2 Imilando 15

1 UMoya kaNkulunkulu wasesehlela phezu kukaAzariya indodana kaOdedi.

And 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.

and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him: 'Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the LORD is with you, while ye are with Him; and if ye seek Him, He will be found of you; but if ye forsake Him, He will forsake you.

3 Okwensuku ezinengi uIsrayeli wayengelaye uNkulunkulu weqiniso, njalo engelaye umpristi ofundisayo, njalo engelawo umlayo.

Now for long seasons Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law;

4 Kodwa ekubandezelweni kwakhe waphendukela eNkosini, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, basebemdinga, wasefunyanwa yibo.

but when in their distress they turned unto the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found of them.

5 Langalezozikhathi kwakungelakuthula kophumayo lakongenayo, ngoba inhlupheko ezinengi zaziphezu kwabo bonke abakhi bamazwe.

And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great discomfitures were upon all the inhabitants of the lands.

6 Basebephahlazwa, isizwe ngesizwe, lomuzi ngomuzi, ngoba uNkulunkulu wabahlupha ngayo yonke imbandezelo.

And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God did discomfit them with all manner of adversity.

7 Ngakho lina qinani, zingadangali izandla zenu, ngoba kulomvuzo ngomsebenzi wenu.

But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack; for your work shall be rewarded.'

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.

And when Asa heard these words, even the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the detestable things out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill-country of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.

9 Wasebuthanisa wonke uJuda loBhenjamini labemzini labo ababevela koEfrayimi loManase lakoSimeyoni; ngoba bawelela kuye bevela koIsrayeli ngobunengi lapho bebona ukuthi iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakhe yayilaye.

And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and them that sojourned with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon; for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

10 Basebebuthana eJerusalema ngenyanga yesithathu ngomnyaka wetshumi lanhlanu wokubusa kukaAsa.

So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

11 Basebehlabela iNkosi ngalolosuku okwempango ababeyilethile, inkabi ezingamakhulu ayisikhombisa lezimvu ezizinkulungwane eziyisikhombisa.

And they sacrificed unto the LORD in that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

12 Basebengena esivumelwaneni sokudinga iNkosi, uNkulunkulu waboyise, ngenhliziyo yabo yonke langomphefumulo wabo wonke.

And they entered into the covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul;

13 Njalo wonke ongadingi iNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli uzabulawa, kusukela komncinyane kusiya komkhulu, kusukela kowesilisa kusiya kowesifazana.

and that whosoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

14 Basebefunga eNkosini ngelizwi elikhulu langokumemeza langezimpondo langempondo zezinqama.

And they swore unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with horns.

15 AbakoJuda bonke bathokoza-ke ngesifungo, ngoba babefungile ngenhliziyo yabo yonke, beyidingile ngaso sonke isifiso sabo, yasifunyanwa yibo; ngakho iNkosi yabaphumuza inhlangothi zonke.

And all Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought Him with their whole desire; and He was found of them; and the LORD gave them rest round about.

16 Njalo mayelana loMahaka unina kaAsa inkosi, yamsusa ekubeni yindlovukazi, ngoba wayenzele isixuku into enengekayo. UAsa wasegamula into yakhe enengekayo, wayichola, wayitshisela esifuleni iKidroni.

And also Maacah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

17 Kanti indawo eziphakemeyo kazisuswanga koIsrayeli; lanxa kunjalo inhliziyo kaAsa yayiphelele insuku zakhe zonke.

But the high places were not taken away out of Israel; nevertheless the heart of Asa was whole all his days.

18 Wasengenisa endlini kaNkulunkulu izinto ezingcwele zikayise, lezinto zakhe ezingcwele, isiliva legolide lezitsha.

And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had hallowed, and that he himself had hallowed, silver, and gold, and vessels.

19 Kakusabanga khona impi kwaze kwaba ngumnyaka wamatshumi amathathu lanhlanu wokubusa kukaAsa.

And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.