Mambo Josiya we Juda
(2 Bomambo 22:1-2)1 Josiya wakabe ana makole ali zhanakadzi tjibaka tjaakatangisa busa, wakabusa makole ali makumi matatu ana gole (31) mu Jerusalema. 2 Wakathama ndulamo mbeli kwa Yahwe, katshamba thambo dza batategulu babe Dafite, kasi pambukile ku luji kene ku lumeshwe.
Josiya unogwisa midzimu
3 Ngono kwakati mu gole le buzhanakadzi le mbuso wa Josiya atji ntjetjana, katangisa kunamata Yahwe Ndzimu wa batategulu babe Dafite. Kwakati mu gole le bugumi lina mabili katangisa kutjenapadza Juda ne Jerusalema nge kukolomodza magalo a pezhugwi akabe athigamigwa midzimu kakolomodza ne ndzimukadzi Ashera ne zwifano zwakabezhiwa ne zwimwe zwakabumbiwa zwe midzimu. 4 Nge ndaulo iye zwibeso zwe zwibhayilo zwa bo Bhaale zwakakolomodziwa ne zwibeso zwinopisigwa motsha zwakabe zwakabakwa pezhugwi kwe zwe zwibhayilo zwakakolomogwa zwikabe zwipithu pithu, kaligila kutjena panda dze ndzimukadzi Ashera ne midzimu yakabezhiwa ne yakabumbiwa kaikwiya katola mavu yawo kaipaladzila pezhugwi kwe zwikumbu zwa ibabo bakabe bepisila midzimu. 5 Wakapisila mafupa e bapirisiti mu zwibeso zwabo ngono katjenapadza Juda ne Jerusalema. 6 Ku mizi ye Manase ne Ifureimi ne Simiyoni kunoti ku Nafutali ne matongo akapoteleka, 7 wakakolomola zwibeso ne zwifano zwe ndzimukadzi Ashera kapkhwanya midzimu kaikwiya ikasala inga bgwisa kapkhwanya ne zwibeso zwakabe zwipisigwa motsha. Kudwapo kabgwilila ku Jerusalema.
Wang'wa kwe lukwalo gwe nlayo
(2 Bomambo 22:3-20)8 Kwakati nge gole le bugumi lina makole ali zhanakadzi (18) le mbuso wa Mambo Josiya shule kwe batjenapadza Ng'umba ye Ndzimu kose ne shango, bakatuma Shafani nkololo wa Azaliya na Maaseya nlauli we nzi nkulu na Joahi nkololo wa Joahazi we nkwalili, kuti banomusa Ng'umba ya Yahwe Ndzimu uwe. 9 Bakayenda kuna Hilikiya ntungamili we bapirisiti ngono bakampa mari akabe adusigwa Ng'umba ye Ndzimu akubunganyiwa ne Balevi ne balisi be nkoba we Ng'umba ya Yahwe, mari iyawa akabe akubunganyiwa kudwa mu bathu be Manase ne Ifureimi ne mu malimbelimbe wose e Iziraela ne mu bathu bose be ntuthu we Juda ne Bhenjamini ne mu bagali bose be Jerusalema. 10 Bakatola mari iyawa bakaapa batungamili bakabe babigwa kubona kuti nshingo we Ng'umba ya Yahwe unoyenda zubuyanana kuti ndizo balipe bashingi banomusa Ng'umba ye Ndzimu 11 ne babezhi ne babaki kuti batenge mabgwe akabezhiwa ne mapango embalilo ne makwasayile e mbako dzakabe dzaletjedziwa ndi bomambo be Juda kuti dziwe. 12 Balume bakabe beshinga bakashinga nge mimoyo yabo yose. Bakabe bakatungamigwa ne Balevi bakabe bali be nsha wa Merari ibo bali bo Jahati na Obadiya na Zakhariya na Meshulamu bakabe bali be nsha wa Kohati. Balevi ibaba bakabe bali nyambi dzelidza zwilidzo, 13 kakale bakabe bakalingisana ngobona kuti bashingi bose banoshinga mishingo yabo ngosiyana kwayo. Balevi bamwe bakabe bali bakwalili bamwe bali balisi be mikoba.
