2 Amakhosi 24
1 Ngensuku zakhe uNebhukadinezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni wenyuka, njalo uJehoyakhimi waba yisikhonzi sakhe iminyaka emithathu; wasephenduka wamvukela.
While Jehoiakim was ruling [Judah, the army of] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded Judah. [They defeated the Judean army, and as a result, ] Jehoiakim was required to pay a lot of tribute/taxes to King Nebuchadnezzar. But after three years, Jehoiakim rebelled.
2 INkosi yasithuma ukumelana laye amaviyo amaKhaladiya lamaviyo amaSiriya lamaviyo amaMowabi lamaviyo abantwana bakoAmoni, yasiwathuma ukumelana loJuda ukumchitha, njengokwelizwi leNkosi eyalikhuluma ngesandla sezinceku zayo abaprofethi.
Then Yahweh sent raiders from Babylonia and Syria, and from the Moab and Ammon people-groups, to attack the people of Judah and get rid of them, just as Yahweh had told his prophets to warn the people would happen.
3 Sibili ngokomlayo weNkosi lokho kwehlela koJuda ukubasusa ebusweni bayo ngenxa yezono zikaManase, njengakho konke akwenzayo,
These things happened to the people of Judah according to what Yahweh commanded. [He had decided] to get rid of the people of Judah because of the many sins that King Manasseh [had committed].
4 njalo langegazi elingelacala alichithayo; ngoba wagcwalisa iJerusalema ngegazi elingelacala, iNkosi engavumanga ukulithethelela.
Manasseh had even caused many innocent people in Jerusalem to be killed, and Yahweh would not forgive that.
5 Ezinye-ke zezindaba zikaJehoyakhimi, lakho konke akwenzayo, kakubhalwanga yini egwalweni lwemilando yamakhosi akoJuda?
The other things that happened while Jehoiakim was king, and all the things that he did, are written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.
6 UJehoyakhimi waselala laboyise. UJehoyakhini indodana yakhe wasesiba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
When Jehoiakim died, his son Jehoiachin became the king.
7 Inkosi yeGibhithe kayisaphindanga futhi ukuphuma elizweni layo, ngoba inkosi yeBhabhiloni yayithethe kusukela emfuleni weGibhithe kusiya emfuleni iYufrathi, konke okwakungokwenkosi yeGibhithe.
[The army of] the king of Babylon [defeated the army of Egypt, and] took control of all the area that the Egyptians formerly controlled, from the brook [at the border] of Egypt [in the south] to the Euphrates River [in the north]. So [the army of] the king of Egypt did not return [to attack Judah] again.
8 UJehoyakhini wayeleminyaka elitshumi lesificaminwembili lapho esiba yinkosi; wabusa inyanga ezintathu eJerusalema. Lebizo likanina lalinguNehushita indodakazi kaElinathani weJerusalema.
Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became the king of Judah. His mother’s name was Nehushta; she was the daughter of a man from Jerusalem named Elnathan. Jehoiachin ruled in Jerusalem for [only] three months.
9 Wasesenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi njengokwenza konke kukayise.
Jehoiachin did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, just as his father had done.
10 Ngalesosikhathi izinceku zikaNebhukadinezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni zenyukela eJerusalema, umuzi wasungena ekuvinjezelweni.
[While Jehoiachin was king, ] some officers of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came [along with the whole Babylonian army] to Jerusalem, and they surrounded the city.
11 UNebhukadinezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni wasefika wamelana lomuzi, izinceku zakhe zisawuvimbezela.
While they were doing that, Nebuchadnezzar himself came to the city.
12 UJehoyakhini inkosi yakoJuda wasephuma waya enkosini yeBhabhiloni, yena lonina lenceku zakhe lenduna zakhe labathenwa bakhe. Inkosi yeBhabhiloni yasimthatha ngomnyaka wesificaminwembili wokubusa kwakhe.
Then King Jehoiachin and his mother and his advisors and important officers and palace officials all surrendered to the Babylonian army. These thngs happened when Nebuchadnezzar had been king for eight years. He arrested Jehoiachin and took him to Babylon.
13 Yasikhupha lapho wonke amagugu endlu kaJehova lamagugu endlu yenkosi; yaquma zonke izitsha zegolide uSolomoni inkosi yakoIsrayeli ayezenzile ethempelini likaJehova, njengokutsho kweNkosi.
Just as Yahweh had said would happen, Nebuchadnezzar’s [soldiers] took [to Babylon] all the valuable things from Yahweh’s temple and from the king’s palace. They cut apart all the gold items that King Solomon had put in the temple.
14 Yasithumba iJerusalema yonke, leziphathamandla zonke, lawo wonke amaqhawe alamandla, abathunjwa abazinkulungwane ezilitshumi, lazo zonke ingcitshi zemisebenzi labakhandi; kakusalanga loyedwa ngaphandle kwabantukazana ebantwini belizwe.
They took from Jerusalem [to Babylon] 10,000 people, including the important officials and the best soldiers and the people who made and repaired things that were made of metal. Only the very poor people were left in Judah.
15 Yasimthumbela uJehoyakhini eBhabhiloni; lonina wenkosi, lamakhosikazi enkosi, labathenwa bakhe, lamaqhawe elizwe, yabathumbela eBhabhiloni besuka eJerusalema.
Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers also took to Babylon Jehoiachin’s wives and officials, his mother, and [all] the important people.
16 Lawo wonke amadoda angamaqhawe, azinkulungwane eziyisikhombisa, lezingcitshi zemisebenzi labakhandi, abayinkulungwane, bonke abaqinileyo abangaphuma impi, inkosi yeBhabhiloni yasibaletha bengabathunjwa eBhabhiloni.
They also took to Babylon 7,000 of the best soldiers and 1,000 men who knew how to make and repair things that are made from metal. All of these people whom they took were strong and able to fight in wars.
17 Inkosi yeBhabhiloni yasibeka uMathaniya uyise omncinyane ukuba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe, yaguqula ibizo lakhe yathi nguZedekhiya.
Then the king of Babylon appointed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Mattaniah, to be the king [of Judah], and he changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah.
18 UZedekhiya wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lanye lapho esiba yinkosi; wabusa iminyaka elitshumi lanye eJerusalema. Lebizo likanina lalinguHamutali indodakazi kaJeremiya weLibhina.
When Zedekiah was twenty-one years old, he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal; she was the daughter of a man named Jeremiah from Libnah [town].
19 Wasesenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi njengokwenza konke kukaJehoyakhimi.
But Zedekiah did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, just as Jehoiakim had done.
20 Ngoba ngenxa yentukuthelo yeNkosi lokhu kwenzeka eJerusalema lakoJuda yaze yabaxotsha phambi kwayo. UZedekhiya waseyivukela inkosi yeBhabhiloni.
Yahweh was very angry. So (and finally/after he had been patient a long time) he expelled the people of Jerusalem and [the other places in] Judah and sent them to Babylon. [That is what happened when] Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
