2 Kungaboken 23

1 Och Konungen sände bort, och till honom församlades alle de äldste i Juda och Jerusalem.

Then the king summoned all the elders of Jerusalem and [of the other places in] Judah.

2 Och Konungen gick upp i Herrans hus, och hvar man af Juda, och alle Jerusalems inbyggare med honom, Prester och Propheter, och allt folket, både små och store; och man las för deras öron all förbundsens boks ord, hvilken i Herrans hus funnen var.

They went together to the temple, along with the priests and the prophets, and many other [HYP] people, from the most important people to the least important people. And while they listened, the king read to them all of the laws that Moses had written. He read from the scroll that had been found in the temple.

3 Och Konungen gick in till en stod, och gjorde ett förbund för Herranom, att de skulle vandra efter Herranom, och hålla hans bud, vittnesbörd och rätter, af allt hjerta, och af allo själ, att de skulle upprätta detta förbunds ord, som skrifne stodo uti desso bok; och allt folket trädde uti förbundet.

Then the king stood next to the pillar [where the kings stood when they made important announcements], and while Yahweh was listening, he repeated his promise to sincerely obey [DOU] all of Yahweh’s commands and regulations [DOU]. He also promised to (fulfill the conditions of/do what was written in) the agreement he made with Yahweh. And all the people also promised to obey the agreement.

4 Och Konungen böd öfversta Prestenom Hilkia, och Prestenom af det andra skiftet, och dörravaktaromen, att de skulle utkasta af Herrans tempel allahanda tyg, som till Baal och lunden, och all himmelens här gjordt var; och de brände det upp utanför Jerusalem i Kidrons dal, och stoftet deraf vardt buret till BethEl.

Then the king commanded Hilkiah the Supreme Priest and all the other priests who assisted him and the men who guarded the entrance to the temple to bring out from the temple all the items that people had been using to worship Baal, the goddess Asherah, and the stars. [After they carried them out, ] they burned all those things outside the city near the Kidron Valley. Then they took all the ashes to Bethel, [because that city was already considered to be desecrated/unholy].

5 Och han afsatte de Camarim, hvilka Juda Konungar stiktat hade, till att röka på höjderna uti Juda städer, och omkring Jerusalem; desslikes Baals, solenes, månans, planeternas och all himmelens härs rökare;

There were many pagan priests that the previous kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense on the altars on the tops of hills in Judah. They had been offering sacrifices to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars. The king stopped them from doing those things.

6 Och lät föra lunden utu Herrans hus, ut för Jerusalem, i Kidrons bäck; och brände honom upp i Kidrons bäck, och gjorde honom till stoft, och kastade stoftet uppå det meniga folks grifter.

He [commanded that] the statue of the goddess Asherah [be] taken out of the temple. Then they took it outside Jerusalem, down to the Kidron Brook, and burned it. Then they pounded the ashes to powder and scattered that over the graves in the public cemetery.

7 Och han bröt bort de roffarehus, som voro vid Herrans hus, der qvinnor uti vofvo tapeter till lunden.

He also destroyed the rooms in the temple where the temple male prostitutes lived. That was where women wove robes that were used to worship the goddess Asherah.

8 Och han lät församla alla Presterna utu Juda städer, och orenade de höjder, der Presterna rökte, ifrå Geba allt intill BerSeba; och han bröt bort portaltaren, som voro uti ingångenom i Josua stadsfogdans port, hvilken voro på venstra sidone, der man går till stadsporten.

Josiah also brought [to Jerusalem] all the priests who were offering sacrifices in the other cities in Judah. He also desecrated the places on the tops of hills where the priests had burned incense [to honor idols], from Geba [in the north] to Beersheba [in the south]. Those priests were not allowed to offer sacrifices in the temple, but they [were allowed to] eat the unleavened bread that the priests [who worked in the temple] ate. He also [commanded that] the altars that were dedicated to the goat demons near the gate built by Joshua, the mayor of Jerusalem, [be] destroyed. Those altars were at the left of the main gate into the city.

9 Dock offrade icke höjdernas Prester någon tid på Herrans altare i Jerusalem, utan åto af de osyrade brödena, ibland sina bröder.

10 Han orenade ock Tophet, uti Hinnoms barnas dal, att ingen skulle låta gå sin son eller sina dotter genom eld för Molech;

Josiah also desecrated the place named Topheth, in the Hinnom Valley, in order that no one could offer his son or daughter there to be completely burned for a sacrifice to [the god] Molech.

11 Och tog bort de hästar, hvilka Juda Konungar solene uppsatt hade, i ingångenom åt Herrans hus, till NethanMelechs åminnelse, kamererarens, som i Parvarim var; och solenes vagnar brände han upp i eld;

He also removed the horses that the [previous] kings of Judah had dedicated to worshiping the sun, and he burned the chariots that were used in that worship. Those horses and chariots were kept in the courtyard outside the temple, near the entrance to the temple, and near the room where [one of Josiah’s] officials, whose name was Nathan-Melech, lived.

