2 Beresosɛm 35
1 Yosia dii Awurade Twam Afahyɛ no wɔ Yerusalem na wokum Twam guamma no wɔ ɔsram a edi kan no da a ɛto so dunan.
Josiah [commanded that the people should] celebrate the Passover Festival to honor Yahweh in Jerusalem. So they slaughtered the lambs for the Passover [Festival] at the end of March.
2 Yosia maa asɔfo no kɔɔ wɔn nnwuma so, na ɔhyɛɛ wɔn nkuran wɔ wɔn dwumadi mu wɔ Awurade Asɔredan mu hɔ.
Josiah assigned to the priests the tasks that they should perform at the temple and encouraged them to do their work well.
3 Ɔhyɛɛ Lewifo a wɔayi wɔn asi hɔ sɛ wɔnsom Awurade, na wɔyɛ akyerɛkyerɛfo wɔ Israel no se, “Esiane sɛ mprempren Apam Adaka no wɔ Salomo Asɔredan mu, na ɛho nhia sɛ mobɛsoa wɔ mo mmati so de adi akɔneaba nti, momfa mo mmere nsom Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn ne ne nkurɔfo Israel.
The [other] descendants of Levi were the ones who taught all the Israeli people; they had been dedicated to serve Yahweh. Josiah said to them, “Put the Sacred Chest in the temple that [the workers of] David’s son [King] Solomon of Israel built. But [carry it on poles; ] do not carry it on your shoulders. And do your your work well for Yahweh your God and for his Israeli people.
4 Monkɔ mo nnwuma so sɛnea mo agyanom mmusua nkyekyɛmu no te, ne sɛnea Israelhene Dawid ne ne babarima Salomo ahyɛde a wɔakyerɛw no kyerɛ.
Divide yourselves into clans, obeying the instructions that King David and his son Solomon wrote.
5 “Munnyinagyina kronkronbea a wɔayi ama mo no, na mommoa mmusua a wɔde wɔn ahyɛ mo nsa no bere a wɔde wɔn afɔre aba Asɔredan mu no.
Then stand in the temple, with one group of the descendants of Levi to help each clan of the people [when they bring their offerings to the temple].
6 Munkum Twam nguamma no, na munnwira mo ho, na mommoa wɔn a wɔbɛba no. Ahyɛde biara a Awurade nam Mose so de mae no, munni so.”
Slaughter the lambs for the Passover [Festival]. Perform the rituals to cause yourselves to be acceptable to Yahweh for doing this work. Prepare the sacrifices, doing what Yahweh told Moses to tell you that you should do.”
7 Na Yosia fii nea ɔwɔ mu, maa nguantenmma ne mmirekyimma mpem aduasa ne anantwinini mpem abiɛsa sɛ nnipa no Twam afɔrebɔde.
Josiah provided [from his own flocks and herds] 30,000 sheep and goats for the Passover sacrifices.
8 Ɔhene no mpanyimfo nso fi wɔn pɛ mu boaa ɔmanfo, asɔfo ne Lewifo no. Hilkia, Sakaria ne Yehiel a wɔyɛ Onyankopɔn Asɔredan no ho mpanyimfo nso maa asɔfo no nguantenmma ne mmirekyimma mpem abien ne ahansia ne anantwinini ahaasa sɛ Twam afɔrebɔde.
His officials also voluntarily contributed animals for the people and the priests and the [other] descendants of Levi. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the officials who were in charge of the temple, gave to the priests 2,600 lambs and 300 cattle to be sacrifices for the Passover.
9 Lewifo ntuanofo Kenania ne ne nuanom mmarima Semaia, Netanel, Hasabia, Yeiel ne Yosabad maa Lewifo nguantenmma ne mmirekyimma mpem anum ne anantwinini ahannum sɛ wɔn Twam afɔrebɔde.
And Conaniah along with his [younger] brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, the leaders of the [other] descendants of Levi, provided 5,000 lambs and 500 cattle for the other descendants of Levi, to be sacrifices for the Passover.
