King Josiah of Judah
(2 Kings 22.12 2)1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. 2 He did what was pleasing to the Lord; he followed the example of his ancestor King David, strictly obeying all the laws of God.
Josiah Attacks Pagan Worship
3 In the eighth year that Josiah was king, while he was still very young, he began to worship the God of his ancestor King David. Four years later he began to destroy the pagan places of worship, the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and all the other idols. 4 Under his direction the altars where Baal was worshiped were smashed, and the incense altars near them were torn down. They ground to dust the images of Asherah and all the other idols and then scattered the dust on the graves of the people who had sacrificed to them. 5 He burned the bones of the pagan priests on the altars where they had worshiped. By doing all this, he made Judah and Jerusalem ritually clean again. 6 He did the same thing in the cities and the devastated areas of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far north as Naphtali. 7 Throughout the territory of the Northern Kingdom he smashed the altars and the symbols of Asherah, ground the idols to dust, and broke into bits all the incense altars. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
The Book of the Law Is Discovered
(2 Kings 22.3-20)8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purified the land and the Temple by ending pagan worship, King Josiah sent three men to repair the Temple of the Lord God: Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah, the governor of Jerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, a high official. 9 The money that the Levite guards had collected in the Temple was turned over to Hilkiah the High Priest. (It had been collected from the people of Ephraim and Manasseh and the rest of the Northern Kingdom, and from the people of Judah, Benjamin, and Jerusalem.) 10 This money was then handed over to the three men in charge of the Temple repairs, and they gave it to 11 the carpenters and the builders to buy the stones and the timber used to repair the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to decay. 12 The men who did the work were thoroughly honest. They were supervised by four Levites: Jahath and Obadiah of the clan of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam of the clan of Kohath. (The Levites were all skillful musicians.) 13 Other Levites were in charge of transporting materials and supervising the workers on various jobs, and others kept records or served as guards.
14 While the money was being taken out of the storeroom, Hilkiah found the book of the Law of the Lord, the Law that God had given to Moses. 15 He said to Shaphan, “I have found the book of the Law here in the Temple.” He gave Shaphan the book, 16 and Shaphan took it to the king. He reported, “We have done everything that you commanded. 17 We have taken the money that was kept in the Temple and handed it over to the workers and their supervisors.” 18 Then he added, “I have here a book that Hilkiah gave me.” And he read it aloud to the king.
19 When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes in dismay 20 and gave the following order to Hilkiah, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, to Abdon son of Micaiah, to Shaphan, the court secretary, and to Asaiah, the king's attendant: 21 “Go and consult the Lord for me and for the people who still remain in Israel and Judah. Find out about the teachings of this book. The Lord is angry with us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the Lord and have not done what this book says must be done.”
22 At the king's command, Hilkiah and the others went to consult a woman named Huldah, a prophet who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. (Her husband Shallum, the son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, was in charge of the Temple robes.) They described to her what had happened, 23 and she told them to go back to the king and give him 24 the following message from the Lord: “I am going to punish Jerusalem and all its people with the curses written in the book that was read to the king. 25 They have rejected me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and so have stirred up my anger by all they have done. My anger is aroused against Jerusalem, and it will not die down. 26 As for the king himself, this is what I, the Lord God of Israel, say: You listened to what is written in the book, 27 and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I have heard your prayer, 28 and the punishment which I am going to bring on Jerusalem will not come until after your death. I will let you die in peace.”
The men returned to King Josiah with this message.
