King Hezekiah of Judah
(2 Kings 18.1-3)1 Hezekiah was 25 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled 29 years from Jerusalem. His mother was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 2 Hezekiah obeyed the Lord by doing right, just as his ancestor David had done.
The Temple Is Purified
3 In the first month of the first year of Hezekiah's rule, he unlocked the doors to the Lord's temple and had them repaired. 4 Then he called the priests and Levites to the east courtyard of the temple 5 and said:
It's time to purify the temple of the Lord God of our ancestors. You Levites must first go through the ceremony to make yourselves clean, then go into the temple and bring out everything that is unclean and unacceptable to the Lord. 6 Some of our ancestors were unfaithful and disobeyed the Lord our God. Not only did they turn their backs on the Lord, but they also completely ignored his temple. 7 They locked the doors, then let the lamps go out and stopped burning incense and offering sacrifices to him. 8 The Lord became terribly angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem, and everyone was shocked and horrified at what he did to punish them. Not only were 9 our ancestors killed in battle, but our own children and wives were taken captive.
10 So I have decided to renew our agreement with the Lord God of Israel. Maybe then he will stop being so angry with us. 11 Let's not waste any time, my friends. You are the ones who were chosen to be the Lord's priests and to offer him sacrifices.
12-14 When Hezekiah finished talking, the following Levite leaders went to work:
Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohath clan; Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merari clan; Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershon clan; Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphan clan; Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaph clan; Jehuel and Shimei from the Heman clan; Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthun clan.
15 These leaders gathered together the rest of the Levites, and they all went through the ceremony to make themselves clean. Then they began to purify the temple according to the Law of the Lord, just as Hezekiah had commanded.
16 The priests went into the temple and carried out everything that was unclean. They put these things in the courtyard, and from there, the Levites carried them outside the city to Kidron Valley.
17 The priests and Levites began their work on the first day of the first month. It took them one week to purify the courtyards of the temple and another week to purify the temple. So on the sixteenth day of that same month 18 they went back to Hezekiah and said:
Your Majesty, we have finished our work. The entire temple is now pure again, and so is the altar and its utensils, as well as the table for the sacred loaves of bread and its utensils. 19 And we have brought back all the things that King Ahaz took from the temple during the time he was unfaithful to God. We purified them and put them back in front of the altar.
Worship in the Temple
20 At once, Hezekiah called together the officials of Jerusalem, and they went to the temple. 21 They brought with them seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven goats as sacrifices to take away the sins of Hezekiah's family and of the people of Judah, as well as to purify the temple. Hezekiah told the priests, who were descendants of Aaron, to sacrifice these animals on the altar.
22 The priests killed the bulls, the rams, and the lambs, then splattered the blood on the altar. 23 They took the goats to Hezekiah and the worshipers, and they laid their hands on the animals. 24 The priests then killed the goats and splattered the blood on the altar as a sacrifice to take away the sins of everyone in Israel, because Hezekiah had commanded that these sacrifices be made for all the people of Israel.
25 Next, Hezekiah assigned the Levites to their places in the temple. He gave them cymbals, harps, and other stringed instruments, according to the instructions that the Lord had given King David and the two prophets, Gad and Nathan. 26 The Levites were ready to play the instruments that had belonged to David; the priests were ready to blow the trumpets.
27 As soon as Hezekiah gave the signal for the sacrifices to be burned on the altar, the musicians began singing praises to the Lord and playing their instruments, 28 and everyone worshiped the Lord. This continued until the last animal was sacrificed.
29 After that, Hezekiah and the crowd of worshipers bowed down and worshiped the Lord. 30 Then Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to sing the songs of praise that David and Asaph the prophet had written. And so they bowed down and joyfully sang praises to the Lord.
31 Hezekiah said to the crowd, “Now that you are once again acceptable to the Lord, bring sacrifices and offerings to give him thanks.”
The people did this, and some of them voluntarily brought animals to be offered as sacrifices. 32 Seventy bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs were brought as sacrifices to please the Lord; 33 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep were brought as sacrifices to ask the Lord's blessing. 34 There were not enough priests to skin all these animals, because many of the priests had not taken the time to go through the ceremony to make themselves clean. However, since all the Levites had made themselves clean, they helped the priests until the last animal was skinned. 35 Besides all the sacrifices that were burned on the altar, the fat from the other animal sacrifices was burned, and the offerings of wine were poured over the altar.
