1 Yookumkani 18 FHB Father's Heart Bible™

18 ¹Emva kwemihla emininzi, ngomnyaka wesithathu, lafika ilizwi likaBawo wethu kuEliya, lathi: “Hamba uye kuzibonakalisa kuAhabhi, ndize ndithumele imvula ezweni.”

²Wahamba ke uEliya waya kuzibonakalisa kuAhabhi. Ke kaloku indlala yayinzima kwaSamari. ³UAhabhi wabiza uObhadiya, owayephethe indlu. (Ke kaloku uObhadiya wayemoyika kakhulu uBawo wethu. ⁴Xa uIzebhele wababulala abaprofeti bakaBawo wethu, uObhadiya wathabatha ikhulu labaprofeti, wabazimeza ngamashumi amahlanu emqolombeni ngamnye, wabaxhasa ngesonka namanzi.) ⁵UAhabhi wathi kuObhadiya: “Hamba uhambe eli lizwe uye kuwo onke amaqula nezihlambo; mhlawumbi singafumana utyani sigcine amahashe noondlebende ephila, singaphulukani nazo iinkomo.”

⁶Balahlulelana ke ilizwe ukuze bawele kulo; uAhabhi wahamba yedwa ngenye indlela, waza uObhadiya naye wahamba yedwa ngenye indlela. ⁷Kwathi uObhadiya esahamba, uEliya waqubisana naye ngebhaqo. Waqonda, wawa ngobuso, wathi: “Nguwe na, nkosi yam Eliya?”

⁸Wathi kuye: “Ndim. Hamba uye kumxelela inkosi yakho, uthi: ‘Nanku uEliya.’”

⁹Wathi uObhadiya: “Ndone ngantoni na, ukuba umkhonzi wakho umnikele esandleni sikaAhabhi ukuba andibulale? ¹⁰Ehleli nje uBawo wakho, akukho luhlanga nabukumkani apho inkosi yam ingathumelanga khona ukufuna wena. Bakuthi, ‘Akakho apha,’ ibufungise ubukumkani nohlanga ukuba abakufumananga. ¹¹Kaloku wena uthi: ‘Hamba uye kumxelela inkosi yakho, uthi, “Nanku uEliya.”’ ¹²Kothi kwakusuka mna kuwe, uMoya kaBawo wethu akuthwale aye apho ndingaziyo; ndize ndiye kumxelela uAhabhi, akufumane, aze andibulale—kanti ke mna mkhonzi wakho ndimoyikile uBawo wethu kwasebuncinaneni bam. ¹³Ayixelelwanga na inkosi yam into endayenzayo, xa uIzebhele wababulala abaprofeti bakaBawo wethu—ukuba ndazimela ikhulu labaprofeti bakaBawo wethu, amadoda angamashumi amahlanu emqolombeni ngamnye, ndabaxhasa ngesonka namanzi? ¹⁴Kaloku wena uthi: ‘Hamba uye kumxelela inkosi yakho, uthi, “Nanku uEliya”’—aze andibulale!”

¹⁵Wathi uEliya: “Ehleli nje uBawo wemikhosi yezulu, endimi phambi kwakhe, inene namhlanje ndiya kuzibonakalisa kuye.”

¹⁶Wahamba ke uObhadiya waya kuhlangabeza uAhabhi, wamxelela; waza uAhabhi waya kuhlangabeza uEliya. ¹⁷Kwathi uAhabhi akumbona uEliya, wathi uAhabhi kuye: “Nguwe na, wena ukhathaza amaSirayeli?”

¹⁸Waphendula wathi: “Andiwakhathazanga amaSirayeli—nguwe nendlu kayihlo, ngokuyishiya imithetho kaBawo wethu, nilandela ooBhahali. ¹⁹Kaloku ke thumela, uwahlanganisele onke amaSirayeli kum, entabeni yeKarmele, kunye nabaprofeti abangamakhulu amane anamashumi amahlanu bakaBhahali, nabaprofeti abangamakhulu amane bakaAshera, abo badla etafileni kaIzebhele.”

²⁰UAhabhi wathumela ke ilizwi kubo bonke abantu bakwaSirayeli, wabahlanganisa abaprofeti phezu kwentaba iKarmele. ²¹Wasondela uEliya kubo bonke abantu, wathi: “Kunini na ninxaxha phakathi kweemvakalelo ezimbini? Ukuba uBawo wethu nguThixo, mlandeleni; ukuba nguBhahali, mlandeleni.” Kodwa ababa samphendula nalizwi abantu.

²²Wathi uEliya ebantwini: “Mna ndedwa ndisele ndingumprofeti kaBawo wethu, kodwa abaprofeti bakaBhahali bangamadoda angamakhulu amane anamashumi amahlanu. ²³Masinikwe iinkunzi ezimbini zeenkomo. Mabanyule enye, bayiqwengaqwenge, bayibeke phezu kweenkuni, kodwa bangabasi mlilo phantsi kwayo; nam ndilungise enye, ndiyibeke phezu kweenkuni, ndingabasi mlilo phantsi kwayo. ²⁴Nize ke nina ninqule igama likathixo wenu, nam ndinqule igama likaBawo wethu; uThixo ophendula ngomlilo nguye uThixo.” Baphendula bonke abantu, bathi: “Lihle elo lizwi.”

