King Hezekiah of Judah
(2 Kings 18.1-3)1 Hezekiah became king of Judah at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2 Following the example of his ancestor King David, he did what was pleasing to the Lord.
The Purification of the Temple
3 In the first month of the year after Hezekiah became king, he reopened the gates of the Temple and had them repaired. 4 He assembled a group of priests and Levites in the east courtyard of the Temple 5 and spoke to them there. He said, “You Levites are to consecrate yourselves and purify the Temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove from the Temple everything that defiles it. 6 Our ancestors were unfaithful to the Lord our God and did what was displeasing to him. They abandoned him and turned their backs on the place where he dwells. 7 They closed the doors of the Temple, let the lamps go out, and failed to burn incense or offer burnt offerings in the Temple of the God of Israel. 8 Because of this the Lord has been angry with Judah and Jerusalem, and what he has done to them has shocked and frightened everyone. You know this very well. 9 Our fathers were killed in battle, and our wives and children have been taken away as prisoners.
10 “I have now decided to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that he will no longer be angry with us. 11 My sons, do not lose any time. You are the ones that the Lord has chosen to burn incense to him and to lead the people in worshiping him.”
12-14 The following Levites were there:
From the clan of Kohath, Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of AzariahFrom the clan of Merari, Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of JehallelelFrom the clan of Gershon, Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of JoahFrom the clan of Elizaphan, Shimri and JeuelFrom the clan of Asaph, Zechariah and MattaniahFrom the clan of Heman, Jehuel and ShimeiFrom the clan of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel15 These men assembled their fellow Levites, and they all made themselves ritually clean. Then, as the king had commanded them to do, they began to make the Temple ritually clean, according to the Law of the Lord. 16 The priests went inside the Temple to purify it, and they carried out into the Temple courtyard everything that was ritually unclean. From there the Levites took it all outside the city to Kidron Valley.
17 The work was begun on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day they had finished it all, including the entrance room to the Temple. Then they worked for the next eight days, until the sixteenth of the month, preparing the Temple for worship.
The Temple Is Rededicated
18 The Levites made the following report to King Hezekiah: “We have completed the ritual purification of the whole Temple, including the altar for burnt offerings, the table for the sacred bread, and all their equipment. 19 We have also brought back all the equipment which King Ahaz took away during those years he was unfaithful to God, and we have rededicated it. It is all in front of the Lord's altar.”
20 Without delay King Hezekiah assembled the leading men of the city, and together they went to the Temple. 21 As an offering to take away the sins of the royal family and of the people of Judah and to purify the Temple, they took seven bulls, seven sheep, seven lambs, and seven goats. The king told the priests, who were descendants of Aaron, to offer the animals as sacrifices on the altar. 22 The priests killed the bulls first, then the sheep, and then the lambs, and sprinkled the blood of each sacrifice on the altar. 23 Finally they took the goats to the king and to the other worshipers, who laid their hands on them. 24 Then the priests killed the goats and poured their blood on the altar as a sacrifice to take away the sin of all the people, for the king had commanded that burnt offerings and sin offerings be made for all Israel.
25 The king followed the instructions that the Lord had given to King David through Gad, the king's prophet, and through the prophet Nathan; he stationed Levites in the Temple, with harps and cymbals, 26 instruments like those that King David had used. The priests also stood there with trumpets. 27 Hezekiah gave the order for the burnt offering to be presented; and as the offering began, the people sang praise to the Lord, and the musicians began to play the trumpets and all the other instruments. 28 Everyone who was there joined in worship, and the singing and the rest of the music continued until all the sacrifices had been burned. 29 Then King Hezekiah and all the people knelt down and worshiped God. 30 The king and the leaders of the nation told the Levites to sing to the Lord the songs of praise that were written by David and by Asaph the prophet. So everyone sang with great joy as they knelt and worshiped God.
31 Hezekiah said to the people, “Now that you are ritually clean, bring sacrifices as offerings of thanksgiving to the Lord.” They obeyed, and some of them also voluntarily brought animals to be sacrificed as burnt offerings. 32 They brought 70 bulls, 100 sheep, and 200 lambs as burnt offerings for the Lord; 33 they also brought 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep as sacrifices for the people to eat. 34 Since there were not enough priests to kill all these animals, the Levites helped them until the work was finished. By then more priests had made themselves ritually clean. (The Levites were more faithful in keeping ritually clean than the priests were.) 35 In addition to offering the sacrifices that were burned whole, the priests were responsible for burning the fat that was offered from the sacrifices which the people ate, and for pouring out the wine that was presented with the burnt offerings.
And so worship in the Temple was begun again. 36 King Hezekiah and the people were happy, because God had helped them to do all this 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.
