2 Kings 23
1 Then the king summoned all the elders of Jerusalem and [of the other places in] Judah.
Inkosi yasithumela, basebebuthanisa kuye bonke abadala bakoJuda labeJerusalema.
2 They went together to the temple, along with the priests and the prophets, and many other [HYP] people, from the most important people to the least important people. And while they listened, the king read to them all of the laws that Moses had written. He read from the scroll that had been found in the temple.
Inkosi yasisenyukela endlini kaJehova, lawo wonke amadoda akoJuda labo bonke abahlali beJerusalema kanye laye, labapristi labaprofethi, labo bonke abantu kusukela komncinyane kusiya komkhulu, yasifunda endlebeni zabo wonke amazwi ogwalo lwesivumelwano olwaficwa endlini yeNkosi.
3 Then the king stood next to the pillar [where the kings stood when they made important announcements], and while Yahweh was listening, he repeated his promise to sincerely obey [DOU] all of Yahweh’s commands and regulations [DOU]. He also promised to (fulfill the conditions of/do what was written in) the agreement he made with Yahweh. And all the people also promised to obey the agreement.
Inkosi yema-ke ngasensikeni, yenza isivumelwano phambi kweNkosi, sokuhamba emva kweNkosi, lokugcina imilayo yayo lemithetho yayo lezimiso zayo ngenhliziyo yonke langomphefumulo wonke, ukuqinisa amazwi alesisivumelwano abhaliweyo kulolugwalo. Bonke abantu basebesima esivumelwaneni.
4 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the Supreme Priest and all the other priests who assisted him and the men who guarded the entrance to the temple to bring out from the temple all the items that people had been using to worship Baal, the goddess Asherah, and the stars. [After they carried them out, ] they burned all those things outside the city near the Kidron Valley. Then they took all the ashes to Bethel, [because that city was already considered to be desecrated/unholy].
Inkosi yasilaya uHilikhiya umpristi omkhulu labapristi besigaba sesibili labalindi bombundu womnyango ukuthi bakhuphe ethempelini leNkosi zonke izitsha ezazenzelwe uBhali lesixuku lebutho lonke lamazulu, wazitshisela ngaphandle kweJerusalema eziqintini zeKidroni, wathwalela umlotha wazo eBhetheli.
5 There were many pagan priests that the previous kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense on the altars on the tops of hills in Judah. They had been offering sacrifices to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars. The king stopped them from doing those things.
Wasesusa abapristi bezithombe amakhosi akoJuda ayebabekile ukuthi batshise impepha endaweni eziphakemeyo, emizini yakoJuda, lendawo ezizingelezele iJerusalema, lalabo ababetshisa impepha kuBhali, elangeni, lenyangeni, lezinkanyezini, lebuthweni lonke lamazulu.
6 He [commanded that] the statue of the goddess Asherah [be] taken out of the temple. Then they took it outside Jerusalem, down to the Kidron Brook, and burned it. Then they pounded the ashes to powder and scattered that over the graves in the public cemetery.
Wakhupha isixuku endlini yeNkosi, ngaphandle kweJerusalema, wasisa esifuleni iKidroni, wasitshisa esifuleni iKidroni, wasichola saba luthuli, waphosela uthuli lwaso emangcwabeni abantwana babantu.
7 He also destroyed the rooms in the temple where the temple male prostitutes lived. That was where women wove robes that were used to worship the goddess Asherah.
Wadiliza izindlu zezinkotshana ezazingasendlini yeNkosi lapho abesifazana ababeselukela khona amaveyili esixuku.
8 Josiah also brought [to Jerusalem] all the priests who were offering sacrifices in the other cities in Judah. He also desecrated the places on the tops of hills where the priests had burned incense [to honor idols], from Geba [in the north] to Beersheba [in the south]. Those priests were not allowed to offer sacrifices in the temple, but they [were allowed to] eat the unleavened bread that the priests [who worked in the temple] ate. He also [commanded that] the altars that were dedicated to the goat demons near the gate built by Joshua, the mayor of Jerusalem, [be] destroyed. Those altars were at the left of the main gate into the city.
