ndi mkango atayima pambali pake. Koma mkangowo sunadye mtembowo kapena kukhadzula buluyo. 29Choncho mneneri wokalambayo anatenga mtembo wa munthu wa Mulunguyo, nawuyika pa bulu, ndipo anabwera nawo ku mzinda kuti alire maliro ndi kuyika mtembowo mʼmanda. 30Tsono anayika mtembowo mʼmanda amene mneneri wokalamba uja anadzikonzera, ndipo anamulira pomanena kuti, “Mʼbale wanga ine! Mʼbale wanga ine!”
31Atamuyika mʼmanda, iye anati kwa ana ake, “Ine ndikafa, mudzandiyike mʼmanda amene munthu wa Mulungu wayikidwa. Mudzayike mafupa anga pambali pa mafupa ake. 32Pakuti uthenga umene Yehova anamuyankhulitsa, wotsutsana ndi guwa lansembe la ku Beteli ndi nyumba zonse za chipembedzo za mʼmizinda ya ku Samariya, zidzachitika ndithu.”
33Ngakhale izi zinachitika, Yeroboamu sanasiye njira zake zoyipa, koma anasankhanso anthu wamba kukhala ansembe pa malo ake achipembedzo. Aliyense amene ankafuna kukhala wansembe iye anamupatula kukhala wansembe. 34Limeneli ndiye linali tchimo la nyumba ya Yeroboamu limene linabweretsa kugwa kwake ndiponso chiwonongeko mʼdzikomo.
