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, omukwaniilwa gwaJuda
(2 Aak. 14:21-222 15:1-7)1 Aajuda ayehe oya hogolola Ussia gwaAmazia gwomimvo omulongo nahamano, a ninge omukwaniilwa peha lyahe. 2 (Konima yeso lyaAmazia, Ussia okwa kwata po oshilando Elat e te shi tungulula.)
3 Ussia okwa ningi omukwaniilwa mepipi lyomimvo omulongo nahamano, nokwa lele muJerusalem omimvo omilongo ntano nambali. Yina oJekolja Omujerusalem. 4 Okwa landula oshinkoti shahe, okwa longo shoka sha hokiwa kOmuwa. 5 Manga omugandjindunge gwe Sakaria a li e na omwenyo, Ussia okwa longele Omuwa nuudhiginini, naKalunga okwe mu yambeke.
6 Ussia okwa yi a ka kondjithe Aafilisti. Okwa kumuna po omadhingililokuma giilando Gat, Jabne naAshdod nokwa tungu iilandohote popepi naAshdod nomoshihupe shaFilistia. 7 Kalunga okwe mu kwatha, a sinde Aafilisti, Aayarabi yomuGurbaal nAameuni. 8 Aayammoni oye mu pe oompale e ta nkondopala, onkee esimano lye olya adha sigo okuEgipiti.
9 Ussia okwa koleke Jerusalem nokutunga ooshungo pOsheelo shokokolonela, pOsheelo shopesilu naampoka edhingililokuma tali goyoka. 10 Nomoshilongo wo okwa tungu ooshungo dha kola e ta hupu omithima odhindji, oshoka okwa li e na iigunda iinene yiimuna miikulundundu yoponyonga yoondundu dhokuuninginino nomolushandja. Molwashoka Ussia okwa li e hole uunamapya, okwa tsu oshigwana omukumo, shi tsike omiviinu mevi lyokoondundu nokulonga omapya.
11 Ussia okwa li e na etangakwiita enene meilongekidho okuya molugodhi. Oondjalula dhalyo odha li dha ningwa koohamushanga ye Jeiel naMaaseia metonatelo lyaHanania, limwe lyomomalenga gomukwaniilwa. 12 Metangakwiita lye omwa li aanashihako 2 600. 13 Mewiliko lyawo omwa li aakwiita 307 500, mboka ya pyokoka okukondjitha aatondi yomukwaniilwa. 14 Ussia okwa homateke aakwiita omahuuyanza, omagonga, omagala giiyela, oonguwo dhiiyela, omatati niikuti nomamanya gothethengele gokuumba. 15 MuJerusalem oonkulungu dhe odha longekidha iiyumbitho yiikuti noyomamanya omanene, mbyoka ya tulwa mooshungo nokookolonela dhomadhingililokuma goshilando. Esimano lye olya taandele kokule e ta ningi omunankondo, oshoka Kalunga okwe mu kwatha.
Ussia ta geelelwa uuntsa we
16 Ussia sho a ningi omunankondo, okwa tumbu pombanda, naashika oshe mu fala mepunduko. Okwa hindi Omuwa, Kalunga ke, sho a yi motempeli a fike iitsinino ketsininoyambelo. 17 Omuyambi Azaria, a lambwa kaayambi omilongo hetatu ye na omukumo, oya landula omukwaniilwa, 18 opo ye mu keelele. Oya ti kuye: “Ussia! Ku na uuthemba okufikila Omuwa iitsinino. Aayambi yomoluvalo lwaAaron oyo ayeke ya yapulilwa oku shi ninga. Za mo nokuli motempeli. Owa hinda Omuwa Kalunga, noito yambekwa we kuye.”
19 Ussia okwa li a thikama motempeli poshiyambelo shiitsinino nokwa li a yelutha oshitsininitho. Okwa geele aayambi, nohaluka uuvu woshilundu owa mbunyuka moshipala she. 20 Azaria naayambi yalwe oya tala oshipala shomukwaniilwa sha nyata, noye mu tidha mo motempeli. Okwe endelele okuza mo, oshoka Omuwa okwe mu dhenge.
21 Osho ngaaka omukwaniilwa Ussia a kwatwa koshilundu sigo okesiku lyeso lye. Ina vula we okuya motempeli. Okwa kala mongulu yi ikalekelwa, a manguluka kiilonga ayihe, manga omwana Jotam ta pangele oshilongo.
22 Omuhunganeki Jesaja yaAmos okwa nyola iinima ayihe mbyoka omukwaniilwa Ussia a ningile muuyuni wepangelo lye. 23 Ussia okwa si nokwa fumvikwa momayendo gaakwaniilwa, ihe moluuvu we ina fumvikwa moombila dhaakwaniilwa. Omwana Jotam okwe mu landula muukwaniilwa.