14 Ngono bakati batjadusa mari abakabe babiga mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe, Hilikiya mpirisiti nkulu kawana Lukwalo gwe Nlayo wa Yahwe gwa Mushe gwaakabe apiwa ndi Yahwe. 15 Hilikiya kabe eti kuna Shafani we nkwalili, “Ndawana lukwalo gwe Nlayo mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe.” Hilikiya kagupa Shafani 16 Ngono Shafani kayisa lukwalo kuna mambo, kabikila mambo eti, “Balanda benyu banoshinga kose kwamakati bathame. 17 Mari akabe ali ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe bakaapa batungamili be bashingi be bathu ne bashingi.” 18 Ndizo Shafani nkwalili kadwa mambo kati, “Hilikiya mpirisiti wandipa lukwalo igogu.” Ngono Shafani kagubala mbeli kwa mambo. 19 Kwakati mambo basinohwa matama e lukwalo igogu gwe nlayo, bakapalula zwiambalo zwabo. 20 Ngono bakapa Hilikiya na Ahikamu nkololo wa Shafani na Abidoni nkololo wa Mika na Shafani nkwalili na Asaya nlanda wa mambo ndaulo inoti, 21 “Yendani kuna Yahwe Ndzimu munondibhuzwila imi ne bathu na bose bakasala mu Iziraela ne Juda ngekwe lukwalo igogu gwawang'wa, ngobe Yahwe bazhala bushongola kwazo nge kwa bobatategulu bedu basakabhulutana matama a Yahwe kakale abazolondolodza tjakakwagwa mu lukwalo igogu.”
22 Ndizo Hilikiya na bose bakabe batumwa na mambo bakayenda kuna Hulida nlebesambeli wakabe ali nkadzi wa Shalumu nkololo wa Tokhati, Tokhati ali nkololo wa Hasira wakabe ali ntjengeti we hazu dze Ng'umba ye Ndzimu. Hulida wakabe egala ku Jerusalema ku Ntuthu ntshwa. Bakalebeleka naye nge kwako. 23 Ngono Hulida kabadwa kati, “Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, ‘Endani munodwa nlume wamutumila kundili 24 muti, “Ndowodelusa mbipo mu ntuthu iwoyu ne mu bagali bawo, bhiso lose lakakwagwa mu lukwalo igogu labagwa mbeli kwa Mambo we Juda, 25 ngoti bakandifupatila bakapisila midzimu ipoga motsha. Ndizo bakandishongola nge mishingo yabakathama nge maboko abo, ndizo bushongola gwangu gowothuta ngono agutowodzimika.” 26 Koga ngekwa mambo we Juda wamutuma kuwobhuzwa kuna Yahwe mubadwe muti Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, “Se wahwa matama angu mu lukwalo, 27 ngobe moyo uwo wabe nnyolo, ukazwiyisa pasi mbeli kwangu, ukapalula zwiambalo zwizo ukalilila mbeli kwangu, ndakuhwa, koleba Yahwe. 28 Ndizo bona, unowotobela bobatategulu babo, unowobiganyiwa nge kunyalala, autowobona bubi gose gwandinozhisa mu bugalo igogu ne mu bagali bose bago.” ’ ” Ndizo bakabgwilila kuna Mambo Josiya nge matama iyawa.
Josiya unothama tjidumano kubhulutana Yahwe
(2 Bomambo 23:1-20)29 Mambo Josiya kakubunganya bathu bakulu bose be Juda ne be Jerusalema. 30 Mambo bakayenda ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe ne bakololo bose be Juda naibo bose be Jerusalema ne bapirisiti ne balebesambeli ne bathu bose bakulu ne batukununu, ndizo bakababalila matama wose e lukwalo gwe tjidumano gwakabe gwa wang'wa mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe. 31 Mambo bakama mu magalo abo ngono bakathama tjidumano ne meya dzabo dzose mbeli kwa Yahwe ili tjidumano tjekutobela ne kutjengeta milayo ya Yahwe ne kuthama zose zwakabe zwakakwagwa mu lukwalo gwe tjidumano.
32 Bakathama kuti bathu bose bakabe bali mu Jerusalema ne Bhenjamini babe ne mazwimisilo ekuti banoshinga tjidumano itjetjo. Bathu be Jerusalema bakathama koyendidzana ne tjidumano tje Ndzimu, Ndzimu wa bobatategulu babo. 33 Mambo Josiya kadusa midzimu yose inoshimisa mu ntuthu we Baiziraela kakale kakulumbidza bose bakabe bali mu Iziraela kuti bashingile Yahwe Ndzimu wabo. Mu butjilo gugwe gose abazopambuka mukutobela Yahwe Ndzimu wa bobatategulu babo.
King Josiah of Judah
(2 Kings 22.12 2)1 Josiah was 8 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled 31 years from Jerusalem. 2 He followed the example of his ancestor David and always obeyed the Lord.
