2 Imilando 30
1 UHezekhiya wasethumela kuIsrayeli wonke loJuda, wasebhalela loEfrayimi loManase izincwadi, ukuthi beze endlini yeNkosi eJerusalema ukwenzela iNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli iphasika.
The king and his officials and all the other people who had gathered in Jerusalem wanted to celebrate the Passover Festival. But they were not able to celebrate it at the usual time, because many of the priests had still not performed the rituals to purify themselves; therefore they were not allowed to do serve in the festival. Also, everyone had still not come to Jerusalem [to celebrate the Passover]. So they decided to celebrate it one month later than usual.
2 Ngoba inkosi yelulekana lezikhulu zayo lebandla lonke eJerusalema ukwenza iphasika ngenyanga yesibili.
3 Ngoba babengelakukwenza ngalesosikhathi ngoba abapristi babengazingcwelisanga ngokweneleyo, labantu babengabuthananga eJerusalema.
4 Lodaba lwaluqondile emehlweni enkosi lemehlweni ebandla lonke.
The king and all the other people who had gathered thought that was a good plan.
5 Basebemisa ilizwi ukwedlulisela isimemezelo kuIsrayeli wonke kusukela eBherishebha kusiya koDani, ukuthi bazekwenzela iNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli iphasika eJerusalema; ngoba okwesikhathi eside babengenzanga njengokubhaliweyo.
So they decided to send messages to all the towns in Judah and in Israel, from Beersheba [in the far south] to Dan [in the far north], including towns in the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, to invite people to come to the temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover [Festival] to [honor] Yahweh, the God whom the Israeli people [worshiped/belonged to]. Many of the people had not previously celebrated that festival, even though it had been written [in the laws of Moses that they should do that].
6 Ngakho izigijimi zahamba kuIsrayeli wonke loJuda zilezincwadi ezivela esandleni senkosi leziphathamandla zayo, langokomlayo wenkosi zisithi: Bantwana bakoIsrayeli, buyelani eNkosini, uNkulunkulu kaAbrahama, uIsaka, loIsrayeli, njalo izabuyela kwabaphunyukileyo abasele kini esandleni samakhosi eAsiriya.
Obeying what the king commanded, messengers went throughout Judah and Israel, taking messages that had been written by the king and his officials. This is what they wrote: “You Israeli people, you who survived after being slaves of the kings of Assyria, return to Yahweh, the God whom [our great ancestors] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [worshiped/belonged to], in order that he may return to you. Your fathers and brothers did not faithfully obey Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors [worshiped].
7 Njalo lingabi njengaboyihlo lanjengabafowenu ababephambuka eNkosini uNkulunkulu waboyise, yaze yabanikela ekuchithweni njengoba libona.
Do not act like they did, because what they did caused other people to become disgusted with them.
8 Khathesi lingaqinisi intamo yenu njengaboyihlo; zinikeleni eNkosini, lingene endlini yayo engcwele eyingcwelise kuze kube nininini, likhonze iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, ukuze ukuvutha kolaka lwayo kubuyele emuva kusuke kini.
Do not be stubborn as our ancestors were. Do what Yahweh desires. Come [to Jerusalem] to the temple, which he has set apart forever. Do what pleases Yahweh our God, in order that he will no longer be angry with you.
9 Ngoba ekubuyeleni kwenu eNkosini, abafowenu labantwana benu bazathola izihawu phambi kwababathumbileyo, ukuze babuye kulelilizwe. Ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu ilomusa lesihawu, kayiyikuphendula ubuso busuke kini uba libuyela kuyo.
If you return to Yahweh, the people who have captured our brothers [and sisters] and our children will be kind to them, and allow them to return to this land. Do not forget that Yahweh our God is kind and merciful. If you return to him, he will no longer reject you.”
10 Ngokunjalo izigijimi zedlula zisuka emzini zisiya emzini elizweni lakoEfrayimi lelakoManase kuze kube koZebuluni; kodwa bazihleka baziklolodela.
The messengers went to all the towns in the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far [north] as the tribe of Zebulun, [and gave them this message, ] but most of the people there scorned them and ridiculed them.
11 Kube kanti abanye bakoAsheri labakoManase labakoZebuluni bazithoba, beza eJerusalema.
But some of the people of [the tribes of] Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem.
12 LakoJuda isandla sikaNkulunkulu sasikhona ukubanika inhliziyonye ukwenza umlayo wenkosi leziphathamandla ngelizwi likaJehova.
Also in Judah God motivated the people to be united in wanting to do what Yahweh wanted them to do, which is what the king and his officials had told them to do in the message that they sent.
13 Kwasekubuthana eJerusalema abantu abanengi ukwenza umkhosi wesinkwa esingelamvubelo ngenyanga yesibili, ibandla elikhulu kakhulu.
So a huge crowd of people gathered in Jerusalem in May, to celebrate the Festival of Eating Unleavened Bread.
14 Basebesukuma basusa amalathi ayeseJerusalema, lawo wonke amalathi okutshisela impepha bawasusa, bawaphosela esihotsheni iKidroni.
They removed the altars [of Baal] in Jerusalem and took away the altars for burning incense [to honor other gods, and burned them] in Kidron Valley.
