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.
Hiskia ohamba yaJuda
1 Omido daHiskia da li omilongo mbali nanhano, ye eshi a ninga ohamba nokwa pangela omido omilongo mbali nomugoi muJerusalem. Nedina laina la li Abia, omona waSakaria. 2 Nokwa ninga osho sha yuka moipafi yOmwene ngaashi xe David a ninga.
3 Momudo wotete wepangelo laye, mohani yotete ye okwa vikulula oivelo yongulu yOmwene nokwe i wapeka, 4 nokwa ifana ovapristeli nOvalevi ndele te va ongele mOnhele yokoushilo, 5 ndele ta ti kuvo: “Ovalevi nye! Pwilikinei nge! Liyapuleni paife, ndele yapuleni ongulu yOmwene Kalunga kooxo, ndele kufeni mo ekako motembeli. 6 Osheshi ootate va nyona ndele va ninga osho inashi yuka moipafi yOmwene Kalunga ketu, ndele ve mu efa ndele va pilamena otembeli yOmwene ndele ve i pa ombuda. 7 Ova idila po yo oivelo yolupale lokomesho ndele va dima po eelamba ndele inava twimina oitwiminifo ndelenee inava yambela Kalunga kaIsrael omaxwikiloyambo motembeli. 8 Onghee hano ehandu lOmwene le uya kombada yaJuda noyaJerusalem nokwe va ninga etilifo noshikumwifa nesheko ngaashi mu shi wete nomesho eni vene.
9 “Ndele taleni, omolwoshinima eshi ootate va fya keongamukonda novana vetu ovamati noukadona, novalikadi vetu ve li moukwatwa. 10 Paife ndi nediladilo momutima wange: okuninga ehangano nOmwene, Kalunga kaIsrael, opo ehandu laye li kanduke po pufye. 11 Ovana vange ovalumenhu, paife inamu ongaonga vali. Osheshi Omwene e mu hoolola mu kale ofika koshipala shaye, mu mu longele, mu kale ovapiya vaye nokutwimina oitwiminifo.”
12 Opo nee Ovalevi va fikama: Mahat yaAmasai naJoel yaAsaria womovana vaKohat. Ndele movana vaMerari: Kis yaAbdi naAsaria yaJehallelel. Nomovana vaGerson: Joah yaSimma naEden yaJoah. 13 Nomovana vaElisafan: Simri naJehuel. Nomovana vaAsaf: Sakaria naMattanja. 14 Nomovana vaHeman: Jehiel naSimei. Nomovana vaJedutun: Shemaia naUsiel. 15 Ndele va ongela ovamwaina ndele ve liyapula ndele ve uya va ka wapeke ongulu yOmwene palombwelo lohamba, paendjovo dOmwene. 16 Novapristeli va ya meni lotembeli yOmwene ve i wapeke nekako alishe ve li hanga motembeli yOmwene, ve li twala pondje molupale lokomesho yongulu yOmwene. NOvalevi ve li kufa po ndele tave li twala pondje, kokamulonga Kidron. 17 Ndele va hovela okuyapula mefiku lotete mohani yotete ndele mefiku etihetatu lomohani va fika koshivelo shotete shOmwene ndele va yapula ongulu yOmwene momafiku ahetatu. Ndele mefiku etimulongo nahamano mohani yotete va xulifa oshilonga. 18 Opo nee va ya kohamba Hiskia ndele tava ti: “Fye otwa yapula ongulu aishe yOmwene, oaltari yomaxwikiloyambo noinima yayo noshitaafula shomingome detaliko noinima aishe yasho. 19 Noinima aishe oyo yo ohamba Ahas mefimbo lokupangela kwayo e i nyateka molwokunyona kwayo, fye twe i wapeka noku i yapula, ndele tala, oi li komesho yoaltari yOmwene.”
20 Opo nee ohamba Hiskia ya fikama ongula inene ndele tai ongele ovakulunhu voshilando, ndele va ya kongulu yOmwene. 21 Ndele va eta eengobe heyali deemhedi needi heyali deemhedi noudjona vaheyali noikombo iheyali ngaashi etimbayambo molwohamba nomolwotembeli nomolwaJuda. Ndele va lombwela oludalo laAron, ovapristeli, li di yambele koaltari yOmwene. 22 Opo nee va toma eengobe deemhedi, novapristeli va kufa ohonde ndele tave i tile koaltari, ndele va dipaa eedi, nohonde ve i tila koaltari, ndele va dipaa oudjona, nohonde ve i tila koaltari. 23 Opo nee va ehenifa po oikombo yetimbayambo koshipala shohamba nomoipafi yeongalo, ndele va tenheka omake avo kuyo. 24 Novapristeli ve i dipaa, nohonde yayo ngaashi etimbayambo ve i tila koaltari va kwatakanife Ovaisraeli aveshe. Osheshi ohamba ye va lombwela va yambele Israel ashishe exwikiloyambo netimbayambo.
25 Nokwa tula po Ovalevi mongulu yOmwene ve noosimbale nouxumbafeta neenyalilo pashipango shaDavid noshaGad, omumonikokule wohamba noshomuxunganeki Natan, osheshi Omwene e shi lombwela ovaxunganeki. 26 NOvalevi va kala ofika noishikomwa yaDavid, novapristeli ve nomanghuma oshikushu. 27 Ndele Hiskia okwa lombwela va yambe exwikiloyambo koaltari. Ndele eshi va hovela okuyamba exwikiloyambo, eimbilo lokuhambelela Omwene, nokushika omanghuma kwa hovela pawiliko loishikomwa yaDavid, ohamba yaIsrael. 28 Noshiongalele ashishe she linyongamena, eimbilo la udika, nomanghuma a shikwa, fiyo exwikiloyambo la pwa. 29 Ndele vo eshi va mana okuyamba, ohamba naaveshe ava va li puyo, ova twa eengolo ndele tave linyongamene. 30 Opo nee ohamba Hiskia novakulunhu va lombwela Ovalevi va hambelele Omwene neendjovo daDavid nodaAsaf, omumonikokule. Ndele va hovela nehafo eimbilo lehambelelo ndele ve linyongamena ndele tava ilikana.
31 Ndele Hiskia ta ti: “Paife mwe liyapulila Omwene. Ileni hano ndele eteleni ongulu yOmwene omatomenoyambo nomapanduloyambo.” Opo nee oshiongalele sha eta omatomenoyambo nomapanduloyambo, keshe umwe, ou a li e nehalo liwa, a eta exwikiloyambo. 32 Nomuvalu womaxwikiloyambo, a etwa koshiongalele, wa li eengobe omilongo heyali, eedi efele deemhedi, oudjona omafele avali; aishe oyo exwikiloyambo lOmwene. 33 Neeshali diyapuki oda li: eengobe deemhedi omafele ahamano needi omayovi atatu. 34 Ovapristeli ovo aveke va li vanini, va nyengwa okutoma omaxwikiloyambo aeshe. Ndelenee ovamwaina Ovalevi ve va kwafa, fiyo oshilonga sha pwa nofiyo ovapristeli ve liyapula voovene. Osheshi Ovalevi va li ve dule ovapristeli mouyuki wokomwenyo mokuliyapula. 35 Nomaxwikiloyambo yo kwa li mahapu pamwe nomakaadi omapanduloyambo noikunwayambo omaxwikiloyambo. Osho ngaha hano oilonga yomongulu yaKalunga ya pangelwa pamhangela yayo. 36 Ndele Hiskia noshiwana ashishe sha hafela osho Kalunga e shi ningila oshiwana shaye, osheshi sha ningwa moduduluka.
