King Uzziah of Judah
(2 Kings 14.212 222 15.1-7)1-3 After the death of King Amaziah, the people of Judah crowned his son Uzziah king, even though he was only 16 at the time. Uzziah ruled 52 years from Jerusalem, the hometown of his mother Jecoliah. During his rule, he recaptured and rebuilt the town of Elath.
4 He obeyed the Lord by doing right, as his father Amaziah had done. 5 Zechariah was Uzziah's advisor and taught him to obey God. And so, as long as Zechariah was alive, Uzziah was faithful to God, and God made him successful.
6 While Uzziah was king, he started a war against the Philistines. He smashed the walls of the cities of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod, then rebuilt towns around Ashdod and in other parts of Philistia. 7 God helped him defeat the Philistines, the Arabs living in Gur-Baal, and the Meunites. 8 Even the Ammonites paid taxes to Uzziah. He became very powerful, and people who lived as far away as Egypt heard about him.
9 In Jerusalem, Uzziah built fortified towers at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and the place where the city wall turned inward. 10 He also built defense towers out in the desert.
He owned such a large herd of livestock in the western foothills and in the flatlands, that he had cisterns dug there to catch the rainwater. He loved farming, so he had crops and vineyards planted in the hill country wherever there was fertile soil, and he hired farmers to take care of them.
11 Uzziah's army was always ready for battle. Jeiel and Maaseiah were the officers who kept track of the number of soldiers, and these two men were under the command of Hananiah, one of Uzziah's officials. 12-13 There were 307,500 trained soldiers, all under the command of 2,600 clan leaders. These powerful troops protected the king against any enemy. 14 Uzziah supplied his army with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and stones used for slinging. 15 Some of his skilled workers invented machines that could shoot arrows and sling large stones. Uzziah set these up in Jerusalem at his defense towers and at the corners of the city wall.
God helped Uzziah become more and more powerful, and he was famous all over the world.
Uzziah Becomes Too Proud
16 Uzziah became proud of his power, and this led to his downfall.
One day, Uzziah disobeyed the Lord his God by going into the temple and burning incense as an offering to him. 17 Azariah the priest and 80 other brave priests followed Uzziah into the temple 18 and said, “Your Majesty, this isn't right! You are not allowed to burn incense to the Lord. That must be done only by priests who are descendants of Aaron. You will have to leave! You have sinned against the Lord, and so he will no longer bless you.”
19 Uzziah, who was standing next to the incense altar at the time, was holding the incense burner, ready to offer incense to the Lord. He became very angry when he heard Azariah's warning, and leprosy suddenly appeared on his forehead! 20 Azariah and the other priests saw it and immediately told him to leave the temple. Uzziah realized that the Lord had punished him, so he hurried to get outside.
21 Uzziah had leprosy the rest of his life. He was no longer allowed in the temple or in his own palace. That's why his son Jotham lived there and ruled in his place.
22 Everything else Uzziah did while he was king is in the records written by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 23 Since Uzziah had leprosy, he could not be buried in the royal tombs. Instead, he was buried in a nearby cemetery that the kings owned. His son Jotham then became king.
Ussia ohamba yaJuda
1 Opo nee ovanhu aveshe va kufa Ussia, omido daye da li pefimbo olo omido omulongo nahamano, ndele ve mu ninga ohamba ponhele yaxe Amasia. 2 Ye okwa tunga Elat nokwe shi alulila kuJuda, ohamba eshi ya ka nangala pooxe. 3 Omido daUssia da li omulongo nahamano ye eshi a ninga ohamba, nokwa pangela muJerusalem omido omilongo nhano nambali. Nedina laina la li Jekolia wokuJerusalem. 4 Nokwa ninga osho sha yuka momesho Omwene, naanaa ngaashi xe Amasia a ninga. 5 Nokwa konga Kalunga fimbo Sakaria okwa li e nomwenyo, ou a li e nounongo wokushiiva omamoniko aKalunga. Ndele pomafiku oo ye eshi a konga Omwene, Kalunga e mu pa elao.
