The Man of God From Judah
1By the word of the Lord a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering. 2By the word of the Lord he cried out against the altar: “Altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’ ” 3That same day the man of God gave a sign: “This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.”
4When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back. 5Also, the altar was split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the Lord.
6Then the king said to the man of God, “Intercede with the Lord your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and became as it was before.
7The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me for a meal, and I will give you a gift.”
8But the man of God answered the king, “Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. 9For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’ ” 10So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.
11Now there was a certain old prophet living in Bethel, whose sons came and told him all that the man of God had done there that day. They also told their father what he had said to the king. 12Their father asked them, “Which way did he go?” And his sons showed him which road the man of God from Judah had taken. 13So he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And when they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it 14and rode after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”
“I am,” he replied.
15So the prophet said to him, “Come home with me and eat.”
16The man of God said, “I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17I have been told by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’ ”
18The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” (But he was lying to him.) 19So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house.
20While they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the old prophet who had brought him back. 21He cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have defied the word of the Lord and have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. 22You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your ancestors.’ ”
23When the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the prophet who had brought him back saddled his donkey for him. 24As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying on the road, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it. 25Some people who passed by saw the body lying there, with the lion standing beside the body, and they went and reported it in the city where the old prophet lived.
26When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who defied the word of the Lord. The Lord has given him over to the lion, which has mauled him and killed him, as the word of the Lord had warned him.”
27The prophet said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me,” and they did so. 28Then he went out and found the body lying on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had neither eaten the body nor mauled the donkey. 29So the prophet picked up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him and bury him. 30Then he laid the body in his own tomb, and they mourned over him and said, “Alas, my brother!”
31After burying him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. 32For the message he declared by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the towns of Samaria will certainly come true.”
33Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places. 34This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth.
Odiyifo Bi Ka Tia Yeroboam
1Awurade hyɛɛ Onyame nipa bi ma ɔkɔɔ Bet-El, na oduu hɔ bere a na Yeroboam rekɔ afɔremuka no ho akɔbɔ afɔre. 2Na ɔde Awurade nsɛm mu teɛɛ mu guu afɔremuka no so se, “Afɔremuka! Afɔremuka! Sɛnea Awurade se ni: ‘Wɔbɛwo ɔbabarima bi a wɔbɛto no din Yosia ato Dawid fi, na wo so na ɔde asɔfo a wofi nsɔree so ha a wɔhyew aduhuam ne nnipa nnompe no bɛbɔ afɔre!’ ” 3Da no ara, Onyankopɔn nipa no yɛɛ nsɛnkyerɛnne, na ɔkae se, “Eyi ne nsɛnkyerɛnne a Awurade ada no adi. Afɔremuka no mu bɛpae abien, na nsõ a egu so no ahwie agu.”
4Ɔhene Yeroboam bo fuw Onyame nipa yi sɛ wakasa atia afɔremuka yi. Enti ɔteɛɛ ne nsa wɔ ne so, teɛɛ mu se, “Monkyere no!” Nanso ne nsa a ɔteɛɛ wɔ ɔbarima no so no sinsenii a wantumi anyɛ ho hwee. 5Na afɔremuka no mu paee abien, na nsõ a egu so no hwie gui, sɛnea nsɛnkyerɛnne a Onyankopɔn nipa nam Awurade nsɛm so daa no adi kyerɛɛ no.
6Afei, ɔhene no srɛɛ Onyankopɔn nipa no se, “Srɛ Awurade, wo Nyankopɔn, ma me na me nsa no nya ahoɔden.” Enti Onyankopɔn nipa no srɛɛ Awurade maa no, na ɔhene no nsa nyaa ahoɔden ma ɛyɛɛ sɛnea na ɛte kan no.
7Afei, ɔhene no ka kyerɛɛ Onyankopɔn nipa no se, “Ma yɛnkɔ fie, na kodidi, na mɛma wo akyɛde bi.”
8Nanso Onyankopɔn nipa no buaa no se, “Mpo, sɛ wode wʼagyapade mu fa bɛkyɛ me koraa a, me ne wo renkɔ, na brodo nso, merenni na manom nsu wɔ ha. 9Awurade asɛm so na wɔnam hyɛɛ me se, ‘Ɛnsɛ sɛ wudi brodo anaa wonom nsu wɔ hɔ. Afei, nsan mfa ɔkwan a wofaa so kɔɔ Bet-El no so.’ ” 10Enti ofi Bet-El faa ɔkwan foforo so sɛ ɔrekɔ fie.
