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 began to reign; he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. 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 eyes of Yahweh all the days of Jehoiada, the priest.
3 UJehoyada wamdingela abafazi ababili, wazala amadodana lamadodakazi.
Jehoiada took for him two wives, and he became the father of sons and daughters.
4 Ngemva kwesikhathi esithile uJowashi wabona kufanele ukuthi alungise kutsha ithempeli likaThixo.
It came about after this, that Joash decided to restore the house of Yahweh.
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 gathered together the priests and the Levites, and he said to them, “Go out every year to the cities of Judah and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God. Make sure that you start right away.” The Levites did nothing at first.
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 said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses the servant of Yahweh and by the assembly of Israel for the tent of the covenant decrees?”
7 Amadodana ka-Athaliya umfazi oxhwalileyo adiliza ithempeli likaNkulunkulu abuye azisebenzisela lezinto zalo ezingcwele kuboBhali.
For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God and had given all the holy things of the house of Yahweh to the Baals.
8 Ngokulaya kwenkosi, kwenziwa ibhokisi labekwa phandle, esangweni lethempeli likaThixo.
So the king commanded, and they made a chest and placed it outside at the entrance to the house of Yahweh.
9 Kwasekumenyezelwa kulolonke elakoJuda laseJerusalema ukuba kulethwe kuThixo, umthelo owawumiswe nguMosi inceku kaNkulunkulu enkangala ukuba uzakhitshwa ngabako-Israyeli.
Then they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, for the people to bring in for Yahweh the tax that Moses the servant of God levied on Israel in the wilderness.
10 Izikhulu zonke labantu bonke baletha okwabo ngokujabula, bakufaka ebhokisini laze lagcwala.
All the leaders and all the people rejoiced and brought money in and put it into the chest until they finished filling it.
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.
It happened that whenever the chest was brought to the king's officials by the hand of the Levites, and whenever they saw that there was much money in it, the king's scribe and the high priest's official would come, empty the chest, and take it and carry it back to its place. They did this day after day, gathering large amounts 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.
The king and Jehoiada gave the money to those who did the work of serving in the house of Yahweh. These men hired stonemasons and carpenters to restore the house of Yahweh, and also those who worked in iron and bronze.
13 Amadoda ayebona ngokuqhutshwa komsebenzi ayekhaliphile, njalo umsebenzi ayewukhangele waqhubeka kuhle. Lakhiwa kutsha ithempeli likaNkulunkulu labuyela esimeni salo elaliyiso njalo baliqinisa.
So the workmen labored, and the work of repairing went forward in their hands; they set up the house of God in its original design 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 brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada. This money was used to make furnishings for the house of Yahweh, utensils with which to serve and make offerings—spoons and utensils of gold and silver. They offered burnt offerings in the house of Yahweh continually for all the days of Jehoiada.
15 UJehoyada wayeseluphele eleminyaka eminengi, wafa eleminyaka yokuzalwa elikhulu elilamatshumi amathathu.
Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and then he died; he was 130 years old when he died.
16 Wangcwatshwa lamakhosi eMzini kaDavida ngenxa yalokho okuhle akwenza ko-Israyeli ekwenzela uNkulunkulu ethempelini lakhe.
They buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, toward God, and to God's house.
17 Ngemva kokufa kukaJehoyada, izikhulu zakoJuda zayakhonza enkosini uJowashi, yazilalela.
Now after the death of Jehoiada, the leaders of Judah came and did honor to the king. Then the king listened to them.
18 Balidela ithempeli likaThixo, uNkulunkulu waboyise, basebekhonza izinsika zika-Ashera, lezithombe zakhe. Ngenxa yalesisono, ulaka lukaNkulunkulu lwehlela phezu kwabakoJuda laseJerusalema.
They forsook the house of Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped the Asherah gods and the idols. God's anger came on Judah and Jerusalem for this wrongdoing of theirs.
19 Lanxa uThixo wathumela abaphrofethi ebantwini ukuba bababuyisele kuye njalo lanxa bafakaza ngokungavumelani labo, abazange babalalele.
Yet he sent prophets to them to bring them again to himself, Yahweh; the prophets testified against the people, 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.’”
The Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada, the priest; Zechariah stood above the people and said to them, “God says this: Why do you transgress the commandments of Yahweh, so that you cannot prosper? Since you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken you.”
21 Kodwa bamhlamukela, kwathi ngokuqondisa kwenkosi bamkhanda bambulala ngamatshe egumeni lethempeli likaThixo.
But they plotted against him; at the king's command, they stoned him with stones in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh.
22 INkosi uJowashi ayizange izihluphe ngomusa eyayiwenzelwe nguJehoyada uyise kaZakhariya kodwa yabulala indodana yakhe, yona yathi ekufeni kwayo, “UThixo kakubone lokhu, aphindisele.”
In this manner, Joash, the king, ignored the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had done to him. Instead, he killed Jehoiada's son. When Zechariah was dying, he said, “May Yahweh see this and call you to account.”
23 Ekupheleni komnyaka amabutho ama-Aramu ahlasela uJowashi; ahlasela koJuda laseJerusalema abulala bonke abakhokheli babantu. Impango yonke ayithumela enkosini yawo eDamaseko.
It came about at the end of the year, that the army of Aram came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem; they killed all the leaders of the people and sent all the plunder 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.
Although the army of the Arameans had come with only a few soldiers, Yahweh gave them victory over a very great army, because Judah had forsaken Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. In this way the Arameans brought judgment on 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.
By the time that the Arameans had gone, Joash had been severely wounded. His own servants plotted against him because of the murder of the sons of Jehoiada, the priest. They killed him in his bed, and he died; they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
26 Laba abaceba ukumbulala kwakunguZabhadi, indodana kaShimeyathi owesifazane wama-Amoni loJehozabhadi, indodana kaShimirithi owesifazane wamaMowabi.
These were the persons who plotted against him: 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.
Now the accounts about his sons, the important prophecies that were spoken about him, and the rebuilding of the house of God, see, they are written in the commentary on the book of the kings. Amaziah his son became king in his place.
