2 Nyakati 36
1 Kisha watu wa nchi wakamchukua Yehoazi mwana wa Yosia, na wakamfanya mfalme katika nafasi ya baba yake katika Yerusalemu.
Then the people of Judah chose Josiah’s son Jehoahaz and appointed him as the king in Jerusalem.
2 Yehoazi alikuwa na umri wa miaka ishirini alipoanza kutawala, na akatawala miezi mitatu katita Yerusalemu.
Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became the king, but he ruled from Jerusalem for [only] three months.
3 Mfalme wa Misiri akamwondoa katika Yerusalemu, na akaitoza nchi faini ya talanta za fedha mia moja na talanta moja ya dhahabu.
King Neco of Egypt [captured him and] prevented him from ruling any longer. He also forced the people of Judah to pay him a tax of almost four tons of silver and about 75 pounds of gold.
4 Mfalme wa Misiri akamfanya Eliakimu, ndugu yake, mfalme juu ya Yuda na Yerusalemu, na akambadili jina lake kuwa Yehoakimu. Kisha akamchukua ndugu yake Eliakimu - Yeahazi na kumpeleka Misiri.
The king of Egypt appointed Jehoahaz’s [younger] brother Eliakim to be the king of Judah. He changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. After Neco captured Jehoahaz, he took him to Egypt.
5 Yehoakimu alikuwa na umri wa miaka ishini na tano alipoanza kutawala, na akatawala miaka kumi na moja katika Yerusalemu. Akafanya ambayao yalikuwa uovu katika macho ya Yahwe Mungu wake.
Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became the king [of Judah], and he ruled from Jerusalem for 11 years. He did things that Yahweh his God considers to be evil.
6 Kisha Nebukadreza, mfalme wa Babeli, akamvamia na kumfunga katika minyororo kumuongoza kwenda mbali Babeli.
Then the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jehoiakim’s army. They [captured Jehoiakim and] bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon.
7 Nebukadreza pia akabeba baadhi ya vitu katika nyumba ya Yahwe kwenda Babeli, na akaviweka katika ikulu yake huko Babeli.
Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers also took valuable things from the temple; they took them to Babylon and put them in king [Nebuchadnezzar’s] palace there.
8 Kwa mambo mengine kuhusu Yehoyakimu, mambo mabaya aliyofanya, na yaliyopatikana zidi yake, tazama, yameandikwa katika kitabu cha wafalme wa Yuda na Israeli. Basi Yehoyakimu, mwanaye, akawa mfalme katika nafasi yake.
A record of the other things that happened while Jehoiakim was ruling, the detestable things that he did, including the evil things that people said that he did, is written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah’. After [he was taken to Babylon], his son Jehoiachin became the king [of Judah].
9 Yehoyakimu alikuwa na umri wa miaka minane alipoanza kutawala; alitawala miezi mitatu na siku kumi katika Yerusalemu. Akafanya yaliyokuwa maovu katika macho ya Yahwe.
Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became the king [of Judah], and he ruled from Jerusalem for [only] three months and ten days. He did things that Yahweh considers to be evil.
10 Katika kipindi cha mwisho wa mwaka, mfalme Nebukadreza akatuma watu na wakampelekea Babeli, vitu vya thamani kutoka katika anyumba ya Yahwe, na kumfanya Sedekia ndugu yake, mfalame juu ya Yuda na Yerusalemu.
During the spring of the next year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent [soldiers] to bring him to Babylon. They also took to Babylon many valuable things from the temple of Yahweh. Then Nebuchadnezzar appointed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, to be the king of Judah.
11 Sedekia alikuwa na umri wa miaka isshirini na moja alipoanza kutawala; akatawala miaka kumi na moja katika Yerusalemu. Akafanya yaliokuwa uovu katika macho ya Yahwe Mungu wake.
Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became the king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for 11 years.
12 Hakujinyenyekesha mwenyewe mbele za Yeremia nabii, ambaye alisema kutoka kwenye kinywa cha Yahwe.
He did many things that Yahweh his God considered to be evil. And he did not humble himself when the prophet Jeremiah gave him a message from Yahweh [to warn him].
13 Sedekia pia akaasi zidi ya Mfalme Nebukadreza, ambaye alikuwa amemfanya aape uaminifu kwake kupitia Mungu. Lakini Sedekia aliishupaza shingo yake na kuufanya moyo wake mgumu usigeuke kwa Yahwe, Mungu wa Israeli.
He would not return to Yahweh, the God that the people of Israel [said that they worshiped]. Zedekiah also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had forced him to solemnly promise using God’s name [to be loyal to him]. Zedekiah became very stubborn.