10 Bere a Twam Afahyɛ no ho ahosiesie baa awiei no, asɔfo ne Lewifo no gyinagyinaa wɔn afa sɛnea ɔhene no ahyehyɛ ama akuwakuw no.
Everything [for the Passover] was arranged: The priests and the other descendants of Levi stood in their places in their groups, like the king had commanded.
11 Lewifo no kunkum Twam nguamma no, na wɔde mogya no maa asɔfo no, na wɔde petee afɔremuka no so bere a na Lewifo no regua mmoa no.
Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs. The priests sprinkled the blood [from the bowls] that were handed to them, while the [other] descendants of Levi removed the skins from the animals.
12 Wɔkyekyɛɛ ɔhyew afɔrebɔde no maa ɔmanfo no sɛnea wɔn mmusua nkyekyɛmu no te, na wɔatumi de abɔ afɔre ama Awurade, sɛnea mmara a wɔakyerɛw agu Mose nhoma no mu no kyerɛ. Saa ara na wɔyɛɛ anantwinini no nso.
They set aside the animals to be completely burned on the altar, in order to give them to the various family groups to offer to Yahweh, obeying the instructions that were written in the laws God gave Moses. They did the same thing with the cattle.
13 Wɔtotoo Twam nguamma no sɛnea wɔakyerɛ no, na wɔnoaa afɔrebɔde kronkron no wɔ nkuku, dadesɛn ne nkankyee mu de baa ntɛm so sɛnea ɔmanfo no betumi awe.
Obeying those regulations, they roasted the lambs for the Passover over the fire. And they boiled the [meat of the] sacred offerings in pots and kettles and pans, and served the meat immediately to all the people [who were there].
14 Akyiri no, Lewifo yɛɛ wɔn ne asɔfo no aduan, efisɛ na asɔfo no ayɛ adwuma fi anɔpa kosi anadwo a wɔrebɔ ɔhyew afɔre no na wɔrehyew srade no. Saa ahosiesie yi nyinaa, Lewifo no na wogye too wɔn ho so yɛe.
After that, they prepared meat for themselves and for the priests, because the priests were busy until nighttime, sacrificing the offerings to be completely burned and burning the fat parts of the offerings. So the [other] descendants of Levi prepared meat for themselves and for the priests, who were descendants of Aaron, [the first Supreme Priest].
15 Asaf asefo nnwom ho nimdefo no nso, na wɔwɔ wɔn nnwuma so, sɛnea Dawid, Asaf, Heman ne Yedutun, ɔhene adehuni no kyerɛɛ wɔn no. Aponanohwɛfo no wɛn apon no a na ɛho nhia sɛ wofi wɔn nnwuma so, efisɛ na wɔn mfɛfo Lewifo no de wɔn nnuan kɔma wɔn wɔ hɔ.
The musicians, who were descendants of Asaph, stood in their places, as King David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s prophet had commanded. The men who guarded the gates [of the temple] did not need to leave their places, because their fellow descendants of Levi prepared food for them to eat.
16 Awurade Twam Afahyɛ no baa awiei da no. Wɔbɔɔ ɔhyew afɔre no nyinaa wɔ Awurade afɔremuka no so, sɛnea ɔhene Yosia hyɛe no.
So on that day everything that needed to done for worshiping Yahweh was done. They celebrated the Passover [Festival], and they presented offerings to be completely burned on the altar, which was what Josiah had commanded.
17 Israelfo a wɔwɔ Yerusalem de nnanson dii Twam ne Apiti Afahyɛ no.
The Israelis who were there celebrated the Passover [Festival] on that day, and for seven days they celebrated the Festival of [Eating] Unleavened Bread.
18 Efi odiyifo Samuel bere so no, wonnii Twam sɛɛ da. Israel ahemfo no mu biara mpo anni Twam sɛnea Yosia yɛe a ɔmaa asɔfo, Lewifo, ɔmanfo a wɔwɔ Yerusalem ne nnipa a wofi Yuda ne Israel nyinaa bɛkaa ho.