So the temple was once again used for worshiping the Lord. 36 Hezekiah and the people of Judah celebrated, because God had helped them make this happen so quickly.
Hiskija ma rire ombara mOjuda
(2Ozo 18:1-3)1 Hiskija wa rira ombara mOjuda e notjiwondo tjozombura omirongo vivari nandano; neye wa honapara mOjerusalem oure wozombura omirongo vivari na muvyu. Ina wa ri Abija, omusuko wa Sakaria. 2 Hiskija wa tjita imbi mbyaa vi tjata ku Muhona, ama horere kotjikaro tjaihe mukururume ombara David.
Omakohororero wondjuwo ya Muhona
3 Momueze omutenga wombura ndji Hiskija tja za nokurira ombara, eye wa paturura omivero vyondjuwo ya Muhona rukwao ne vi ṱunisa. 4 Eye wa woronganisira ovapristeri nOvalevi morupanda rwokomuhuka rwondjuwo ya Muhona, 5 na hungire ku wo mbo, a tja: “Valevi oweṋe, purateneye! Riyapureye oveni nambano, nu kohororeye ondjuwo ya Muhona, Ndjambi wooiho mukururume. Iseye mo oviṋa avihe, mbi mavi zunḓa ondjuwo ya Muhona. 6 OoTate mukururume kava ṱakamene mu Muhona, Ndjambi, nu ave tjiti imbi mbi ha tjatere ku ye. Owo ve mu esa nave yandja omatambo wawo poṋa eye puye rikotamenenwa. 7 Owo va pata omivero vyondjuwo ya Muhona, ave zemisa omamunine, ave ha twimisire ovyomororo omuwa nave ha punguhire ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa mondjuwo ya Ndjambi wa Israel. 8 Muhona opa pindikira Juda na Jerusalem, noviṋa mbya tjitwa ku wo vya kumisa navi urumisa omundu ngamwa auhe. Eṋe mamu tjiwa otjiṋa hi nawa. 9 Ootate va ṱa motjirwa, novakazendu novanatje vetu va twarewa otja ovahuurwa.
10 “Ami nambano mbe rimana okutjita omerikutiropamwe na Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, kokutja eye a ha pindikire eṱe rukwao. 11 Vazandu vandje, amu rire ovanavirweyo! Oweṋe mbu mwa toororwa i Muhona okumutwimisira ovyomoro omuwa nokuhongorera ovandu mokurikotamena ku ye.”
12 Ovalevi mbe rirongerera oviungura owo mba:
Monganda ya Kehat va ri Mahat, omuzandu wa Amasai, na Joel, omuzandu wa Asarja.
Monganda ya Merari va ri Kis, omuzandu wa Abdi, na Asarja, omuzandu wa Jehalelel.
Monganda ya Gerson va ri Joak, omuzandu wa Sima, na Eden, omuzandu wa Joak.
13 Monganda ya Elisafan va ri ooSimri na Jeiel.
Monganda ya Asaf va ri ooSakaria na Matanja.
14 Monganda ya Heman va ri ooJehiel na Simi.
Monganda ya Jedutun va ri ooSemaja na Usiel.
15 Owo va woronganisa Ovalevi ovakwao, navehe ve riyapura oveni. Tjazumba otji va uta okukohorora ondjuwo ya Muhona otja ketwako ra Muhona, ombara pu ye ve rakiza okutjita. 16 Ovapristeri va hita mondjuwo ya Muhona okukeikohorora, ave pitisa mo oviṋa avihe ovihakohoke nave vi twa morupanda rwayo. Okuza morupanda ndwi Ovalevi avehe ve vi twara pendje yotjihuro komukutu wa Kidron.
17 Owo va uta oviungura meyuva etenga romueze omutenga, nu meyuva oritjahambondatu romueze tjingewo otji va mana oviungura avihe na indi etuwo romahitiro wondjuwo ya Muhona. Tjazumba va kohorora ondjuwo ya Muhona nave mana omakohororero meyuva ndi oritjamurongo na hamboumwe romueze omutenga.
Ondjuwo ya Muhona mai yapurwa rukwao.
18 Ovalevi va tjivisa ombara Hiskija ave tja: “Eṱe twa mana omakohororero wondjuwo ya Muhona aihe puna otjipunguhiro tjozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa noviungurise vyatjo avihe, notjiriro tjozomboroto zOmaraisiro, noviungurise vyatjo avihe. 19 Wina twa kotora oviungurise avihe, ombara Ahas mbya twarere mozombura nḓena tje ha ri nouṱakame mu Ndjambi, nu twe vi yapura rukwao. Ovyo avihe vi ri komurungu wotjipunguhiro tja Muhona.”
