2 Imilando 15
1 UMoya kaNkulunkulu wasesehlela phezu kukaAzariya indodana kaOdedi.
The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.
2 Wasephuma ukuhlangabezana loAsa, wathi kuye: Ngilalela, Asa loJuda wonke loBhenjamini; iNkosi ilani liselayo. Uba-ke liyidinga, izafunyanwa yini; kodwa uba liyilahla, izalilahla.
He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all of Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you look for him, you will find him; but if you abandon him, he will abandon you.
3 Okwensuku ezinengi uIsrayeli wayengelaye uNkulunkulu weqiniso, njalo engelaye umpristi ofundisayo, njalo engelawo umlayo.
For many years Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the law.
4 Kodwa ekubandezelweni kwakhe waphendukela eNkosini, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, basebemdinga, wasefunyanwa yibo.
But when they were in trouble they returned to the Lord, the God of Israel—they looked for him, and they found him.
5 Langalezozikhathi kwakungelakuthula kophumayo lakongenayo, ngoba inhlupheko ezinengi zaziphezu kwabo bonke abakhi bamazwe.
During those times travel was dangerous, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. People everywhere had terrible problems.
6 Basebephahlazwa, isizwe ngesizwe, lomuzi ngomuzi, ngoba uNkulunkulu wabahlupha ngayo yonke imbandezelo.
Nation fought nation, and town fought town, for God threw them into a panic with all kinds of trouble.
7 Ngakho lina qinani, zingadangali izandla zenu, ngoba kulomvuzo ngomsebenzi wenu.
But you need to be strong, not weak, for you will be rewarded for the work you do.”
8 Lapho uAsa esizwa lamazwi lesiprofetho sikaOdedi umprofethi, waziqinisa, wasusa izinengiso elizweni lonke lakoJuda loBhenjamini lemizini ayeyithumbile entabeni yakoEfrayimi, wavuselela ilathi leNkosi elalingaphambi kwekhulusi leNkosi.
When Asa heard these words of prophecy from Azariah the prophet, son of Oded, he was encouraged. He removed the vile idols from the whole territory of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. Then he repaired the altar of the Lord that stood in front of the porch of the Lord's Temple.
9 Wasebuthanisa wonke uJuda loBhenjamini labemzini labo ababevela koEfrayimi loManase lakoSimeyoni; ngoba bawelela kuye bevela koIsrayeli ngobunengi lapho bebona ukuthi iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakhe yayilaye.
Then Asa summoned all of Judah and Benjamin, along with those Israelites from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were living among them, for many people had deserted Israel and come over to Asa when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
10 Basebebuthana eJerusalema ngenyanga yesithathu ngomnyaka wetshumi lanhlanu wokubusa kukaAsa.
They gathered in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign.
11 Basebehlabela iNkosi ngalolosuku okwempango ababeyilethile, inkabi ezingamakhulu ayisikhombisa lezimvu ezizinkulungwane eziyisikhombisa.
That day they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from the plunder they had brought back.
12 Basebengena esivumelwaneni sokudinga iNkosi, uNkulunkulu waboyise, ngenhliziyo yabo yonke langomphefumulo wabo wonke.
Then they made an agreement to conscientiously and completely follow the Lord, the God of their forefathers.
13 Njalo wonke ongadingi iNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli uzabulawa, kusukela komncinyane kusiya komkhulu, kusukela kowesilisa kusiya kowesifazana.
They also agreed that anyone who refused to follow the Lord, the God of Israel, would be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.
14 Basebefunga eNkosini ngelizwi elikhulu langokumemeza langezimpondo langempondo zezinqama.
They declared their oath with a loud shout, accompanied by trumpets and blasts from rams' horns.
15 AbakoJuda bonke bathokoza-ke ngesifungo, ngoba babefungile ngenhliziyo yabo yonke, beyidingile ngaso sonke isifiso sabo, yasifunyanwa yibo; ngakho iNkosi yabaphumuza inhlangothi zonke.
The whole of Judah was happy at the oath they had conscientiously sworn. They looked for him sincerely, and they found him. The Lord gave them peace from all their enemies.
16 Njalo mayelana loMahaka unina kaAsa inkosi, yamsusa ekubeni yindlovukazi, ngoba wayenzele isixuku into enengekayo. UAsa wasegamula into yakhe enengekayo, wayichola, wayitshisela esifuleni iKidroni.
King Asa also removed Maacah from her position as queen mother for making an offensive Asherah pole. Asa cut down her vile idol, crushed it up, and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
17 Kanti indawo eziphakemeyo kazisuswanga koIsrayeli; lanxa kunjalo inhliziyo kaAsa yayiphelele insuku zakhe zonke.
While the high places were not removed from Israel, Asa was completely devoted to the Lord all his life.
18 Wasengenisa endlini kaNkulunkulu izinto ezingcwele zikayise, lezinto zakhe ezingcwele, isiliva legolide lezitsha.
He brought into God's Temple the silver and gold articles he and his father had dedicated.
19 Kakusabanga khona impi kwaze kwaba ngumnyaka wamatshumi amathathu lanhlanu wokubusa kukaAsa.
There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.
