Hezekiya unothama nshingo we Ndzimu
1 Ngono kwakati kose ikoku kwawila, bathu bose be Iziraela bakabe bakakubungana bakapalala bakayenda ku mizi ye Juda ngono bakaswika bepkhwanya phanda dzakabe dzakathang'wa nge mabgwe bakatemelela zwifano zwe ndzimukadzi Ashera. Bakakolomola magalo a pezhugwi ne zwifano mu Juda yose ne Bhenjamini ne mu Ifureimi ne mu Manase. Bakati basinokolomola kose ikoku Baiziraela bakabgwilila ku mizi yabo neku thundu dzabo.
2 Hezekiya wakabiga makupo e bapirisiti ne e Balevi gupo ne gupo limwe ne limwe nge nshingo walo. Mishingo yakabe ili yekupisa zwibhayilo ne kudusa zwibhayilo zwe mbakisano ne kushinga ku mikoba ye Ng'umba ya Yahwe ne kukudza ne kumbila Yahwe. 3 Zwipo zwakadusiwa ndi mambo kudwa mu danga labo zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa zwe mangwanana ne madekwana ne zwibhayilo zwe mazhuba e kunyaluluka a bo Sabata ne zwe Mwedzi ugala zwe mizano yakabigwa ngothubukana kwayo sekwa kwakakwagwa mu nlayo wa Yahwe.
4 Pezhugwi kwa ikoku mambo bakadwa bathu bakabe begala mu Jerusalema kuti bape bapirisiti ne Balevi gobe lakabalingisana kuti ndizo ibo balingisane nge nlayo wa Yahwe koga. 5 Kwakati koga ndaulo isinobe yabhuda, bathu be Iziraela bakadusa zwe kutanga zwe mathunde ne nkumbi we zhambi ne mafuta ne butji gwe nyutji na zose zwabakabe balima, zose izwezwi bakazwidusa nge mimoyo mitjena bedusa zwe bugumi mu tjimwe ne tjimwe tjazo. 6 Bathu be Iziraela ne be Juda bakabe begala mu mizi mikulu ye Juda bakadusa bo zwe bugumi zwe ng'ombe ne pkhwizi ne mbudzi ne zwe bugumi zwe zwithu zwakayengemala zwakapiwa Yahwe Ndzimu wabo, bakazwitiliyanya zwikabe duluthulu. 7 Mu mwedzi we butatu bakatangisa kubutitika zwipo zwabo, bakapedza mu mwedzi we kutendeka 8 Ngono kwakati Hezekiya ne makulukota bazha kuwobona mibumba ye zwipo bakakudza Yahwe kakale bakakombolela bathu babo e Baiziraela. 9 Hezekiya kabhuzwisisa bapirisiti ne Balevi ngekwe mibumba ye zwipo, 10 koga Azariya mpirisiti nkulu wakabe ali we nsha wa Zadoki kadabila mambo eti, “Tjinga kwabakatangisa kuzhisa zwipo ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe toja tikaguta kukasala kunji ngobe Yahwe bakakombolela bathu babo ndizo tinakungapa kwakasala.”
11 Ipapo Hezekiya kabadwa kuti balulwamise ng'umbana dzimu mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe ngono bakadzilulwamisa. 12 Bakazhisa zwipo zwabo ne zwe bugumi ne zwija zwakapiwa Ndzimu bakazwizhisa nge mimoyo mitjena. Konaniya we Nlevi ndiye wakabe akalingisana ne zwithu izwezwi ana nnung'una uwe Shimeyi wakabe entobela nge mamo. 13 Jehiele na Azaziya na Nahati na Asaheli na Jerimoti na Jozabadi na Elieli na Isimakiya na Mahati na Bhenaya bakabe beshinga bali pasi kwa Konaniya na Shimeyi bashalugwa ndi Mambo Hezekiya na Azariya mpirisiti nkulu wakabe akalingisana ne Ng'umba ye Ndzimu. 14 Kore nkololo wa Imina we Nlevi, nlindi we nkoba we ku bhezhuba iye wakabe ali ntungamili muna zwe kuamutjila zwipo zwe moyo ntjena zwadusigwa Ndzimu, kakale ekoba zwipo zwinobe zwakabigigwa Yahwe ne zwipo zwakayengemala kupinda. 15 Edeni na Miniyamini na Jeshuwa na Shemaya na Amariya na Shekaniya bakabe bembhatsha nge moyo nlefu mu mizi mikulu ye bapirisiti kukobela bakanyi kwabo, bekobela bahwola ne batjetjana ngolizana koga kuyenda ngothubukanyiwa kwabo. 16 Kwakabe kusinga baligwe ibabo bakakwalisiwa kuyenda ne njudzi dzabo balume bose be makole anodwa mu butatu kuyenda pezhugwi, bose bakabe bengina mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe koga sekwa kwakabe kushakika mu nshingo we zhuba limwe ne limwe, ngobe uli nshingo wabo kuyenda ne pa banoshinga. 17 Bapirisiti bakabe bakakwalisiwa kuyenda ne misha ya botate babo, Balevi ibo bakabe bekwalisiwa kudwa mu makole ali makumi mabili (20) kene kupinda ibo bakabe bakakwalisiwa kuyenda ne pa banoshinga. 18 Bose bakabe bakakwalisiwa kushangana ne bakadzi babo nenge bana babo na bose babanotjengeta ngobe bakabe begala bezwiyengemadza. 19 Ngono bapirisiti izo zwizekugwana zwa Aroni bakabe begala mu mizi mikulu ne mizana yakapoteleka ne mafulilo ayo kwakabe kuna balume bakalingisana kukoba zojiwa ku bamwe bose be misha ye bupirisiti ne bamwe bose bakabe bakakwalisiwa pasi kwe Balevi.