20 Ombara Hiskija wa woronganisa ovanane avehe votjihuro nokuhinokuwomba nave i pamwe kondjuwo ya Muhona. 21 Owo va eta ozondwezu hambombari zozongombe, nozonḓu hambombari, nozondjona hambombari, ze rire ombunguhiro yokuisa ko omauvi weṱunḓu rouhona nowotjiwaṋa tja Juda, noyokukohorora ondjuwo ya Muhona. Ombara ya raera ovapristeri, ozondekurona za Aron, kutja ve punguhire ovinamuinyo mbi kotjipunguhiro tja Muhona. 22 Ovapristeri va zepa ozondwezu zozongombe rutenga, tjazumba ave zepa inḓa ozonḓu, tjazumba ave zepa ozondjona nave pemenene ombinḓu yovinamuinyo mbi avihe peke kotjipunguhiro. 23 Korusenina va eta ozongombo kombara na kombongo aihe, nowo va twa omake wawo ku zo. 24 Tjazumba ovapristeri va zepa ozongombo nḓa nave tirire ombinḓu yazo kotjipunguhiro i rire ombunguhiro yokuisa ko omauvi wotjiwaṋa atjihe, orondu ombara ya rakizire kutja ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa nozomauvi ze punguhirwe Israel atjihe.
25 Ombara Hiskija wa yenenisa omaraerero Muhona nga yandjere kombara David notjinyo tja Gad, omumune wombara, notjomuprofete Natan, na kuramisa Ovalevi, mba ri noviharpe nozongoma zovitenda, mondjuwo ya Muhona. 26 Owo va kurama mbo novinangoma tjimuna imbi mbyaa vi nyandwa i ombara David, novapristeri va kurama mbena nozohiva zawo. 27 Hiskija wa rakiza kutja ombunguhiro oningiririsiwa i punguhwe; nombunguhiro tji ya utwa, otjiwaṋa tja tanga Muhona neimburiro, novanyande vovinangoma va uta okutona ozohiva novihumba avihe vyarwe. 28 Auhe ngwa ri mbo wa tjita omerikotameneno, novandu va kara pokuimbura nokunyanda ovihumba nga ozombunguhiro azehe tji za ningiririsiwa. 29 Tjazumba ombara nombongo aihe va wora ozongoro nave rikotamene ku Ndjambi. 30 Ombara Hiskija novanane votjiwaṋa va raera kOvalevi kutja ve imburire Muhona omaimburiro wondangero, nga tjangerwe i David nomuprofete Asaf. Owo otji va imbura nondjoroka onene, ngunda ava woro ozongoro nave rikotamene ku Ndjambi.
31 Hiskija wa raera kotjiwaṋa a tja: “Nambano tjinga amwa yapurirwa Muhona, mu punguhireye ozombunguhiro zokutja okuhepa.” Owo va kara nonḓuviro, nu tjiva vawo wina va eta ovinamuinyo nombango yawo oveni vi punguhwe okurira ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa. 32 Owo va eta ozondwezu zozongombe omirongo hambombari na inḓa zozonḓu esere rimwe nozondjona omasere yevari ze rire ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa ku Muhona. 33 Owo wina va eta ozongombe omasere hamboumwe, nozonḓu 3,000 kutja ze punguhwe. 34 Tjinga ape ha ri ovapristeri mba yenena okuzepa ovinamuinyo avihe mbi, Ovalevi otji ve ve vatera nga oviungura tji vya manuka, novapristeri ovengi otji ve rikohorora. Ovalevi va karere nonḓero tjinene okuyenenisa omerikohororero wawo povapristeri. 35 Mokuweza kozombunguhiro ozengi nḓaa ze ningiririsiwa ovapristeri va ri notjiungura tjokuningirisia ozonḓura nḓaa ze punguhwa okuza mozombunguhiro nḓaa ze riwa i otjiwaṋa, notjokutirira omavinu ngaa e yandjewa puna ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa.
Komuhingo mbwi omerikotameneno otji ya utwa rukwao mondjuwo ya Muhona. 36 Ombara Hiskija notjiwaṋa atjihe va kara nenyando mena rokutja Ndjambi we ve vatere okutjita oviṋa avihe mbi tjimanga nai.
