2 Amakhosi 25
1 Kwasekusithi ngomnyaka wesificamunwemunye wokubusa kwakhe, ngenyanga yetshumi, ngolwetshumi lwenyanga, uNebhukadinezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni wafika, yena lebutho lakhe lonke emelene leJerusalema, wamisa inkamba maqondana layo; bayakhela imiduli yokuvimbezela emelene layo inhlangothi zonke.
So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
2 Umuzi wangena ekuvinjezelweni kwaze kwaba ngumnyaka wetshumi lanye wenkosi uZedekhiya.
And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.
3 Ngolwesificamunwemunye lwenyanga yesine indlala yasisiba lamandla phakathi komuzi, njalo kwakungelakudla kwabantu belizwe.
By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food.
4 Umuzi wasufohlelwa. Wonke amadoda empi asebaleka ebusuku ngendlela yesango phakathi kwemiduli emibili eyayiseduze lesivande senkosi, (amaKhaladiya ayemelene-ke lomuzi inhlangothi zonke); inkosi yasihamba ngendlela yamagceke.
Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah,
5 Ibutho lamaKhaladiya laselixotshana lenkosi, layifica emagcekeni eJeriko; ibutho layo lonke laselihlakazeka lisuka kuyo.
but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was separated from him.
6 Aseyibamba inkosi, ayenyusela enkosini yeBhabhiloni eRibila, akhuluma ukwahlulela kwayo.
The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him.
7 Abulala amadodana kaZedekhiya phambi kwamehlo akhe, akhupha amehlo kaZedekhiya, ambopha ngamaketane ethusi amabili, amusa eBhabhiloni.
And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
8 Langenyanga yesihlanu ngolwesikhombisa lwenyanga (okungumnyaka wetshumi lesificamunwemunye wenkosi uNebhukadinezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni) kwafika uNebuzaradani induna yabalindi, inceku yenkosi yeBhabhiloni, eJerusalema.
On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
9 Wasetshisa indlu kaJehova lendlu yenkosi lazo zonke izindlu zeJerusalema; layo yonke indlu yesikhulu wayitshisa ngomlilo.
He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building.
10 Lebutho lonke lamaKhaladiya elalilenduna yabalindi ladilizela phansi imiduli yeJerusalema inhlangothi zonke.
And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
11 Njalo insali yabantu ababesele emzini, labahlamuki ababehlamukele enkosini yeBhabhiloni, lensali yexuku, uNebuzaradani induna yabalindi yabathumba.
Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population.
12 Kodwa induna yabalindi yatshiya ebayangeni belizwe ukuba ngabaphathi bezivini labalimi.
But the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.
13 Lensika zethusi ezazisendlini yeNkosi, lezisekelo, lolwandle lwethusi olwalusendlini yeNkosi, amaKhaladiya akuphahlaza, athwalela ithusi lakho eBhabhiloni.
Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried the bronze to Babylon.
14 Lezimbiza, lamafotsholo, lezindlawu, lenkezo, lezitsha zonke zethusi, abasebenza ngazo, akuthatha.
They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the temple service.
15 Lezitsha zokuthwala umlilo lemiganu yokufafaza, okwakuligolide golide lokwakuyisiliva siliva, induna yabalindi yakuthatha.
The captain of the guard also took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—anything made of pure gold or fine silver.
16 Insika zombili, ulwandle olulodwa, lezisekelo, uSolomoni ayekwenzele indlu yeNkosi, ithusi lazo zonke lezizitsha lalingelakulinganiswa ngesisindo.
As for the two pillars, the Sea, and the movable stands that Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the weight of the bronze from all these articles was beyond measure.
17 Ubude bensika eyodwa babuzingalo ezilitshumi lesificaminwembili, lesiduku phezu kwayo sasilithusi, lokuphakama kwesiduku kuzingalo ezintathu, lomsebenzi ophothiweyo, lamapomegranati phezu kwesiduku inhlangothi zonke, konke kungokwethusi. Lensika yesibili yayilokunje, ilomsebenzi ophothiweyo.