15 Basebehlaba iphasika ngolwetshumi lane lwenyanga yesibili; abapristi lamaLevi basebeyangeka, bazingcwelisa, baletha iminikelo yokutshiswa endlini yeNkosi.
They slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of that month. Some of the priests and the other descendants of Levi were ashamed [because they had not performed the rituals to cause them to be acceptable to work for Yahweh]. So they performed those rituals, and brought to the temple animals to be completely burned [on the altar].
16 Basebesima endaweni yabo ejwayelekileyo njengendlela yabo ngokomlayo kaMozisi umuntu kaNkulunkulu; abapristi bafafaza igazi elalivela esandleni samaLevi.
Then they stood at the places where Moses had written in his laws that they should stand. Then the descendants of Levi gave to the priests [bowls containing blood of the animals that were being sacrificed], and the priests sprinkled [the altar] with some of the blood.
17 Ngoba babebanengi ebandleni ababengazingcwelisanga; ngakho amaLevi ayephezu kokuhlatshwa kwamaphasika kwalowo lalowo owayengahlambulukanga ukubangcwelisela iNkosi.
Many people in the crowd had not purified themselves, and therefore they were not able to kill the lambs [and dedicate them] to Yahweh. So it was necessary for the descendants of Levi to kill the lambs for them.
18 Ngoba ixuku labantu, abanengi bakoEfrayimi, loManase, uIsakari, loZebuluni babengazihlambululanga, kube kanti badla iphasika kungenjengokubhaliweyo. Kodwa uHezekhiya wabakhulekela wathi: INkosi elungileyo kayimenzele inhlawulo yokuthula,
Although most of the people who had come from [the tribes of] Ephraim, Manasseh, and Issachar had not purified themselves, they ate the food of the Passover Festival anyway, ignoring the rules written [by Moses]. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying “Yahweh, you always do what is good; I pray that you will forgive everyone
19 wonke olungise inhliziyo yakhe ukudinga uNkulunkulu, iNkosi uNkulunkulu waboyise, lanxa kungenjengokuhlanjululwa kwendawo engcwele.
who sincerely wants to honor you, the God whom our ancestors [worshiped], even if they have not purified themselves by obeying the sacred laws that you gave to us.”
20 INkosi yasimuzwa uHezekhiya, yabelapha abantu.
And Yahweh heard what Hezekiah prayed; he forgave the people, [and did not punish them].
21 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli abatholakala eJerusalema basebesenza umkhosi wesinkwa esingelamvubelo insuku eziyisikhombisa ngentokozo enkulu; lamaLevi labapristi bayidumisa iNkosi insuku ngensuku, ngezinto zokuhlabelela ngamandla eNkosini.
The Israeli people who were there in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Eating Unleavened Bread for seven days. They rejoiced greatly as they celebrated, while the priests and other descendants of Levi sang to Yahweh every day, and played musical instruments to [praise] God.
22 UHezekhiya wasekhuluma ngomusa kumaLevi wonke ayelokuqedisisa elwazini oluhle lweNkosi. Badla-ke okomkhosi omisiweyo insuku eziyisikhombisa benikela iminikelo yokuthula, beyidumisa iNkosi, uNkulunkulu waboyise.
Hezekiah thanked all the descendants of Levi for doing this work for Yahweh, and for very skillfully leading the people who were worshiping. For those seven days the people ate the Passover food and brought offerings to maintain fellowship with Yahweh and praised Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors [belonged to/had worshiped].
23 Ibandla lonke laselicebisana ukwenza ezinye insuku eziyisikhombisa; benza ezinye insuku eziyisikhombisa ngentokozo.
Then the whole group decided to celebrate for seven more days, so they did: They celebrated joyfully for seven more days.
24 Ngoba uHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda wanika ibandla amajongosi azinkulungwane lezimvu eziyizinkulungwane eziyisikhombisa, leziphathamandla zanika ibandla amajongosi azinkulungwane lezimvu ezizinkulungwane ezilitshumi; labapristi bazingcwelisa ngobunengi.
King Hezekiah provided 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep to be slaughtered for the people [to eat during the festival], and the officials also gave them 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep and goats. Many priests consecrated themselves.
25 Ibandla lonke lakoJuda, labapristi lamaLevi, lebandla lonke elivela koIsrayeli, labezizweni ababevela elizweni lakoIsrayeli, lababehlala koJuda, basebethokoza.
All the people of Judah rejoiced, including the priests and other descendants of Levi and all the people from Israel who had come, and including some from other countries who were living in Israel and some from other countries who were living in Judah.
26 Kwasekusiba khona intokozo enkulu eJerusalema, ngoba kusukela ensukwini zikaSolomoni indodana kaDavida inkosi yakoIsrayeli kakuzanga kube khona okunjalo eJerusalema.
Everyone in Jerusalem was very joyful, because nothing like this had happened in Jerusalem since the time when David’s son Solomon was the king of Israel.
27 Basebesukuma abapristi lamaLevi, babusisa abantu; ilizwi labo laselizwakala, lomkhuleko wabo wafika endaweni yakhe yokuhlala engcwele emazulwini.
The priests and the other descendants of Levi stood up to bless the people, and God heard them in heaven, the holy place where he lives.