12 Så ock altaren på taken i Ahas sal, den Juda Konungar gjort hade; och de altare, som Manasse gjort hade uti de två gårdar åt Herrans hus, bröt Konungen bort, och lopp dädan, och kastade deras stoft i Kidrons bäck.

Josiah also commanded his servants to tear down the altars that the previous kings of Judah had built on the roof of the palace, above the room where King Ahaz had stayed. They also tore down the altars that had been built by King Manasseh in the two courtyards outside the temple. He commanded that they be smashed to pieces and thrown down into the Kidron Valley.

13 Och de höjder, som för Jerusalem voro, på högra sidone, vid berget Mashith, som Salomo Israels Konung byggt hade till Astoreth, Zidons styggelse, och Chemos, Moabs styggelse, och Milcom, Ammons barnas styggelse, orenade Konungen;

He also commanded that the altars that King Solomon had built east of Jerusalem, south of Olive Tree Hill, be desecrated. Solomon had built them for the worship of the disgusting idols—the [statue of the goddess] Astarte [worshiped by the people in] Sidon [city], Chemosh the god of the Moab people-group, and Molech the god of the Ammon people-group.

14 Och slog sönder stoderna, och utrotade lundarna, och uppfyllde deras rum med menniskoben;

They also broke into pieces the stone pillars that the Israeli people worshiped, and cut down the [pillars that honored the goddess] Asherah, and they scattered the ground there with human bones [to desecrate it].

15 Sammalunda ock det altaret i BethEl, höjden, som Jerobeam, Nebats son, gjort hade, den Israel hade kommit till att synda; det samma altaret bröt han neder, och höjdena, och brände upp höjdena, och gjorde henne till stoft, och brände upp lunden.

Furthermore, he commanded them to tear down the place of worship at Bethel which had been built by King Jeroboam, the king who persuaded the people of Israel to sin. They tore down the altar. Then they broke its stones into pieces and pounded them to become powder. They also burned the statue [of the goddess] Asherah.

16 Och Josia vände sig om, och fick se de grifter, som voro på bergena, och sände bort, och lät hemta benen utu grifterna, och uppbrände dem på altarena, och orenade det, efter Herrans ord, som Guds mannen utropat hade, den detta så föresagt hade,

Then Josiah looked around and saw some tombs there on the hill. He commanded his men to take the bones out of those tombs and burn them on the altar. By doing that, he desecrated the altar. That was what a prophet had predicted many years before when Jeroboam was standing close to that altar at a festival. Then Josiah looked up and saw the tomb of the prophet who had predicted that.

17 Och han sade: Hvad är detta för en vård, som jag här ser? Och folket i stadenom sade till honom: Det är den Guds mansens grift, som af Juda kom, och detta utropade, som du gjort hafver med altarena i BethEl.

Josiah asked, “Whose tomb is that?” The people of Bethel replied, “It is the tomb of the prophet who came from Judah and predicted that these things that you have just now done to this altar would happen.”

18 Och han sade: Låt honom ligga; ingen röre hans ben. Alltså vordo hans ben friade, med den Prophetens ben, som utaf Samarien kommen var.

Josiah replied, “Allow his tomb to remain as it is. Do not remove the prophet’s bones from the tomb.” So the people did not remove those bones, or the bones of the other prophet, the one who had come from Samaria.

19 Han kastade ock bort all höjders hus uti Samarie städer, som Israels Konungar gjort hade, till att förtörna ( Herran ), och gjorde med dem alldeles såsom han i BethEl gjort hade.

In every city in Israel, at Josiah’s command, they tore down the shrines that had been built by the previous kings of Israel, which had caused Yahweh to become very angry. He did to all those shrines/altars the same thing that he had done to the altars at Bethel.

20 Och han offrade alla höjdernas Prester, som der voro, på altaren, och brände så menniskoben deruppå, och kom igen till Jerusalem.

He ordered that all the priests who offered sacrifices on the altars on the tops of hills must be killed on those altars. Then he burned human bones on every one of those altars [to desecrate them]. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

21 Och Konungen böd folkena, och sade: Håller Herranom edrom Gud Passah, såsom skrifvet är i denna förbunds bok.

Then the king commanded all the people to celebrate the Passover Festival to honor Yahweh their God, which was written in the law of Moses that they should do [every year].

22 Ty intet Passah var så hållet som detta, ifrå de domares tid, som Israel dömde, och i alla Israels Konungars och Juda Konungars tid;

During all the years that leaders ruled Israel and during all the years that kings had ruled Israel and Judah, they had not celebrated that festival.

23 Utan i adertonde årena Konungs Josia vardt detta Passah hållet Herranom i Jerusalem.

But now, after Josiah had been ruling for almost 18 years, to [honor] Yahweh they celebrated the Passover Festival in Jerusalem.

24 Desslikes rensade Josia ut alla spåmän, tecknatydare, beläte och afgudar, och all styggelse, som i Juda land och i Jerusalem sedde vordo; på det han skulle upprätta lagsens ord, som skrifne stodo i bokene, som Presten Hilkia fann i Herrans hus.

