< 2 Nyakati 15 >
1 Roho ya Mungu ikaja juu ya Azaria mwana wa Odedi.
And as for 'Azaryahu the son of 'Oded—on him came the spirit of God;
2 Akaenda nje kukutana na Asa na akamwambia, “Nisikilize, Asa, na Yuda wote na Benyamini: Yahwe yuko pamoja nanyi, pale mnapokuwa naye. Kama mtamtafuta, mtampata; lakini kama mtamsahau, atawasahau ninyi.
And he went out to meet Assa, and said unto him, Hear me, O Assa, and all Judah and Benjamin, The Lord is with you, while ye remain with him; and if ye seek him, he will let himself be found by you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
3 Sasa kwa muda mrefu, Israeli hawakuwa na Mungu wa kweli, bila kuhani wa kufundisha, na bila sheria.
And many days [had elapsed] for Israel, [they being] without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.
4 Lakini katika dhiki yao wakamrudia Yahwe, Mungu wa Israeli, na wakamtafuta, wakamta.
But they returned when they were in distress unto the Lord, the God of Israel, and they sought him, and he let himself be found by them.
5 Katika nyakati hizo hapakuwa na amani kwake aliyesafiri kwend mbali, wala kwake aliyesafiri kuja hapa; badala yake shsida kubwa zilikuwa juu ya wenyeji wote wa wanchi.
And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, and to him that came in; but there were great confusions among all the inhabitants of the countries.
6 Waligawanyika vikundi vikundi, taifa dhidi ya taifa, na mji dhidi ya mji, kwa maana Mungu aliwapa shsida za kila aina ya kila mateso.
And nation was dashed to pieces against nation, and city against city; for God did confound them with all kind of distress.
7 Lakini muwe hodari, na msiuache mkono wenu kuwa dhaifu, kwa maana kazi yen itapewa thawabu.”
But as for you, be ye strong, and let not your hands be weak; for there is a reward for your doing.
8 Asa aliposikia maneno haya, unabii wa odedi nabii, akajipa ujasiri na kuviondosha mbali vitu vya kuchukiza kutoka nchi yote ya Yuda na Benyamini, na kutoka miji yote aliyokuwa ameiteka kuanzia kilima cha nchi ya Efraimu, na akaijenga tena madhabahu ya Yahwe, ambayo ilikuwa mbele ya ukumbi wa nyumba ya Yahwe.
And when Assa heard these words, and the prophecy of 'Oded the prophet, he was strengthened, and he put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had captured from the mountain of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of the Lord, that was before the porch of the Lord.
9 Akawakusanya Yuda wote na Benyamini, na wae waliokaa pamoja nao—watu wa kutoka Efraimu na Manase, na kutoka Simeoni. Kwa maana walikuja kwake katika hesabu kubwa kutoka Israeli, walipoona kwamba Yahwe Mungu wake alikuwa pamoja naye.
And he assembled all Judah and Benjamin, and those that sojourned with them out of Ephraim and Menasseh, and out of Simeon; for they had joined him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
10 Kwa hiyo wakakusanyika katika Yerusalemu katika mwezzi wa tatu, katika mwaka wa kumi na tano wa utawala wa Asa.
And so they assembled themselves at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Assa.
11 Katika siku hiyo walimtolea Yahwe dhabihu baadhi ya nyara ambazo walikuwa wameleta; ng'mbe wa kulima mia saba na kondoo na mbuzi elfu saba.
And they sacrificed unto the Lord on the same day, of the booty which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
12 Wakaingia kataika agano kwa ajili ya kumtafuta Yahwe, Mungu wa babau zao, kwa moyo wao wote na roho yao yote.
And they entered into the covenant to seek the Lord the God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;
13 Wakakubaliana kwamba yeyote atakepuuzia kumtafuta Yahwe, Mungu wa Israeli, atapaswa kuuawa, iwe mdogo ama mkubwa, iwe mwanaume ama mwanamke.
So that whosoever would not seek the Lord the God of Israel should be put to death, from the small even up to the great, whether it be man or woman.
14 Wakaapa kwa Yahwe kwa sauti kubwa, kwa kelele, na kwa sauti za tarumbeta na baragumu.
And they swore unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with [joyful] shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.
15 Yuda wote wakakifurahia kile kiaapo. kwa maana walikuwa wameapa kwa moyo wao wote, na walimtafuta Mungu kwa nia yao yote, na walimuona. Yahwe akawapa amani pande zote.
And all Judah rejoiced because of the oath; for with all their heart had they sworn, and with their whole desire did they seek him, and he let himself be found by them: and the Lord gave them rest on every side.
16 Pia akamwondoa Maaka, asiwe malikia, kwa sababu alikuwa amefanya sanamu ya kuchukiza ya Maashera. Asa akaivunja vunja sanamu ya kuchukiza, akaiweka kwenye mavumbi akaichoma moto huko kijitoni Kidroni.
And also concerning Ma'achah the mother of king Assa, he removed her from being queen, because she had made a scandalous image for the grove; and Assa cut down her scandalous image, and had it ground up, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.
17 Lakini sehemu za juu hazikuwa zimeondolewa nje ya Israeli. Vile vile, Moyo wa Asa ulijitoa kikamilifu siku zake zote.
But the high-places were not removed out of Israel; nevertheless the heart of Assa was entire all his days.
18 Akaleta kwenye nyumba ya Mungu vitu vya baba yake na vitu vyake mwenyewe vilivyokuwa vya Yahwe: vitu vya fedha na dhahabu.
And be brought the things which his father had sanctified, and his own sanctified things, into the house of God, —silver, and gold, and vessels.
19 Hapakuwa na vita zaidi hadi miaka thelathini na mitano ya utawala wa Asa.
And there was no war until the five-and-thirtieth year of the reign of Assa.