11Na ɛbaa sɛ na odiyifo akwakoraa bi te Bet-El. Ne mmabarima bɛkaa nea Onyankopɔn nipa no ayɛ wɔ Bet-El da no nyinaa kyerɛɛ no. Afei, wɔkaa asɛm a waka akyerɛ ɔhene no nyinaa kyerɛɛ wɔn agya no. 12Odiyifo akwakoraa no bisaa wɔn se, “Na ɔfaa he?” Na ne mmabarima no kyerɛɛ no ɔkwan a Onyankopɔn nipa no faa so kɔe. 13Ɔka kyerɛɛ ne mmabarima no se, “Monhyehyɛ afurum no mma me ntɛm.” Na wɔhyehyɛɛ afurum no maa no no, ohuruw tenaa ne so 14tiw Onyankopɔn nipa no. Ɔkɔtoo no sɛ ɔte odum bi ase, na odiyifo akwakoraa no bisaa no se, “Wone Onyankopɔn nipa a wufi Yuda no ana?”
Obuaa no se, “Yiw, ɛyɛ me.”
15Afei, odiyifo no ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Ma yɛnkɔ fie, na kodidi.”
16Onyankopɔn nipa no ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Merentumi nsan mʼakyi. Minni ho kwan sɛ mididi anaa menom nsu wɔ ha. 17Awurade hyɛɛ me se, ‘Ɛnsɛ sɛ wudi aduan biara anaa wonom nsu bere a wowɔ hɔ, anaa wofa ɔkwan a wofaa so kɔɔ hɔ no so san wʼakyi.’ ”
18Odiyifo akwakoraa no buae se, “Me nso, meyɛ odiyifo sɛ wo ara. Na ɔbɔfo bi kaa Awurade asɛm kyerɛɛ me se, ‘Fa no san bra wo fi, na ommedidi na ɔnnom nsu.’ ” Nanso na odiyifo akwakoraa no redaadaa no. 19Enti Onyankopɔn nipa no ne no san kɔe, kodidi nomee wɔ ne fi.
20Bere a wɔte didipon ho redidi no, nkra fi Awurade nkyɛn baa odiyifo akwakoraa no so. 21Ɔteɛɛ mu guu Onyankopɔn nipa a ofi Yuda no so se, “Sɛɛ na Awurade ka: Woabu Awurade asɛm so, na woanni ahyɛde a Awurade, wo Nyankopɔn, hyɛɛ wo no so. 22Wosan baa ha bedii aduan, nom nsu, nanso ɔka kyerɛɛ wo se nni hwee, nnom hwee. Esiane eyi nti, wɔrensie wʼamu wɔ wʼagyanom da mu.” 23Na Onyankopɔn nipa no didi nom wiei no, odiyifo no hyehyɛɛ nʼafurum no maa no, 24na Onyankopɔn nipa no sii kwan so bio. Na ɔrekɔ no ara, gyata bi ba bekum no. Nʼamu no daa ɔkwan mu a, na afurum no ne gyata no gyinagyina ho. 25Nnipa ba bɛtoo so sɛ amu no da ɔkwan mu a gyata no gyina ho. Enti wɔkɔbɔɔ amanneɛ wɔ Bet-El baabi a odiyifo akwakoraa no te hɔ.
26Bere a odiyifo akwakoraa no tee asɛm no, ɔkae se, “Ɛyɛ Onyankopɔn nipa no a wanni Awurade ahyɛde so no. Awurade ama nʼasɛm no aba mu sɛ ɔmaa gyata tow hyɛɛ no so, kum no.”
27Na odiyifo no ka kyerɛɛ ne mmabarima no se, “Monhyehyɛ afurum no mma me.” Na wɔhyehyɛɛ afurum no. 28Ɔkɔ kohuu sɛ amu no da ɔkwan mu. Na afurum no ne gyata no da so gyinagyina ne ho, a gyata no nwee amu no, nto nhyɛɛ afurum no nso so. 29Enti odiyifo no faa Onyankopɔn nipa no amu no de no too nʼafurum no so, san de no kɔɔ kurom, kosuu no, siee no. 30Ɔde amu no too nʼankasa ne da mu, fii awerɛhow mu, suu no se, “Ao, me nua!”
31Akyiri no, odiyifo no ka kyerɛɛ ne mmabarima no se, “Sɛ mewu a, munsie me wɔ ɔda a woasie Onyankopɔn nipa wɔ mu no mu. Momfa me nnompe ngu ne nnompe ho. 32Na asɛm a Awurade ka kyerɛɛ no se ɔnka ntia afɔremuka a ɛwɔ Bet-El ne abosomfi no a ɛwowɔ Samaria nkurow so no, ɛbɛba mu.”
33Nanso eyi akyi koraa no, Yeroboam annan ne ho amfi nʼakwammɔne no so. Ɔkɔɔ so yii asɔfo fi nnipa no mu. Obiara a ɔpɛ no, otumi yɛɛ ɔsɔfo wɔ abosomfi hɔ. 34Eyi bɛyɛɛ bɔne kɛse, na ɛnam so sɛee Yeroboam ahemman, maa ne fifo nyinaa wuwui.
