2 Amakhosi 16
1 Ngomnyaka wetshumi lesikhombisa kaPheka indodana kaRemaliya uAhazi indodana kaJothamu inkosi yakoJuda waba yinkosi.
Ahaz, son of Jotham, became king of Judah in the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah, son of Remaliah.
2 UAhazi wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lapho esiba yinkosi; wabusa iminyaka elitshumi lesithupha eJerusalema. Kenzanga-ke okulungileyo emehlweni eNkosi uNkulunkulu wakhe, njengoDavida uyise.
Ahaz was twenty when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. But unlike David his forefather, he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God.
3 Kodwa wahamba ngendlela yamakhosi akoIsrayeli, yebo, futhi wenza indodana yakhe idabule emlilweni, njengezinengiso zezizwe iNkosi eyazixotsha elifeni phambi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, and he even sacrificed his son in the fire, participating in the disgusting practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.
4 Wanikela imihlatshelo watshisa impepha endaweni eziphakemeyo laphezu kwamaqaqa langaphansi kwaso sonke isihlahla esiluhlaza.
He sacrificed and presented burnt offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.
5 Khona uRezini inkosi yeSiriya loPheka indodana kaRemaliya, inkosi yakoIsrayeli, benyukela eJerusalema ukulwa, bamvimbezela uAhazi kodwa kababanga lakho ukunqoba.
Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came and attacked Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz but couldn't defeat him.
6 Ngalesosikhathi uRezini inkosi yeSiriya wabuyisela iElathi eSiriya, waxotsha amaJuda eElathi; amaSiriya asesiza eElathi ahlala khona kuze kube lamuhla.
This was when Rezin, king of Aram, recovered Elath for Edom. He expelled the people of Judah, and sent Edomites to Elath, where they still live to this day.
7 UAhazi wasethuma izithunywa kuTigilathi Pileseri inkosi yeAsiriya esithi: Ngiyinceku yakho lendodana yakho; yenyuka ungisindise esandleni senkosi yeSiriya lesandleni senkosi yakoIsrayeli abangivukelayo.
Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, saying, “I'm your servant, and your son. Please come and rescue me from the kings of Aram and Israel who are attacking me.”
8 UAhazi wasethatha isiliva legolide okwakutholwa endlini kaJehova lenothweni yendlu yenkosi, wathumela isipho enkosini yeAsiriya.
Ahaz took the silver and gold from the Lord's Temple and from the treasuries of the king's palace, and he sent it to the king of Assyria as a gift.
9 Inkosi yeAsiriya yasimlalela, ngoba inkosi yeAsiriya yenyuka imelene leDamaseko yayithumba, yabathumbela eKiri abantu bayo, yabulala uRezini.
The king of Assyria responded positively to him. He went and attacked Damascus, and captured it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir and executed Rezin.
10 Inkosi uAhazi yasisiya eDamaseko ukuhlangana loTigilathi Pileseri inkosi yeAsiriya, yabona ilathi elaliseDamaseko. Inkosi uAhazi yasithumela kuUriya umpristi isimo selathi lomfanekiso walo njengokwenziwa kwalo konke.
King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria. During his visit he saw an altar in Damascus, and he sent Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar, along with instructions how to build it.
11 U-Uriya umpristi wasesakha ilathi njengakho konke uAhazi akuthumela kuvela eDamaseko; uUriya umpristi wenza njalo, yaze yafika inkosi uAhazi ivela eDamaseko.
So Uriah the priest built an altar following all the instructions King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, completing it before King Ahaz returned.
12 Inkosi isibuyile eDamaseko inkosi yalibona ilathi. Inkosi yasondela elathini, yanikela phezu kwalo.
When the king came back from Damascus he saw the altar. He went over to it and made offerings on it.
13 Yasitshisa umnikelo wayo wokutshiswa lomnikelo wayo wokudla, yathela umnikelo wayo wokunathwayo, yafafaza igazi leminikelo yokuthula eyayilayo phezu kwelathi.
He presented his burnt offering and his grain offering, he poured out his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his friendship offerings on it.
14 Kodwa ilathi lethusi elaliphambi kweNkosi yaliletha lisuka phambi kwendlu, lisuka phakathi kwelathi lendlu yeNkosi, yalifaka ehlangothini lwenyakatho lwelathi.
He also moved the bronze altar that stood before the Lord from the front of the Temple, between the new altar and the Lord's Temple, and he placed it to the north of the new altar.
15 Inkosi uAhazi yasimlaya uUriya umpristi isithi: Phezu kwelathi elikhulu tshisa umnikelo wokutshiswa wekuseni, lomnikelo wokudla wantambama, lomnikelo wokutshiswa wenkosi, lomnikelo wayo wokudla, lomnikelo wokutshiswa wabo bonke abantu belizwe, lomnikelo wabo wokudla, leminikelo yabo yokunathwayo; ufafaze phezu kwalo lonke igazi lomnikelo wokutshiswa lalo lonke igazi lomhlatshelo. Kodwa ilathi lethusi lizakuba ngelami ukubuza ngalo.
Then King Ahaz ordered Uriah the priest: “Use this new important altar to offer the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering and grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people, and their grain offerings and their drink offerings. Sprinkle on this altar the blood of all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. The old bronze altar I'll use for divination.”
16 U-Uriya umpristi wasesenza njengakho konke inkosi uAhazi eyayikulayile.
Uriah the priest followed King Ahaz's orders.
17 Inkosi uAhazi yasiquma imiphetho yezisekelo, yasusa inditshi yokugezela kuzo, yethula ulwandle phezu kwenkabi zethusi ezazingaphansi kwalo, yalubeka phezu kokugandelwe ngamatshe.
King Ahaz also removed the frames of the movable carts, and also took out the bronze basin from each of them. He removed the Sea from the bronze bulls it rested on and placed it on a stone pedestal.
18 Lokwembesiweyo kwesabatha ababekwakhe endlini, lentuba yenkosi phandle, yakususa endlini yeNkosi, ngenxa yenkosi yeAsiriya.
He took down the Sabbath canopy they had built in the Temple, as well as the king's outer entrance to the Lord's Temple. He did this to please the king of Assyria.
19 Ezinye-ke zezindaba zikaAhazi azenzayo, kazibhalwanga yini egwalweni lwemilando yamakhosi akoJuda?
The rest of what happened in Ahaz's reign and all he did are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.
20 UAhazi waselala laboyise, wangcwatshelwa kuboyise emzini kaDavida. UHezekhiya indodana yakhe wasesiba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
Ahaz died and was buried with his forefathers in the City of David. His son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.
