< 2 Nyakati 14 >
1 Naye Abiya akalala na baba zake, akazikwa katika Mji wa Daudi. Asa mwanawe akawa mfalme baada yake. Katika siku zake, nchi ikawa na amani kwa miaka kumi.
Abijah slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city of David. Asa, his son, became king in his place. In his days the land was quiet ten years.
2 Asa akatenda yaliyo mema na haki machoni pa Bwana Mungu wake.
Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of Yahweh his God,
3 Akaziondoa madhabahu za kigeni na mahali pa juu pa kuabudia miungu, akayavunja yale mawe ya kuabudiwa na kuzikatakata nguzo za Maashera.
for he took away the foreign altars and the high places. He broke down the stone pillars and cut down the Asherah poles.
4 Akawaamuru Yuda kumtafuta Bwana, Mungu wa baba zao na kutii sheria zake na amri zake.
He commanded Judah to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and to carry out the law and the commandments.
5 Akaondoa mahali pa juu pa kuabudia miungu na madhabahu za kufukizia uvumba kwenye kila mji katika Yuda, nao ufalme ulikuwa na amani katika utawala wake.
Also he took away the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom had rest under him.
6 Akajenga miji yenye ngome katika Yuda, wakati nchi ikiwa na amani. Hakuna mtu yeyote aliyepigana vita naye katika miaka hiyo, kwa kuwa Bwana alimstarehesha.
He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years, because Yahweh had given him peace.
7 Mfalme akawaambia Yuda, “Tuijenge hii miji na tuizungushie kuta, pamoja na minara, malango na makomeo. Nchi bado ni yetu, kwa sababu tumemtafuta Bwana Mungu wetu, tulimtafuta naye ametupa raha kila upande.” Hivyo wakajenga na wakafanikiwa.
For Asa said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars; the land is still ours because we have sought Yahweh our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and succeeded.
8 Asa alikuwa na jeshi la watu 300,000 kutoka Yuda, wenye ngao kubwa na mikuki na jeshi la watu 280,000 kutoka Benyamini, wenye ngao ndogo na pinde. Watu hawa wote walikuwa wapiganaji mashujaa.
Asa had an army that carried shields and spears; from Judah he had 300,000 men, and from Benjamin, 280,000 men who carried shields and drew bows. All of these were mighty men.
9 Zera Mkushi akatoka kupigana dhidi yao akiwa na jeshi la watu maelfu ya maelfu na magari ya vita 300, nao wakaja mpaka Maresha.
Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of one million soldiers and three hundred chariots; he came to Mareshah.
10 Asa akatoka kumkabili, nao wakapanga vita katika Bonde la Sefatha karibu na Maresha.
Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle lines in order in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 Kisha Asa akamlilia Bwana Mungu wake na kusema, “Ee Bwana, hakuna yeyote aliye kama wewe wa kuwasaidia wasio na nguvu dhidi ya wenye nguvu. Utusaidie, Ee Bwana, wewe ndiwe Mungu wetu, kwa kuwa tunakutumainia wewe, nasi kwa jina lako tumekuja dhidi ya jeshi hili kubwa. Ee Bwana, wewe ndiwe Mungu wetu, usiwaache wanadamu wakushinde wewe.”
Asa cried to Yahweh, his God, and said, “Yahweh, there is no one but you to help one who has no strength when he is facing many. Help us, Yahweh our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast number. Yahweh, you are our God; do not let man defeat you.”
12 Bwana akawapiga Wakushi mbele ya Asa na Yuda. Wakushi wakakimbia,
So Yahweh struck the Cushites before Asa and Judah; the Cushites fled.
13 naye Asa na jeshi lake wakawafuatia mpaka Gerari. Idadi kubwa ya Wakushi ilianguka hata wasiweze kuinuka tena, wakapondapondwa mbele za Bwana na majeshi yake.
Asa and the soldiers with him pursued them to Gerar. So many Cushites fell that they could not recover, for they were completely destroyed before Yahweh and his army. The army carried away very much plunder.
14 Watu wa Yuda wakachukua nyara nyingi sana, wakaangamiza vijiji vyote vinavyoizunguka Gerari, kwa kuwa hofu ya Bwana ilikuwa imewaangukia. Wakateka nyara vijiji hivi vyote, kwani kulikuwepo nyara nyingi huko.
The army destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for terror of Yahweh had come on the inhabitants. The army plundered all the villages, and there was much booty in them.
15 Pia wakashambulia kambi za wachunga makundi ya wanyama wakachukua na kuyaswaga makundi ya kondoo, mbuzi na ngamia. Kisha wakarudi Yerusalemu.
The army also destroyed the tent settlements of the shepherding nomads; they carried away sheep in abundance, as well as camels, and then they returned to Jerusalem.