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, omukwaniilwa gwaJuda
(2 Aak. 22:1-2)1 Josia okwa li e na omimvo hetatu, sho a ningi omukwaniilwa gwaJuda, nokwa lele muJerusalem omimvo omilongo ndatu nagumwe. 2 Josia okwa longo shoka sho opalela Omuwa; okwa landula oshinkoti shahekulu, omukwaniilwa David, nokwa vulika lela kiipango ayihe yaKalunga.
Josia ta kondjitha uupagani
3 Momumvo omutihetatu guukwaniilwa we, manga omugundjuka, Josia okwa tameke okusimaneka Kalunga kahekulu David. Konima sho pwa piti omimvo ne, okwa tameke okuhanagula po omahala giinonoma yuupagani, iiyelekela yoshikalungakiintu Asheera niimenka yilwe wo. 4 Mewiliko lye aantu ye oya kumagula po iiyambelo mpoka hapu simanekelwa Baal e taa kumuna po iiyambelo yiitsinino. Oya tatagula po iiyelekela yaAsheera niimenka yilwe e taa halakanitha po uutandu koombila dhaantu mboka ya li ye yi yambele. 5 Okwa lungunithile omasipa gaayambi aapagani kiiyambelo nkoka ya yambelele. Sho a ningi ngeyi, okwa yapula Juda naJerusalem, yi yogoke. 6 Shika okwe shi ningi wo miilando yaManasse, Efraim naSimeon, sigo okuumbangalantu kuNaftali. 7 Moshilongo ashihe shokuumbangalantu okwa kumagula po iiyambelo niiyelekela yoshikalungakiintu Asheera, iimenka okwe yi tatagula po, nomatsininoyambelo okwe ga tatula uutandu. Nokwa galukile kuJerusalem.
Embompango tali itsuwa
(2 Aak. 22:3-20)8 Momumvo omutimulongo nahetatu gwepangelo lye, sho a adhika a yogola oshilongo nosho wo otempeli nokuhulitha po esimaneko lyiimenka, omukwaniilwa Josia okwa tumu aantu yatatu, ya opaleke otempeli yOmuwa Kalunga. Oyo Shafan yaAzalia, Maaseia, omupangeli gwaJerusalem, naJoa yaJoahas, amushangandjayi. 9 Iimaliwa mbyoka ya gongelwa kaatonateli Aalevi motempeli, oya pewa omuyambimukuluntu Hilkia. (Oyu umbwa ongalo kAaefraim nAamanasse nokoshihupe shOshilongo shokuumbangalantu nokAajuda, Aabenjamin nAajerusalem.) 10 Iimaliwa mbika oya pewa aantu yatatu mboka taa tonatele iilonga yotempeli, noye yi gandja 11 kaanashihongelo naatungi, opo ya lande omamanya niipilangi tayi longithwa meopaleko lyomatungo ngoka aakwaniilwa yaJuda ye etha ga yonuke. 12 Aantu mboka ya li taa longo iilonga mbika, oya li aayuuki. Oya tonatelwa kAalevi yane: Jahat naObadia gwomoludhi lwaMerari naSakaria naMeshullam gwomoludhi lwaKohat. (Aalevi oya li aayimbi oonkulungu.) 13 Aalevi ooyakwawo oya li taa tonatele eenditho lyiinima e taa wilike aaniilonga miilonga yi ili noyi ili, yamwe oya li aadhiginini yomambo nayamwe aakeeleli yopiiyelo.
14 Iimaliwa sho ya li tayi kuthwa mompungulilo, Hilkia okwa mono embo lyompango yOmuwa, ndjoka Omuwa a gandjele kuMoses. 15 Okwa ti kuShafan: “Ondi itsu embompango motempeli.” Okwa gandja embo kuShafan, 16 naShafan okwe li fala komukwaniilwa. Okwa hokolola a ti: “Otwa gwanitha shoka wa ti. 17 Otwa kutha iimaliwa mbyoka ya li ya pungulwa motempeli e tatu yi gandja kaaniilonga naawiliki yawo.” 18 Oye nokwa gwedha ko a ti: “Ondi na po embo mpaka ndyoka Hilkia a pe ndje.” Oye nokwe li leshele omukwaniilwa muule.
