1 Ke kaloku uYoshafati wayemkhulu ngobutyebi nesidima, waza wazihlobanisa noAhabhi ngobulawu.
2 Emva kweminyaka ke waya kutyelela uAhabhi eSamariya. UAhabhi ke wamxhelela iigusha ezininzi, ngokunjalo neenkomo, esenzela yena neqela lakhe; kananjalo wamcenga ukuba ahlasele iRamoti yaseGiliyadi.
3 UAhabhi ukumkani wakwaSirayeli wacela uYoshafati wathi: “Uya kuhamba nam na, silwe neRamoti yaseGiliyadi?”UYoshafati wathi: “Mna nawe sibanye; abantu bam ngabantu bakho. Siya kuba kunye kule mfazwe.”
4 Kodwa ke uYoshafati waleka ngelithi kukumkani wakwaSirayeli: “Khawuqale ubuzise *kuNdikhoyo.”
5 Ngoko ke ukumkani wakwaSirayeli waqokelela abashumayeli abangamakhulu amane, wabuza wathi: “Singaya kulwa na neRamoti yaseGiliyadi, okanye ndirhoxe?”Bathi: “Yiya; uThixo uza kuyinikela esandleni sikakumkani.”
6 Kambe ke uYoshafati wathi: “Akusekho mshumayeli kaNdikhoyo na apha esinokubuza kuye?”
7 Ukumkani wakwaSirayeli wathi kuYoshafati: “Kusekho indoda enye esingabuzisa ngayo kuNdikhoyo, kodwa ke mna ndiyithiyile, kuba ayishumayeli okuhle ngokubhekisele kum, soloko ibububi bodwa. Igama layo nguMika, unyana kaImla.”UYoshafati wathi: “Hayi bo, ukumkani makangathethi njalo.”
8 Ngoko ke ukumkani wakwaSirayeli wabiza elinye lamaphakathi akhe, wathi kulo: “Khawuleza uze noMika, unyana kaImla.”
9 Ke kaloku ukumkani wakwaSirayeli noYoshafati ukumkani wakwaJuda babevethe ezobukhosi, bengqendeve ezihlalweni zabo esandeni sokubhula esikufuphi nesango laseSamariya, nabashumayeli belapho phambi kwabo beshumayela.
10 Ke uZedekiya, unyana kaKenana, wayenze iimpondo ngentsimbi, waza ke wathi: “Utsho uNdikhoyo ukuthi: ‘Ngezi mpondo ùya kuwahlaba uwatshabalalise ama-Aram.’ ”
11 Nabanye ke abashumayeli bashumayela kwaloo nto, besithi: “Phakathi! Yihlasele iRamoti yaseGiliyadi. Uza kuyoyisa, kuba uNdikhoyo uyinikele esandleni sikakumkani.”
12 Ke isigidimi esasiphuthume uMika sathi kuye: “Uyabona ke, abanye abashumayeli batsho ngazwi-nye kukumkani ukuthi uza kuphumelela. Nawe ke uze ungaphikisani nabo, koko uthethe okuhle.”
13 UMika ke yena wathi: “Ekho nje uNdikhoyo, ndiza kuthetha kuphela loo nto andixelela yona uThixo wam!”
14 Akuba efikile ke, ukumkani wathi kuye: “Mika, singaya kulwa na neRamoti yaseGiliyadi, okanye ndirhoxe?”UMika wathi: “Phakathi! Yihlasele; uya kuyoyisa, kuba baza kunikelwa esandleni senu!”
15 Ukumkani wathi kuye: “Koda kube kangaphi ndikufungisa ndisithi musa ukundixelela nto yimbi ngaphandle kwenyaniso egameni likaNdikhoyo?”
16 UMika wathi: “Ewe, uSirayeli ndimbone ethe saa ezintabeni, engathi ziigusha ezingenamalusi; waza uNdikhoyo wathi: ‘Aba bantu abanankosi, ngoko ke elowo nalowo makagoduke ngoxolo.’ ”
17 Ukumkani wakwaSirayeli wathi kuYoshafati: “Bendingatshongo na kuwe ukuba lo mfo akaze ashumayele into entle ngam, koko zezimbi zodwa!”
