2 Kingi 23

1 Na ka unga tangata atu te kingi, a huihuia ana e ratou nga kaumatua katoa o Hura, o Hiruharama, ki a ia.

Then the king summoned all the elders of Jerusalem and [of the other places in] Judah.

2 Na ka haere te kingi ki te whare o Ihowa, ratou ko nga tangata katoa o Hura, ko nga tangata katoa o Hiruharama, ko nga tohunga, ko nga poropiti, ko te iwi katoa hoki, te iti, te rahi. A korerotia ana e ia ki o ratou taringa nga kupu katoa o te pu kapuka o te kawenata i kitea nei ki te whare o Ihowa.

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 Na tu ana te kingi ki te taha o te pou, a whakaritea ana e ia he kawenata ki te aroaro o Ihowa, ara kia whakapaua tona ngakau, tona wairua, ki te whai ki a Ihowa, ki te pupuri i ana whakahau, i ana whakaaturanga, i ana tikanga, ki te whakamana ho ki i nga kupu o tenei kawenata kua tuhituhia nei ki tenei pukapuka; a tu tonu te iwi katoa ki te kawenata.

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 Na ka whakahau te kingi ki te tino tohunga, ki a Hirikia, ki nga tohunga tuarua, ki nga kaitiaki kuwaha, kia whakaputaina ki waho o te temepara o Ihowa nga oko katoa i hanga ma Paara, mo te Ahera, ma te ope katoa ano hoki o te rangi. Na tahuna an a e ia aua mea ki waho o Hiruharama, ki nga mara i Kitirono, kawea ana nga pungarehu ki Peteere.

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 I whakakahoretia hoki e ia nga tohunga whakapakoko i whakaritea ra e nga kingi o Hura hei tahu whakakakara ki nga wahi tiketike i nga pa o Hura, a ki nga taha o Hiruharama, ratou ko nga kaitahu whakakakara ki a Paara, ki te ra, ki te marama, ki n ga whetu, ki te ope katoa hoki o te rangi.

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 I mauria ano e ia te Ahera i roto i te whare o Ihowa ki waho o Hiruharama, ki te awa ki Kitirono, a tahuna ana ki te awa ki Kitirono, a tukia ana kia ririki, ano he puehu, maka ana te puehu o taua mea ki runga ki nga tanumanga o te iwi nui.

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 I tukitukia ano e ia nga whare o te hunga whakahoroma i te taha o te whare o Ihowa, i te wahi i whatu ai nga wahine i nga pa mo te Ahera.

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 A i whakaputaina e ia nga tohunga katoa i nga pa o Hura, whakapokea iho nga wahi tiketike i tahu whakakakara ai nga tohunga, o Kepa a tae noa ki Peerehepa; a i wahia e ia nga wahi tiketike o nga keti, era i te kuwaha o te keti o Hohua kawana o te pa, i te taha maui o te tangata i te keti o te pa.

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 Otiia kihai nga tohunga o nga wahi tiketike i haere ki te aata a Ihowa i Hiruharama; engari i kai ratou i te taro rewenakore i roto i o ratou teina.

10 A i whakapokea e ia a Topete, tera i te raorao o nga tama a Hinomo, kei mea tetahi tangata kia tika tana tama, tana tamahine ranei, na waenganui i te ahi hei mea ki a Moreke.

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 I whakawateatia atu ano e ia nga hoiho i homai e nga kingi o Hura hei mea ki te ra, i te tomokanga o te whare o Ihowa, i te ruma o Natanamereke, o te kaitiaki ruma, i reira i waho ake; tahuna ana hoki e ia nga hariata o te ra ki te ahi.

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 Na, ko nga aata i te tuanui o te ruma o runga, o Ahata, i hanga ra e nga kingi o Hura, me nga aata i hanga e Manahi ki nga marae e rua e te whare o Ihowa, i tukitukia e te kingi, wahia iho i reira, maka ana te puehu o aua mea ki te awa ki Kitiro no.

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 A, ko nga wahi tiketike, ko era i te ritenga atu o Hiruharama i te taha matau o te maunga o te whakangaromanga, i hanga nei e Horomona kingi o Iharaira ma Ahatorete, ma te mea whakarihariha a nga Haironi, ma Kemoho, ma te mea whakarihariha a nga Moapi, ma Mirikomo, ma te mea whakarihariha a nga tama a Amono, whakapokea iho era e te kingi.

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 I wawahia hoki e ia nga pou, i tapahia ki raro nga Aherimi, a whakakiia ana o ratou wahi ki nga whenua tangata.

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 Ko te aata hoki i Peteere, ko te wahi tiketike i hanga nei e Ieropoama tama a Nepata i hara ai a Iharaira, wahia iho ana e ia taua aata me te wahi tiketike; a tahuna ana e ia te wahi tiketike, tukia ana kia ririki, ano he puehu, a tahuna ana e i a te Ahera.

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 A, i a Hohia e tahuri ana, ka kite ia i nga tanumanga i reira, i te maunga; na ka tonoa e ia he tangata ki te tiki i nga whenua i roto i nga tanumanga, na tahuna ana e ia ki runga ki te aata, whakapokea iho e ia, hei whakarite mo te kupu a Ihowa i korerotia e te tangata a te Atua, i korero nei i enei kupu.

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 Katahi ia ka mea, He aha tena tohu e kite atu nei ahau? Na ka mea nga tangata o te pa ki a ia, Ko te tanumanga ia o te tangata a te Atua i haere mai i Hura, a korerotia ana e ia enei mea kua meatia nei e koe ki te aata i Peteere.

