2 Kings 25
1 On January 15 of the ninth year that Zedekiah had been ruling, King Nebuchadnezzar arrived with his whole army, and they surrounded Jerusalem. They built ramps [made of dirt against the walls of the city], so that they could climb up the ramps and attack the city.
Ngomnyaka wesificamunwemunye wokubusa kukaZedekhiya, ngosuku lwetshumi lwenyanga yetshumi, uNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni waya eJerusalema lebutho lakhe lonke, wayivimbezela; wayakhela imiduli yokuvimbezela inxa zonke.
2 They did that for two years.
Idolobho lavinjezelwa kwaze kwaba ngumnyaka wetshumi lanye kaZedekhiya inkosi.
3 After Zedekiah had been ruling for eleven years, the (famine/shortage of food) had become very bad. All their food was gone.
Ngosuku lwesificamunwemunye lwenyanga yesine indlala yayisinzima edolobheni, abantu bengaselakudla.
4 On July 18 of that year, the Babylonian soldiers broke through part of the city wall, [and that enabled them to enter the city]. All the soldiers of Judah [wanted to escape]. But the Babylonian soldiers surrounded the city, so the [king and] the soldiers of Judah waited until it was nighttime. Then they fled through the gate that was between the two walls near the king’s park. They ran across the fields and started to go down to the Jordan [River] Valley.
Umduli wedolobho wafohlwa, ibutho lonke labaleka. Basuka edolobheni bephuma ngesango eliphakathi kwemiduli emibili, phansi kwesivande senkosi, lanxa nje amaBhabhiloni ayeligombolozele idolobho. Babaleka beqonde e-Arabha.
5 But the Babylonian soldiers chased/ran after them. They caught the king when he was by himself in the valley near the Jordan River. He was by himself because all his soldiers had abandoned him.
Kodwa ibutho lamaKhaladiya laxotshana lenkosi layamfica emagcekeni aseJerikho. Wonke amabutho akhe ehlukana laye njalo ahlakazeka,
6 The Babylonian soldiers took King Zedekiah to Riblah [city] in Babylon. There the king of Babylon decided what they would do to punish him.
yena wathunjwa. Wasiwa enkosini yaseBhabhiloni eRibhila, lapho afika wagwetshelwa khona.
7 There the king of Babylon forced Zedekiah to watch as the Babylonian soldiers killed all of Zedekiah’s sons. Then they gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes. They put bronze chains on [his hands and feet] and then they took him to Babylon.
Babulala amadodana kaZedekhiya ekhangele. Basebemkhupha amehlo, bambopha ngamaketane ethusi bamusa eBhabhiloni.
8 On August 14 of that year, after Nebuchadnezzar had been ruling for 19 years, Nebuzaradan arrived in Jerusalem. He was one of king Nebuchadnezzar’s officials and captain of the men that guarded the king.
Ngosuku lwesikhombisa ngenyanga yesihlanu, ngomnyaka wetshumi lasificamunwemunye kaNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni, uNebhuzaradani umlawuli wabalindi besikhosini, owayesebenzela inkosi yaseBhabhiloni, wafika eJerusalema.
9 He [commanded his soldiers to] burn down the temple of Yahweh, the king’s palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem. So they burned down all the important buildings in the city.
Wathungela ithempeli likaThixo ngomlilo, lesigodlo senkosi lezindlu zonke zaseJerusalema. Zonke izindlu eziqakathekileyo wazitshisa.
10 Then Nebuzaradan supervised all the soldiers of the Babylonian army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem.
Wonke amabutho aseBhabhiloni, ekhokhelwa ngumlawuli wamabutho okulinda umndlunkulu, adiliza imiduli ehonqolozele iJerusalema.
11 Then he and his soldiers took to Babylon the people who were still living in the city, the other people [who lived in that area], and the soldiers who had previously surrendered to the Babylonian army.
UNebhuzaradani umlawuli wabalindi wathatha bonke abantu ababesele edolobheni wabasa ekuthunjweni, ndawonye labo bonke abantu lalabo abasebeye enkosini yaseBhabhiloni.
12 But Nebuzaradan allowed some of the very poor people to stay in Judah to take care of the vineyards and [to plant crops in] the fields.
Kodwa umlawuli wamabutho watshiya inengi labantu ababengabayanga bokucina elizweni ukuba basebenze ezivinini lasemasimini.
13 The Babylonian soldiers broke into pieces the bronze pillars, the bronze carts with wheels, and the huge bronze basin, all of which were in the temple courtyard, and they took all the bronze to Babylon.
AbeBhabhiloni baphahlaza izinsika zethusi lezinti zezibane loLwandle lwethusi, okwakusethempelini likaThixo. Bathwalela ithusi lelo eBhabhiloni.
14 They also took the pots, the shovels, the instruments for (snuffing out/extinguishing) [the wicks of] the lamps, the dishes, and all the other bronze items that the Israeli priests had used for offering sacrifices at the temple.
Bathatha njalo imbiza, lamafotsholo, lezindlawu, lezinditshi lazozonke izitsha zethusi ezazisetshenziswa enkonzweni yasethempelini.
15 The soldiers also took away the (firepans/trays for carrying burning coals), the basins, and [all the other] items made of pure gold or pure silver.
Umlawuli wabalindi besigodlo wathatha indengezi lemiganu yokuchela, konke okwakwenziwe ngegolide elicengekileyo loba isiliva.
16 The bronze from the two pillars, the carts with wheels, and the huge basin were very heavy; they could not be weighed. (Those things had been made/A man named Hiram had made these things) for the temple when Solomon [was the king of Israel].
Ithusi elalivela ensikeni ezimbili, loLwandle kanye lelezidindi ezisusekayo, konke okwakwenzelwe ithempeli likaThixo nguSolomoni, kwakulesisindo esasingelinganiswe.