The Passover [Festival] had not been celebrated like that in Israel since the time that the prophet Samuel lived. None of the other kings of Israel had ever celebrated the Passover like Josiah did, along with the priests, the other descendants of Levi, and all [the other people of] Judah and Israel who were there with the people who lived in Jerusalem.
19 Wodii saa Twam Afahyɛ yi wɔ Yosia ahenni mfirihyia dunwɔtwe so.
They celebrated this Passover Festival when Josiah had been ruling for almost 18 years.
20 Yosia siesiee Asɔredan no wiei no, Misraimhene Neko dii nʼakofo anim fii Misraim, sɛ wɔrebɛko wɔ Karkemis wɔ asu Eufrate ano. Na Yosia ne nʼakofo nso sii mu sɛ wɔne no rekɔko.
After Josiah had done all those things to [restore the worship at] the temple, King Neco of Egypt went [with his army] to attack Carchemish [city] alongside the Euphrates [River], and Josiah marched [with his army] to fight against them.
21 Nanso ɔhene Neko tuu abɔfo de nkra yi kɔmaa Yosia: “Dɛn na wo Yudahene hwehwɛ afi me nkyɛn? Me ne wo nni akasakasa nnɛ! Nea mehwehwɛ ne sɛ, me ne ɔman a matu ne so sa no bɛko. Na Onyankopɔn aka akyerɛ me se, menyɛ no ntɛm. Ntwintwan Onyankopɔn a ɔka me ho no anan mu, anyɛ saa a ɔbɛsɛe wo.”
Neco sent some messengers to Josiah, to tell him, “You are the king of Judah, and there is certainly no quarrel between you and me. My army is not attacking you people; we are attacking another army, [the army of Babylonia]. God has told me to hurry. So stop opposing God, who is for me. If you do not stop, God will get rid of you.”
22 Nanso Yosia antie Neko a Onyankopɔn akasa akyerɛ no ampa ara no, annan nʼani. Mmom, odii nʼakofo anim kɔkoo wɔ Megido tataw so. Ɔworɔw nʼahentade no guu nkyɛn baabi sɛnea atamfo no renhu no.
But Josiah would not pay attention to him. Instead, he disguised himself in order to be able to attack [the army of Egypt without anyone recognizing him]. He did not pay any attention to what God had told Neco to say. Instead, he [and his army] went to fight Neco’s army at the plain of Megiddo.
23 Nanso atamfo agyantowfo no tow bɛmma ma ɛwɔɔ ɔhene Yosia, piraa no. Ɔteɛɛ mu frɛɛ ne mmarima se, “Momfa me mfi akono ha, efisɛ mapira pira bɔne.”
Some Egyptian archers shot King Josiah. He told his officers, “Take me away from here because I am badly wounded.”
24 Enti woyii Yosia fii ne teaseɛnam mu, de no too teaseɛnam foforo mu. Na wɔde no kɔɔ Yerusalem, na ɛhɔ na owui. Wosiee no hɔ wɔ adehye amusiei. Na Yuda ne Yerusalem nyinaa yɛɛ no ayi.
So they took him out of his chariot and put him in another chariot that he had brought with him, and they took him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs where his ancestors [had been buried], and all [the people of] Jerusalem and [other places in] Judah mourned for him.
25 Odiyifo Yeremia too kwadwom maa Yosia, na ebesi nnɛ yi, nnwontofo to saa kwadwom a ɛfa ne wu no ho no. Saa kwadwom yi abɛyɛ amanne a wɔakyerɛw ahyɛ Kwadwom Nhoma mu.
[The prophet] Jeremiah composed a song to mourn for Josiah, and all the men and women singers in Israel still mourn for Josiah by singing that song. That became a custom in Israel; the words of that song are written in a scroll of funeral songs.
26 Yosia ahenni ho nsɛm nkae ne nʼahofama sɛnea Awurade mmara te no,
A record of the other things that happened while Josiah ruled, from the time he started to rule until he died, including how he faithfully honored God by obeying everything that was written in the laws of Yahweh, is in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah’.
27 fi mfiase kosi awiei no, wɔakyerɛw agu Israel ne Yuda Ahemfo Nhoma mu.
