2 Imilando 24

1 UJowashi waba yinkosi eleminyaka eyisikhombisa yokuzalwa, njalo wabusa eJerusalema okweminyaka engamatshumi amane. Ibizo likanina linguZibhiya owayevela eBherishebha.

Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he was ruling for forty years in Jerusalem: his mother's name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba.

2 UJowashi wenza okulungileyo phambi kukaThixo iminyaka yonke uJehoyada engumphristi.

And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord as long as Jehoiada the priest was living.

3 UJehoyada wamdingela abafazi ababili, wazala amadodana lamadodakazi.

And Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he became the father of sons and daughters.

4 Ngemva kwesikhathi esithile uJowashi wabona kufanele ukuthi alungise kutsha ithempeli likaThixo.

Now after this Joash had a desire to put the house of the Lord into good order again;

5 Wabuthanisa abaphristi labaLevi wathi kubo: “Yanini emizini yakoJuda liyeqoqa imali yomnyaka ngomnyaka kuye wonke umʼIsrayeli, lilungiswe kutsha ithempeli likaNkulunkulu wenu. Kwenzeni khathesi.” Kodwa abaLevi abazange bakwenze masinyane.

And getting together the priests and Levites, he said to them, Go out into the towns of Judah year by year, and get from all Israel money to keep the house of your God in good condition; and see that this is done without loss of time. The Levites, however, were slow in doing so.

6 Ngakho inkosi yabiza uJehoyada umphristi omkhulu yathi kuye, “Kungani ungatshelanga abaLevi ukuba baqoqe koJuda laseJerusalema umthelo owabekwa nguMosi inceku kaThixo kanye lasebandleni lako-Israyeli okweThente loBufakazi na?”

Then the king sent for Jehoiada, the chief priest, and said to him, Why have you not given the Levites orders that the tax fixed by Moses, the servant of the Lord, and by the meeting of Israel, for the Tent of witness, is to be got in from Judah and Jerusalem and handed over?

7 Amadodana ka-Athaliya umfazi oxhwalileyo adiliza ithempeli likaNkulunkulu abuye azisebenzisela lezinto zalo ezingcwele kuboBhali.

For the house of the Lord had been broken up by Athaliah, that evil woman, and her sons; and all its holy things they had given to the Baals.

8 Ngokulaya kwenkosi, kwenziwa ibhokisi labekwa phandle, esangweni lethempeli likaThixo.

So at the king's order they made a chest and put it outside the doorway of the house of the Lord.

9 Kwasekumenyezelwa kulolonke elakoJuda laseJerusalema ukuba kulethwe kuThixo, umthelo owawumiswe nguMosi inceku kaNkulunkulu enkangala ukuba uzakhitshwa ngabako-Israyeli.

And an order was sent out through all Judah and Jerusalem that payment was to be made to the Lord of the tax which Moses, the servant of God, had put on Israel in the waste land.

10 Izikhulu zonke labantu bonke baletha okwabo ngokujabula, bakufaka ebhokisini laze lagcwala.

And all the chiefs and all the people came gladly and put their money into the chest, till they had all given.

11 Kwakusithi nxa ibhokisi lingalethwa ngabaLevi ezikhulwini zenkosi zithi zingabona ukuthi sekulemali enengi, unobhala wesigodlweni lesikhulu somphristi omkhulu bafike bathulule okwakusebhokisini babe sebelibuyisela endaweni yalo. Bakwenza lokho ngezikhathi zonke baze babuthelela imali enengi kakhulu.

So when the chest was taken to the king's servants by the Levites, and they saw that there was much money in it, the king's scribe and the chief priest's servant took the money out, and put the chest back in its place. They did this day by day, and got together a great amount of money.

12 Inkosi loJehoyada baholisa abantu ababesenza umsebenzi owawufanele wenziwe ethempelini likaThixo. Baqhatsha ababazi bamatshe lababazi ukuze bakhe kutsha ithempeli likaThixo, labakhandi bezinsimbi kanye labakhandi bethusi besakha kutsha ithempeli.

Then the king and Jehoiada gave it to those who were responsible for getting the work done on the Lord's house, and with it they got wall-builders and woodworkers and metal-workers to put the house of the Lord in good order again.

13 Amadoda ayebona ngokuqhutshwa komsebenzi ayekhaliphile, njalo umsebenzi ayewukhangele waqhubeka kuhle. Lakhiwa kutsha ithempeli likaNkulunkulu labuyela esimeni salo elaliyiso njalo baliqinisa.

So the workmen did their work, making good what was damaged and building up the house of God till it was strong and beautiful again.

14 Bathe sebeqedile, baletha imali eyasalayo enkosini lakuJehoyada, benza ngayo impahla zethempeli likaThixo: izitsha zokusebenzela kanye lezeminikelo yokutshiswa, izinditshi lezinye izitsha zegolide lezesiliva. UJehoyada esaphila, iminikelo yokutshiswa yayihlezi ikhona ethempelini likaThixo.