17 Each of the pillars was (27 feet/8 meters) tall. The bronze capital/top of each pillar was (7-1/2 feet/2.3 meters) high. They were each decorated all around with something that looked like a net made of bronze chains connecting bronze pomegranates.
Ubude bensika ngayinye babuzingalo ezilitshumi lasificaminwembili. Isiduku sethusi phezu kwenye insika sasizingalo ezintathu ubude baso njalo siceciswe ngomeluko lamaphomegranathi ethusi nxazonke. Eyinye insika kanye lomeluko wayo layo yayinjalo.
18 Nebuzaradan took with him to Babylon Seraiah the Supreme Priest, Zephaniah his assistant, and the three men who guarded the entrance [to the temple].
Umlawuli wabalindi wathumba uSeraya induna yabaphristi, loZefaniya umsekeli wakhe kanye labalindi bomnyango abathathu.
19 And they found people who were still hiding in Jerusalem. From those people he took one officer from the Judean army, five of the king’s advisors, the chief secretary of the army commander who was in charge of recruiting men to join the army, and 60 other important Judean men.
Kulabo ababelokhu besedolobheni, wathatha isikhulu esasiphethe amadoda okulwa labacebisi besikhosini abahlanu. Wathatha lonobhala owayeyinduna eyayiphethe ukubuthwa kwabantu bengeniswa emabuthweni kanye lamadoda angamatshumi ayisithupha ayelawo atholakala phakathi komuzi.
20 Nebuzaradan took them all to the king of Babylon at Riblah [city].
UNebhuzaradani umlawuli wabathatha bonke wabasa enkosini yaseBhabhiloni eRibhila.
21 There at Riblah, in Hamath province, the king of Babylon commanded that they all be executed. That is what happened when the people of Judah were (taken forcefully/exiled) from their land [to Babylon].
Khonale eRibhila, elizweni laseHamathi, inkosi yathi kabaqunywe. Ngakho abakoJuda baya ekuthunjweni kude lelizwe labo.
22 Then King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah, who was the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, to be the governor of the people who were still living in Judah.
UNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni wakhetha uGedaliya indodana ka-Ahikhami, oyindodana kaShafani, ukuba aphathe abantu ababesele koJuda.
23 When all the army captains of Judah and their soldiers who had not surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar found out that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah to be the governor, they met with him at Mizpah [town]. These army captains were Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth from Netophah [town], and Jaazaniah from the Maacah region.
Kwathi zonke izikhulu zabalawuli bamabutho lamabutho sebezwile ukuthi inkosi yaseBhabhiloni yayisibeke uGedaliya ukuba nguSibalukhulu, beza kuGedaliya eMizipha izikhulu kungu-Ishumayeli indodana kaNethaniya, uJohanani indodana kaKhareya, uSeraya indodana kaThanihumethi umNethofa, uJazaniya indodana kaMahakhathi, labantu babo.
24 Gedaliah solemnly promised them [that the officials from Babylon were not planning to harm them]. He said, “You may live in this land [without being afraid] and serve the king of Babylon, and [if you do], everything will go well for you.”
UGedaliya wafunga isifungo ebathembisa labantu babo wathi: “Lingesabi izikhulu zaseBhabhiloni. Hlalani elizweni lisebenzele inkosi yaseBhabhiloni, konke kuzalilungela.”
25 But in October of that year, Ishmael, whose grandfather Elishama was one of the relatives of the descendants of King David, went to Mizpah along with ten other men and assassinated/killed Gedaliah and all the men who were with him. There were also men from Judah and men from Babylon whom they assassinated.
Kodwa ngenyanga yesikhombisa u-Ishumayeli indodana kaNethaniya, indodana ka-Elishama, owayezalwa esikhosini, weza lamadoda alitshumi bafika babulala uGedaliya lamadoda akoJuda kanye laweBhabhiloni ayekade elaye eMizipha.
26 Then many [HYP] of the people from Judah, important people and unimportant ones, and the army captains, were very afraid of [what] the Babylonians [would do to them], so they fled to Egypt.
Ngenxa yalokhu, abantu bonke kusukela kubantukazana kusiya kwabaphakemeyo, kanye lezikhulu zamabutho, babalekela eGibhithe ngokwesaba abeBhabhiloni.
27 Thirty-seven years after King Jehoiachin of Judah was taken to Babylon, [Nebuchadnezzar’s son] Evil-Merodach became the king of Babylon. He was kind to Jehoiachin, and on April 2 of that year, he released/freed Jehoiachin from prison.
Ngomnyaka wamatshumi amathathu lesikhombisa wokuthunjwa kukaJehoyakhini inkosi yakoJuda, ngomnyaka u-Evili-Merodakhi aba yinkosi eBhabhiloni, wakhulula uJehoyakhini entolongweni ngosuku lwamatshumi amabili lesikhombisa lwenyanga yetshumi lambili.
28 He always spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and honored him more than the other kings who had been taken/exiled to Babylon.
Wakhuluma laye ngomusa, wamnika isihlalo esihloniphekayo esasingaphezu kwezamanye amakhosi ayelaye eBhabhiloni.
29 He gave Jehoiachin new clothes to replace the clothes that he had been wearing in prison, and he allowed Jehoiachin to eat at the king’s table every day for the rest of his life.
Ngakho uJehoyakhini wakhupha izigqoko zakhe zasentolongweni, wadla lenkosi izikhathi zonke okwempilo yakhe yonke.
30 The king of Babylon also gave him money every day, so that he could buy the things that he needed. The king continued to do that until Jehoiachin died.
Nsuku zonke inkosi yayinika uJehoyakhini isabelo esimisiweyo malanga wonke, empilweni yakhe yonke.
