2 Nyakati 24
1 Yoashi alikuwa na umri wa miaka saba alipoanza kutawala, naye akatawala huko Yerusalemu kwa miaka arobaini. Mama yake aliitwa Sibia aliyekuwa ametoka Beer-Sheba.
Joash was seven when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
2 Yoashi akafanya yaliyo mema machoni pa Bwana miaka yote ya Yehoyada kuhani.
Joash did what was right in the Lord's sight during the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest.
3 Yehoyada akamwoza wake wawili, akazaa watoto wa kiume na wa kike.
Jehoiada arranged for him to marry two wives, and he had sons and daughters.
4 Baada ya muda, Yoashi akaamua kukarabati Hekalu la Bwana.
Some time later, Joash decided to repair the Lord's Temple.
5 Akawaita pamoja makuhani na Walawi akawaambia, “Nendeni katika miji ya Yuda mkakusanye fedha wanazopaswa kulipa kila mwaka kutoka kwa Israeli wote, ili kukarabati Hekalu la Mungu wenu. Fanyeni hivyo sasa.” Lakini Walawi hawakufanya upesi.
He summoned the priests and Levites and told them, “Go to the towns of Judah and collect the yearly dues from everyone in Israel to repair the Temple of your God. Do it right away.” But the Levites did not go right away.
6 Kwa hiyo mfalme akamwita Yehoyada kuhani mkuu na kumwambia, “Kwa nini hukuwaambia Walawi walete kutoka Yuda na Yerusalemu kodi iliyowekwa na Mose mtumishi wa Bwana pamoja na kusanyiko la Israeli kwa ajili ya Hema ya Ushuhuda?”
So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and asked him, “Why haven't you ordered the Levites to collect from Judah and Jerusalem the tax that Moses, the Lord's servant, and the assembly of Israel imposed to maintain the Tent of the Law?”
7 Kwa kuwa wana wa yule mwanamke mwovu Athalia, walikuwa wamevunja na kuingia katika Hekalu la Mungu, nao wakawa wamevitumia hata vile vitu vilivyowekwa wakfu kwa Bwana kwa mabaali.
(The supporters of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into God's Temple and had stolen the holy objects of the Lord's Temple and used them to worship the Baals.)
8 Kwa amri ya mfalme, likatengenezwa kasha, nalo likawekwa nje kwenye lango la Hekalu la Bwana.
The king ordered a collection chest to be made and placed outside the entrance to the Lord's Temple.
9 Tangazo likatolewa katika Yuda na Yerusalemu kwamba inapasa wamletee Bwana kodi ile ambayo Mose, mtumishi wa Bwana alikuwa amewaagiza Israeli huko jangwani.
A decree was proclaimed throughout Judea and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord the tax that Moses, the Lord's servant, imposed on Israel in the wilderness.
10 Maafisa wote na watu wote wakaleta michango yao kwa furaha, wakaweka kwenye kasha mpaka likajaa.
All the leaders and all the people were glad to do so and brought their taxes. They dropped them in the chest until it was full.
11 Ikawa kila wakati kasha lilipoletwa ndani na Walawi kwa maafisa wa mfalme na kuona kwamba kuna kiasi kikubwa cha fedha, mwandishi wa mfalme na afisa wa kuhani mkuu walikuwa wanakuja na kumimina, kisha kulirudisha mahali pake. Walifanya hivi mara kwa mara, nao wakakusanya fedha nyingi sana.
Every so often the Levites took the chest to the king's officials. When they saw that it contained a large amount of money, the king's secretary and the chief officer of the high priest would come and empty the chest. Then they would carry it back to its place. They did this every day and collected a great deal of money.
12 Mfalme na Yehoyada wakawapa wale watu waliofanya kazi iliyotakiwa katika Hekalu la Bwana. Wakawaajiri waashi na maseremala ili kutengeneza Hekalu la Bwana, pia wafanyakazi za chuma na shaba ili kukarabati Hekalu la Bwana.
Then the king and Jehoiada would allocate the money of those supervising the work on the Lord's Temple to hire stonecutters and carpenters to restore the Lord's Temple and craftsmen in iron and bronze to repair the Lord's Temple.
13 Watu walioshughulika na kazi walikuwa wenye bidii, nayo kazi ya kukarabati ikaendelea vizuri mikononi mwao. Wakalitengeneza upya Hekalu la Bwana likarudi katika hali yake ya awali na kuliimarisha.
The men doing the repairs worked hard and made good progress. They restored God's Temple to its original condition and strengthened it.
14 Walipokamilisha kazi hiyo ya kukarabati, wakaleta fedha zilizobaki wakampa mfalme na Yehoyada, nao kwa hizo wakatengeneza vyombo kwa ajili ya Hekalu la Bwana: Vyombo kwa ajili ya huduma na kwa ajili ya sadaka ya kuteketezwa, pia mabakuli na vitu vingine vya dhahabu na fedha. Wakati wote Yehoyada alipokuwa hai, sadaka za kuteketezwa zilitolewa wakati wote katika Hekalu la Bwana.
