2 Ihe E Mere 36
1 Ndị ala ahụ kpọọrọ Jehoahaz, nwa nwoke Josaya mee ya eze na Jerusalem, nʼọnọdụ nna ya.
Then the people of Judah chose Josiah’s son Jehoahaz and appointed him as the king in Jerusalem.
2 Jehoahaz gbara iri afọ abụọ na atọ mgbe o bidoro ịchị, ma ọ chịrị na Jerusalem ọnwa atọ.
Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became the king, but he ruled from Jerusalem for [only] three months.
3 Eze Ijipt chụdara ya site nʼọchịchị na Jerusalem, kwagide ndị Juda ka ha tụọra ya ụtụ narị talenti ọlaọcha na otu talenti ọlaedo.
King Neco of Egypt [captured him and] prevented him from ruling any longer. He also forced the people of Judah to pay him a tax of almost four tons of silver and about 75 pounds of gold.
4 Eze Ijipt mere Eliakịm, otu nwanne Jehoahaz, eze ndị Juda na Jerusalem. Ọ gụgharịrị aha Eliakịm ka ọ bụrụ Jehoiakim. Ma Neko duuru Jehoahaz nwanne nwoke Eliakịm gaa Ijipt.
The king of Egypt appointed Jehoahaz’s [younger] brother Eliakim to be the king of Judah. He changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. After Neco captured Jehoahaz, he took him to Egypt.
5 Jehoiakim gbara iri afọ abụọ na ise mgbe ọ malitere ịbụ eze. Ọ chịrị afọ iri na otu na Jerusalem. O mere ihe dị njọ nʼanya Onyenwe anyị Chineke ya.
Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became the king [of Judah], and he ruled from Jerusalem for 11 years. He did things that Yahweh his God considers to be evil.
6 Nebukadneza eze Babilọn busoro ya agha, jiri ụdọ bronz kee ya agbụ, nʼihi i duru ya gaa Babilọn.
Then the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jehoiakim’s army. They [captured Jehoiakim and] bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon.
7 Nebukadneza bukọkwaara efere na iko ọlaedo dị nʼụlọnsọ ukwu Onyenwe anyị, buru ha gaa buba ha nʼụlọeze ya dị na Babilọn.
Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers also took valuable things from the temple; they took them to Babylon and put them in king [Nebuchadnezzar’s] palace there.
8 Akụkọ ọzọ niile gbasara ọchịchị Jehoiakim, na banyere ihe arụ niile o mere, na ihe niile a chọpụtara megide ya, ka e dere nʼakwụkwọ akụkọ ndị eze Izrel na Juda. Jehoiakin nwa ya ghọrọ eze nʼọnọdụ ya.
A record of the other things that happened while Jehoiakim was ruling, the detestable things that he did, including the evil things that people said that he did, is written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah’. After [he was taken to Babylon], his son Jehoiachin became the king [of Judah].
9 Jehoiakin gbara afọ iri na asatọ mgbe ọ malitere ịbụ eze, ọ chịrị naanị ọnwa atọ na abalị iri na Jerusalem. O mere ihe jọrọ njọ nʼanya Onyenwe anyị.
Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became the king [of Judah], and he ruled from Jerusalem for [only] three months and ten days. He did things that Yahweh considers to be evil.
10 Emesịa, nʼafọ nke ọzọ ya, Nebukadneza ziri ozi mee ka akpọrọ ya, na ọtụtụ ihe ndị dị oke ọnụahịa sitere nʼụlọnsọ ukwu Onyenwe anyị, bulaa ha Babilọn nʼoge a. O mere nwanne nna Jehoiakin bụ Zedekaya, eze Juda na Jerusalem.
During the spring of the next year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent [soldiers] to bring him to Babylon. They also took to Babylon many valuable things from the temple of Yahweh. Then Nebuchadnezzar appointed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, to be the king of Judah.
11 Zedekaya gbara iri afọ abụọ na otu mgbe e mere ya eze. Ọ chịrị afọ iri na otu na Jerusalem.
Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became the king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for 11 years.
12 O mere ihe jọrọ njọ nʼanya Onyenwe anyị Chineke ya, o wedaghị onwe ya ala nara ndụmọdụ Jeremaya bụ onye amụma, onye na-ekwu okwu nke Onyenwe anyị.
He did many things that Yahweh his God considered to be evil. And he did not humble himself when the prophet Jeremiah gave him a message from Yahweh [to warn him].
13 Ọzọkwa, o nupuru isi megide eze Nebukadneza, onye mere ka ọ ṅụọ iyi nʼaha Chineke. Ọ ghọrọ onye isiike, onye mechiri obi ya, jụ ichigharịkwute Onyenwe anyị, Chineke Izrel.
He would not return to Yahweh, the God that the people of Israel [said that they worshiped]. Zedekiah also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had forced him to solemnly promise using God’s name [to be loyal to him]. Zedekiah became very stubborn.
14 Nʼime ka ihe dị njọ karịa, mmadụ niile, tinyere ndị ndu nʼetiti ndị nchụaja, nọgidere bụrụ ndị na-ekwesighị ntụkwasị obi, site nʼịgbaso omenaala rụrụ arụ nke mba niile gbara ha gburugburu. Ha merụrụ ụlọnsọ Onyenwe anyị, nke o doro nsọ nʼime Jerusalem.
Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and also the people [of Judah] became more wicked again, doing all the detestable things that the people of the other nations did, and causing the temple in Jerusalem that Yahweh had caused to be holy to become [an] unacceptable [place to worship him].
15 Onyenwe anyị, Chineke nna nna ha, sitere nʼọnụ ndị amụma ya gwa ha okwu mgbe na mgbe, ịdọ ha aka na ntị. O mere nke a nʼihi na o nwere obi ebere nʼebe ha nọ, na nʼebe ụlọnsọ ukwu ya dị.
Yahweh, the God whom the ancestors [of the people of Judah belonged to/worshiped], gave messages to his prophets many times, and the prophets told those messages to the people of Judah. Yahweh did that because he pitied his people and did not want his temple to be destroyed.
16 Ma ha kwara ndị amụma Chineke ndị a emo, lelịa okwu Chineke ha wetara anya, chịa amụma ha buru ọchị, tutu ruo mgbe ha kpasuru ọnụma Onyenwe anyị megide ndị ya, ruo mgbe ihe ọbụla na-adịghịkwa nke pụrụ igbochi ngosipụta oke ọnụma a.
But the people continually made fun of God’s messengers. They despised God’s messages. They ridiculed his prophets, until finally God became extremely angry with his people, with the result that nothing could stop him [from destroying Judah].
17 Ya mere, o welitara eze Kaldịa imegide ha, bụ onye ji mma agha gbuchapụ ụmụ okorobịa ha nʼụlọ ebe nsọ ha. O nweghịkwa ọmịiko nʼebe ụmụ okorobịa, maọbụ ụmụ agbọghọ dị, ndị okenye maọbụ ndị nrịa nrịa. Chineke weere ha niile nyefee ha nʼaka Nebukadneza.
He incited the king of Babylonia to attack [Judah with his army]. They killed the young men with their swords, even in the temple. They did not spare/pity anyone, young men or young women or old people. God enabled the army of Nebuchadnezzar to kill all of them.
18 O sitere nʼụlọnsọ ukwu Chineke kpokọrọ ihe niile dị nʼime ya, ma ihe ukwu ma ihe nta, tinyere akụ niile dị nʼime ụlọnsọ Onyenwe anyị, na nʼụlọeze, na nʼụlọ ndịisi ozi eze buru ha gaa Babilọn.
His soldiers took to Babylon all the things that were used in God’s temple—big things and little things, all the valuable things, and the valuable things that belonged to the king and his officials.
19 Ha sunyere ụlọnsọ Chineke ọkụ, kwatukwa mgbidi Jerusalem. Ha sunyere ụlọeze niile ọkụ, mebikwaa ihe niile ndị bara uru dị nʼime ya.
They burned the temple, and they broke down the wall surrounding Jerusalem. They burned all the palaces [in Jerusalem] and destroyed all the remaining valuable things there.
20 Ha buuru ndị fọdụrụ, bụ ndị niile gbanarịrị mma agha, gaa Babilọn, ha ghọrọ ya, ghọkwara ụmụ ya ndị nọchiri anya ya, ndị ohu, tutu ruo mgbe ehiwere alaeze Peshịa.
Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers took to Babylon the remaining people who had not been killed with their swords. Then those people became the king’s slaves and his son’s slaves, until the [army of the] king of Persia conquered [the army of Babylonia].
21 Ala ahụ nwere ụbọchị izuike niile kwesiri ya nʼebe o zuruoke, nʼoge niile nke ịtọgbọ nʼefu ya, o zuru ike, ruo mgbe iri afọ asaa ahụ zuru, nʼimezu okwu Onyenwe anyị kwuru site nʼọnụ Jeremaya onye amụma.
[Moses had said that every seventh year the people must not plant their fields; they must allow the soil to rest. But the people had not done that. So after the army of Babylonia destroyed Judah, ] the soil was allowed to rest. That continued for 70 years, fulfilling what Yahweh told Jeremiah and what Jeremiah had predicted/prophesied would happen.
22 Ma nʼafọ mbụ nke ọchịchị Sairọs eze Peshịa, ime ka okwu Onyenwe anyị nke sitere nʼọnụ Jeremaya mezuo, Onyenwe anyị kpaliri mmụọ Sairọs, eze Peshịa ka o mee mkpọsa nʼalaeze ya niile, ma denyekwa ya nʼakwụkwọ iwu, sị,
During the first year that Cyrus was the king of Persia, in order that what Yahweh told Jeremiah would happen would occur, Yahweh motivated Cyrus to write this and proclaim it throughout his kingdom:
23 “Otu a ka Sairọs, eze Peshịa kwuru: “‘Onyenwe anyị, Chineke nke eluigwe, e nyela m alaeze niile nke dị nʼụwa. O nyekwala m ọrụ iwuru ya ụlọnsọ na Jerusalem, nke dị na Juda. Ya mere, onye ya ọbụla nʼetiti ndị ya nwere ike ịga, ka Onyenwe anyị Chineke ha nọnyekwara ha.’”
“I, Cyrus, the king of Persia, declare that Yahweh, the God [who rules] in heaven, has enabled me to become the ruler of all the kingdoms of this world. And he wants me to [command that my workers] build a temple {a temple be built} for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of his people living among you people of Persia are allowed to go to Jerusalem. And I will pray that Yahweh will be with them.”
