Nlebesambeli unotjemela Jehoshafati
1 Jehoshafati mambo we Juda kabgwilila ku nzi uwe ku Jerusalema nge mbakiso. 2 Koga nlebesambeli Jehu nkololo wa Hanani kayenda kunonshanganidza ngono kadwa Mambo Jehoshafati kati, “Apa kwakafanila kubhatsha banothama mbipo ne kuda ibabo banobenga Yahwe kene? Ngekwa ikoku bushongola gwa Yahwe gowodelukila mukuli. 3 Nenguba kwakajalo kuna bubuya gunowang'wa mu kuli ngoti wakakolomodza Ashera mu shango ngono ukazwimisila kushingila Yahwe.”
Jehoshafati unoshanduka
4 Nenguba Jehoshafati akabe egala mu Jerusalema wakabe eyenda ku bathu kudwa mu Bheerisheba kunoti ku shango ye matombo ye Ifureimi ebashandusila kuna Yahwe Ndzimu wa bobatategulu babo. 5 Wakabiga basumikilisi mu mizi mikulu ye matizhilo yose imu Juda, 6 ngono kalaya basumikilisi eti, “Mube ne njele kwazo muna tjamunothama, muzibe kuti amutosumikilisila nthu koga mosumikilisila Yahwe, Yahwe ba namwi mukusumikilisa kwenyu. 7 Ndizo ngwenu kutja Yahwe ngakube mu muli, ibeni nge njele muna tjamunothama ngobe akuna kulelekesa ndulamo muna Yahwe Ndzimu wedu kene kulelekela ntome kene kutola zwizwimba nlomo.”
8 Pezhugwi kwa ipapo Jehoshafati wakabiga Balevi ne bapirisiti bamwe ne misholo ye misha ye Iziraela mu Jerusalema kuti bape busumikilisi bumo gwa Yahwe neku pedzisa ndebo. Bakabe begala ku Jerusalema. 9 Ngono wakabalaya eti, “Mushinge ikoko ngotja Yahwe ne kugalikabgwe nenge mimoyo yenyu yose. 10 Ndebo imwe ne imwe inozhisiwa kumuli idwa ku bathu bakanyi kwenyu bakabaka ku mizi yabo ipoga, ingabe ili ye kubulaya kene ye salondolodza nlayo makafanila kuti mu batjenjedze kuti basidwe bezwilonga mu nlandu mbeli kwa Yahwe kungathama kuti bushongola gwa Yahwe gudelukile mu muli ne mu bathu bakanyi kwenyu. Muthame saikoko ndizo amungatilikwe nlandu. 11 Ngono bonani, Amariya mpirisiti nkulu unamwi muna zose zwa Yahwe na Zebadiya nkololo wa Ishimaele nlauli we Juda banamwi muna zose zwa mambo, Balevi banowobepo kubona kuti zose zwe lubazhe zwadumigwana zoshingikadziwa. Shingani makasima, atshene Yahwe bangabe ne banoshinga ndulamo!”
A Prophet Reprimands Jehoshaphat
1 King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem. 2 A prophet, Jehu son of Hanani, went to meet the king and said to him, “Do you think it is right to help those who are wicked and to take the side of those who hate the Lord? What you have done has brought the Lord's anger on you. 3 But even so, there is some good in you. You have removed all the symbols of the goddess Asherah which people worshiped, and you have tried to follow God's will.”
Jehoshaphat's Reforms
4 Even though King Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, he traveled regularly among the people, from Beersheba in the south to the edge of the hill country of Ephraim in the north, in order to call the people back to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 5 He appointed judges in each of the fortified cities of Judah 6 and instructed them: “Be careful in pronouncing judgment; you are not acting on human authority, but on the authority of the Lord, and he is with you when you pass sentence. 7 Honor the Lord and act carefully, because the Lord our God does not tolerate fraud or partiality or the taking of bribes.”
8 In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed Levites, priests, and some of the leading citizens as judges in cases involving a violation of the Law of the Lord or legal disputes between inhabitants of the city. 9 He gave them the following instructions: “You must perform your duties in reverence for the Lord, faithfully obeying him in everything you do. 10 Whenever your fellow citizens from any of the cities bring before you a case of homicide or any other violation of a law or commandment, you must instruct them carefully how to conduct themselves during the trial, so that they do not become guilty of sinning against the Lord. Unless you do, you and your fellow citizens will feel the force of the Lord's anger. But if you do your duty, you will not be guilty. 11 Amariah the High Priest will have final authority in all religious cases, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, governor of Judah, will have final authority in all civil cases. The Levites have the responsibility of seeing that the decisions of the courts are carried out. Be courageous and carry out these instructions, and may the Lord be on the side of the right!”