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 Na ka mea ia, Waiho marie ia; kei whakakorikoria ona wheua e tetahi. Na kapea ake ana e ratou ona whenua me nga wheua o te poropiti i haere mai i Hamaria.

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 Na, ko nga whare katoa o nga wahi tiketike, ko era i nga pa o Hamaria, i hanga nei e nga kingi o Iharaira hei whakapataritari i a Ihowa, whakakahoretia ana e Hohia; rite tonu tana i mea ai ki aua whare ki nga mea katoa i mea ai ia ki Peteere.

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 I patua ano hoki e ia nga tohunga katoa o nga wahi tiketike o reira ki runga ki nga aata, tahuna ana hoki nga wheua tangata ki runga ki aua aata, a hoki ana ki Hiruharama.

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 Na ka whakahau te kingi ki te iwi katoa, ka mea, Mahia te kapenga hei mea ki a Ihowa, ki to koutou Atua; kia rite ki te mea i tuhituhia ki tenei pukapuka o te kawenata.

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 He pono kahore he rite mo tena mahinga i te kapenga, mai o nga ra i nga kaiwhakawa i whakarite mo Iharaira, o nga ra katoa i nga kingi o Iharaira, i nga kingi ano o Hura;

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 Engari to te tekau ma waru o nga tau o Kingi Hohia, ara tenei kapenga i mahia nei ki a Ihowa ki Hiruharama.

But now, after Josiah had been ruling for almost 18 years, to [honor] Yahweh they celebrated the Passover Festival in Jerusalem.

24 Na ko te hunga i whai ki nga atua maori, ki nga mata maori, ki nga terapimi, ki nga whakapakoko, ki nga mea whakarihariha katoa i kitea ki te whenua o Hura, ki Hiruharama, whakakahoretia iho e Hohia, kia mana ai i a ia nga kupu o te ture i tuhit uhia ki te pukapuka i kitea e Hirikia tohunga ki te whare o Ihowa.

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 Na kahore he kingi i mua atu i a ia hei rite mona te whakapau o tona ngakau, o tona wairua, o tona kaha, ki te tahuri ki a Ihowa, rite tonu ki te ture katoa a Mohi; kahore hoki kia whakatika tetahi rite mona i muri i a ia.

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 He ahakoa ra, kihai a Ihowa i tahuri ke i te muranga o tona riri nui i mura ai tona riri ki a Hura, mo nga whakapataritaringa katoa i whakapataritari ai a Manahi i a ia.

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 Na ka mea a Ihowa, Ka whakawateatia atu e ahau a Hura hoki i toku aroaro, ka peratia me taku whakawateatanga i a Iharaira, a ka rukea atu e ahau tenei pa i whiriwhiria nei e ahau, a Hiruharama, me te whare i ki ra ahau, Me waiho toku ingoa ki ko nei.

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 Na, ko era atu meatanga a Hohia me ana mahi katoa, kihai ianei i tuhituhia ki te pukapuka o nga meatanga o nga ra o nga kingi o Hura?

[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 I ona ra ka haere a Parao Neko kingi o Ihipa ki te kingi o Ahiria ki te awa ki Uparati: na haere ana a Kingi Hohia ki te tu ki a ia; a whakamatea iho ia e tera ki Mekiro, i tona kitenga i a ia.

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 Na ka mauria atu e ana tangata tona tinana i Mekiro i runga i te hariata, a kawea ana ki Hiruharama, tanumia iho ki tona tanumanga. Na ka mau te iwi o tera whenua ki a Iehoahata tama a Hohia, a whakawahia ana ia, meinga ana hei kingi i muri i to na papa.

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 E rua tekau ma toru nga tau o Iehoahata i tona kingitanga; a e toru nga marama i kingi ai ia ki Hiruharama. A ko te ingoa o tona whaea ko Hamutara, he tamahine na Heremaia o Ripina.

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 A he kino tana mahi ki te titiro a Ihowa; rite tonu ki nga mea katoa i mea ai ona matua.

Joahaz did many things that Yahweh said were evil, just like many of his ancestors had done.

33 Na herea ana ia e Parao Neko ki Ripira, ki te whenua o Hamata, kia kaua ia e kingi ki Hiruharama; a whakaritea ana e ia he takoha ki te whenua, kotahi rau taranata hiriwa, kotahi taranata koura.

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 Na ka meatia e Parao Neko a Eriakimi tama a Hohia hei kingi i muri i tona papa, i a Hohia: whakawhitia ketia ake e ia tona ingoa ko Iehoiakimi; ko Iehoahata ia tangohia ana e ia, kawea ana ki Ihipa, a i mate atu ki reira.

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 Na ka hoatu e Iehoiakimi ki a Parao te hiriwa me te koura; otiia i takohatia e ia te whenua kia hoatu ai te moni i kiia nei e Parao. Tohea ana e ia te hiriwa me te koura ki te iwi o te whenua, te takoha a tenei, a tenei, hei hoatu mana ki a Para o Neko.

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 E rua tekau ma rima nga tau o Iehoiakimi i tona kingitanga; a kotahi tekau ma tahi nga tau i kingi ai ia ki Hiruharama. A ko te ingoa o tona whaea ko Tepura, he tamahine na Peraia o 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 A he kino tana mahi ki te titiro a Ihowa, i rite ki nga mea katoa i mea ai ona matua.

He did many things that Yahweh says are evil, like his ancestors had done.