2 Imilando 34
1 UJosiya wayeleminyaka eyisificaminwembili esiba yinkosi; wasebusa iminyaka engamatshumi amathathu lanye eJerusalema.
Josiah was eight years old when he became the king [of Judah]. He ruled from Jerusalem for 31 years.
2 Wasesenza okuqondileyo emehlweni eNkosi, wahamba ngezindlela zikaDavida uyise, kaphambukelanga ngakwesokunene loba kwesokhohlo.
He did things that were pleasing to Yahweh and conducted his life like his ancestor King David had done. He fully obeyed [IDM] all the laws of God.
3 Ngoba ngomnyaka wesificaminwembili wokubusa kwakhe esesengumfana waqala ukumdinga uNkulunkulu kaDavida uyise; langomnyaka wetshumi lambili waqala ukuhlambulula uJuda leJerusalema kuzindawo eziphakemeyo, lezixuku, lezithombe ezibaziweyo, lezithombe ezibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa.
When he had been ruling for almost eight years, while he was still a young man, he began to worship God like his ancestor [King] David had done. Four years later, he began to get rid of all the pagan shrines on hilltops in Jerusalem and in [other places in] Judah, and the poles to [honor the goddess] Asherah, and the carved idols and statues of gods.
4 Basebediliza amalathi aboBhali phambi kwakhe, lamalathi okutshisela impepha ayengaphezu kwawo wawagamulela phansi, lezixuku lezithombe ezibaziweyo lezithombe ezibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa waziphahlaza, wazichola, wazichithela phezu kwamangcwaba alabo ababenikele imihlatshelo kizo.
While he directed them, his workers tore down the altars where people worshiped Baal. They smashed the altars that were near those altars, where people burned incense. They smashed the poles [honor the goddess] Asherah and the idols and statues. They smashed them to bits and scattered the bits over the graves of those who had offered sacrifices to them.
5 Wasetshisela amathambo abapristi phezu kwamalathi abo, wahlambulula uJuda leJerusalema.
They burned the bones of the priests [who had offered sacrifices]; they burned them on their own altars. In that way Josiah caused Jerusalem and other places in Judah to be acceptable places to worship Yahweh again.
6 Lemizini yakoManase loEfrayimi loSimeyoni kuze kufike koNafithali lemanxiweni ayo inhlangothi zonke
In the towns in [the tribes of] Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far [north] as [the tribe of] Naphtali and in the ruins around all those towns,
7 wadiliza lamalathi, lezixuku, wachola izithombe ezibaziweyo zaze zaba yimpuphu, wagamulela phansi wonke amalathi okutshisela impepha elizweni lonke lakoIsrayeli, wasebuyela eJerusalema.
Josiah’s [workers] tore down the pagan altars and the poles to [honor the goddess] Asherah, and crushed the idols to powder. They also smashed to pieces all the altars for burning incense throughout Israel. Then Josiah returned to Jerusalem.
8 Kwathi ngomnyaka wetshumi lesificaminwembili wokubusa kwakhe, esehlambulule ilizwe lendlu, wathuma uShafani indodana kaAzaliya loMahaseya umbusi womuzi loJowa indodana kaJowahazi umabhalane ukuthi baqinise indlu yeNkosi uNkulunkulu wakhe.
When Josiah had been ruling for almost 18 years, he [did something else to] cause the land and the temple to be acceptable places to worship Yahweh. He sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the governor of the city and Joah the son of Joahaz, who wrote on a scroll what happened in the city, to repair the temple of Yahweh.
9 Basebefika kuHilikhiya umpristi omkhulu, bapha imali eyayilethwe endlini kaNkulunkulu, amaLevi ayelondoloza umbundu ayeyiqoqe esandleni sakoManase loEfrayimi lakuyo yonke insali kaIsrayeli lakuye wonke uJuda loBhenjamini; basebebuyela eJerusalema.
They went to Hilkiah the Supreme Priest and gave him the money that had been brought to the temple. That was the money that the descendants of Levi who guarded the doors of the temple had collected from the people of [the tribes of] Manasseh and Ephraim and [other places in northern] Israel, and also from all the people in Jerusalem and other places in the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
10 Basebeyinikela esandleni sabenzi bomsebenzi ababekhethelwe indlu yeNkosi abayipha abenzi bomsebenzi ababesebenza endlini yeNkosi ukuthi balungise baqinise indlu.
Then Hilkiah gave some of the money to the men who had been appointed to supervise the work of repairing the temple. The supervisors paid the men who did the repair work.