Wakhupha bonke abapristi emizini yakoJuda, wangcolisa indawo eziphakemeyo lapho abapristi ababetshisela khona impepha, kusukela eGeba kusiya eBherishebha. Wadiliza indawo eziphakemeyo zamasango ezisekungeneni kwesango likaJoshuwa umbusi womuzi, ezazingakwesokhohlo somuntu esangweni lomuzi.
Loba kunjalo abapristi bendawo eziphakemeyo kabenyukelanga elathini leNkosi eJerusalema, kodwa badla izinkwa ezingelamvubelo phakathi kwabafowabo.
10 Josiah also desecrated the place named Topheth, in the Hinnom Valley, in order that no one could offer his son or daughter there to be completely burned for a sacrifice to [the god] Molech.
Wasengcolisa iTofethi elisesihotsheni sendodana kaHinomu ukuze kungabi khona umuntu odabulisa indodana yakhe kumbe indodakazi yakhe emlilweni kuMoleki.
11 He also removed the horses that the [previous] kings of Judah had dedicated to worshiping the sun, and he burned the chariots that were used in that worship. Those horses and chariots were kept in the courtyard outside the temple, near the entrance to the temple, and near the room where [one of Josiah’s] officials, whose name was Nathan-Melech, lived.
Wasesusa amabhiza amakhosi akoJuda ayewanikele elangeni ekungeneni kwendlu yeNkosi, ngasekamelweni likaNathani-Meleki umthenwa elalisekhulusini, wazitshisa inqola zelanga ngomlilo.
12 Josiah also commanded his servants to tear down the altars that the previous kings of Judah had built on the roof of the palace, above the room where King Ahaz had stayed. They also tore down the altars that had been built by King Manasseh in the two courtyards outside the temple. He commanded that they be smashed to pieces and thrown down into the Kidron Valley.
Lamalathi ayesephahleni lwendlu kaAhazi engaphezulu awenzayo amakhosi akoJuda, lamalathi uManase ayewenzile emagumeni womabili endlu yeNkosi, inkosi yawadiliza yawachoboza iwasusa lapho, yaluphosela uthuli lwawo esifuleni iKidroni.
13 He also commanded that the altars that King Solomon had built east of Jerusalem, south of Olive Tree Hill, be desecrated. Solomon had built them for the worship of the disgusting idols—the [statue of the goddess] Astarte [worshiped by the people in] Sidon [city], Chemosh the god of the Moab people-group, and Molech the god of the Ammon people-group.
Lendawo eziphakemeyo, ezaziphambi kweJerusalema, ezazingakwesokunene sentaba yokubola, uSolomoni inkosi yakoIsrayeli eyayizakhele uAshitarothi isinengiso samaSidoni, loKemoshi isinengiso samaMowabi, loMilkomu isinengiso sabantwana bakoAmoni, inkosi yazingcolisa.
14 They also broke into pieces the stone pillars that the Israeli people worshiped, and cut down the [pillars that honored the goddess] Asherah, and they scattered the ground there with human bones [to desecrate it].
Wasephahlaza insika eziyizithombe, wagamula izixuku, wagcwalisa izindawo zazo ngamathambo abantu.
15 Furthermore, he commanded them to tear down the place of worship at Bethel which had been built by King Jeroboam, the king who persuaded the people of Israel to sin. They tore down the altar. Then they broke its stones into pieces and pounded them to become powder. They also burned the statue [of the goddess] Asherah.
Lelathi lalo elaliseBhetheli, lendawo ephakemeyo, ayenzayo uJerobhowamu indodana kaNebati owenza uIsrayeli ukuthi one, kokubili lelolathi lendawo ephakemeyo wakudiliza, watshisa indawo ephakemeyo, wayichoboza yaba luthuli, watshisa isixuku.
16 Then Josiah looked around and saw some tombs there on the hill. He commanded his men to take the bones out of those tombs and burn them on the altar. By doing that, he desecrated the altar. That was what a prophet had predicted many years before when Jeroboam was standing close to that altar at a festival. Then Josiah looked up and saw the tomb of the prophet who had predicted that.
Lapho uJosiya ephenduka wabona amangcwaba ayelapho entabeni, wathuma wasekhupha amathambo emangcwabeni, wawatshisela phezu kwelathi, walingcolisa, njengelizwi leNkosi umuntu kaNkulunkulu ayelimemezele, owamemezela lamazwi.