Each pillar was eighteen cubits tall. The bronze capital atop one pillar was three cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates all around. The second pillar, with its network, was similar.
18 Induna yabalindi yasithatha uSeraya umpristi oyinhloko loZefaniya umpristi wesibili, labalindi bombundu womnyango abathathu.
The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers.
19 Lemzini yasithatha induna eyayimiswe phezu kwamadoda empi, lamadoda amahlanu ayesebusweni benkosi ayeficwe emzini, lomabhalane omkhulu webutho eyayibuthela abantu belizwe emabuthweni, lamadoda angamatshumi ayisithupha abantu belizwe ayeficwe phakathi komuzi.
Of those still in the city, he took a court official who had been appointed over the men of war, as well as five royal advisors. He also took the scribe of the captain of the army, who had enlisted the people of the land, and sixty men who were found in the city.
20 UNebuzaradani induna yabalindi wasebathatha laba wabasa enkosini yeBhabhiloni eRibila.
Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
21 Inkosi yeBhabhiloni yasibatshaya yababulalela eRibila elizweni leHamathi. Ngokunjalo uJuda wathunjwa esuswa elizweni lakhe.
There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.
22 Abantu abasala-ke elizweni lakoJuda, uNebhukadinezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni owayebatshiyile, wabeka phezu kwabo uGedaliya indodana kaAhikhamu indodana kaShafani.
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over the people he had left behind in the land of Judah.
23 Kwathi zonke induna zamabutho, zona labantu bazo, sezizwile ukuthi inkosi yeBhabhiloni ibeke uGedaliya abe ngumbusi, zeza kuGedaliya eMizipa: Ngitsho oIshmayeli indodana kaNethaniya loJohanani indodana kaKareya loSeraya indodana kaTanihumethi umNetofa loJahazaniya indodana yomMahakathi, zona labantu bazo.
When all the commanders of the armies and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, as well as their men.
24 UGedaliya wasefunga kuzo lakubantu bazo wathi kuzo: Lingesabi ukuba zinceku zamaKhaladiya; hlalani elizweni, likhonze inkosi yeBhabhiloni, njalo kuzakuba kuhle kini.
And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, assuring them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.”
25 Kodwa kwathi ngenyanga yesikhombisa, kwafika uIshmayeli indodana kaNethaniya indodana kaElishama, owenzalo yesikhosini, lamadoda alitshumi elaye, basebemtshaya uGedaliya waze wafa, lamaJuda lamaKhaladiya ayelaye eMizipa.
In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.
26 Abantu bonke-ke, kusukela komncinyane kuze kuye komkhulu, lenduna zamabutho, basebesuka baya eGibhithe, ngoba besaba amaKhaladiya.
Then all the people small and great, together with the commanders of the army, arose and fled to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans.
27 Kwasekusithi ngomnyaka wamatshumi amathathu lesikhombisa wokuthunjwa kukaJehoyakhini inkosi yakoJuda, ngenyanga yetshumi lambili, ngolwamatshumi amabili lesikhombisa lwenyanga, uEvili Merodaki inkosi yeBhabhiloni, ngomnyaka aba yinkosi ngawo, waphakamisa ikhanda likaJehoyakhini inkosi yakoJuda emkhupha entolongweni.
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison.
28 Wasekhuluma kuhle laye, wamisa isihlalo sakhe sobukhosi phezu kwesihlalo sobukhosi samakhosi ayelaye eBhabhiloni.
And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.
29 Wasentshintsha izigqoko zokubotshwa kwakhe; wasesidla isinkwa njalonjalo phambi kwakhe insuku zonke zempilo yakhe.
So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life.
30 Lesabelo esimiyo, isabelo esimiyo esiqhubekayo sanikwa yena yinkosi, into yosuku ngosuku lwayo, zonke izinsuku zempilo yakhe.
And the king provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life.
