2 Chronicles 28
1 Ahaz was 20 years old when he became the king [of Judah]. He ruled from Jerusalem for 16 years. His ancestor King David was a good king, but Ahaz was not like David. He constantly disobeyed Yahweh
U-Ahazi wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amabili ubudala nyakana esiba yinkosi, njalo wabusa eJerusalema okweminyaka elitshumi lesithupha. Kenzanga njengoyise uDavida, kazange enze okulungileyo emehlweni kaThixo.
2 and was as sinful as the kings of Israel had been. He made idols of the god Baal.
Wahamba ngezindlela zamakhosi ako-Israyeli njalo wabaza izithombe zokukhonza oBhali.
3 He burned incense in Hinnom Valley. He even [killed some of] his own sons [and] offered [them] as sacrifices to be completely burned. That imitated the disgusting customs of the people-groups who previously lived there, people whom Yahweh had expelled as the Israelis advanced through the land.
Watshisa imihlatshelo eSigodini saseBheni-Hinomu wanikela amadodana akhe emlilweni, elandela izindlela ezenyanyekayo zezizwe uThixo ayezixotshe mandulo kokufika kwabako-Israyeli.
4 Ahaz offered sacrifices [to idols] at shrines on hilltops and under every big green tree.
Wanikela imihlatshelo njalo watshisa impepha ezindaweni zokukhonzela phezu kwamaqaqa langaphansi kwazo zonke izihlahla eziyizithingithingi.
5 Therefore Yahweh his God allowed his army to be defeated by the army of the king of Syria. They captured many soldiers of Judah and took them as prisoners to Damascus. The army of the king of Israel also defeated the army of Judah and killed very many of their soldiers.
Ngakho uThixo uNkulunkulu wakhe wamnikela enkosini yama-Aramu. Ama-Aramu amnqoba athumba abantu bakhe abanengi abaletha eDamaseko. Yena njalo wanikelwa ezandleni zenkosi yako-Israyeli, yona eyambulalela abantu abanengi kakhulu.
6 In one day the army of Remaliah’s son, King Pekah [of Israel], killed 120,000 soldiers in Judah. That happened because [the people of] Judah had abandoned Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors [worshiped].
Kwathi ngelanga elilodwa uPhekha indodana kaRemaliya wabulala amabutho azinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amabili koJuda ngoba abakoJuda babemfulathele uThixo, uNkulunkulu waboyise.
7 Zicri, a warrior from the tribe of Ephraim, killed king Ahaz’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, the king’s assistant.
UZikhiri ibutho lako-Efrayimi, wabulala uMaseya indodana yenkosi, lo-Azirikhamu isikhulu somndlunkulu, kanye lo-Elikhana, owayengumsekeli wenkosi.
8 The soldiers of Israel captured 200,000 of the people of Judah, including many wives and sons and daughters [of the soldiers of Judah]. They also seized and took back to Samaria many valuable things.
Abako-Israyeli bathumba ezihlotsheni zabo zakoJuda omkabo, lamadodana lamadodakazi abazinkulungwane ezingamakhulu amabili. Babutha njalo impango enengi kakhulu, abayithwala babuyela layo eSamariya.
9 But a prophet of Yahweh whose name was Obed was there [in Samaria]. He went out of the city to meet the army when it returned to Samaria. He said to them, “Because Yahweh, the God whom your ancestors [belonged to], was angry with [the people of] Judah, he allowed you to defeat them. But God has seen the cruel way that you slaughtered them.
Kodwa umphrofethi wenkosi okwakuthiwa ngu-Odedi wayekhonale, ngakho waphuma ukuyahlangabeza ibutho ekuphendukeni kwalo eSamariya. Wathi kulo, “Ngenxa yokuthi uThixo, uNkulunkulu waboyihlo wayethukuthelele abakoJuda, wabanikela ezandleni zenu. Kodwa lina selibabhubhise ngolaka oluze lwayathinta ezulwini.
10 And now you want to [sin by] causing men and women from Judah to become your slaves, but you have certainly also sinned against Yahweh our God!
Khathesi selifuna ukuthi amadoda labesifazane bakoJuda laseJerusalema babe yizigqili zenu. Kodwa lina ngokwenu kalonanga yini kuThixo uNkulunkulu wenu na?
11 So listen to me! Send back [to Judah] your fellow-countrymen whom you have captured, because Yahweh is extremely angry with you [for what you did to them].”
Lalelani kimi! Buyiselani amadoda akini eliwenze izibotshwa, ngoba ulaka lukaThixo olwesabekayo luphezu kwenu.”
12 Then some of the leaders of [the tribe of] Ephraim—Azariah the son of Jehohanan, Berekiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai—rebuked those who were returning from the battle.
Abanye babakhokheli bako-Efrayimi u-Azariya indodana kaJehohanani, loBherekhiya indodana kaMeshilemothi, loJehizikhiya indodana kaShalumi, kanye lo-Amasa indodana kaHadilayi bamelana lalabo ababevela empini bathi kubo,
13 They said to them, “You must not bring those prisoners here! If you do that, Yahweh will consider that we are guilty of sinning. We are already guilty of committing many sins; do you want to cause us to be even more guilty by committing another sin? God is already very angry with [us people of] Israel!”
“Lingalethi lezozibotshwa lapha, ngoba kungenzeka sibe lecala phambi kukaThixo. Selidinga ukuthi lengezelele lelocala phezu kwesono sethu na? Ngoba icala lethu livele likhulu, njalo lentukuthelo yakhe eyesabekayo iphezu kwabako-Israyeli.”
