2 Ebyomumirembe 31
1 Ebyo byonna bwe byaggwa, Abayisirayiri bonna abaaliyo ne bagenda mu bibuga bya Yuda, ne baasaayasa amayinja agaasinzibwanga, ne bamenyaamenya n’empagi za Baasera. Ne basaanyizaawo ddala ebifo ebigulumivu n’ebyoto ebyali mu Yuda, ne mu Benyamini, ne mu Efulayimu ne mu Manase. Awo Abayisirayiri bwe baamala okubisaanyaawo byonna, ne baddayo mu bibuga byabwe, ku butaka bwabwe.
After the festival ended, the Israelis who were there went to all the towns in Judah and smashed the stones/pillars [for worshiping idols], and cut down the poles [for worshiping the goddess] Asherah. They destroyed the shrines on the hilltops and the altars [of Baal] throughout the areas where the tribes of Judah and Benjamin lived, and also in the areas of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. After destroying all of them, they returned to their own towns.
2 Keezeekiya n’addira bakabona n’Abaleevi n’abassa mu bibinja, buli omu ng’obuweereza bwe bwali, oba kabona oba muleevi, okuwangayo ebiweebwayo ebyokebwa n’ebiweebwayo olw’emirembe okuweerezanga, n’okwebazanga, n’okutenderezanga ku nzigi eza yeekaalu ya Mukama.
Hezekiah divided the priests and [other] descendants of Levi into groups. He appointed some of the groups to offer sacrifices that would be completely burned [on the altar] and offerings to maintain fellowship [with Yahweh]. He appointed some groups to do other work at the temple: some to lead the people in their worship, some to thank Yahweh, and some to sing songs to praise to Yahweh at the gates of the temple.
3 Kabaka n’awaayo ku byobugagga bwe ebiweebwayo ebyokebwa eby’enkya n’eby’akawungeezi, n’ebiweebwayo ebyokebwa ebya ssabbiiti, n’eby’emyezi egyakaboneka, n’assaawo n’embaga ezaalagirwa nga bwe kyawandiikibwa mu tteeka lya Mukama.
The king contributed some of his own funds to buy animals that would be sacrificed in the morning and in the evening of each day, and on the Sabbath days, to celebrate the new moons, and during the other feasts, according to what was written in the laws [that Yahweh gave to Moses].
4 N’alagira abantu abaabeeranga mu Yerusaalemi okuwangayo omugabo nga bwe kyali kibagwanira eri bakabona n’Abaleevi, nabo beeweerengayo ddala nga bwe kyalagirwa mu tteeka lya Mukama.
Hezekiah told the people living in Jerusalem to give to the priests and the other descendants of Levi the portions [of meat] that should be given to them, in order that they could devote all their time to obeying the laws of Yahweh.
5 Awo ekiragiro ekyo bwe kyabuna wonna, amangwago Abayisirayiri ne bawaayo ku bibala byabwe ebibereberye bingi eby’eŋŋaano, n’ebya wayini omusu, n’eby’amafuta, n’eby’omubisi gw’enjuki ne ku ebyo byonna ebyava mu nnimiro. Ne baleeta bingi nnyo, ekitundu eky’ekkumi ku buli kintu.
As soon as he told that to the people, they generously gave the first part of their harvest of grain, and the first part of the new wine [that they produced], and [olive] oil and honey, and of the crops that grew in their fields. They brought [to the temple] a tenth of all their crops.
6 Abantu ba Isirayiri ne Yuda abaabeeranga mu bibuga bya Yuda, nabo ne baleeta ekimu eky’ekkumi ku nte n’endiga, n’ekimu eky’ekkumi eky’ebintu ebyatukuzibwa ebyayawulirwa Mukama Katonda waabwe, ne babituuma entuumo.
The men of Israel and Judah who were living in various towns in Judah also brought a tenth of their cattle and sheep and goats, and a tenth of other things that they had dedicated to Yahweh their God, and they piled all those things in heaps.
7 Baatandika okutuuma ebintu ebyo entuumo mu mwezi ogwokusatu ne bamaliriza mu mwezi ogw’omusanvu.
They started to do that in May and finished doing it in September.
8 Awo Keezeekiya n’abakungu be, bwe bajja ne balaba entuumo ne beebaza Mukama, ne basabira n’abantu be, Isirayiri, omukisa.
When Hezekiah and his officials saw the heaps, they praised Yahweh and [requested God to] bless the people.
9 Keezeekiya n’abuuza bakabona n’Abaleevi ebikwata ku ntuumu.
But Hezekiah asked the priests and other descendants of Levi, “Why are these heaps of things here?”
10 Azaliya kabona asinga obukulu ow’omu nnyumba ya Zadooki n’amuddamu nti, “Okuva abantu lwe baatandika okuleeta ebirabo byabwe mu yeekaalu ya Mukama, tubadde n’ebyokulya ebiwera n’ebirala ne bifikkawo, kubanga Mukama awadde abantu be omukisa, n’ebifisseewo bye bino obungi.”
Then Azariah the [Supreme] Priest, a descendant of Zadok, replied, “Since the time that the people started to bring their offerings to the temple, we have had even more food than we need. This has happened because Yahweh has greatly blessed our fellow Israelis, with the result that all this is left over [after we priests and other descendants of Levi took all that we need]!”