20 Ikoku kose ndiko kwakathamwa ndi Hezekiya mu Juda yose, ngono wakathama bubuya ne ndulamo ne kugalikabgwe mbeli kwa Yahwe Ndzimu uwe. 21 Nshingo mmwe ne mmwe waakathama we Ng'umba ye Ndzimu kuyendidzana ne nlayo, eshaka Ndzimu uwe, wakathama nge moyo uwe wose ngono kabhudilila.
The People Destroy the Local Shrines
(2 Kings 18.4)1 After the Festival, the people went to every town in Judah and smashed the stone images of foreign gods and cut down the sacred poles for worshiping the goddess Asherah. They destroyed all the local shrines and foreign altars in Judah, as well as those in the territories of Benjamin, Ephraim, and West Manasseh. Then everyone went home.
Offerings for the Priests and Levites
2 Hezekiah divided the priests and Levites into groups, according to their duties. Then he assigned them the responsibilities of offering sacrifices to please the Lord and sacrifices to ask his blessing. He also appointed people to serve at the temple and to sing praises at the temple gates. 3 Hezekiah provided animals from his own herds and flocks to use for the morning and evening sacrifices, as well as for the sacrifices during the Sabbath celebrations, the New Moon Festivals, and the other religious feasts required by the Law of the Lord.
4 He told the people of Jerusalem to bring the offerings that were to be given to the priests and Levites, so that they would have time to serve the Lord with their work. 5 As soon as the people heard what the king wanted, they brought a tenth of everything they owned, including their best grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and other crops. 6 The people from the other towns of Judah brought a tenth of their herds and flocks, as well as a tenth of anything they had dedicated to the Lord. 7 The people started bringing their offerings to Jerusalem in the third month, and the last ones arrived four months later. 8 When Hezekiah and his officials saw these offerings, they thanked the Lord and the people.
9 Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the large amount of offerings. 10 The high priest at the time was Azariah, a descendant of Zadok, and he replied, “Ever since the people have been bringing us their offerings, we have had more than enough food and supplies. The Lord has certainly blessed his people. Look at how much is left over!”
11 So the king gave orders for storerooms to be built in the temple, and when they were completed, 12-13 all the extra offerings were taken there. Hezekiah and Azariah then appointed Conaniah the Levite to be in charge of these storerooms. His brother Shimei was his assistant, and the following Levites worked with them: Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah. 14 Kore son of Imnah was assigned to guard the East Gate, and he was put in charge of receiving the offerings voluntarily given to God and of dividing them among the priests and Levites. 15-16 He had six assistants who were responsible for seeing that all the priests in the other towns of Judah also got their share of these offerings. They were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah.
Every priest and every Levite over 30 years old who worked daily in the temple received part of these offerings, according to their duties. 17 The priests were listed in the official records by clans, and the Levites 20 years old and older were listed by their duties. 18 The official records also included their wives and children, because they had also been faithful in keeping themselves clean and acceptable to serve the Lord.
19 Hezekiah also appointed other men to take food and supplies to the priests and Levites whose homes were in the pastureland around the towns of Judah. But the priests had to be descendants of Aaron, and the Levites had to be listed in the official records.
20-21 Everything Hezekiah did while he was king of Judah, including what he did for the temple in Jerusalem, was right and good. He was a successful king, because he obeyed the Lord God with all his heart.