11 Bayinika ababazi labakhi ukuze bathenge amatshe abaziweyo lezigodo zentungo lezokufulela izindlu amakhosi akoJuda ayezidilizile.
They also gave some of the money to the carpenters and builders to buy the cut stones and the timber for the joists and the beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to decay.
12 Amadoda asesebenza ngobuqotho emsebenzini; lababonisi phezu kwawo babengoJahathi loObhadiya amaLevi, ebantwaneni bakoMerari, loZekhariya loMeshulamu, ebantwaneni bamaKohathi, ukuqondisa; lamaLevi, wonke aqedisisa ngezinto zokuhlabelela.
The workers did their work faithfully. Their supervisors were Jahath and Obadiah, who were descendants of [Levi’s son] Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, who were descendants of [Levi’s son] Kohath. All the other descendants of Levi, those who played musical instruments well,
13 Njalo ayephezu kwabathwali bemithwalo njalo babengababonisi phezu kwakhe wonke owenza umsebenzi wenkonzo ngenkonzo; lakumaLevi kwakulababhali labaphathi labagcini bamasango.
supervised all the workers as they did their various jobs. Some of the descendants of Levi were secretaries and some kept records and some guarded the gates [of the temple].
14 Kwasekusithi bekhupha imali eyayilethwe endlini yeNkosi, uHilikhiya umpristi wafica ugwalo lomlayo weNkosiowawunikwe ngesandla sikaMozisi.
While they were giving to the supervisors the money that had been taken to the temple, Hilkiah the [Supreme] Priest found a scroll on which were written the laws that Yahweh had told Moses to give to the people.
15 UHilikhiya wasephendula wathi kuShafani umabhalane: Ngifice ugwalo lomlayo endlini yeNkosi. UHilikhiya wasenika uShafani ugwalo.
So Hilkiah said to Shaphan, “I have found in the temple a scroll on which are written the laws [that God gave to Moses]!” Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan.
16 UShafani waseletha ugwalo enkosini, futhi wabuyisela ilizwi enkosini esithi: Konke okwakunikelwe esandleni senceku zakho ziyakwenza.
Shaphan [took the scroll] to the king and said to him, “Your officials are doing everything that you told them to do.
17 Seziyiqoqile imali eyatholakala endlini yeNkosi, zayinikela esandleni sabaphathi lesandleni sabenzi bomsebenzi.
They have taken the money that was in the temple, and they have given it to the men who will supervise the workers who will repair the temple.”
18 UShafani umabhalane wasetshela inkosi esithi: UHilikhiya umpristi unginike ugwalo. UShafani wasefunda kulo phambi kwenkosi.
Then Shaphan said to the king, “[I have brought to you] a scroll [that] Hilkiah gave to me.” And Shaphan started to read it to the king.
19 Kwasekusithi inkosi isizwile amazwi omlayo yadabula izigqoko zayo.
When the king heard the laws [that were written in the scroll], he tore his clothes [because he was very dismayed/worried].
20 Inkosi yasilaya oHilikhiya loAhikhamu indodana kaShafani loAbidoni indodana kaMika loShafani umabhalane loAsaya inceku yenkosi, isithi:
Then he gave these instructions to Hilkiah, to Shaphan’s son Ahikam, to Micah’s son Abdon, to Shaphan, and to Asaiah the king’s special advisor:
21 Hambani liyebuza eNkosini ngenxa yami langenxa yensali ekoIsrayeli lakoJuda mayelana lamazwi ogwalo olutholakeleyo; ngoba lukhulu ulaka lweNkosi oluthululelwe phezu kwethu, ngenxa yokuthi obaba kabaligcinanga ilizwi leNkosi ukwenza njengakho konke okubhaliweyo kulolugwalo.
“Go and ask Yahweh for me, and for all his people who are still alive in Judah and Israel, about what is written in this scroll that has been found. Because [it is clear that] Yahweh is very angry with us because our ancestors disobeyed what Yahweh said; they did not obey the laws that are written on this scroll.”
22 Ngakho uHilikhiya lalabo ababengabenkosi baya kuHulida umprofethikazi, umkaShaluma indodana kaTokhathi indodana kaHasira, umgcini wezigqoko. (Yena-ke wayehlala eJerusalema esiGabeni seSibili.) Basebekhuluma kuye kanje.
So Hilkiah and the others went to talk with a woman whose name was Huldah, who was a prophetess who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. Her husband Shallum who was the son of Tikvah, took care of the robes that were worn [in the temple].
