2 Imilando 15
1 UMoya kaNkulunkulu wasesehlela phezu kukaAzariya indodana kaOdedi.
The Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded.
2 Wasephuma ukuhlangabezana loAsa, wathi kuye: Ngilalela, Asa loJuda wonke loBhenjamini; iNkosi ilani liselayo. Uba-ke liyidinga, izafunyanwa yini; kodwa uba liyilahla, izalilahla.
He went out to meet Asa, and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin! The LORD is with you while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.
3 Okwensuku ezinengi uIsrayeli wayengelaye uNkulunkulu weqiniso, njalo engelaye umpristi ofundisayo, njalo engelawo umlayo.
Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law.
4 Kodwa ekubandezelweni kwakhe waphendukela eNkosini, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, basebemdinga, wasefunyanwa yibo.
But when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.
5 Langalezozikhathi kwakungelakuthula kophumayo lakongenayo, ngoba inhlupheko ezinengi zaziphezu kwabo bonke abakhi bamazwe.
In those times there was no peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in; but great troubles were on all the inhabitants of the lands.
6 Basebephahlazwa, isizwe ngesizwe, lomuzi ngomuzi, ngoba uNkulunkulu wabahlupha ngayo yonke imbandezelo.
They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God troubled them with all adversity.
7 Ngakho lina qinani, zingadangali izandla zenu, ngoba kulomvuzo ngomsebenzi wenu.
But you be strong! Don’t let your hands be slack, for your work will be rewarded.”
8 Lapho uAsa esizwa lamazwi lesiprofetho sikaOdedi umprofethi, waziqinisa, wasusa izinengiso elizweni lonke lakoJuda loBhenjamini lemizini ayeyithumbile entabeni yakoEfrayimi, wavuselela ilathi leNkosi elalingaphambi kwekhulusi leNkosi.
When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill country of Ephraim; and he renewed the LORD’s altar that was before the LORD’s porch.
9 Wasebuthanisa wonke uJuda loBhenjamini labemzini labo ababevela koEfrayimi loManase lakoSimeyoni; ngoba bawelela kuye bevela koIsrayeli ngobunengi lapho bebona ukuthi iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakhe yayilaye.
He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who lived with them out of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon; for they came to him out of Israel in abundance when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.
10 Basebebuthana eJerusalema ngenyanga yesithathu ngomnyaka wetshumi lanhlanu wokubusa kukaAsa.
So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.
11 Basebehlabela iNkosi ngalolosuku okwempango ababeyilethile, inkabi ezingamakhulu ayisikhombisa lezimvu ezizinkulungwane eziyisikhombisa.
They sacrificed to the LORD in that day, of the plunder which they had brought, seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep.
12 Basebengena esivumelwaneni sokudinga iNkosi, uNkulunkulu waboyise, ngenhliziyo yabo yonke langomphefumulo wabo wonke.
They entered into the covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul;
13 Njalo wonke ongadingi iNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli uzabulawa, kusukela komncinyane kusiya komkhulu, kusukela kowesilisa kusiya kowesifazana.
and that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
14 Basebefunga eNkosini ngelizwi elikhulu langokumemeza langezimpondo langempondo zezinqama.
They swore to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with cornets.
15 AbakoJuda bonke bathokoza-ke ngesifungo, ngoba babefungile ngenhliziyo yabo yonke, beyidingile ngaso sonke isifiso sabo, yasifunyanwa yibo; ngakho iNkosi yabaphumuza inhlangothi zonke.
All Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found by them. Then the LORD gave them rest all around.
16 Njalo mayelana loMahaka unina kaAsa inkosi, yamsusa ekubeni yindlovukazi, ngoba wayenzele isixuku into enengekayo. UAsa wasegamula into yakhe enengekayo, wayichola, wayitshisela esifuleni iKidroni.
Also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen mother, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; so Asa cut down her image, ground it into dust, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.
17 Kanti indawo eziphakemeyo kazisuswanga koIsrayeli; lanxa kunjalo inhliziyo kaAsa yayiphelele insuku zakhe zonke.
But the high places were not taken away out of Israel; nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
18 Wasengenisa endlini kaNkulunkulu izinto ezingcwele zikayise, lezinto zakhe ezingcwele, isiliva legolide lezitsha.
He brought the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated, silver, gold, and vessels into God’s house.
19 Kakusabanga khona impi kwaze kwaba ngumnyaka wamatshumi amathathu lanhlanu wokubusa kukaAsa.
There was no more war to the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.