14 Vilevile, viongozi wote wa makauhanai na wa watu hawakuwa waaminifu, na waliufuata uovu wa mataiafa. Waliigoshi nyumba ya Yahwe ambayo alikuwa ameitakasa katika Yerusalemu.
Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and also the people [of Judah] became more wicked again, doing all the detestable things that the people of the other nations did, and causing the temple in Jerusalem that Yahweh had caused to be holy to become [an] unacceptable [place to worship him].
15 Yahwe, Mungu wa babu zao, akatuma maneno kwao tena na tena kupitia wajumbe wake, kwa sababu alikuwa na huruma juu ya watu wake na juu ya sehemu anayoishi.
Yahweh, the God whom the ancestors [of the people of Judah belonged to/worshiped], gave messages to his prophets many times, and the prophets told those messages to the people of Judah. Yahweh did that because he pitied his people and did not want his temple to be destroyed.
16 Lakini waliwadhihaki wajumbe wa Mungu, wakayadharau maneno yake, na kuwackeka manabii wake, hadi hasira ya Yahwe ilipoinuka zidi ya watu wake, hadi pailipokosekana msaada.
But the people continually made fun of God’s messengers. They despised God’s messages. They ridiculed his prophets, until finally God became extremely angry with his people, with the result that nothing could stop him [from destroying Judah].
17 Hivyo Mungu alimpeleka juu yao mfalme wa Wakaldayo, ambaye aliwaua vijana wao kwa upanga ndani ya patakatifu, na hakuwa na huruma juu ya vijana au mabikra, watu wazee au wenye mvi. Mungu akawatoa wote mikononi mwake.
He incited the king of Babylonia to attack [Judah with his army]. They killed the young men with their swords, even in the temple. They did not spare/pity anyone, young men or young women or old people. God enabled the army of Nebuchadnezzar to kill all of them.
18 Vyombo vyote vya nyumba ya Mungu, vikubwa na vidogo, hazina za nyumba ya Yahwe, na hazina za mfalme na watumishi wake—vyote hivi akavipeleka Babeli.
His soldiers took to Babylon all the things that were used in God’s temple—big things and little things, all the valuable things, and the valuable things that belonged to the king and his officials.
19 Wakaichoma moto nyumba ya Mungu, wakauangusha chini ukuta wa Yerusalemu, wakachoma ikulu zake zote, na wakaharibu vitu vizuri vyote ndani yake.
They burned the temple, and they broke down the wall surrounding Jerusalem. They burned all the palaces [in Jerusalem] and destroyed all the remaining valuable things there.
20 Mfalme akawapeleka mbali Babeli wale waliokuwa wameoka na upanga. Wakawa watumishi kwa ajili yake na wanawe hadi utawala wa Waajemi.
Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers took to Babylon the remaining people who had not been killed with their swords. Then those people became the king’s slaves and his son’s slaves, until the [army of the] king of Persia conquered [the army of Babylonia].
21 Hili lilitokea ili kulitimiza neno la Yahwe kwa kinywa cha Yeremia, hadi nchi itakapokuwa imefurahia mapumziko ya Sabato yake. Iliishika Sabato kwa muda mrefu hadi kukataliwa kwake, ili miaka sabini itimie katika namna hii.
[Moses had said that every seventh year the people must not plant their fields; they must allow the soil to rest. But the people had not done that. So after the army of Babylonia destroyed Judah, ] the soil was allowed to rest. That continued for 70 years, fulfilling what Yahweh told Jeremiah and what Jeremiah had predicted/prophesied would happen.
22 Sasa katika mwaka wa kwanza wa Koreshi, mfalme wa Uajemi, ili kwamba neno la Yahwe kwa kinywa cha Yeremia liweze kutimizwa, Yahwe akaipa hamasa roho ya Koreshi, mfalme wa Uajemi, kwamba akafanya tangazo katika uflme wake wote, na akaliweka pia katika maandishi. Akasema,
During the first year that Cyrus was the king of Persia, in order that what Yahweh told Jeremiah would happen would occur, Yahweh motivated Cyrus to write this and proclaim it throughout his kingdom:
23 “Hivi ndivyo Koreshi, mfalme wa Uajemi, anasema: Yahwe, Mungu wa mbinguni, amenipa falme zote za dunia. Ameniagiza nijenge nyumbaa kwa ajili yake katika Yerusalemu, ambao upo Yuda. Yeyote aliyemiongoni mwenu kutoma katika watu wake wote, Yahwe Mungu wenu, awe naye. Aende kwenye ile nchi.”
“I, Cyrus, the king of Persia, declare that Yahweh, the God [who rules] in heaven, has enabled me to become the ruler of all the kingdoms of this world. And he wants me to [command that my workers] build a temple {a temple be built} for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of his people living among you people of Persia are allowed to go to Jerusalem. And I will pray that Yahweh will be with them.”