17 Josiah asked, “Whose tomb is that?” The people of Bethel replied, “It is the tomb of the prophet who came from Judah and predicted that these things that you have just now done to this altar would happen.”
Wasesithi: Yisikhumbuzo sani lesiyana engisibonayo? Abantu bomuzi basebesithi kuye: Lingcwaba lomuntu kaNkulunkulu owavela koJuda wamemezela lezizinto ozenzileyo umelene lelathi leBhetheli.
18 Josiah replied, “Allow his tomb to remain as it is. Do not remove the prophet’s bones from the tomb.” So the people did not remove those bones, or the bones of the other prophet, the one who had come from Samaria.
Wasesithi: Myekeleni, kakungabi lamuntu othinta amathambo akhe. Basebewayekela amathambo akhe kanye lamathambo omprofethi owavela eSamariya.
19 In every city in Israel, at Josiah’s command, they tore down the shrines that had been built by the previous kings of Israel, which had caused Yahweh to become very angry. He did to all those shrines/altars the same thing that he had done to the altars at Bethel.
Njalo lazo zonke izindlu zezindawo eziphakemeyo ezisemizini yeSamariya, amakhosi akoIsrayeli ayezenzile ukuthukuthelisa, uJosiya wazisusa, wenza kizo njengayo yonke imisebenzi ayeyenze eBhetheli.
20 He ordered that all the priests who offered sacrifices on the altars on the tops of hills must be killed on those altars. Then he burned human bones on every one of those altars [to desecrate them]. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
Wasebulala bonke abapristi bezindawo eziphakemeyo, ababekhonapho, phezu kwamalathi, watshisa amathambo abantu phezu kwawo. Wasebuyela eJerusalema.
21 Then the king commanded all the people to celebrate the Passover Festival to honor Yahweh their God, which was written in the law of Moses that they should do [every year].
Inkosi yasilaya bonke abantu isithi: Gcinani iphasika eNkosini uNkulunkulu wenu, njengalokhu kubhaliwe kulolugwalo lwesivumelwano.
22 During all the years that leaders ruled Israel and during all the years that kings had ruled Israel and Judah, they had not celebrated that festival.
Ngoba kwakungagcinwanga elinjengaleli iphasika kusukela ensukwini zabehluleli abehlulela uIsrayeli, kumbe kuzo zonke izinsuku zamakhosi akoIsrayeli, kumbe zamakhosi akoJuda.
23 But now, after Josiah had been ruling for almost 18 years, to [honor] Yahweh they celebrated the Passover Festival in Jerusalem.
Kodwa ngomnyaka wetshumi lesificaminwembili wenkosi uJosiya lagcinwa leliphasika eNkosini eJerusalema.
24 Furthermore, Josiah got rid of all the people in Jerusalem and other places in Judah who practiced sorcery and those who requested the spirits of dead people [to tell them what they should do]. He also removed from Jerusalem and from the other places in Judah all the household idols and all the other idols and abominable things. He did those things in order to obey what had been written in the scroll that Hilkiah had found in the temple.
Ngaphezu kwalokho-ke abalamadlozi, labalumbayo, lamatherafi, lezithombe, lawo wonke amanyala abonakala elizweni lakoJuda leJerusalema, uJosiya wakususa, ukuze aqinise amazwi omlayo ayebhalwe ogwalweni uHilikhiya umpristi alufica endlini yeNkosi.
25 Josiah was totally devoted to Yahweh. There had never been [in Judah or Israel] a king like him. He obeyed all the laws of Moses. And there has never since then been a king like Josiah.
Langaphambi kwakhe kakubanga khona inkosi eyafanana laye eyaphendukela eNkosini ngenhliziyo yayo yonke langomphefumulo wayo wonke langamandla ayo wonke, njengokomlayo wonke kaMozisi. Futhi emva kwakhe kakuvelanga eyafanana laye.
26 But Yahweh had become extremely angry with the people of Judah because of all the things that [King] Manasseh had done to infuriate him, and he continued to be very angry.
Kanti iNkosi kayiphendukanga ekuvutheni kolaka lwayo olukhulu, olaka lwayo eyavuthela ngalo uJuda, ngenxa yazo zonke intukutheliso uManase ayithukuthelisa ngazo.