18 Ke uMika waqhuba wathi: “Ngoko ke liveni ilizwi likaNdikhoyo. UNdikhoyo ndimbone ehleli esihlalweni sakhe, umkhosi wonke wasezulwini umi ngasekunene nangasekhohlo kwakhe.
19 Waza ke yena wathi: ‘Yaz' ukuba ngubani na oya kulukuhla uAhabhi aze ahlasele iRamoti yaseGiliyadi, khon' ukuze afele khona?’ Omnye uthethe ngolu hlobo, waza ke omnye wathetha ngoluya.
20 Ekugqibeleni ke kuvele moya uthile, wema phambi koNdikhoyo, wathi: ‘Ndiya kumlukuhla mna.’
21 ‘Uya kumlukuhla kanjani?’ ubuzile uNdikhoyo. Umoya lowo uthe: ‘Ndophuma ndiye ndibe ngumoya wobuxoki emlonyeni wabo bonke abashumayeli.’ Waza ke uNdikhoyo wathi: ‘Hamba ke, wenjenjalo; uya kuphumelela ekumlukuhleni.’
22 Ke ngoku uNdikhoyo ufake umoya wobuxoki emilonyeni yabo bonke aba bashumayeli bakho. Ewe, uNdikhoyo ukumisele intlekele.”
23 Wasuka ke uZedekiya unyana kaKenana waya kuMika, wafika wamqhwaba ngempama, wathi: “Ugqithe phi na kum loo moya kaNdikhoyo ukuba aye kuthetha kuwe?”
24 UMika wathi: “Loo nto uya kuyiqonda mhla waya kuzimela kwigumbi elingaphakathi.”
25 Ukumkani wakwaSirayeli wathi: “Mthatheni uMika lo, nimse kuAmon usibonda wesixeko noYowashe unyana kakumkani,
26 nithi: ‘Utsho ukumkani ukuthi: Valelani lo mfo entolongweni, angatyi nto ngaphandle komxheshwana wesonka namanzi, ndide ndibuye ndiphilile.’ ”
27 Ke uMika wathi: “Ukuba ngaba ungabuya uphilile, woba uNdikhoyo engathethanga ngomlomo wam.” Waza ke wongezelela ngelithi: “Wagqaleni la mazwi xa ninonke, bantundini!”
28 Ngoko ke ukumkani wakwaSirayeli noYoshafati ukumkani wakwaJuda benyuka baya eRamoti yaseGiliyadi.
29 Ukumkani wakwaSirayeli wathetha noYoshafati, wathi: “Mna ndiza kungena kweli dabi ndinxibe ngendlela eya kundenza ndingaqondakali ukuba ndingukumkani, kodwa ke wena nxiba ezobukhosi.” Ke ukumkani wakwaSirayeli wazenza mntu wumbi, waza ke waya apho edabini.
30 Ke ukumkani wama-Aram waziyalela iingqwayi-ngqwayi zeenqwelo zakhe wathi: “Ze ningalwi naye nawuphi na omnye umntu, nokuba ngomncinci, nokuba ngomkhulu, yilwani nokumkani wakwaSirayeli yedwa.”
31 Zithe ke iingqwayi-ngqwayi zeenqwelo zakubona uYoshafati, zacinga zathi: “Nguye lo ukumkani wakwaSirayeli.” Ngoko ke zaphethuka zafunzela kuye, kodwa uYoshafati wasuka wakhala, waza ke uNdikhoyo wamhlangula. Ewe, uThixo wenza ukuba zirhoxe zimke ngakuye;
32 kaloku zathi iingqwayi-ngqwayi ezo zakuqonda ukuba akanguye ukumkani wakwaSirayeli, zayeka ukumsukela.
33 Kambe ke joni lithile lasuka lajolisa nje ngokungakhathali ngotolo, suka lachana ukumkani wakwaSirayeli, utolo lwangena ekudibaneni kwezikhuselo awayezinxibile. Ukumkani wathetha nomqhubi wenqwelo yakhe, wathi: “Bandingxwelerhile; yijike inqwelo, siphume edabini.”
34 Idabi laqhuba ke yonke loo mini, wabe yena ukumkani wakwaSirayeli emi ebambelele enqwelweni yakhe, ejongise ngakuma-Aram kwada kwahlwa. Kambe ke ukutshona kwelanga wafa.