2 Imilando 15

1 Umoya kaNkulunkulu wehlela phezu kuka-Azariya indodana ka-Odedi.

And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.

2 Waphuma ukuba ayehlangabezana lo-Asa wasesithi kuye, “Lalela kimi, Asa labo bonke abakoJuda labakoBhenjamini. UThixo ulawe nxa wena ukuye. Nxa umfuna, uzamthola, kodwa nxa umlahla uzakulahla.

And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. Jehovah is with you while ye are with him. And if ye seek him, he will be found of you, but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

3 Okwesikhathi eside abako-Israyeli babengelaye uNkulunkulu weqiniso, bengelaye umphristi wokufundisa njalo bengelawo umthetho.

Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

4 Kodwa osizini lwabo baphendukela kuThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, bamdinga bamthola.

But when in their distress they turned to Jehovah, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.

5 Ngalezonsuku, ngenxa yokuxokozela okukhulu kwezizwe, kwakungelula ukuhambahamba.

And in those times there was no peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the lands.

6 Kwakulencithakalo isizwe sichithwa ngesinye, umuzi uchithwa ngomunye, ngoba uNkulunkulu wabehlisela zonke inhlobonhlobo zosizi.

And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city. For God vexed them with all adversity.

7 Kodwa wena, qina ungayekethisi, ngoba owakho umsebenzi uzakuba lomvuzo.”

But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack. For your work shall be rewarded.

8 U-Asa wathi ewezwa lamazwi lesiphrofethi sika-Azariya indodana ka-Odedi umphrofethi, waqina waba lesibindi. Wasusa zonke izithombe ezinengisayo kulolonke ilizwe lakoJuda lelakoBhenjamini lasemizini ayeyithumbile emaqaqeni ako-Efrayimi. Wavuselela i-alithari likaThixo elaliphambi komkoto wethempeli likaThixo.

And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill-country of Ephraim. And he renewed the altar of Jehovah, that was before the porch of Jehovah.

9 Wasebuthanisa bonke abakoJuda labakoBhenjamini kanye labantu ababevela ko-Efrayimi, lakoManase kanye lakoSimiyoni ababehlezi phakathi kwabo, ngoba babebanengi kakhulu abako-Israyeli ababethe ngokubona ukuthi uThixo uNkulunkulu wayelaye bathutha beza ngakuye.

And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who sojourned with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon, for they came to him out of Israel in abundance when they saw that Jehovah his God was with him.

10 Babuthana eJerusalema ngenyanga yesithathu ngomnyaka wetshumi lanhlanu wokubusa kuka-Asa.

So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

11 Ngalesosikhathi benza imihlatshelo kuThixo eyezinkomo ezingamakhulu ayisikhombisa lezimvu kanye lembuzi eziyizinkulungwane eziyisikhombisa kulezo ababezithumbe babuya lazo.

And they sacrificed to Jehovah in that day of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

12 Benza isivumelwano sokuba bamdinge uThixo, uNkulunkulu wabokhokho babo, ngezinhliziyo zabo ezipheleleyo langomoya.

And they entered into the covenant to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul.

13 Bonke ababengayi kumdinga uThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, babefanele babulawe, loba bebancinyane loba bebakhulu, loba kungowesilisa kumbe owesifazane.

And that whoever would not seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

14 Benza isifungo kuThixo ngokuvungama, bememeza njalo bevuthela lamacilongo lempondo.

And they swore to Jehovah with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.

15 AbakoJuda bathokoza bonke ngesifungo ngoba babesenze ngenhliziyo yabo yonke. Bamdinga uThixo ngokulangatha, wabavumela ukuthi bamthole. Ngakho uThixo wabanika ukuthula inxa zonke.

And all Judah rejoiced at the oath. For they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them. And Jehovah gave them rest round about.

16 Inkosi u-Asa yasusa ugogo wayo uMahakha esikhundleni sokuba yindlovukazi ngoba wayenze insika yokukhonzela unkulunkulukazi u-Ashera oyisinengiso. U-Asa wayidiliza insika, wayiqumaquma wayitshisela eSigodini saseKhidironi.

And also he removed Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah. And Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

17 Lanxa engasusanga izindawo zokukhonzela ko-Israyeli, u-Asa wayezinikele kuThixo ngenhliziyo yakhe yonke empilweni yakhe yonke.

But the high places were not taken away out of Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.

18 Wangenisa ethempelini likaNkulunkulu isiliva legolide lezinto lezo yena kanye loyise ababezahlukanisele uThixo.

And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.

19 Akusazange kube lempi kwaze kwaba ngumnyaka wamatshumi amathathu lanhlanu wokubusa kuka-Asa.

And there was no more war to the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.