2 Ahemfo 23
1 Afei, ɔhene no frɛɛ Yuda ne Yerusalem mpanyimfo nyinaa.
Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Na ɔhene no ne Yuda ne Yerusalem manfo ne asɔfo ne adiyifo a efi akumaa so kosi ɔkɛse so, foro kɔɔ Awurade Asɔredan no mu. Ɛhɔ na ɔhene no kenkan Apam Nhoma a wɔahu wɔ Awurade Asɔredan mu hɔ no nyinaa kyerɛɛ wɔn.
He went to the Lord's Temple with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, together with the priests and the Levites, all the people from the least to the greatest, and he read to them the whole Book of the Agreement that had been discovered in the Lord's Temple.
3 Ɔhene no tenaa beae bi a ɛkyerɛ ne tumi wɔ afadum no ho, hyɛɛ apam no mu den bio wɔ Awurade anim. Ɔhyɛɛ bɔ se, ofi ne koma ne ne kra nyinaa mu bedi Awurade mmara nsɛm, ahyɛde ne mmara nyinaa so. Ɔfaa saa ɔkwan yi so sii apam no mu nhyehyɛe ahorow a na wɔakyerɛw wɔ nhoma no mu no nyinaa so dua, maa nnipa no nyinaa hyɛɛ bɔ sɛ wobedi so.
The king stood by the pillar and made a solemn agreement before the Lord to follow him and to keep his commandments, laws, and regulations with total dedication, and to observe the requirements of the agreement as written in the book. All the people entered into the agreement.
4 Afei, ɔhene hyɛɛ ɔsɔfopanyin Hilkia ne asɔfo akunini ne asɔredan sohwɛfo no nyinaa sɛ, wonyiyi asɔredan no mu nneɛma a na wɔde som Baal ne Asera ne wim atumfo no nyinaa mfi hɔ. Ɔhene no ma wɔhyew ne nyinaa wɔ Kidron bon a ɛwɔ Yerusalem mfikyiri no mu, soaa ne nsõ de kɔɔ Bet-El.
Then the king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of second rank, and the doorkeepers to remove from the Lord's Temple everything made for Baal, Asherah, and the worship of sun, moon, and stars. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the Kidron fields and took their ashes to Bethel.
5 Ɔpam abosom akɔmfo a Yuda ahemfo a wodii kan no yii wɔn no nyinaa, efisɛ na wɔhyew nnuhuam wɔ Yuda abosomfi nyinaa mu a mpo, na ɛreyɛ akodu Yerusalem kurom. Wɔhyew nnuhuam maa Baal ne owia, ɔsram ne nsoromma ne wim atumfo.
He also dismissed the priests appointed by the kings of Judah to present burnt offerings on the high places of the towns of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, those who had sacrificed to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations, and to all the powers of heaven.
6 Ɔhene no tuu Asera dua no fii Awurade asɔredan mu, de kɔɔ Yerusalem mfikyiri wɔ Kidron bon mu hɔ kɔhyew no. Afei, ɔyam dua no muhumuhu, kɔtow ne mfutuma no guu amusiei.
He removed the Asherah pole from the Lord's Temple and took it to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem. He burned it there, ground it into dust, and threw its dust over the graves of the ordinary people.
7 Odwiriw nsɔree so nguamanfo adan a na ɛwɔ Awurade Asɔredan no mu no, faako a na mmea no nwen nkatahotam, de kata Asera dua no ho no nyinaa gui.
He also demolished the quarters of the cult prostitutes that were in the Lord's Temple, where the women used to weave tapestries for the Asherah.
8 Yosia san de Awurade asɔfo no a na wɔtete Yuda nkurow afoforo so no nyinaa baa Yerusalem. Efi Geba kosi Beer-Seba, ɔsɛee ɛhɔ abosonnan no nyinaa. Saa beae no na na wɔhyew nnuhuam no. Obubuu abosonnan a ɛwɔ Yosua a na ɔyɛ Yerusalem amrado no pon ano no. Sɛ obi rewura kuropɔn no mu a obehu saa pon no wɔ kuropɔn pon no benkum so.