27 He said, “I will do to Judah what I have done to Israel. I will banish the people of Judah, with the result that they will never enter my presence again. And I will reject Jerusalem, the city that I chose [to belong to me], and I will abandon the temple, the place where I said that I [MTY] should be worshiped.”
INkosi yasisithi: Ngizamsusa loJuda phambi kwami, njengoba ngasusa uIsrayeli, ngiwulahle lumuzi weJerusalema engawukhethayo, lendlu engathi ngayo: Ibizo lami lizakuba lapho.
28 [If you want to know more about] [RHQ] all the other things that Josiah did, they are written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.
Ezinye-ke zezindaba zikaJosiya, lakho konke akwenzayo, kakubhalwanga yini egwalweni lwemilando yamakhosi akoJuda?
29 While Josiah was the king of Judah, King Neco of Egypt led his army north to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah tried to stop the army of Egypt at Megiddo [city], but Josiah was killed in a battle there.
Ensukwini zakhe uFaro Neko inkosi yeGibhithe wenyuka wamelana lenkosi yeAsiriya emfuleni iYufrathi. Inkosi uJosiya yasisiyahlangabezana laye; wayibulalela eMegido eseyibonile.
30 His officials placed his corpse in a chariot and took it back to Jerusalem, where it was buried in his own tomb, a tomb where the other previous kings had not been buried. Then the people of Judah poured [olive] oil on [the head of] Josiah’s son Joahaz, to appoint him to be the new king.
Inceku zakhe zasezimthwala efile ngenqola, zisuka eMegido, zamusa eJerusalema, zamngcwaba engcwabeni lakhe. Abantu belizwe basebethatha uJehowahazi indodana kaJosiya, bamgcoba, bambeka waba yinkosi esikhundleni sikayise.
31 Joahaz was 23 years old when he became the king [of Judah], but he ruled from Jerusalem for [only] three months. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah [city].
UJehowahazi wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lantathu lapho esiba yinkosi; wabusa inyanga ezintathu eJerusalema. Lebizo likanina lalinguHamuthali indodakazi kaJeremiya weLibhina.
32 Joahaz did many things that Yahweh said were evil, just like many of his ancestors had done.
Wasesenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi njengakho konke oyise abakwenzayo.
33 King Neco’s [army came from Egypt and captured him and] tied him up with chains and took him as a prisoner to Riblah [town] in Hamath [district], to prevent him from continuing to rule in Jerusalem. Neco forced the people of Judah to pay to him (7,500 pounds/3,400 kg.) of silver and (75 pounds/34 kg.) of gold.
UFaro Neko wasembopha eRibila elizweni leHamathi ukuthi angabusi eJerusalema, wahlawulisa ilizwe amathalenta esiliva alikhulu lethalenta legolide.
34 King Neco appointed another son of Josiah, Eliakim, to be the new king, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. Then he took Joahaz to Egypt, and later Joahaz died there in Egypt.
UFaro Neko wasebeka uEliyakhimi indodana kaJosiya ukuthi abe yinkosi esikhundleni sikaJosiya uyise, waphendula ibizo lakhe wathi nguJehoyakhimi. Wasethatha uJehowahazi; wasesiza eGibhithe, wafela khona.
35 King Jehoiakim collected a tax from the people [of Judah]. He collected more from the rich people and less from the poor people. He collected silver and gold from them, in order to pay to the king of Egypt what he commanded them to give.
UJehoyakhimi wasemnika uFaro isiliva legolide, kodwa wathelisa ilizwe ukuze anike leyomali njengokomlayo kaFaro. Wakhuphisa abantu belizwe isiliva legolide, ngulowo lalowo ngokomthelo wakhe, yokunika uFaro Neko.
36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became the king [of Judah], and he ruled from Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother was Zebidah, the daughter of Pedaiah from Rumah [town].
UJehoyakhimi wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lanhlanu lapho esiba yinkosi; wabusa iminyaka elitshumi lanye eJerusalema. Lebizo likanina lalinguZebida indodakazi kaPhedaya weRuma.
37 He did many things that Yahweh says are evil, like his ancestors had done.
Wasesenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi njengakho konke oyise abakwenzayo.