When they finished, they returned the money that was left to the king and Jehoiada, and with it utensils were made for the Lord's Temple, both for the worship services and for the burnt offerings, also bowls for incense and vessels of gold and silver. Burnt offerings were regularly offered in the Lord's Temple regularly throughout Jehoiada's lifetime.
15 Basi Yehoyada alikuwa mzee aliyeshiba siku wakati alipofariki. Alikufa akiwa na umri wa miaka 130.
Jehoiada grew old and died at the age of 130, having lived a full life.
16 Wakamzika pamoja na wafalme katika Mji wa Daudi, kwa sababu ya mema aliyokuwa ametenda katika Israeli kwa ajili ya Mungu na Hekalu lake.
He was buried with the kings in the City of David, for all the good he had done in Israel for God and his Temple.
17 Baada ya kifo cha Yehoyada, wakuu wa Yuda walikuja kumpa mfalme heshima, naye akawasikiliza.
But after the death of Jehoiada, the leaders of Judah came to swear their loyalty to the king, and he listened to their advice.
18 Wakaacha Hekalu la Bwana, Mungu wa baba zao, wakaabudu nguzo za maashera na sanamu. Kwa sababu ya hatia yao, hasira ya Mungu ikawajia Yuda na Yerusalemu.
They abandoned the Temple of the Lord, the God of their forefathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Judah and Jerusalem were punished because of their sin.
19 Ingawa Bwana aliwatuma manabii wawarudishe watu kwake na ingawa waliwaonya, hawakuwasikiliza.
The Lord sent prophets to bring the people back to him and to warn them; but they refused to listen.
20 Ndipo Roho wa Bwana akaja juu ya Zekaria mwana wa Yehoyada kuhani. Akasimama mbele ya watu akasema, “Hili ndilo asemalo Mungu, ‘Kwa nini mnakataa kuzitii amri za Bwana? Hamtafanikiwa kwa kuwa mmemwacha Bwana, yeye naye amewaacha ninyi.’”
Then the Spirit of God came to Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and told them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you break the Lord's commandments so that you cannot be successful? Since you have abandoned the Lord, he has abandoned you.’”
21 Lakini wakafanya shauri baya juu yake na kwa amri ya mfalme wakampiga kwa mawe mpaka akafa katika ukumbi wa Hekalu la Bwana.
Then the leaders hatched a plot to kill Zechariah, and on the orders of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord's Temple.
22 Mfalme Yoashi hakukumbuka wema aliotendewa na Yehoyada baba yake Zekaria ila alimuua mwanawe, ambaye alisema wakati akiwa amelala akingojea kufa, “Bwana na alione hili na alipize kisasi.”
King Joash showed he had forgotten all about the loyalty and love shown to him by Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, by killing his son. As he died, Zechariah cried out, “May the Lord see what you've done and pay you back!”
23 Mwishoni mwa ule mwaka, jeshi la Waaramu likaja dhidi ya Yoashi, likavamia Yuda na Yerusalemu na kuwaua viongozi wote wa watu. Wakapeleka nyara zao zote kwa mfalme wao huko Dameski.
At the end of the year, the Aramean army came to attack Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the people's leaders, and sent all their plunder back to the king of Damascus.
24 Ingawa jeshi la Waaramu lilikuwa limekuja na watu wachache tu, Bwana akatia mikononi mwao jeshi kubwa kuliko lao. Kwa sababu Yuda walikuwa wamemwacha Bwana, Mungu wa baba zao, hukumu ilitekelezwa juu ya Yoashi.
Even though the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the Lord gave them the victory over a very large army, because Judah had abandoned the Lord, the God of their forefathers. In this way they punished Joash.
25 Waaramu walipoondoka, walimwacha Yoashi akiwa mgonjwa sana. Maafisa wake wakafanya hila dhidi yake kwa sababu alikuwa amemuua mwana wa Kuhani Yehoyada, nao wakamuulia kitandani mwake. Hivyo akafa na wakamzika katika Mji wa Daudi, lakini si katika makaburi ya wafalme.
When the Arameans departed, they left Joash badly wounded. But then his own officers plotted against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him in his bed. He was buried in the City of David, but not in the cemetery of the kings.
26 Wale waliofanya hila mbaya dhidi yake walikuwa Zabadi, mwana wa Shimeathi mwanamke Mwamoni, Yehozabadi, mwana wa Shimrithi mwanamke Mmoabu.
Those who plotted against him were Zabad, son of Shimeath, an Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith, a Moabite woman.
27 Kwa habari za wanawe, unabii mwingi kumhusu na kumbukumbu za kutengenezwa upya kwa Hekalu la Mungu, zimeandikwa katika kitabu cha kumbukumbu za wafalme. Amazia mwanawe akawa mfalme baada yake.
The story of the sons of Joash, as well as the many prophecies about him and about the restoration of God's Temple, are recorded in the Commentary on the Book of the Kings. His son Amaziah took over as king.
