King Josiah of Judah
(2 Chronicles 34.12 2)1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. His mother was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah from the town of Bozkath. 2 Josiah did what was pleasing to the Lord; he followed the example of his ancestor King David, strictly obeying all the laws of God.
The Book of the Law Is Discovered
(2 Chronicles 34.8-28)3 In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the court secretary Shaphan, the son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, to the Temple with the order: 4 “Go to the High Priest Hilkiah and get a report on the amount of money that the priests on duty at the entrance to the Temple have collected from the people. 5 Tell him to give the money to the men who are in charge of the repairs in the Temple. They are to pay 6 the carpenters, the builders, and the masons, and buy the timber and the stones used in the repairs. 7 The men in charge of the work are thoroughly honest, so there is no need to require them to account for the funds.”
8 Shaphan delivered the king's order to Hilkiah, and Hilkiah told him that he had found the book of the Law in the Temple. Hilkiah gave him the book, and Shaphan read it. 9 Then he went back to the king and reported: “Your servants have taken the money that was in the Temple and have handed it over to the men in charge of the repairs.” 10 And then he said, “I have here a book that Hilkiah gave me.” And he read it aloud to the king.
11 When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes in dismay, 12 and gave the following order to Hilkiah the priest, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, to Achbor son of Micaiah, to Shaphan, the court secretary, and to Asaiah, the king's attendant: 13 “Go and consult the Lord for me and for all the people of Judah about the teachings of this book. The Lord is angry with us because our ancestors have not done what this book says must be done.”
14 Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to consult a woman named Huldah, a prophet who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. (Her husband Shallum, the son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, was in charge of the Temple robes.) They described to her what had happened, 15 and she told them to go back to the king and give him 16 the following message from the Lord: “I am going to punish Jerusalem and all its people, as written in the book that the king has read. 17 They have rejected me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and so have stirred up my anger by all they have done. My anger is aroused against Jerusalem, and it will not die down. 18 As for the king himself, this is what I, the Lord God of Israel, say: You listened to what is written in the book, 19 and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I will make it a terrifying sight, a place whose name people will use as a curse. But I have heard your prayer, 20 and the punishment which I am going to bring on Jerusalem will not come until after your death. I will let you die in peace.”
The men returned to King Josiah with this message.
Mambo Josiya we Juda
(2 Zwiyitikalo 34:1-2)1 Josiya wakabe ana makole ali zhanakadzi tjibaka tjaakatangisa kubusa, wakabusa makole ali makumi matatu ana gole (31) mu Jerusalema. Zina la mmeyabe lakabe liyi Jedida nkololokadzi wa Adayiya we Bhozikati. 2 Kashinga ndulamo mu mesho a Yahwe ngono katobela zila dzose dza tate babe Dafite, kasipambukile ku luboko gwe luji kene lumeshwe.
Lukwalo gwe nlayo go wang'wa
(2 Zwiyitikalo 34:8-28)3 Mu gole le bugumi lina zhanakadzi le mbuso wa Mambo Josiya, mambo bakatuma Shafani nkololo wa Azaliya ali nkololo wa Meshulamu ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe, eti, 4 “Yenda kuna Hilikiya mpirisiti nkulu a bale mari akazhisiwa mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe, akakubunganyiwa ne balindi be mikoba mu bathu. 5 Baape batungamili bakabigwa be nshingo we Ng'umba ye Ndzimu. Balipe bashingi banomusa Ng'umba ya Yahwe, 6 kuli babezhi ne babaki ne babezhi be mabgwe ne kutenga mapango ne mabgwe akabezhiwa ku musa Ng'umba ye Ndzimu. 7 Koga akutowoshakiwa kuti mari dzabakapiwa dzashinga tjini ngoti banoshinga nge lebeswa.” 8 Hilikiya mpirisiti nkulu kadwa Shafani we nkwalili eti, “Ndawana lukwalo gwe nlayo mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe.” Ngono Hilikiya kapa Shafani lukwalo kagubala. 9 Shafani we nkwalili kazha kuna mambo kandwa kati, “Balanda babo badusa mari abe ali mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe ngono baapa batungamili be bashingi be Ng'umba ya Yahwe.” 10 Ipapo Shafani we nkwalili kabudza mambo eti, “Hilikiya we mpirisiti wandipa lukwalo.” Shafani kagubala mbeli kwa mambo.
11 Ngono kukati mambo ehwa matama e lukwalo gwe nlayo, kapalula zwiambalo zwizwe. 12 Ipapo mambo bakadwa Hilikiya we mpirisiti na Ahikamu nkololo wa Shafani na Atjibori nkololo wa Mikaya na Shafani we nkwalili na Asaya nlanda wa mambo kati, 13 “Yendani munondibhuzwila kuna Yahwe, imi ne bathu ne Juda yose ngekwe matama e lukwalo igogu gwawang'wa, ngoti bushongola gwa Yahwe bukulu gwatiwila, ngobe botate bedu abazolondolodza matama e lukwalo igogu, kushinga kuyendidzana nge tjakakwagwa nge kwedu.”
14 Ndizo Hilikiya we mpirisiti na Ahikamu na Atjibori na Shafani na Asaya bakayenda kuna Hulida we nlebesambeli we tjikadzi, ali nkadzi wa Shalumu nkololo wa Tikiva ali nkololo wa Harihasi, ntjengeti we zwiambalo, wakabe egala mu Jerusalema mu ntuthu we bubili. Bakalebesana naye. 15 Ngono kabadwa kati, “Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, ‘Budza balume bakutuma kundili uti, 16 Yahwe bakati, “Ndowozhisa mbatsha mu bugalo igogu ne bagali bago, kuyendidzana nge tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakakwagwa mu lukwalo gwabagwa na mambo we Juda. 17 Ngoti bandifupatila, bapisila midzimu ipoga motsha, kuti bandilonge bushongola nge mishingo yose ye maboko abo, ndizo wali bushongola gwangu gowothutila bugalo igogu ngono agutowodzimiwa. 18 Koga ngekwe mambo we Juda wamutuma kuwobhuzwa kuna Yahwe, tjamunowombudza ndiyetji, Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati: Ngekwe matama awahwa, 19 se moyo uwo wakabe nnyolo kakale ukazwiyisa pasi mbeli kwa Yahwe uhwa tjandakaleba ngekwe bugalo igogu ne bathu bago, kuti banowobe bhiso ne duluthulu le malala, ukapalula zwiambalo zwizo ukalila mbeli kwangu, namibo ndakuhwa, koleba Yahwe.” 20 Ndizo wali bona, ndowokubgwiliza kuna bo tate babo, unowobiganyiwa nge kunyalala. Mesho awo aatowobona mbatsha dzose dzandinowozhisa mu bugalo igogu.’ ” Ndizo bakabgwiliza shandulo kuna mambo.