19 Omukwaniilwa sho u uvu embo tali leshwa, okwa tuula oonguwo dhe moluhodhi 20 e ta lombwele Hilkia, Ahikam yaShafan, Abdon yaMikaia, amushangampangu Shefan nomukalele gwomukwaniilwa Asaja ta ti: 21 “Indeni, mu ke tu pulile Omuwa tse naantu ya hupile muIsrael naJuda. Monii mo shoka sha popiwa membo ndika. Omuwa okwe tu geele, oshoka ootatekulu inaa vulika koohapu dhOmuwa yo inaa ninga shoka embo ndika tali ti nashi ningwe.”
22 Palombwelo lyomukwaniilwa, Hilkia nayalwe oya yi, ya ka pule komukulukadhi edhina lye Hulda, omuhunganeki ngoka a kala moshitopolwa oshipe muJerusalem. (Omulume Shallum yaTikva, omutekulu gwaHarhas okwa li omutonateli gwoonguwo dhomotempeli.) Oya hokololele Hulda shoka sha ningwa po. 23 Hulda okwe ya lombwele, ya shune komukwaniilwa, yo ye mu faalele 24 elaka lya zi kOmuwa tali ti: “Otandi ka geela Jerusalem naantu yasho ayehe nethingano ndyoka lya nyolelwa membo nolya leshelwa omukwaniilwa. 25 Oye ekelehi ndje e taa yambele iikalunga omafikilondjambo. Osho ngaaka oya tukulutha ondjahi yandje niilonga yawo. Ondjahi yandje oya tukuluthwa, yi geele Jerusalem noitayi ka lotela we. 26 Ihe tyeni komukwaniilwa gwaJuda, shika osho shono ngame, Omuwa, Kalunga kaIsrael, tandi ti: ‘Owa pulakene shoka sha nyolelwa membompango, 27 nowi itedhulula e to ifupipike koshipala shandje, nokutuula oonguwo dhoye e to lili, sho wa uvu kutya tandi ka geela Jerusalem naantu yasho. Ondu uvu egalikano lyoye, 28 negeelo ndyoka tandi etele Jerusalem, itali ya we, manga inoo sa. Oto ka sa nombili.’ ”
Aantu oya fala elaka ndika komukwaniilwa Josia.
Josia ta hangana nOmuwa
(2 Aak. 23:1-20)29 Omukwaniilwa Josia okwa hiya aawiliki yaJuda noyaJerusalem. 30 Oyo ayehe oya gongala noya yi kotempeli ya thindikilwa kaayambi, Aalevi nokoshihupe ashihe shoshigwana, aayamba noohepele. Montaneho yawo omukwaniilwa okwa lesha embo lyehangano alihe mokule, ndyoka lyi itsuwa motempeli. 31 Okwa thikama pongundhi yaakwaniilwa e ta hangana nOmuwa. Oshigwana ashihe osha li shi na okuuvaneka, shi vulike kOmuwa sho shi dhiginine iipango ye ayihe nomautho ge agehe nomutima aguhe noonkondo adhihe. Ashihe shoka shu uthwa membo lya monika, oshi na okudhigininwa. 32 Okwa hanganithitha Aabenjamin naayehe mboka ya li po muJerusalem, ya uvaneke okudhiginina ehangano. Osho ngaaka Aajerusalem ya vulika, ya ende pahangano ye li hangana naKalunga koohekulu. 33 Omukwaniilwa Josia okwa hanagula po iimenka ayihe yi nyanyalitha miitopolwa ayihe yaIsrael. Manga a li e na omwenyo, aantu oya simaneke Omuwa, Kalunga koohekulu.