And when the work was done, they took the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and it was used for making the vessels for the house of the Lord, all the vessels needed for the offerings, the spoons and the vessels of gold and silver. And as long as Jehoiada was living, the regular burned offerings were offered in the house of the Lord.

15 UJehoyada wayeseluphele eleminyaka eminengi, wafa eleminyaka yokuzalwa elikhulu elilamatshumi amathathu.

But Jehoiada became old and full of days, and he came to his end; he was a hundred and thirty years old at the time of his death.

16 Wangcwatshwa lamakhosi eMzini kaDavida ngenxa yalokho okuhle akwenza ko-Israyeli ekwenzela uNkulunkulu ethempelini lakhe.

And they put him into his last resting-place in the town of David, among the kings, because he had done good in Israel for God and for his house.

17 Ngemva kokufa kukaJehoyada, izikhulu zakoJuda zayakhonza enkosini uJowashi, yazilalela.

Now after the death of Jehoiada, the chiefs of Judah came and went down on their faces before the king. Then the king gave ear to them.

18 Balidela ithempeli likaThixo, uNkulunkulu waboyise, basebekhonza izinsika zika-Ashera, lezithombe zakhe. Ngenxa yalesisono, ulaka lukaNkulunkulu lwehlela phezu kwabakoJuda laseJerusalema.

And they gave up the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and became worshippers of pillars of wood and of the images; and because of this sin of theirs, wrath came on Judah and Jerusalem.

19 Lanxa uThixo wathumela abaphrofethi ebantwini ukuba bababuyisele kuye njalo lanxa bafakaza ngokungavumelani labo, abazange babalalele.

And the Lord sent them prophets to make them come back to him; and they gave witness against them, but they would not give ear.

20 Ngakho uMoya kaNkulunkulu wehlela kuZakhariya indodana yomphristi uJehoyada. Wema phambi kwabantu wathi, “Nanku okutshiwo nguNkulunkulu: ‘Kungani lingalaleli imilayo kaThixo? Aliyikuphumelela. Ngenxa yokumlahla uThixo elikwenzileyo, laye uselilahlile.’”

Then the spirit of God came on Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, and, getting up before the people, he said to them, God has said, Why do you go against the orders of the Lord, so that everything goes badly for you? because you have given up the Lord, he has given you up.

21 Kodwa bamhlamukela, kwathi ngokuqondisa kwenkosi bamkhanda bambulala ngamatshe egumeni lethempeli likaThixo.

But when they had made a secret design against him, he was stoned with stones, by the king's order, in the outer square of the Lord's house.

22 INkosi uJowashi ayizange izihluphe ngomusa eyayiwenzelwe nguJehoyada uyise kaZakhariya kodwa yabulala indodana yakhe, yona yathi ekufeni kwayo, “UThixo kakubone lokhu, aphindisele.”

So King Joash did not keep in mind how good Jehoiada his father had been to him, but put his son to death. And in the hour of his death he said, May the Lord see it and take payment!

23 Ekupheleni komnyaka amabutho ama-Aramu ahlasela uJowashi; ahlasela koJuda laseJerusalema abulala bonke abakhokheli babantu. Impango yonke ayithumela enkosini yawo eDamaseko.

Now in the spring, the army of the Aramaeans came up against him; they came against Judah and Jerusalem, putting to death all the great men of the people and sending all the goods they took from them to the king of Damascus.

24 Kwathi loba impi yama-Aramu yayikade ize lamadoda amalutshwana, uThixo wanikela ezandleni zawo ibutho elikhulu kakhulu. Njengoba abakoJuda babemlahlile uThixo, uNkulunkulu wabokhokho babo, uJowashi wehlulelwa ngokufaneleyo.

For though the army of Aram was only a small one, the Lord gave a very great army into their hands, because they had given up the Lord, the God of their fathers. So they put into effect the punishment of Joash.

25 Ama-Aramu athi esehlehla, atshiya uJowashi elimele kakhulu. Izikhulu zakhe zamhlamukela ngokubulala kwakhe indodana kaJehoyada umphristi, zahle zambulalela embhedeni wakhe. Ngakho wafa wayangcwatshwa eMzini kaDavida, kodwa kungasikho emathuneni amakhosi.

And when they had gone away from him, (for he was broken with disease, ) his servants made a secret design against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they put him to death on his bed; and they put his body into the earth in the town of David, but not in the resting-place of the kings.

26 Laba abaceba ukumbulala kwakunguZabhadi, indodana kaShimeyathi owesifazane wama-Amoni loJehozabhadi, indodana kaShimirithi owesifazane wamaMowabi.

Those who made designs against him were Zabad, the son of Shimeath, an Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, the son of Shimrith, a Moabite woman.

27 Imbali yamadodana akhe, iziphrofethi ezinengi ngaye, lembali yokwakhiwa kutsha kwethempeli likaNkulunkulu kulotshiwe egwalweni lwezindaba zamakhosi. U-Amaziya indodana yakhe waba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.

Now the story of his sons, and all the words said by the prophet against him, and the building up again of the Lord's house, are recorded in the account in the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son became king in his place.