Josiah brought to Jerusalem all the priests from the towns of Judah and defiled the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had sacrificed burnt offerings. He demolished the high places of the gates, near to the entrance of the gate of Joshua, the governor of the city, which was left of the town gate.
9 Asɔfo a na wɔsom wɔ abosonnan no mu no, na wɔmma wɔn kwan mma wɔnsom wɔ Awurade afɔremuka a ɛwɔ Yerusalem no so, nanso na wɔma wɔne asɔfo a aka no di brodo a mmɔkaw nni mu no.
Though the priests of the high places did not serve at the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, they did eat unleavened bread with their brother priests.
10 Afei, ɔhene no sɛee Tofet afɔremuka a na ɛwɔ Ben-Hinom bon no mu no nti, na obiara ntumi mfa ne babarima anaa ne babea mmɔ afɔre wɔ ogya mu wɔ so sɛ afɔrebɔde a wɔde ma Molek bio.
He defiled the Topheth altar in the Valley of Ben-hinnom so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech.
11 Otutuu apɔnkɔ sɛso a wɔagu a esisi Awurade Asɔredan kwan no ano a Yuda ahemfo too din maa owia no nyinaa fii hɔ. Na ne nyinaa wowɔ adiwo a ɛbɛn piamni bi a wɔfrɛ no Natan-Malek dan ho. Yosia hyew nteaseɛnam a na wɔato din ama owia no.
He removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun from the entrance to the Lord's Temple. They were in the courtyard near the room of a eunuch named Nathan-melech. Josiah also burned the chariots dedicated to the sun.
12 Yosia bubuu afɔremuka a Yuda ahemfo sisii wɔ ahemfi no atifi wɔ Ahas dan apampam no nyinaa. Ɔhene no bubuu afɔremuka a Manase sisii wɔ Awurade Asɔredan no adiwo abien hɔ no nyinaa gui. Odwiriw no pasapasa, too ne afabo no petee Kidron bon no mu.
He demolished the altars that the kings of Judah had set up on the roof near the upper chamber of Ahaz, and the altars Manasseh had placed in the two courtyards of the Lord's Temple. The king smashed them to pieces and scattered them in the Kidron Valley.
13 Ɔhene no san guu abosonnan a ɛwɔ Yerusalem apuei fam no ne nea ɛwɔ Ɔsɛe Bepɔw no anafo fam no. Saa beae no na Israelhene Salomo sisii abosonnan maa Astoret, a ɛyɛ Sidonfo bosom bɔne, ne Kemos, Moabfo bosom bɔne, ne Molek, Amonfo bosom bɔne.
The king also defiled the high places to the east of Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Corruption, the places which King Solomon of Israel had built for Ashtoreth, the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh, the vile god of the Moabites, and for Molech, the vile god of the Ammonites.
14 Yosia dwiriw afadum kronkron no nyinaa gui, bubuu Asera nnua no. Ɔde nnipa nnompe guguu ne nyinaa so.
He smashed the sacred stone pillars to pieces, chopped down the Asherah poles, and covered the places with human bones.
15 Ɔhene no san bubuu afɔremuka a ɛwɔ Bet-El abosonnan a Nebat babarima Yeroboam yɛe bere a odii Israel anim, de wɔn kɔɔ bɔne mu no. Yosia yam abo no, ma ɛdan mfutuma, hyew Asera dua no.
He also demolished the altar at Bethel, the high place set up by Jeroboam, son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. Then he burned the high place, ground it to dust, and burned the Asherah pole.
16 Bere a Yosia retoto nʼani no, ohuu nna pii wɔ koko no nkyɛn mu. Ɔhyɛɛ sɛ wontu nnompe no, na ɔhyew ne nyinaa wɔ afɔremuka a ɛwɔ Bet-El no so, de guu afɔremuka no ho fi. Eyi sii sɛnea Awurade nam Onyankopɔn nipa so hyɛe, bere a Yeroboam kogyinaa afɔremuka no ho wɔ afahyɛ da no. Afei Yosia dan ne ho hwɛɛ Onyankopɔn nipa a ɔhyɛɛ eyinom nyinaa ho nkɔm no da.