14 So, while their leaders and others were watching, the soldiers released the prisoners, and also gave back to them the valuable things that they had captured.
Ngakho amabutho akhulula ababebotshiwe asebuyisela lempahla ezaziyimpango phambi kwezikhulu laphambi kwebandla.
15 The leaders who were selected took some of the clothes that the soldiers had taken from the prisoners and gave those clothes back to the people who were naked. They also gave to the prisoners sandals and other clothes and things to eat and drink, and they gave them olive oil to rub on their wounds. They gave donkeys to those who were very weak, in order that they could ride on them. Then they led them all to Jericho, the city that had many palm trees. Then those leaders [of Israel] returned to Samaria.
Amadoda ayeqanjwe ngamabizo abuyisela izibotshwa ezimpahleni zempango bagqokisa ababenqunu. Babanika izigqoko lamanyathelo, ukudla lokunathwayo, kanye lomuthi wokwelapha. Bonke ababuthakathaka babagadisa obabhemi. Ngakho babathatha bababuyisela kwabanye babo eJerikho, iDolobho lamaLala, basebebuyela eSamariya.
16 About that time, King Ahaz sent [a message] to the king of Assyria requesting help.
Ngalesosikhathi inkosi u-Ahazi yacela uncedo enkosini yase-Asiriya.
17 [He did that because the army from] the Edom people-group had come again and attacked Judah and taken away many of the people of Judah as prisoners.
Ama-Edomi ayesephendukile ezohlasela abakoJuda njalo asuka eqhuba izibotshwa,
18 At the same time, men from Philistia had raided/attacked towns in the foothills and in the southern desert of Judah. They had captured Beth-Shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth [cities], as well as Soco, Timnah and Gimzo [towns] and the nearby villages.
kanti amaFilistiya lawo ngapha ayesehlasele amadolobho angaphansi kwamaqaqa kanye laseNegebi yakoJuda. Bathumba basebehlala khona eBhethi-Shemeshi, le-Ayijaloni leGederothi, kanye laseSokho, leThimina leGimizo lemizana eyayiseduze lalapho.
19 Yahweh [allowed those things to happen in order to] humble king Ahaz, because he had encouraged the people of Judah to do wicked things and had disobeyed Yahweh very much.
UThixo wabatshaya abakoJuda ngoba u-Ahazi inkosi yako-Israyeli wayekhuthaze ukona kwabakoJuda watshengisela ukungathembeki okukhulu kuThixo.
20 Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria, sent [his army saying that they would] help Ahaz, but instead of helping him, they caused him to experience trouble.
UThigilathi-Philesa inkosi yase-Asiriya esikhundleni sokumsiza laye wafika wengezelela uhlupho.
21 Ahaz’s [soldiers] took some of the [valuable] things from the temple and from the king’s palace and from other leaders of Judah and sent them to the king of Assyria [to pay him to help them], but the king of Assyria refused to help Ahaz.
U-Ahazi wathatha ezinye zezimpahla zasethempelini likaThixo lezinye azithatha endlini yomndlunkulu esigodlweni waze wathatha lezamakhosana wayaziqhubela inkosi yase-Asiriya, kodwa lakho lokhu akumncedanga.
22 While King Ahaz was experiencing those troubles, he disobeyed Yahweh even more.
Kwathi lanxa inkosi u-Ahazi iphakathi kobunzima, yandisa ukona kwayo kuThixo.
23 He offered sacrifices to the gods that were worshiped in Damascus, whose [army] had defeated his [army]. He thought, “The gods that are worshiped by the kings of Syria have helped them, so I will offer sacrifices to those gods in order that they will help me.” But worshiping those gods caused Ahaz and all of Israel to be ruined.
Yanikela imihlatshelo kubonkulunkulu baseDamaseko, ababeyehlule, ngoba yakhumbula yathi, “Njengoba onkulunkulu bamakhosi ama-Aramu bewancedile, ngizanikela imihlatshelo kubo ukuze bangisize lami.” Kodwa-ke kwahle kwaba yikuwa kwayo lokuchitheka kwabako-Israyeli.
24 Ahaz gathered all the furnishings [that were used] in the temple and broke them into pieces. He locked the doors of the temple and set up altars [for worshiping idols] at every street corner in Jerusalem.
U-Ahazi wabutha zonke izitsha ethempelini likaNkulunkulu wazisusa. Wavala iminyango yethempeli likaThixo wasesakha ama-alithare kuwo wonke amajiko eJerusalema.
25 In every town in Judah, his workers built shrines to burn sacrifices to other gods, and that caused Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors [worshiped], to be very angry.
Wakha izindawo zokukhonzela kuwo wonke amadolobho akoJuda ukuze atshisele onkulunkulu imihlatshelo; wathukuthelisa uThixo, uNkulunkulu wabokhokho babo.
26 A record of the other things that Ahaz did while he was the king, from when he started to rule until he died, is written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel’.
Ezinye izehlakalo zombuso wakhe lezindlela zakhe zonke, kusukela ekuqaleni kuze kube sekupheleni, zilotshiwe egwalweni lwembali yamakhosi akoJuda lako-Israyeli.
27 Ahaz died and was buried in Jerusalem, but he was not buried in the tombs where the other kings [had been buried]. Then his son Hezekiah became the king.
U-Ahazi waya ekuphumuleni kubokhokho bakhe wangcwatshwa labo emzini waseJerusalema, kodwa kabekwanga emathuneni amakhosi ako-Israyeli. UHezekhiya indodana yakhe wathatha isikhundla waba yinkosi.
