2 Athamaki 23
1 Hĩndĩ ĩyo mũthamaki agĩtũmanĩra athuuri othe a Juda na a Jerusalemu moongane hamwe.
Then the king summoned all the elders of Jerusalem and [of the other places in] Judah.
2 Nake akĩambata agĩthiĩ hekarũ-inĩ ya Jehova arĩ hamwe na andũ a Juda, na andũ a Jerusalemu, na athĩnjĩri-Ngai, na anabii, andũ othe kuuma ũrĩa mũnini mũno nginya ũrĩa mũnene mũno. Mũthamaki agĩthoma ciugo ciothe cia Ibuku rĩa Kĩrĩkanĩro, rĩrĩa rĩonekete thĩinĩ wa hekarũ ya Jehova makĩiguaga.
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.
3 Nake mũthamaki akĩrũgama hau gĩtugĩ-inĩ, akĩerũhia kĩrĩkanĩro arĩ mbere ya Jehova, atĩ nĩarĩrũmagĩrĩra Jehova, na arũmie maathani make, na mawatho make, o na kĩrĩra kĩa watho wake wa kũrũmĩrĩrwo na ngoro yake yothe, na muoyo wake wothe, nĩguo ahingie ciugo cia kĩrĩkanĩro iria ciaandĩkĩtwo ibuku-inĩ rĩu. Hĩndĩ ĩyo andũ othe makĩĩranĩra atĩ nĩmarĩhingagia kĩrĩkanĩro kĩu.
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.
4 Nake mũthamaki agĩatha Hilikia mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai ũrĩa mũnene, na athĩnjĩri-Ngai arĩa maarĩ anini ake, na aikaria a mĩrango, mathengie kuuma hekarũ-inĩ ya Jehova indo ciothe iria ciathondekeirwo Baali na Ashera, na mbũtũ yothe ya igũrũ, agĩcicinĩra nja ya Jerusalemu mĩgũnda-inĩ ya Gĩtuamba gĩa Kidironi, na agĩtwara mũhu wacio Betheli.
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].
5 Nake akĩeheria athĩnjĩri-ngai cia mĩhianano arĩa maamũrĩtwo nĩ athamaki a Juda macinagĩre ũbumba kũndũ kũrĩa gũtũũgĩru thĩinĩ wa matũũra ma Juda na matũũra marĩa maarigiicĩirie Jerusalemu, arĩa maacinagĩra Baali ũbumba, na riũa, na mweri, na njata iria nene, o na mbũtũ ciothe cia igũrũ.
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.
6 Nake akĩruta gĩtugĩ kĩa Ashera kuuma hekarũ-inĩ ya Jehova, agĩgĩtwara Gĩtuamba-inĩ gĩa Kidironi nja ya Jerusalemu, na agĩgĩcinĩra kuo. Agĩgĩthĩa, gĩgĩtuĩka ta rũkũngũ, akĩhurunjĩra rũkũngũ rũu rwakĩo mbĩrĩra-inĩ cia andũ arĩa mataarĩ na igweta.
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.
7 Ningĩ agĩcooka akĩmomora nyũmba cia ihooero cia maraya ma arũme, iria ciarĩ hekarũ-inĩ ya Jehova, na nokuo atumia maatumagĩra macuka ma Ashera.
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.
8 Josia akĩrehe athĩnjĩri-Ngai othe kuuma matũũra-inĩ mothe ma Juda, na agĩtharia kũndũ kũrĩa gũtũũgĩru, kuuma Geba nginya Birishiba kũrĩa athĩnjĩri-ngai maacinagĩra ũbumba, akĩmomora igongona iria ciarĩ ihingo-inĩ, o na itoonyero-inĩ rĩa Kĩhingo kĩa Joshua, mũnene wa itũũra rĩrĩa inene, kĩrĩa kĩarĩ mwena wa ũmotho wa kĩhingo gĩa itũũra rĩu inene.
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.
9 O na gwatuĩka athĩnjĩri-ngai a kũndũ kũrĩa gũtũũgĩru matiatungataga kĩgongona-inĩ kĩa Jehova kũu Jerusalemu-rĩ, nĩmarĩĩaga mĩgate ĩtarĩ mĩimbie hamwe na athĩnjĩri-Ngai arĩa angĩ.
10 Nĩaathũkirie Tofeti ĩrĩa yarĩ Gĩtuamba-inĩ kĩa Beni-Hinomu, nĩ ũndũ ũcio gũtirĩ mũndũ ũngĩarutire mũriũ kana mwarĩ arĩ igongona rĩa njino kũrĩ Moleku.
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.
11 Akĩeheria mbarathi iria athamaki a Juda maamũrĩire riũa kuuma itoonyero-inĩ rĩa hekarũ ya Jehova. Nacio ciarĩ nja hakuhĩ na kanyũmba ka mũnene wetagwo Nathani-Meleku. Josia agĩcooka agĩcina ngaari cia ita iria ciamũrĩirwo riũa.