Josiah Stops the Worship of Foreign Gods
(2 Kings 23.4-20)3 When Josiah was only 16 years old he began worshiping God, just as his ancestor David had done. Then, 4 years later, he decided to destroy the local shrines in Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the sacred poles for worshiping the goddess Asherah and the idols of foreign gods. 4 He watched as the altars for the worship of the god Baal were torn down, and as the nearby incense altars were smashed. The Asherah poles, the idols, and the stone images were also smashed, and the pieces were scattered over the graves of their worshipers. 5 Josiah then had the bones of the pagan priests burned on the altars.
And so Josiah got rid of the worship of foreign gods in Judah and Jerusalem. 6 He did the same things in the towns and ruined villages in the territories of West Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as the border of Naphtali. 7 Everywhere in the northern kingdom of Israel, Josiah tore down pagan altars and Asherah poles; he crushed idols to dust and smashed incense altars.
Then Josiah went back to Jerusalem.
Hilkiah Finds The Book of God's Law
(2 Kings 22.3-20)8 In the eighteenth year of Josiah's rule in Judah, after he had removed all the sinful things from the land and from the Lord's temple, he sent three of his officials to repair the temple. They were Shaphan son of Azaliah, Governor Maaseiah of Jerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, who kept the government records.
9 These three men went to Hilkiah the high priest. They gave him the money that the Levite guards had collected from the people of West Manasseh, Ephraim, and the rest of Israel, as well as those living in Judah, Benjamin, and Jerusalem. 10 Then the money was turned over to the men who supervised the repairs to the temple. They used some of it to pay the workers, 11 and they gave the rest of it to the carpenters and builders, who used it to buy the stone and wood they needed to repair the other buildings that Judah's kings had not taken care of.
12 The workers were honest, and their supervisors were Jahath and Obadiah from the Levite clan of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam from the Levite clan of Kohath. Other Levites, who were all skilled musicians, 13 were in charge of carrying supplies and supervising the workers. Other Levites were appointed to stand guard around the temple.
14 While the money was being given to these supervisors, Hilkiah found the book that contained the laws that the Lord had given to Moses. 15 Hilkiah handed the book to Shaphan the official and said, “Look what I found here in the temple—The Book of God's Law.”
16 Shaphan took the book to Josiah and reported, “Your officials are doing everything you wanted. 17 They have collected the money from the temple and have given it to the men supervising the repairs. 18 But there's something else, Your Majesty. The priest Hilkiah gave me this book.” Then Shaphan read it aloud.
19 When Josiah heard what was in The Book of God's Law, he tore his clothes in sorrow. 20 At once he called together Hilkiah, Shaphan, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, and his own servant Asaiah. He said, 21 “The Lord must be furious with me and everyone else in Israel and Judah, because our ancestors did not obey the laws written in this book. Go find out what the Lord wants us to do.”
22 Hilkiah and the four other men left at once and went to talk with Huldah the prophet. Her husband was Shallum, who was in charge of the king's clothes. Huldah lived in the northern part of Jerusalem, and when they met in her home, 23 she said:
You were sent here by King Josiah, and this is what the Lord God of Israel says to him: 24 “Josiah, I am the Lord! And I intend to punish this country and everyone in it, just as this book says. 25 The people of Judah and Israel have rejected me. They have offered sacrifices to foreign gods and have worshiped their own idols. I can't stand it any longer. I am furious.
26-27 “Josiah, listen to what I am going to do. I noticed how sad you were when you heard that this country and its people would be completely wiped out. You even tore your clothes in sorrow, and I heard you cry. 28 So before I destroy this place, I will let you die in peace.”
The men left and reported to Josiah what Huldah had said.
Josiah Reads The Book of God's Law
(2 Kings 23.1-3)29 King Josiah called together the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 Then he went to the Lord's temple, together with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, the priests, and the Levites.
Finally, when everybody was there, he read aloud The Book of God's Law that had been found in the temple.
31 After Josiah had finished reading, he stood in the place reserved for the king. He promised in the Lord's name to faithfully obey the Lord and to follow his laws and teachings that were written in the book. 32 Then he asked the people of Jerusalem and Benjamin to make that same promise and to obey the God their ancestors had worshiped.
33 Josiah destroyed all the idols in the territories of Israel, and he commanded everyone in Israel to worship only the Lord God. The people did not turn away from the Lord God of their ancestors for the rest of Josiah's rule as king.