Furthermore, Josiah got rid of all the people in Jerusalem and other places in Judah who practiced sorcery and those who requested the spirits of dead people [to tell them what they should do]. He also removed from Jerusalem and from the other places in Judah all the household idols and all the other idols and abominable things. He did those things in order to obey what had been written in the scroll that Hilkiah had found in the temple.

25 Hans like hade ingen Konung varit för honom, den så af allt hjerta, af allo själ, och alla krafter sig till Herran vände, efter all Mose lag; och efter honom kom ej heller hans like upp.

Josiah was totally devoted to Yahweh. There had never been [in Judah or Israel] a king like him. He obeyed all the laws of Moses. And there has never since then been a king like Josiah.

26 Dock vände icke Herren sig ifrå sine stora vredes grymhet, der han med öfver Juda förtörnad var, för all de retelses skull, dermed Manasse honom rett hade.

But Yahweh had become extremely angry with the people of Judah because of all the things that [King] Manasseh had done to infuriate him, and he continued to be very angry.

27 Och Herren sade: Jag vill ock kasta Juda ifrå mitt ansigte, såsom jag Israel bortkastat hafver; och skall förkasta denna staden, som jag utvalt hafver, nämliga Jerusalem, och det hus, der jag om sagt hafver: Mitt Namn skall vara der.

He said, “I will do to Judah what I have done to Israel. I will banish the people of Judah, with the result that they will never enter my presence again. And I will reject Jerusalem, the city that I chose [to belong to me], and I will abandon the temple, the place where I said that I [MTY] should be worshiped.”

28 Hvad nu mer af Josia sägandes är, och allt det han gjort hafver, si, det är skrifvet uti Juda Konungars Chrönico.

[If you want to know more about] [RHQ] all the other things that Josiah did, they are written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.

29 Uti hans tid drog Pharao Necho, Konungen i Egypten, upp emot Konungen af Assyrien, vid den älfvena Phrat; men Konung Josia drog emot honom, och blef död i Megiddo, då han hade sett honom.

While Josiah was the king of Judah, King Neco of Egypt led his army north to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah tried to stop the army of Egypt at Megiddo [city], but Josiah was killed in a battle there.

30 Och hans tjenare förde honom dödan ifrå Megiddo, och hade honom till Jerusalem, och begrofvo honom i hans graf; och folket i landena togo Joahas, Josia son, och smorde honom, och gjorde honom till Konung i hans faders stad.

His officials placed his corpse in a chariot and took it back to Jerusalem, where it was buried in his own tomb, a tomb where the other previous kings had not been buried. Then the people of Judah poured [olive] oil on [the head of] Josiah’s son Joahaz, to appoint him to be the new king.

31 Tre och tjugu åra gammal var Joahas, då han vardt Konung, och regerade tre månader i Jerusalem; hans moder het Hamutal, Jeremia dotter af Libna.

Joahaz was 23 years old when he became the king [of Judah], but he ruled from Jerusalem for [only] three months. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah [city].

32 Och han gjorde det ondt var för Herranom, såsom hans fäder gjort hade.

Joahaz did many things that Yahweh said were evil, just like many of his ancestors had done.

33 Men PharaoNecho grep honom i Riblath i Hamaths land, att han icke regera skulle i Jerusalem; och lade en beskattning på landet, hundrade centener silfver, och en centener guld.

King Neco’s [army came from Egypt and captured him and] tied him up with chains and took him as a prisoner to Riblah [town] in Hamath [district], to prevent him from continuing to rule in Jerusalem. Neco forced the people of Judah to pay to him (7,500 pounds/3,400 kg.) of silver and (75 pounds/34 kg.) of gold.

34 Och PharaoNecho gjorde Eliakim, Josia son, till Konung uti hans faders Josia stad, och vände hans namn Jojakim. Men Joahas tog han, och förde in uti Egypten; der blef han död.

King Neco appointed another son of Josiah, Eliakim, to be the new king, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. Then he took Joahaz to Egypt, and later Joahaz died there in Egypt.

35 Och Jojakim gaf Pharao silfret och guldet; dock beskattade han landet, att han sådant silfver gifva kunde efter Pharaos befallning; hvar och en, efter sina förmågo, beskattade han till silfver och guld ibland folket i landena, att han det PharaoNecho gifva skulle.

King Jehoiakim collected a tax from the people [of Judah]. He collected more from the rich people and less from the poor people. He collected silver and gold from them, in order to pay to the king of Egypt what he commanded them to give.

36 Fem och tjugu åra gammal var Jojakim, då han vardt Konung, och regerade ellofva år i Jerusalem; hans moder het Zebuda, Pedaja dotter af Ruma.

Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became the king [of Judah], and he ruled from Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother was Zebidah, the daughter of Pedaiah from Rumah [town].

37 Och han gjorde det ondt var för Herranom, såsom hans fäder gjort hade.

He did many things that Yahweh says are evil, like his ancestors had done.