Josiah Makes a Covenant to Obey the Lord
(2 Kings 23.1-20)29 King Josiah summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, 30 and together they went to the Temple, accompanied by the priests and the Levites and all the rest of the people, rich and poor alike. Before them all the king read aloud the whole book of the covenant, which had been found in the Temple. 31 He stood by the royal column and made a covenant with the Lord to obey him, to keep his laws and commands with all his heart and soul, and to put into practice the demands attached to the covenant, as written in the book. 32 He made the people of Benjamin and everyone else present in Jerusalem promise to keep the covenant. And so the people of Jerusalem obeyed the requirements of the covenant they had made with the God of their ancestors. 33 King Josiah destroyed all the disgusting idols that were in the territory belonging to the people of Israel, and as long as he lived, he required the people to serve the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
Josia ohamba yaJuda
1 Omido daJosia da li hetatu, ye eshi a ninga ohamba. Nokwa pangela omido omilongo nhatu naumwe muJerusalem. 2 Nokwa ninga osho sha yuka momesho Omwene nokwa enda neendjila daxe David, ndele ina kanduka mo nande kolulyo ile kolumosho. 3 Ndele momudo omutihetatu wepangelo laye, fimbo ye omunyasha natango, okwa hovela okukonga Kalunga kaxe David, ndele momudo omutimulongo nomutivali okwa hovela okuyapula Juda naJerusalem nokukufa mo oikulundu yokuyambela nomiti omalupwelele aAsera noihongwafano noitelekwafano. 4 Ndele moipafi yaye va ngumauna po eealtari daBaal. Neengudi detango da li ko, okwe di xwandaula, nokwa teyaula po omiti omalupwelele aAsera noihongwafano noitelekwafano nokwe i twa oufila ndele te i undu keembila daava va li ve i yambela. 5 Nomakipa ovapristeli e a xwika po keealtari davo nokwa yapula Juda naJerusalem. 6 Nomoilando yomuManasse noyomuEfraim noyomuSimeon nofiyo okuNaftali nomatemo avo 7 okwa ngumaunifa po eealtari davo nomiti omalupwelele aAsera noihongwafano okwe i nyanyaula ya ninga oufila neengudi adishe detango domoshilongo shaIsrael, okwe di ka po. Opo nee ye a aluka e uya kuJerusalem.
Otembeli tai yapulwa
8 Ndele momudo omutimulongo nahetatu womepangelo laye, mokuyapula kwaye oshilongo notembeli, okwa tuma Safan yaAsalia naMaasea, omukulunhu woshilando naJoah yaJoahas, elenga ekulunhu, va yapule ongulu yOmwene Kalunga kaye. 9 Vo eshi ve uya komupristeli omukulunhu Hilkia, ova yandja oimaliwa oyo ya etelwa ongulu yaKalunga, oyo ya ongelwa kOvalevi ovanangeli vopoivelo, ve i ongela muManasse nomuEfraim nomoixupe yOvaisraeli nomuJuda ashishe nomuBenjamin nomoonakukalamo muJerusalem. 10 Vo ove i yandja kovalongifi ovo va tulwa po va pashukile oilonga yomongulu yOmwene, ndele ava ve i yandja kovalongi ava hava longo mongulu yOmwene va wapaleke ongulu noku i vandeka. 11 Ndele ve i yandja kovahongi voipilangi nokovatungi, va lande omamanya a hongwa nomiti doikonde nodeemhati deengulu odo da nyonwa po keehamba daJuda. 12 Novalumenhu ava va longa oshilonga shavo palineekelo. Ovapashukili vavo va li: Jahat naObadja, Ovalevi vomovana vaMerari. NaSakaria naMesullam vomovana vaKohat, va wilika, nOvalevi aveshe ovo ve shi kushika oishikomwa, 13 umwe okwa pashukila ovahumbati vomitengi, nomukwao okwa wilika ovalongi aveshe moshilonga keshe. Ovashangi novapashukili novanangeli poivelo va li vomOvalevi.