As Josiah looked around he saw some tombs there on the hill. He had the bones taken from the tombs, and he burned them on the altar to defile it, just as the Lord had said through the man of God who had prophesied these things.
17 Yosia bisae se, “Nkaedum bɛn na mihu no?” Na nnipa a wɔwɔ kurow no mu no ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Ɛyɛ Onyankopɔn nipa no a ofi Yuda a ɔhyɛɛ nkɔm faa dwuma a woadi mprempren wɔ afɔremuka a ɛwɔ Bet-El ho no ɔboda.”
Then he asked, “Whose gravestone is this that I see?” “It's the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed exactly what you have done to the altar of Bethel,” the townspeople replied.
18 Yosia buae se, “Momma ɛnwɔ hɔ. Obiara mmfa ne nsa nka ne nnompe no.” Ɛno nti, wɔanhyew ɔne odiyifo akwakoraa a ofi Samaria no nnompe.
“Let him rest in peace,” said Josiah. “Don't anyone touch his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed, together with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.
19 Na Yosia bubuu abosonnan no a ɛwɔ Samaria no, sɛnea ɔyɛɛ wɔ Bet-El no. Israel ahemfo ahorow bi na wosisi de hyɛɛ Awurade abufuw.
Josiah destroyed, just as he did at Bethel, all the shrines of the high places in the towns of Samaria that the kings of Israel had built that had angered the Lord.
20 Okunkum nsɔree so akɔmfo no wɔ wɔn ankasa afɔremuka so, na ɔhyew nnipa nnompe wɔ afɔremuka ahorow no so, de guu ho fi. Akyiri no, ɔsan kɔɔ Yerusalem.
Josiah slaughtered all the priests who were there at the high places on the altars, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
21 Ɔhene Yosia hyɛɛ nnipa no nyinaa se, “Ɛsɛ sɛ mudi Twam Afahyɛ ma Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, sɛnea wɔakyerɛw wɔ Apam Nhoma no mu no.”
The king sent out an order to all the people, “Observe the Passover of the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Agreement.”
22 Efi bere a atemmufo dii Israel so mfe bebree a atwa mu wɔ Israel ne Yuda ahemfo so no, wonnii Twam Afahyɛ no bi saa da.
Such a Passover as this had not been observed from the days of the judges who ruled Israel on through all the days of the kings of Israel and Judah.
23 Bere a ɔhene Yosia dii mfe dunwɔtwe wɔ akongua so no na wodii saa Twam Afahyɛ yi wɔ Yerusalem maa Awurade.
But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was observed to honor the Lord in Jerusalem.
24 Yosia tɔree samanfrɛfo ne adunsifo ne afi mu anyame ne ahonisom biara ase wɔ Yerusalem ne Yuda asase so baabiara. Ɔyɛɛ saa de dii mmara a wɔakyerɛw wɔ nhoma mmobɔwee a ɔsɔfo Hilkia kohuu wɔ Awurade Asɔredan mu no so.
In addition, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, and all the disgusting practices that were present in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. He did this to fulfill the words of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the Lord's Temple.
25 Ɔhene biara mmae a ɔte sɛ Yosia a ɔde ne koma, ne kra ne nʼahoɔden ama Awurade na ɔnam so adi Mose mmara nyinaa so. Na ɔhene biara nso mmae a ɔte sɛ ɔno.
Never before was there a king like him who committed himself to the Lord in all his thoughts and attitudes, and with all his strength, keeping all the Law of Moses. There was no king like him afterwards either.
26 Nanso eyi nyinaa akyi no, Awurade abufuw no dɛw tiaa Yuda, esiane bɔne akɛse a Ɔhene Manase yɛe no. Ɛno nti, wanyi nʼabufuwhyew no amfi wɔn so.
However, the Lord had not given up his furious hostility, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to anger him.