²⁵Wathi uEliya kubaprofeti bakaBhahali: “Zinyuleleni enye inkunzi yeenkomo niyilungise kuqala, ngokuba nibaninzi; nize ke ninqule igama likathixo wenu—kodwa ningabasi mlilo phantsi kwayo.”

²⁶Bayithabatha ke inkunzi abanikwa yona, bayilungisa, banqula igama likaBhahali, bethabathela ekuseni besa emini enkulu, bekhwaza besithi: “Bhahali, siphendule!” Kodwa kwakungekho zwi, kungekho ophendulayo. Basina ngeenxa zonke zesibingelelo ababesakhile.

²⁷Kuthe emini enkulu, uEliya wabahlekisa, wathi: “Dumani ngelizwi elikhulu! Ngokuba enguthixo nje—mhlawumbi ucamanga, okanye uyaziphungulela, okanye useluhambeni; mhlawumbi ulele, umelwe kukuvuswa.”

²⁸Bamemeza ke ngelizwi elikhulu, bazihlaba ngamakrele neentshuntshe ngokwesiko labo, lada lampompoza igazi phezu kwabo. ²⁹Kwathi yakudlula imini enkulu, bageza kwada kwaba lixesha lomsondezo wangokuhlwa, kodwa kwakungekho zwi, kungekho mpendulo, kungekho nkathalo.

³⁰Wathi uEliya kubo bonke abantu: “Sondelani kum.” Basondela ke bonke abantu; walungisa isibingelelo sikaBawo wethu esasidilizwe.

³¹UEliya wawathabatha amatye alishumi elinamabini, ngokwenani lemizalwane yoonyana bakaYakobi, abafika kubo ilizwi likaBawo wethu, lisithi: “Igama lakho loba nguSirayeli.”

³²Ngaloo matye wakha isibingelelo egameni likaBawo wethu, waza wemba umsele ngeenxa zonke kuso, ungangokuthwala imbewu engamashumi amane esisahlulo seshumi. ³³Wazicwangcisa iinkuni, wayiqwengaqwenga inkunzi yeenkomo, wayibeka phezu kweenkuni. Wathi: “Zalisani iinkamba zibe ne amanzi, niwathululele phezu kwedini elinyukayo nakwiinkuni.” ³⁴Wathi: “Yenzani okwesibini,” benza okwesibini. Wathi: “Yenzani okwesithathu,” benza okwesithathu. ³⁵Ahamba amanzi ngeenxa zonke zesibingelelo, wada wawuzalisa ngamanzi umsele.

³⁶Kwathi ngexesha lomsondezo wangokuhlwa, wasondela uEliya umprofeti, wathi: “Bawo wethu, Thixo ka-Abraham noIsake noSirayeli, makwaziwe namhlanje ukuba unguThixo kwaSirayeli, nokuba ndingumkhonzi wakho, nokuba zonke ezi zinto ndizenze ngelizwi lakho. ³⁷Ndiphendule, Bawo wethu, ndiphendule, ukuze bazi aba bantu ukuba wena, Bawo wethu, unguThixo, nokuba ubuyisele iintliziyo zabo emva.”

³⁸Waza wawa umlilo kaBawo wethu, wadla idini elinyukayo, neenkuni, namatye, nothuli, wawukhotha namanzi awayesemseleni. ³⁹Kwathi bonke abantu bakukubona oko, bawa ngobuso, bathi: “UBawo wethu, nguye uThixo! UBawo wethu, nguye uThixo!” ^a a v39 Abantu ababelandele uBhahali bayawa phantsi, bathi ngqu igama kuThixo oyinyaniso — uBawo erhola abantwana bakhe abandweba ebabuyisela kuye.

⁴⁰Wathetha uEliya kubo, wathi: “Bathimbeni abaprofeti bakaBhahali; makungabikho namnye kubo osindayo.” Baza babathimba, uEliya wabehlisa esihlanjeni saseKishon, wababulalela khona.

⁴¹Wathi ke uEliya kuAhabhi: “Nyuka, udle usele, kuba kukho isandi sokugquma kwemvula enkulu.”

⁴²Wenyuka uAhabhi waya kudla nokusela, waza uEliya wenyuka waya encotsheni yeKarmele. Waqubuda khona emhlabeni, ubuso bakhe buphakathi kwamadolo akhe. ⁴³Wathi kumkhonzi wakhe: “Nyuka, ukhangele ngaselwandle.” Wenyuka, wakhangela, wathi: “Akukho nto.” UEliya wathi kasixhenxe: “Buya.”

⁴⁴Ngesihlandlo sesixhenxe, umkhonzi wathi: “Nanko ilifu elincinane, lingangesandla somntu, linyukayo lisuka elwandle.” Wathi uEliya: “Nyuka uye kumxelela uAhabhi, uthi: ‘Bopha inqwelo yakho yokulwa, wehle, imvula ingakuthinteli.’”

⁴⁵Lithe kungekudala izulu lasibekela ngamafu nomoya, kwafika imvula enkulu, waza uAhabhi wakhwela waya eYizereli. ⁴⁶Isandla sikaBawo wethu sasiphezu koEliya; wabhinqa ingubo yakhe, wagidima phambi koAhabhi, wada waya kungena eYizereli.