6 Nokwa fikama ndele ta lwifa Ovafilisti nokwa ngumauna po ohotekuma yaGat nohotekuma yaJabne nohotekuma yaAsdod, ndele a tunga oilando moushiinda waAsdod nomokati kOvafilisti. 7 Ndele Kalunga okwe mu kwafa mokulwifa Ovafilisti nOvaarabi, ovo va kala muGur-Baal, nOvameuni. 8 NOvaammoni yo va fendela Ussia. Netumbalo laye la tandavela fiyo okuEgipiti, shaashi ye okwa li e neenghono dinene. 9 Ussia okwa tunga vali eehoteshungo muJerusalem pOshivelo Shokolonela nopOshivelo Shefilu nopOkolonela, nokwe di pameka. 10 Nokwa tunga yo eehoteshungo mombuwa ndele a panda eendungu dihapu domeva. Osheshi ye a li e noimuna ihapu medu la lalakana nomedu la tumba la lalakana, nokwa li e novalongi vepya novalongi voikokola yomiviinyu keemhunda nomedu loikunino, osheshi ye e hole oilonga yomapya.
11 Ussia okwa li e na vali omatanga ovakwaita va li moukwaita ndele va ya koita, pamatanga pamuvalo waava va li mokutalwa, wa shangwa komushangi Jeiel nokomupashukili Maasea, kewiliko laHanania, elenga limwe lomomalenga ohamba. 12 Omuvalo aushe wovakulunhu vomapata, wovaladi wa li omayovi avali nomafele ahamano. 13 Ndele mepangelo lavo mwa li omatanga ovakwaita ve fike pomayovi omafele atatu naaheyali nomafele atano, ovo tava dulu okulwifa neenghono adishe va kwafe ohamba okulwa nomutondadi. 14 Ndele Ussia okwa kongela ovakwaita aveshe oikelelifo nomaonga nomambale oivela noikutu yoivela nomauta noiumbifo yomamanya. 15 Nokwa ninga yo muJerusalem oilwifoshina, ya tungwa nondunge, ya tulwa meehoteshungo nomeekolonela dohotekuma, tai umbu oikuti nomamanya manene. Netumbalo laye la tandavela, osheshi a kwafa shili, oshikumwifa nokuli, fiyo a ninga omunaenghono.
Ussia nehandu laKalunga
16 Ndelenee ye eshi a ninga omunaenghono, omutima waye e u nenepeka, onghee a ninga osho inashi yuka nande, ndele a nyona kOmwene Kalunga kaye. Osheshi a ya mo motembeli yOmwene ndele ta twiminine oitwiminifo koaltari yokutwimina. 17 Ndelenee omupristeli Asaria okwe mu shikulila mo, novapristeli omilongo hetatu vOmwene, ovalumenhu ovaladi, va ya mo pamwe naye, 18 ndele va kelela ohamba Ussia ndele tava ti kuyo: “Kashi fi oshilonga shoye, Ussia, u twiminine Omwene oitwiminifo, ndelenee oshovapristeli, sholudalo laAron, ovo va yapulilwa okuyamba. Pita pondje, u dje motembeli, osheshi wa nyona, ndele eshi itashi ku etele efimano kOmwene Kalunga.” 19 Ndelenee Ussia okwa handuka unene, ndele a hangika e kwete oshikwatelwa shoitwiminifo meke laye. Ndele eshi a handukila ovapristeli, oudu woshilundu wa djuuka mombaba yoshipala shaye moipafi yovapristeli mongulu yOmwene poaltari yokutwimina. 20 Omupristeli omukulunhu Asaria novapristeli aveshe, eshi ve mu tala, va mona oudu woshilundu mombaba yoshipala shaye, ndele ve mu taataa mo diva, naye mwene yo okwa endelela a dje mo, osheshi Omwene e mu denga. 21 Nohamba Ussia ya li omunashilundu fiyo okefiku lefyo layo, ya kala mongulu ye likalela ngaashi ovanashilundu, osheshi yo ya kelelwa okuya kongulu yOmwene. Nomona waye Jotam ou a diinina eumbo lohamba, okwa pangela ovanhu vomoshilongo. 22 Noinima imwe tai hepaulula Ussia, yotete noyahauxuuninwa, oya shangwa komuxunganeki Jesaja yaAmos. 23 Ndele Ussia okwa ka nangala pooxe nokwa pakwa pooxe monhele yokupaka eehamba. Osheshi tava ti: “Ye omunashilundu.” Nomona waye Jotam okwa ninga ohamba ponhele yaye.