27 Awurade kae se, “Mɛsɛe Yuda, sɛnea mesɛee Israel no. Mɛpam nnipa no afi mʼanim, na mapo me kuropɔn Yerusalem ne Asɔredan a anka ɛsɛ sɛ wɔhyɛ me din anuonyam wɔ mu no.”
So the Lord announced, “I'm also going to banish Judah from my presence, just as I banished Israel. I will abandon this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the Temple regarding which I said, My name will be there.”
28 Yosia ahenni ho asɛm nkae ne dwuma a odii nyinaa no, wɔankyerɛw angu Yuda Ahemfo Abakɔsɛm Nhoma no mu ana?
The rest of what happened in Josiah's reign, and all he did, are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.
29 Bere a Yosia di hene no, Misraimhene Farao Neko kɔɔ Asubɔnten Eufrate ho kɔboaa Asiriahene. Ɔhene Yosia de nʼakofo tuu sa, kɔko tiaa no, nanso bere a wohyiaa wɔ Megido no, ɔhene Neko kum no.
While Josiah was still king, Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, led his army to help the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. King Josiah took his army to fight him at Megiddo, but when Neco saw Josiah he killed him.
30 Yosia asraafo mu mpanyimfo no de nʼamu no too teaseɛnam mu fii Megido, baa Yerusalem besiee no wɔ nʼankasa ɔboda mu. Na nnipa no sraa ne babarima Yehoahas ngo, sii no hene.
His servants put his body in a chariot, brought him back from Megiddo to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. Then the people of the land chose Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in succession to his father.
31 Bere a Yehoahas dii hene no, na wadi mfe aduonu abiɛsa, na odii ade wɔ Yerusalem asram abiɛsa. Na ne na yɛ Yeremia a ofi Libna no babea a na ne din de Hamutal.
Jehoahaz was twenty-three when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for three months. His mother's name was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah. She came from Libnah.
32 Ɔyɛɛ bɔne wɔ Awurade ani so, sɛnea nʼagyanom yɛe no pɛpɛɛpɛ.
He did what was evil in the Lord's sight, just as all his forefathers had done.
33 Farao Neko de Yehoahas too afiase wɔ Ribla wɔ Hamat asase so, sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a, ɔrentumi nni hene wɔ Yerusalem. Afei, ɔhyɛɛ sɛ Yuda ntua tow dwetɛ tɔn abiɛsa ne fa ne sikakɔkɔɔ kilogram aduasa anan sɛ sonkahiri.
Pharaoh Neco imprisoned Jehoahaz at Riblah in the land of Hamath to stop him ruling in Jerusalem. He also imposed on Judah a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
34 Farao Neko de Eliakim a ɔyɛ Yosia babarima dii ade ma osii nʼagya anan mu. Ɔsesaa Eliakim din frɛɛ no Yehoiakim. Wɔde Yehoahas kɔɔ Misraim sɛ odeduani, na owui wɔ hɔ.
Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim, son of Josiah, king in succession to his father Josiah, and he changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. Neco took Jehoahaz to Egypt, where he died.
35 Sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a Yehoiakim benya dwetɛ ne sikakɔkɔɔ tow a Farao Neko regye no nti, otwitwaa tow maa Yudafo tuae. Obiara tuaa sɛnea nʼahonya te.
Jehoiakim paid the silver and gold to Pharaoh Neco, but in order to meet Pharaoh's demand he taxed the land and required payment of the silver and the gold from the people, each in proportion to their wealth.
36 Bere a Yehoiakim dii ade no, na wadi mfirihyia aduonu anum, na odii ade wɔ Yerusalem mfe dubaako. Na ne na din de Sebuda a ɔyɛ Pedaia a ofi Ruma babea.
Jehoiakim was twenty-five when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother's name was Zebidah, daughter of Pedaiah She came from Rumah.
37 Ɔyɛɛ bɔne wɔ Awurade ani so, sɛnea nʼagyanom yɛe no.
He did evil in the Lord's sight, just as his forefathers had done.
