2 Imilando 36
1 Abantu belizwe basebethatha uJehowahazi indodana kaJosiya, bambeka waba yinkosi esikhundleni sikayise eJerusalema.
Then the people of Judah chose Josiah’s son Jehoahaz and appointed him as the king in Jerusalem.
2 UJehowahazi wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lantathu esiba yinkosi; wasebusa inyanga ezintathu eJerusalema.
Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became the king, but he ruled from Jerusalem for [only] three months.
3 Inkosi yeGibhithe yasimsusa eseJerusalema, yahlawulisa ilizwe amathalenta esiliva alikhulu lethalenta legolide.
King Neco of Egypt [captured him and] prevented him from ruling any longer. He also forced the people of Judah to pay him a tax of almost four tons of silver and about 75 pounds of gold.
4 Inkosi yeGibhithe yasibeka uEliyakhimi umfowabo abe yinkosi phezu kukaJuda leJerusalema, yaguqula ibizo lakhe yathi nguJehoyakhimi. UNeko wasethatha uJehowahazi umfowabo wamletha eGibhithe.
The king of Egypt appointed Jehoahaz’s [younger] brother Eliakim to be the king of Judah. He changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. After Neco captured Jehoahaz, he took him to Egypt.
5 UJehoyakhimi wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lanhlanu esiba yinkosi; wasebusa iminyaka elitshumi lanye eJerusalema. Wenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi uNkulunkulu wakhe.
Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became the king [of Judah], and he ruled from Jerusalem for 11 years. He did things that Yahweh his God considers to be evil.
6 Kwenyukela kuye uNebhukadinezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni, wambopha ngamaketane ethusi, ukumusa eBhabhiloni.
Then the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jehoiakim’s army. They [captured Jehoiakim and] bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon.
7 UNebhukadinezari waseletha okwezitsha zendlu yeNkosi eBhabhiloni, wakufaka ethempelini lakhe eBhabhiloni.
Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers also took valuable things from the temple; they took them to Babylon and put them in king [Nebuchadnezzar’s] palace there.
8 Ezinye-ke zezindaba zikaJehoyakhimi, lamanyala akhe awenzayo, lokwatholakala kuye, khangela, kubhaliwe egwalweni lwamakhosi akoIsrayeli loJuda. UJehoyakhini indodana yakhe wasesiba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
A record of the other things that happened while Jehoiakim was ruling, the detestable things that he did, including the evil things that people said that he did, is written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah’. After [he was taken to Babylon], his son Jehoiachin became the king [of Judah].
9 UJehoyakhini wayeleminyaka eyisificaminwembili esiba yinkosi; wasebusa inyanga ezintathu lensuku ezilitshumi eJerusalema. Wenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi.
Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became the king [of Judah], and he ruled from Jerusalem for [only] three months and ten days. He did things that Yahweh considers to be evil.
10 Lekuthwaseni komnyaka inkosi uNebhukadinezari yathuma yamletha eBhabhiloni, kanye lezitsha eziloyisekayo zendlu yeNkosi; yasibeka uZedekhiya umfowabo abe yinkosi phezu kukaJuda leJerusalema.
During the spring of the next year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent [soldiers] to bring him to Babylon. They also took to Babylon many valuable things from the temple of Yahweh. Then Nebuchadnezzar appointed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, to be the king of Judah.
11 UZedekhiya wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lanye esiba yinkosi; wasebusa iminyaka elitshumi lanye eJerusalema.
Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became the king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for 11 years.
12 Wasesenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi uNkulunkulu wakhe; kazithobanga phambi kukaJeremiya umprofethi, ekhuluma okomlomo weNkosi.
He did many things that Yahweh his God considered to be evil. And he did not humble himself when the prophet Jeremiah gave him a message from Yahweh [to warn him].
13 Laye wasevukela inkosi uNebhukadinezari eyayimfungise ngoNkulunkulu, wenza yaba lukhuni intamo yakhe, waqinisa inhliziyo yakhe, okokuthi kaphendukelanga eNkosini, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli.
He would not return to Yahweh, the God that the people of Israel [said that they worshiped]. Zedekiah also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had forced him to solemnly promise using God’s name [to be loyal to him]. Zedekiah became very stubborn.
14 Futhi zonke induna zabapristi labantu banda ekuphambukeni ngeziphambeko njengawo wonke amanyala ezizwe, bayingcolisa indlu yeNkosi eyayiyingcwelisile eJerusalema.
Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and also the people [of Judah] became more wicked again, doing all the detestable things that the people of the other nations did, and causing the temple in Jerusalem that Yahweh had caused to be holy to become [an] unacceptable [place to worship him].
15 INkosi, uNkulunkulu waboyise, yasithuma kubo ngesandla sezithunywa zayo, ivuka ngovivi ithuma, ngoba yayilesihawu ebantwini bayo lendaweni yayo yokuhlala.
Yahweh, the God whom the ancestors [of the people of Judah belonged to/worshiped], gave messages to his prophets many times, and the prophets told those messages to the people of Judah. Yahweh did that because he pitied his people and did not want his temple to be destroyed.
16 Kodwa babezihleka usulu izithunywa zikaNkulunkulu, bedelela amazwi akhe, beklolodela abaprofethi bakhe, lwaze lwavuka ulaka lweNkosi lwamelana labantu bayo kakwaze kwaba leselapho.
But the people continually made fun of God’s messengers. They despised God’s messages. They ridiculed his prophets, until finally God became extremely angry with his people, with the result that nothing could stop him [from destroying Judah].
17 Ngakho yabenyusela inkosi yamaKhaladiya eyabulala amajaha abo ngenkemba endlini yendlu yabo engcwele, ingahawukeli ijaha lentombi, omdala lexhegu; yabanikela bonke esandleni sayo.
He incited the king of Babylonia to attack [Judah with his army]. They killed the young men with their swords, even in the temple. They did not spare/pity anyone, young men or young women or old people. God enabled the army of Nebuchadnezzar to kill all of them.
18 Lazo zonke izitsha zendlu kaNkulunkulu, ezinkulu lezincinyane, lezinto eziligugu zendlu kaJehova, lezinto eziligugu zenkosi lezeziphathamandla zayo, konke lokhu yakuletha eBhabhiloni.
His soldiers took to Babylon all the things that were used in God’s temple—big things and little things, all the valuable things, and the valuable things that belonged to the king and his officials.
19 Basebetshisa indlu kaNkulunkulu, badiliza umduli weJerusalema, batshisa zonke izigodlo zayo ngomlilo, batshabalalisa zonke izitsha zayo eziloyisekayo.
They burned the temple, and they broke down the wall surrounding Jerusalem. They burned all the palaces [in Jerusalem] and destroyed all the remaining valuable things there.
20 Yasithumbela eBhabhiloni abasele enkembeni; basebesiba zinceku zayo lezabantwana bayo kwaze kwaba yikubusa kombuso wePerisiya;
Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers took to Babylon the remaining people who had not been killed with their swords. Then those people became the king’s slaves and his son’s slaves, until the [army of the] king of Persia conquered [the army of Babylonia].
21 ukugcwalisa ilizwi leNkosi ngomlomo kaJeremiya, ilizwe lize likholise amasabatha alo; lagcina isabatha zonke izinsuku zencithakalo, kwaze kwagcwaliseka iminyaka engamatshumi ayisikhombisa.
[Moses had said that every seventh year the people must not plant their fields; they must allow the soil to rest. But the people had not done that. So after the army of Babylonia destroyed Judah, ] the soil was allowed to rest. That continued for 70 years, fulfilling what Yahweh told Jeremiah and what Jeremiah had predicted/prophesied would happen.
22 Kwathi ngomnyaka wokuqala kaKoresi inkosi yePerisiya, ekugcwalisekeni kwelizwi leNkosi ngomlomo kaJeremiya, iNkosi yavusa umoya kaKoresi inkosi yePerisiya ukuthi edlulise isimemezelo embusweni wakhe wonke, njalo langombhalo, esithi:
During the first year that Cyrus was the king of Persia, in order that what Yahweh told Jeremiah would happen would occur, Yahweh motivated Cyrus to write this and proclaim it throughout his kingdom:
23 Utsho njalo uKoresi inkosi yePerisiya: INkosi, uNkulunkulu wamazulu, inginikile yonke imibuso yomhlaba; layo ingilayile ukuyakhela indlu eJerusalema ekoJuda. Ngubani ophakathi kwenu kubo bonke abantu bayo? INkosi uNkulunkulu wakhe kayibe laye, enyuke.
“I, Cyrus, the king of Persia, declare that Yahweh, the God [who rules] in heaven, has enabled me to become the ruler of all the kingdoms of this world. And he wants me to [command that my workers] build a temple {a temple be built} for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of his people living among you people of Persia are allowed to go to Jerusalem. And I will pray that Yahweh will be with them.”