11 Awo Keezeekiya n’alagira bateeketeeke amaterekero mu yeekaalu ya Mukama, ne bagateekateeka.
Then Hezekiah ordered that they should prepare storerooms in the temple. So they did that.
12 Ne balyoka baleeta ebirabo, ebintu eby’ekimu eky’ekkumi, n’ebintu ebyatukuzibwa. Konaniya Omuleevi ye yavunaanyizibwanga ebintu ebyo, ate nga Simeeyi muganda we ye mumyuka we.
Then they brought into the storerooms all the tithes and offerings and the things dedicated to Yahweh [which the people had brought]. One of the descendants of Levi whose name was Conaniah was in charge of those things, and his [younger] brother Shimei was his assistant.
13 Yekyeri, ne Azaziya, ne Nakasi, ne Asakeri, ne Yerimosi, Yozabadi, ne Eryeri, ne Isumakiya, ne Makasi ne Benaya be baabayambangako. Konaniya ne Simeeyi muganda we, baalondebwa Kabaka Keezeekiya ne Azaliya omukungu omukulu eyavunaanyizibwanga yeekaalu ya Katonda.
Those two men supervised Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath and Benaiah while they did the work. They were appointed by King Hezekiah; Azariah was in charge of [everything that was done in] the temple.
14 Kole mutabani wa Imuna Omuleevi, omuggazi w’omulyango ogw’ebuvanjuba, ye yavunaanyizibwanga ebyo bye baawangayo eri Katonda ku bwabwe awatali kuwalirizibwa, ng’agabanyamu ebyatonebwanga eri Mukama, n’ebirabo ebyayawulibwanga.
Kore the son of Imnah, another descendant of Levi, who guarded the east gate of the temple, was in charge of the offerings to God that were made voluntarily. He distributed to the priests and [other] descendants of Levi the offerings and other things that were dedicated to Yahweh.
15 Edene, ne Miniyamini, ne Yesuwa, ne Semaaya, ne Amaliya ne Sekaniya, be baamuyambangako n’obwesigwa mu bibuga bya bakabona okugabiranga bakabona bannaabwe ng’ebibinja byabwe bwe byali, abakulu n’abato.
Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shecaniah faithfully assisted him in the towns where the priests lived. They distributed those things to the groups of their fellow priests; they distributed them to everyone, from the youngest to the oldest.
16 Ate era baagabiranga n’abalenzi ab’emyaka esatu n’okukirawo abaali babalibbwa ng’okuzaalibwa kwe mbala bwe kwalinga, abo bonna abayingiranga mu yeekaalu ya Mukama okutuukirizanga emirimu gyabwe nga bwe kyabagwaniranga, mu bibinja byabwe.
They also distributed things to the males who were at least 30 years old, those whose names were written on the scrolls where lists of family names were written. They were males who [were allowed to] enter the temple to perform their tasks/work each day, the tasks that each group had been assigned to do.
17 Ne bagabiranga ne bakabona abaabalibwa ng’enzaalwa mu kubala okw’okuzaalibwa kwabwe bwe kwali, n’Abaleevi abaali ab’emyaka amakumi abiri n’okukirawo ne babagabira ng’eby’obuvunaanyizibwa bwabwe mu bibinja byabwe bwe byali.
The names of the priests were on the scrolls where their clans’ names were written. They also distributed things to groups of [other] descendants of Levi, those who were at least 20 years old.
18 Omwo mwe mwali abaana abato, n’abakyala, ne batabani baabwe, ne bawala baabwe ng’ebitundu byabwe bwe byali biwandiikiddwa mu byafaayo eby’okuzaalibwa. Ne babeera beesigwa mu kwekuuma nga batukuvu.
They included all their little children and wives and other sons and daughters whose names were on the scrolls where their clans’ names were written, because they also faithfully had dedicated themselves to Yahweh.
19 Bazzukulu ba Alooni, bakabona abaabeeranga ku ttaka okwalimibwanga, eryabanga ery’ebibuga byabwe, mu buli kibuga, buli musajja mu bo yaweebwa omugabo, n’abo bonna abaali bawandiikiddwa mu byafaayo eby’okuzaalibwa kw’Abaleevi, nabo ne bagabana.
[Hezekiah] also appointed other men to distribute portions of those offerings to the priests and other descendants of Levi who were living in the pasturelands around the towns in Judah. But they gave things only to those who were descendants of Aaron [the first Supreme Priest], whose names were on the scrolls containing the names of their clans.
20 Bw’atyo Keezeekiya bwe yakola ne mu Yuda yonna, n’akola ebirungi era ebituufu n’obwesigwa mu maaso ga Mukama Katonda we.
That is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah. He always faithfully did things that Yahweh his God considered to be right and good.
21 Buli mulimu gwe yatandika mu buweereza mu yeekaalu ya Katonda, ng’agoberera amateeka n’ebiragiro, yanoonyanga Katonda we, era n’akolanga n’omutima gwe gwonna, n’alaba omukisa.
In everything that he did for the worship in the temple, and as he obeyed God’s laws and commands, he tried to find out what his God wanted, and he worked energetically. So he was successful.