Embo lomhango tali monika motembeli
14 Vo eshi va twala oimaliwa ya etelwa ongulu yOmwene, omupristeli Hilkia okwa mona embo lomhango yOmwene, oyo ya yandjwa kuMoses. 15 Opo nee Hilkia ta ti komushangi Safan: “Ame nda mona embo lomhango mongulu yOmwene.” Opo nee Hilkia a yandja embo lomhango kuSafan. 16 Ndele Safan okwa twala embo kohamba nokwe i fatululila oshinima osho, ndele ta ti: “Aishe, ovapiya voye va pewa va longe, ove i wanifa: 17 oimaliwa oyo ya li mongulu yOmwene ve i kufa mo ndele ve i yandja kovapashukili voshilonga nokovalongifi.” 18 Opo nee omushangi Safan ta shiivifile ohamba ndele tai ti: “Omupristeli Hilkia okwa pa nge embo limwe.” Ndele Safan okwa lesha mo, a leshela ohamba. 19 Nohamba eshi ya uda eendjovo domhango, oya pombaula oikutu yayo; 20 nohamba ya lombwela Hilkia naAhikam yaSafan naAbdon yaMika nomushangi Safan naAsasia, omupiya wohamba, ndele tai ti: 21 “Indeni mu ka pule kOmwene molwange nomolwaava va xupa po muIsrael nomuJuda, omolweendjovo domembo eli la monika. Osheshi oupyuhandu wOmwene ou wa tilwashi kombada yetu munene, shaashi ootate inava diinina ondjovo yOmwene, va ende mwaashishe sha shangwa membo eli.”
22 Opo nee Hilkia naava va tumwa kohamba, va ya komuxunganeki omukainhu Hulda, omwalikadi waSallum yaTokhat yaHasra, omudiinini woikutu, ye a kala muJerusalem, moshilando Shipe, ndele ve mu lombwela ngaha. 23 Opo nee ye ta ti kuvo: “Omwene Kalunga kaIsrael ta ti ngaha: ‘Lombwela omulumenhu ou e mu tuma kwaame, 24 Omwene ta ti ngaha: Tala, Ame ohandi tumu omupya kombada yonhele ei nokombada yoonakukalamo muyo, handi tumu omatulomutima aeshe a shangwa mo membo, mwe li leshela ohamba yaJuda. 25 Osheshi mwe liteeka nge ndele mwa twiminina oikalunga imwe, mu handukife nge noilonga yeni aishe yomake eni, onghee hano oupyuhandu wange tau ka tilwashi kombada yonhele ei, ndele itau ka dimwa po. 26 Ndelenee lombweleni ohamba yaJuda, oyo ye mu tuma mu pule kOmwene: Omwene Kalunga kaIsrael ta ti ngaha: Omolweendjovo odo we di uda 27 omutima woye eshi wa pupala ndele ove we lininipika koshipala shaKalunga, eshi wa uda eendjovo daye te di popile onhele ei noonakukala muyo, ndele we lininipika koshipala shange, ndele wa pombaula oikutu yoye ndele wa lila koshipala shange, onghee hano nde ku uda, Omwene ta ti. 28 Tala, Ame ohandi ke ku ongela pooxo, ndele to ka pakwa nombili mombila yoye, nomesho oye itaa ka tala omupya aushe ou, Ame ohandi ke u tumina onhele ei noonakukala muyo.’ ” Ndele vo ova twalela ohamba enyamukulo.
Josia ta ningi ehangano nOmwene
29 Opo nee ohamba ya ifana ovakulunhu aveshe vomuJuda novomuJerusalem. 30 Nohamba oya ya kongulu yOmwene novalumenhu aveshe vaJuda noonakukalamo muJerusalem novapristeli nOvalevi novanhu aveshe, ovakulunhu novanyasha, ndele yo oya leshela momatwi avo eendjovo adishe domembo lehangano olo la monika mongulu yOmwene. 31 Nohamba oya ya tai kala ofika ponhele yayo ndele ya ninga ehangano koshipala shOmwene nokutya, yo tai shikula Omwene ndele tai diinine oipango yaye neendobwedi daye neenghedimhango daye nomutima aushe wayo nomwenyo aushe wayo, i wanife eendjovo dehangano, odo da shangwa membo olo. 32 Ndele ya tambula mehangano aveshe ava va monika muJerusalem nomuBenjamin. Noonakukalamo muJerusalem ova ninga ngaashi ehangano laKalunga, Kalunga kooxe, tali pula. 33 Ndele Josia okwa hanauna po oixuna aishe yomomikunda adishe dovana vaIsrael, naaveshe ovo va monika muIsrael ye okwe va fininika okulongela Omwene Kalunga kavo. Pomafiku aeshe aye, vo inava kanduka mOmwene Kalunga kooxe.