23 Wasesithi kibo: Itsho njalo iNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Tshelani umuntu olithume kimi:
[When they told her what the king had said, ] she said to them, “This is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], says: ‘Go back and tell the king who sent you
24 Itsho njalo iNkosi: Khangela, ngizakwehlisela ububi kulindawo laphezu kwabahlali bayo, zonke iziqalekiso ezibhaliweyo egwalweni abalubalileyo phambi kwenkosi yakoJuda.
that this is what Yahweh says: “Listen to this carefully. I am going to cause a disaster to strike Jerusalem and all the people who live here. I will cause them to experience the curses that were written in the scroll that was read to the king of Judah.
25 Ngenxa yokuthi bengitshiyile, batshisela abanye onkulunkulu impepha, ukuze bangithukuthelise ngayo yonke imisebenzi yezandla zabo; ngakho ulaka lwami luzathululelwa phezu kwalindawo, kaluyikucitshwa.
I will do that because they have rejected me, and they burn incense to [honor] other gods. They have caused me to become very angry because of all the idols that they have made (OR, because of all the wicked things that they have done), [and my anger is like] a fire that will not be extinguished.
26 Kodwa enkosini yakoJuda elithumileyo ukubuza eNkosini, lizakutsho njalo kuyo: Itsho njalo iNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Mayelana lamazwi owazwileyo,
The king of Judah sent you to ask what I, Yahweh, want. Go and tell him that this is what I, Yahweh, the God whom you Israelis worship, say about what you read:
27 ngoba inhliziyo yakho ibuthakathaka, wazithoba phambi kukaNkulunkulu usuzwe amazwi akhe amelene lalindawo lamelene labahlali bayo, wazithoba phambi kwami, wadabula izigqoko zakho, wakhala inyembezi phambi kwami, ngitsho lami ngizwile, itsho iNkosi.
“Because you heeded [what was written in the scroll], and you humbled yourself when you heard what I said to warn [about what would happen to] this city and the people who live here, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you.
28 Khangela, ngizakubuthela kuboyihlo, njalo uzabuthelwa emangcwabeni akho ngokuthula, lamehlo akho kawayikubona konke okubi engizakwehlisela kulindawo laphezu kwabahlali bayo. Basebebuyisela ilizwi enkosini.
So I will allow you to die and be buried peacefully. I will cause a great disaster to strike this place and the people who live here, but you will not [be alive to] see it.”’” So they reported her reply to the king.
29 Inkosi yasithuma yaqoqa bonke abadala bakoJuda labeJerusalema.
Then the king summoned all the elders of Jerusalem and [other places in] Judea.
30 Inkosi yasisenyukela endlini kaJehova, kanye labantu bonke bakoJuda labahlali beJerusalema labapristi lamaLevi, labo bonke abantu kusukela komkhulu kusiya komncinyane; yasibala endlebeni zabo wonke amazwi ogwalo lwesivumelwano olwalutholakele endlini kaJehova.
They went up together to the temple with the leaders of Judah and many other people of Jerusalem and the priests and other descendants of Levi, from the least important to the most important ones. And while they listened, the king read to them everything that was in the scroll containing God’s laws that had been found in the temple.
31 Inkosi yasisima endaweni yayo, yenza isivumelwano phambi kukaJehova ukulandela uJehova, lokugcina imilayo yakhe lezifakazelo zakhe lezimiso zakhe ngayo yonke inhliziyo yayo langawo wonke umphefumulo wayo, ukwenza amazwi esivumelwano abhalwe kulolugwalo.
Then the king stood next to the pillar [at the entrance to the temple, where kings stood when they announced something important], and while Yahweh was listening, he repeated his promise to very sincerely and completely obey Yahweh and all his commands and regulations and decrees that were written on the scroll.
32 Yasibamisa bonke abatholakala eJerusalema loBhenjamini. Labahlali beJerusalema benza njengokwesivumelwano sikaNkulunkulu, uNkulunkulu waboyise.
Then the king said that everyone who lived in Jerusalem and from [the tribe of] Benjamin should promise that they also would obey those laws. And they did that, agreeing that they would keep the agreement that God, whom their ancestors had worshiped, had made with them.
33 UJosiya wasesusa zonke izinengiso kuwo wonke amazwe ayengawabantwana bakoIsrayeli, wenza wonke owaficwa koIsrayeli ukuthi akhonze, akhonze iNkosi uNkulunkulu wabo. Insuku zakhe zonke kabaphambukanga ekuyilandeleni iNkosi, uNkulunkulu waboyise.
Josiah [instructed his workers to] remove all the detestable idols from everywhere in the land of the Israeli people, and he commanded that all the people from Israel who were there should worship [only] Yahweh their God. And as long as Josiah was alive, the people did what was pleasing to Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors [worshiped].
