2 Amakhosi 25
1 Ngomnyaka wesificamunwemunye wokubusa kukaZedekhiya, ngosuku lwetshumi lwenyanga yetshumi, uNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni waya eJerusalema lebutho lakhe lonke, wayivimbezela; wayakhela imiduli yokuvimbezela inxa zonke.
So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
2 Idolobho lavinjezelwa kwaze kwaba ngumnyaka wetshumi lanye kaZedekhiya inkosi.
And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.
3 Ngosuku lwesificamunwemunye lwenyanga yesine indlala yayisinzima edolobheni, abantu bengaselakudla.
By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food.
4 Umduli wedolobho wafohlwa, ibutho lonke labaleka. Basuka edolobheni bephuma ngesango eliphakathi kwemiduli emibili, phansi kwesivande senkosi, lanxa nje amaBhabhiloni ayeligombolozele idolobho. Babaleka beqonde e-Arabha.
Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah,
5 Kodwa ibutho lamaKhaladiya laxotshana lenkosi layamfica emagcekeni aseJerikho. Wonke amabutho akhe ehlukana laye njalo ahlakazeka,
but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was separated from him.
6 yena wathunjwa. Wasiwa enkosini yaseBhabhiloni eRibhila, lapho afika wagwetshelwa khona.
The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him.
7 Babulala amadodana kaZedekhiya ekhangele. Basebemkhupha amehlo, bambopha ngamaketane ethusi bamusa eBhabhiloni.
And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
8 Ngosuku lwesikhombisa ngenyanga yesihlanu, ngomnyaka wetshumi lasificamunwemunye kaNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni, uNebhuzaradani umlawuli wabalindi besikhosini, owayesebenzela inkosi yaseBhabhiloni, wafika eJerusalema.
On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
9 Wathungela ithempeli likaThixo ngomlilo, lesigodlo senkosi lezindlu zonke zaseJerusalema. Zonke izindlu eziqakathekileyo wazitshisa.
He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building.
10 Wonke amabutho aseBhabhiloni, ekhokhelwa ngumlawuli wamabutho okulinda umndlunkulu, adiliza imiduli ehonqolozele iJerusalema.
And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
11 UNebhuzaradani umlawuli wabalindi wathatha bonke abantu ababesele edolobheni wabasa ekuthunjweni, ndawonye labo bonke abantu lalabo abasebeye enkosini yaseBhabhiloni.
Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population.
12 Kodwa umlawuli wamabutho watshiya inengi labantu ababengabayanga bokucina elizweni ukuba basebenze ezivinini lasemasimini.
But the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.
13 AbeBhabhiloni baphahlaza izinsika zethusi lezinti zezibane loLwandle lwethusi, okwakusethempelini likaThixo. Bathwalela ithusi lelo eBhabhiloni.
Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried the bronze to Babylon.
14 Bathatha njalo imbiza, lamafotsholo, lezindlawu, lezinditshi lazozonke izitsha zethusi ezazisetshenziswa enkonzweni yasethempelini.
They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the temple service.
15 Umlawuli wabalindi besigodlo wathatha indengezi lemiganu yokuchela, konke okwakwenziwe ngegolide elicengekileyo loba isiliva.
The captain of the guard also took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—anything made of pure gold or fine silver.
16 Ithusi elalivela ensikeni ezimbili, loLwandle kanye lelezidindi ezisusekayo, konke okwakwenzelwe ithempeli likaThixo nguSolomoni, kwakulesisindo esasingelinganiswe.
As for the two pillars, the Sea, and the movable stands that Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the weight of the bronze from all these articles was beyond measure.
17 Ubude bensika ngayinye babuzingalo ezilitshumi lasificaminwembili. Isiduku sethusi phezu kwenye insika sasizingalo ezintathu ubude baso njalo siceciswe ngomeluko lamaphomegranathi ethusi nxazonke. Eyinye insika kanye lomeluko wayo layo yayinjalo.
Each pillar was eighteen cubits tall. The bronze capital atop one pillar was three cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates all around. The second pillar, with its network, was similar.
18 Umlawuli wabalindi wathumba uSeraya induna yabaphristi, loZefaniya umsekeli wakhe kanye labalindi bomnyango abathathu.
The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers.
19 Kulabo ababelokhu besedolobheni, wathatha isikhulu esasiphethe amadoda okulwa labacebisi besikhosini abahlanu. Wathatha lonobhala owayeyinduna eyayiphethe ukubuthwa kwabantu bengeniswa emabuthweni kanye lamadoda angamatshumi ayisithupha ayelawo atholakala phakathi komuzi.
Of those still in the city, he took a court official who had been appointed over the men of war, as well as five royal advisors. He also took the scribe of the captain of the army, who had enlisted the people of the land, and sixty men who were found in the city.
20 UNebhuzaradani umlawuli wabathatha bonke wabasa enkosini yaseBhabhiloni eRibhila.
Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
21 Khonale eRibhila, elizweni laseHamathi, inkosi yathi kabaqunywe. Ngakho abakoJuda baya ekuthunjweni kude lelizwe labo.
There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.
22 UNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni wakhetha uGedaliya indodana ka-Ahikhami, oyindodana kaShafani, ukuba aphathe abantu ababesele koJuda.
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over the people he had left behind in the land of Judah.
23 Kwathi zonke izikhulu zabalawuli bamabutho lamabutho sebezwile ukuthi inkosi yaseBhabhiloni yayisibeke uGedaliya ukuba nguSibalukhulu, beza kuGedaliya eMizipha izikhulu kungu-Ishumayeli indodana kaNethaniya, uJohanani indodana kaKhareya, uSeraya indodana kaThanihumethi umNethofa, uJazaniya indodana kaMahakhathi, labantu babo.
When all the commanders of the armies and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, as well as their men.
24 UGedaliya wafunga isifungo ebathembisa labantu babo wathi: “Lingesabi izikhulu zaseBhabhiloni. Hlalani elizweni lisebenzele inkosi yaseBhabhiloni, konke kuzalilungela.”
And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, assuring them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.”
25 Kodwa ngenyanga yesikhombisa u-Ishumayeli indodana kaNethaniya, indodana ka-Elishama, owayezalwa esikhosini, weza lamadoda alitshumi bafika babulala uGedaliya lamadoda akoJuda kanye laweBhabhiloni ayekade elaye eMizipha.
In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.
26 Ngenxa yalokhu, abantu bonke kusukela kubantukazana kusiya kwabaphakemeyo, kanye lezikhulu zamabutho, babalekela eGibhithe ngokwesaba abeBhabhiloni.
Then all the people small and great, together with the commanders of the army, arose and fled to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans.
27 Ngomnyaka wamatshumi amathathu lesikhombisa wokuthunjwa kukaJehoyakhini inkosi yakoJuda, ngomnyaka u-Evili-Merodakhi aba yinkosi eBhabhiloni, wakhulula uJehoyakhini entolongweni ngosuku lwamatshumi amabili lesikhombisa lwenyanga yetshumi lambili.
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison.
28 Wakhuluma laye ngomusa, wamnika isihlalo esihloniphekayo esasingaphezu kwezamanye amakhosi ayelaye eBhabhiloni.
And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.
29 Ngakho uJehoyakhini wakhupha izigqoko zakhe zasentolongweni, wadla lenkosi izikhathi zonke okwempilo yakhe yonke.
So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life.
30 Nsuku zonke inkosi yayinika uJehoyakhini isabelo esimisiweyo malanga wonke, empilweni yakhe yonke.
And the king provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life.