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.
12 Ningĩ akĩmomora igongona iria ciakĩtwo nĩ athamaki a Juda nyũmba igũrũ hakuhĩ na kanyũmba ka igũrũ ka Ahazu, na igongona iria ciakĩtwo nĩ Manase kũu nja cierĩ cia hekarũ ya Jehova. Agĩcieheria kuuma hau, agĩcihehenja tũcunjĩ, na agĩte rũkũngũ rũu Gĩtuamba-inĩ gĩa Kidironi.
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.
13 Mũthamaki agĩcooka agĩthũkia kũndũ kũrĩa gũtũũgĩru kũrĩa kwarĩ mwena wa irathĩro wa Jerusalemu, mwena wa gũthini wa Kĩrĩma gĩa Kũniinanĩrwo, kũrĩa Solomoni mũthamaki wa Isiraeli aakĩire Ashitorethu ngai ya mũndũ-wa-nja ĩrĩ thaahu ya Asidoni, na kũrĩa aakĩire Kemoshu ngai ĩrĩ thaahu ya Moabi, o na kwa Moleku ngai ĩrĩ magigi ya andũ a Amoni.
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.
14 Josia akĩhehenja mahiga marĩa maamũre, na akĩmomora mĩhianano ya itugĩ cia Ashera, na agĩkũhumbĩra na mahĩndĩ ma andũ.
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].
15 O nakĩo kĩgongona kĩrĩa kĩarĩ Betheli, handũ harĩa hatũũgĩru haathondeketwo nĩ Jeroboamu mũrũ wa Nebati, ũrĩa watũmire Isiraeli meehie, kĩgongona kĩu na handũ hau hatũũgĩru, agĩcimomora. Agĩcina handũ hau hatũũgĩru, akĩhathĩa nginya hagĩtuĩka mũtu, na agĩcina gĩtugĩ kĩa Ashera o nakĩo.
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.
16 Ningĩ Josia akĩroranga kũu, na rĩrĩa onire mbĩrĩra iria ciarĩ mwena-inĩ wa kĩrĩma, agĩthikũrithia mahĩndĩ kuuma mbĩrĩra-inĩ, akĩmacinĩra kĩgongona-inĩ nĩguo agĩthaahie, kũringana na kiugo kĩa Jehova kĩrĩa kĩarĩtio nĩ mũndũ wa Ngai ũrĩa warathĩte maũndũ macio matanekĩka.
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.
17 Mũthamaki akĩũria atĩrĩ, “Mbĩrĩra ĩĩrĩa ndĩrona nĩ ya ũ?” Nao andũ a itũũra rĩu inene makĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ mbĩrĩra ya mũndũ wa Ngai ũrĩa woimĩte Juda, na akĩaria maũndũ ma gũũkĩrĩra kĩgongona kĩa Betheli, o maũndũ marĩa warĩkia gwĩka ihiga rĩu.”
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.”
18 Nake akiuga atĩrĩ, “Tiganai nayo. Mũtigetĩkĩrie mũndũ o naũ aringithie mahĩndĩ make.” Nĩ ũndũ ũcio matiahutirie mahĩndĩ make o na ma mũnabii ũrĩa woimĩte Samaria.
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.
19 O ta ũrĩa Josia eekĩte Betheli, Josia nĩeheririe na agĩthaahia mahooero ma kũndũ kũrĩa gũtũũgĩru marĩa maakĩtwo nĩ athamaki a Isiraeli matũũra-inĩ ma Samaria marĩa marakarĩtie Jehova.
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.
20 Josia akĩũragĩra athĩnjĩri-ngai othe a kũndũ kũu gũtũũgĩru igũrũ rĩa igongona icio, na agĩcinĩra mahĩndĩ ma andũ igũrũ rĩacio. Agĩcooka agĩthiĩ Jerusalemu.
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.
21 Mũthamaki akĩruta watho ũyũ kũrĩ andũ othe, akĩmeera atĩrĩ, “Kũngũĩrai Bathaka ya Jehova Ngai wanyu, o ta ũrĩa kwandĩkĩtwo Ibuku-inĩ rĩĩrĩ rĩa Kĩrĩkanĩro.”
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].
22 Na gũtiarĩ na Bathaka ĩngĩ yakũngũĩirwo ta ĩyo kuuma hĩndĩ ya atiirĩrĩri bũrũri arĩa matongoragia Isiraeli kana matukũ-inĩ mothe ma athamaki a Isiraeli na athamaki a Juda.
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.
23 Mwaka-inĩ wa ikũmi na ĩnana wa Mũthamaki Josia, Bathaka ĩyo ya Jehova nĩyakũngũĩirwo kũu Jerusalemu.
But now, after Josiah had been ruling for almost 18 years, to [honor] Yahweh they celebrated the Passover Festival in Jerusalem.
