2 Imilando 24
1 UJowashi waba yinkosi eleminyaka eyisikhombisa yokuzalwa, njalo wabusa eJerusalema okweminyaka engamatshumi amane. Ibizo likanina linguZibhiya owayevela eBherishebha.
Joash was seven when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
2 UJowashi wenza okulungileyo phambi kukaThixo iminyaka yonke uJehoyada engumphristi.
Joash did what was right in the Lord's sight during the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest.
3 UJehoyada wamdingela abafazi ababili, wazala amadodana lamadodakazi.
Jehoiada arranged for him to marry two wives, and he had sons and daughters.
4 Ngemva kwesikhathi esithile uJowashi wabona kufanele ukuthi alungise kutsha ithempeli likaThixo.
Some time later, Joash decided to repair the Lord's Temple.
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.
He summoned the priests and Levites and told them, “Go to the towns of Judah and collect the yearly dues from everyone in Israel to repair the Temple of your God. Do it right away.” But the Levites did not go right away.
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?”
So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and asked him, “Why haven't you ordered the Levites to collect from Judah and Jerusalem the tax that Moses, the Lord's servant, and the assembly of Israel imposed to maintain the Tent of the Law?”
7 Amadodana ka-Athaliya umfazi oxhwalileyo adiliza ithempeli likaNkulunkulu abuye azisebenzisela lezinto zalo ezingcwele kuboBhali.
(The supporters of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into God's Temple and had stolen the holy objects of the Lord's Temple and used them to worship the Baals.)
8 Ngokulaya kwenkosi, kwenziwa ibhokisi labekwa phandle, esangweni lethempeli likaThixo.
The king ordered a collection chest to be made and placed outside the entrance to the Lord's Temple.
9 Kwasekumenyezelwa kulolonke elakoJuda laseJerusalema ukuba kulethwe kuThixo, umthelo owawumiswe nguMosi inceku kaNkulunkulu enkangala ukuba uzakhitshwa ngabako-Israyeli.
A decree was proclaimed throughout Judea and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord the tax that Moses, the Lord's servant, imposed on Israel in the wilderness.
10 Izikhulu zonke labantu bonke baletha okwabo ngokujabula, bakufaka ebhokisini laze lagcwala.
All the leaders and all the people were glad to do so and brought their taxes. They dropped them in the chest until it was full.
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.
Every so often the Levites took the chest to the king's officials. When they saw that it contained a large amount of money, the king's secretary and the chief officer of the high priest would come and empty the chest. Then they would carry it back to its place. They did this every day and collected a great deal 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 would allocate the money of those supervising the work on the Lord's Temple to hire stonecutters and carpenters to restore the Lord's Temple and craftsmen in iron and bronze to repair the Lord's Temple.
13 Amadoda ayebona ngokuqhutshwa komsebenzi ayekhaliphile, njalo umsebenzi ayewukhangele waqhubeka kuhle. Lakhiwa kutsha ithempeli likaNkulunkulu labuyela esimeni salo elaliyiso njalo baliqinisa.
The men doing the repairs worked hard and made good progress. They restored God's Temple to its original condition and strengthened it.
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.
When they finished, they returned the money that was left to the king and Jehoiada, and with it utensils were made for the Lord's Temple, both for the worship services and for the burnt offerings, also bowls for incense and vessels of gold and silver. Burnt offerings were regularly offered in the Lord's Temple regularly throughout Jehoiada's lifetime.
15 UJehoyada wayeseluphele eleminyaka eminengi, wafa eleminyaka yokuzalwa elikhulu elilamatshumi amathathu.
Jehoiada grew old and died at the age of 130, having lived a full life.
16 Wangcwatshwa lamakhosi eMzini kaDavida ngenxa yalokho okuhle akwenza ko-Israyeli ekwenzela uNkulunkulu ethempelini lakhe.
He was buried with the kings in the City of David, for all the good he had done in Israel for God and his Temple.
17 Ngemva kokufa kukaJehoyada, izikhulu zakoJuda zayakhonza enkosini uJowashi, yazilalela.
But after the death of Jehoiada, the leaders of Judah came to swear their loyalty to the king, and he listened to their advice.
18 Balidela ithempeli likaThixo, uNkulunkulu waboyise, basebekhonza izinsika zika-Ashera, lezithombe zakhe. Ngenxa yalesisono, ulaka lukaNkulunkulu lwehlela phezu kwabakoJuda laseJerusalema.
They abandoned the Temple of the Lord, the God of their forefathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Judah and Jerusalem were punished because of their sin.
19 Lanxa uThixo wathumela abaphrofethi ebantwini ukuba bababuyisele kuye njalo lanxa bafakaza ngokungavumelani labo, abazange babalalele.
The Lord sent prophets to bring the people back to him and to warn them; but they refused to listen.
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 to Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and told them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you break the Lord's commandments so that you cannot be successful? Since you have abandoned the Lord, he has abandoned you.’”
21 Kodwa bamhlamukela, kwathi ngokuqondisa kwenkosi bamkhanda bambulala ngamatshe egumeni lethempeli likaThixo.
Then the leaders hatched a plot to kill Zechariah, and on the orders of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord's Temple.
22 INkosi uJowashi ayizange izihluphe ngomusa eyayiwenzelwe nguJehoyada uyise kaZakhariya kodwa yabulala indodana yakhe, yona yathi ekufeni kwayo, “UThixo kakubone lokhu, aphindisele.”
King Joash showed he had forgotten all about the loyalty and love shown to him by Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, by killing his son. As he died, Zechariah cried out, “May the Lord see what you've done and pay you back!”
23 Ekupheleni komnyaka amabutho ama-Aramu ahlasela uJowashi; ahlasela koJuda laseJerusalema abulala bonke abakhokheli babantu. Impango yonke ayithumela enkosini yawo eDamaseko.
At the end of the year, the Aramean army came to attack Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the people's leaders, and sent all their plunder back 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.
Even though the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the Lord gave them the victory over a very large army, because Judah had abandoned the Lord, the God of their forefathers. In this way they punished 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.
When the Arameans departed, they left Joash badly wounded. But then his own officers plotted against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him in his bed. He was buried in the City of David, but not in the cemetery of the kings.
26 Laba abaceba ukumbulala kwakunguZabhadi, indodana kaShimeyathi owesifazane wama-Amoni loJehozabhadi, indodana kaShimirithi owesifazane wamaMowabi.
Those who plotted against him were Zabad, son of Shimeath, an Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, 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.
The story of the sons of Joash, as well as the many prophecies about him and about the restoration of God's Temple, are recorded in the Commentary on the Book of the Kings. His son Amaziah took over as king.
