2 Imilando 15

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

And as for 'Azaryahu the son of 'Oded—on him came the spirit of God;

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 Assa, and said unto him, Hear me, O Assa, and all Judah and Benjamin, The Lord is with you, while ye remain with him; and if ye seek him, he will let himself be found by you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

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

And many days [had elapsed] for Israel, [they being] without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

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

But they returned when they were in distress unto the Lord, the God of Israel, and they sought him, and he let himself be found by them.

5 Ngalezonsuku, ngenxa yokuxokozela okukhulu kwezizwe, kwakungelula ukuhambahamba.

And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, and to him that came in; but there were great confusions among all the inhabitants of the countries.

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

And nation was dashed to pieces against nation, and city against city; for God did confound them with all kind of distress.

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

But as for you, be ye strong, and let not your hands be weak; for there is a reward for your doing.

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 Assa heard these words, and the prophecy of 'Oded the prophet, he was strengthened, and he put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had captured from the mountain of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of the Lord, that was before the porch of the Lord.

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 assembled all Judah and Benjamin, and those that sojourned with them out of Ephraim and Menasseh, and out of Simeon; for they had joined him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

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

And so they assembled themselves at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Assa.

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

And they sacrificed unto the Lord on the same day, of the booty 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 the Lord 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.

So that whosoever would not seek the Lord the God of Israel should be put to death, from the small even up to the great, whether it be man or woman.

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

And they swore unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with [joyful] 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 because of the oath; for with all their heart had they sworn, and with their whole desire did they seek him, and he let himself be found by them: and the Lord gave them rest on every side.

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 concerning Ma'achah the mother of king Assa, he removed her from being queen, because she had made a scandalous image for the grove; and Assa cut down her scandalous image, and had it ground up, and burnt it by 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 removed out of Israel; nevertheless the heart of Assa was entire all his days.

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

And be brought the things which his father had sanctified, and his own sanctified things, into the house of God, —silver, and gold, and vessels.

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

And there was no war until the five-and-thirtieth year of the reign of Assa.