24 Ningĩ Josia nĩeheririe aragũri, na andũ arĩa maarĩ na maroho ma kũragũra, na ngai cia kũhooya nacio mĩciĩ-inĩ, na ngai cia mĩhianano, na indo iria ingĩ ciothe irĩ magigi cionekire kũu Juda na Jerusalemu. Eekire ũguo ahingie watho ũrĩa waandĩkĩtwo ibuku-inĩ rĩrĩa Hilikia ũrĩa mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai onire hekarũ-inĩ ya Jehova.
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.
25 Mbere na thuutha wa Josia gũtiarĩ mũthamaki ũngĩ take, wacookereire Jehova ta ũrĩa eekire: na ngoro yake yothe na muoyo wake wothe, na hinya wake wothe, kũringana na watho wothe wa Musa.
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.
26 No rĩrĩ, Jehova ndaigana kũgarũrũka atige marakara make mahiũ, marĩa maakanaga ma gũũkĩrĩra Juda, nĩ ũndũ wa maũndũ marĩa mothe Manase eekĩte ma kũmũrakaria.
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.
27 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio Jehova akiuga atĩrĩ, “Nĩngweheria Juda o nayo mbere yakwa, o ta ũrĩa ndeheririe Isiraeli, na nĩngarega Jerusalemu, itũũra inene rĩrĩa ndeethurĩire, na ndege hekarũ ĩno, ĩrĩa ndoigire ũhoro wayo atĩrĩ, ‘Kũu nĩkuo Rĩĩtwa rĩakwa rĩgaatũũra.’”
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.”
28 Ha ũhoro wa maũndũ marĩa mangĩ makoniĩ wathani wa Josia, na marĩa eekire, githĩ matiandĩkĩtwo ibuku-inĩ rĩa mahinda ma athamaki a Juda?
[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’.
29 Hĩndĩ ĩrĩa Josia aarĩ mũthamaki-rĩ, nĩguo Firaũni-Neko mũthamaki wa Misiri aambatire Rũũĩ-inĩ rwa Farati agateithie mũthamaki wa Ashuri. Nake Mũthamaki Josia agĩthiĩ kũmũtũnga mbaara-inĩ, no rĩrĩ, Neko akĩrũa nake, akĩmũũragĩra kũu Megido.
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.
30 Nacio ndungata cia Josia igĩkuua mwĩrĩ wake na ngaari ya ita kuuma Megido, ikĩũrehe Jerusalemu, na ikĩmũthika mbĩrĩra-inĩ yake. Nao andũ a bũrũri makĩoya Jehoahazu mũrũ wa Josia, makĩmũitĩrĩria maguta, makĩmũtua mũthamaki ithenya rĩa ithe.
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.
31 Jehoahazu aarĩ wa mĩaka mĩrongo ĩĩrĩ na ĩtatũ rĩrĩa aatuĩkire mũthamaki, na agĩthamaka Jerusalemu mĩeri ĩtatũ. Nyina eetagwo Hamutali mwarĩ wa Jeremia, na oimĩte Libina.
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].
32 Nake agĩĩka maũndũ mooru maitho-inĩ ma Jehova, o ta ũrĩa maithe make meekĩte.
Joahaz did many things that Yahweh said were evil, just like many of his ancestors had done.
33 Firaũni Neko nĩamuohire na mĩnyororo kũu Ribila, bũrũri wa Hamathu, nĩguo ndakae gwathana Jerusalemu, na akĩhatĩrĩria andũ a Juda marute igooti rĩa taranda igana rĩmwe cia betha, na taranda ĩmwe ya thahabu.
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.
34 Firaũni Neko agĩtua Eliakimu mũriũ wa Josia mũthamaki ithenya rĩa ithe Josia, na akĩgarũra rĩĩtwa rĩa Eliakimu akĩmũtua Jehoiakimu, no agĩkuua Jehoahazu akĩmũtwara Misiri, na kũu nĩkuo aakuĩrĩire.
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.
35 Jehoiakimu akĩrĩha Firaũni Neko betha na thahabu iria eetĩtie. Nĩgeetha ahote gwĩka ũguo, agĩĩtia andũ a bũrũri igooti na hinya, agĩkĩũngania betha na thahabu kuuma kũrĩ andũ a bũrũri kũringana na ũhoti wao.
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.
36 Jehoiakimu aarĩ wa mĩaka mĩrongo ĩĩrĩ na ĩtano rĩrĩa aatuĩkire mũthamaki, nake agĩthamaka arĩ Jerusalemu mĩaka ikũmi na ũmwe. Nyina etagwo Zebida mwarĩ wa Pedaia; nake oimĩte Ruma.
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].
37 Nake agĩĩka maũndũ mooru maitho-inĩ ma Jehova o ta ũrĩa maithe make meekĩte.
He did many things that Yahweh says are evil, like his ancestors had done.
