2 Amakhosi 24
1 Ngezinsuku zokubusa kukaJehoyakhimi uNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni yahlasela ilizwe, uJehoyakhimi wathela kuye okweminyaka emithathu. Kodwa waphinda waguquka wamvukela uNebhukhadineza.
While Jehoiakim was ruling [Judah, the army of] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded Judah. [They defeated the Judean army, and as a result, ] Jehoiakim was required to pay a lot of tribute/taxes to King Nebuchadnezzar. But after three years, Jehoiakim rebelled.
2 UThixo wathuma abahlaseli bamaKhaladiya lama-Asiriya lamaBhabhiloni lama-Aramu lamaMowabi, lama-Amoni, amhlasela. Wabathuma ukuchitha uJuda njengelizwi likaThixo alikhuluma ngezinceku zakhe abaphrofethi.
Then Yahweh sent raiders from Babylonia and Syria, and from the Moab and Ammon people-groups, to attack the people of Judah and get rid of them, just as Yahweh had told his prophets to warn the people would happen.
3 Ngempela konke lokho kwenzeka koJuda mayelana lomlayo kaThixo ukuze basuswe phambi kwakhe ngenxa yazo zonke izono zikaManase azenzayo,
These things happened to the people of Judah according to what Yahweh commanded. [He had decided] to get rid of the people of Judah because of the many sins that King Manasseh [had committed].
4 langenxa yegazi elachithekayo lingelacala. Ngoba wayegcwalise iJerusalema ngegazi elingelacala njalo uThixo wayengazimiselanga ukuthethelela.
Manasseh had even caused many innocent people in Jerusalem to be killed, and Yahweh would not forgive that.
5 Ezinye izehlakalo zembali kaJehoyakhimi azilotshwanga yini egwalweni lwembali yamakhosi akoJuda na?
The other things that happened while Jehoiakim was king, and all the things that he did, are written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.
6 Wafa uJehoyakhimi waya ekuphumuleni kubokhokho bakhe. UJehoyakhini indodana yakhe yathatha ubukhosi.
When Jehoiakim died, his son Jehoiachin became the king.
7 Inkosi yaseGibhithe ayizange ihlasele futhi iphuma elizweni layo, ngenxa yokuthi inkosi yaseBhabhiloni yayisithethe ingxenye yelizwe layo enkulu kakhulu, kusukela eSihotsheni seGibhithe kuze kuyefika eMfuleni uYufrathe.
[The army of] the king of Babylon [defeated the army of Egypt, and] took control of all the area that the Egyptians formerly controlled, from the brook [at the border] of Egypt [in the south] to the Euphrates River [in the north]. So [the army of] the king of Egypt did not return [to attack Judah] again.
8 UJehoyakhini wayeleminyaka elitshumi lasificaminwembili esiba yinkosi, njalo wabusa eJerusalema okwezinyanga ezintathu. Ibizo likanina lalinguNehushita indodakazi ka-Elinathani; evela eJerusalema.
Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became the king of Judah. His mother’s name was Nehushta; she was the daughter of a man from Jerusalem named Elnathan. Jehoiachin ruled in Jerusalem for [only] three months.
9 Wenza ububi phambi kukaThixo, njengalokhu okwakwenziwe nguyise.
Jehoiachin did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, just as his father had done.
10 Ngalesosikhathi amabutho kaNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni afika eJerusalema, awuvimbezela umuzi,
[While Jehoiachin was king, ] some officers of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came [along with the whole Babylonian army] to Jerusalem, and they surrounded the city.
11 uNebhukhadineza yena ngokwakhe wazafika amabutho akhe esewuvimbezele umuzi.
While they were doing that, Nebuchadnezzar himself came to the city.
12 UJehoyakhini inkosi yakoJuda wazinikela enkosini yaseBhabhiloni, yena lonina lezinceku zakhe kanye labathenwa bakhe. Ngomnyaka wesificaminwembili wokubusa kwenkosi yaseBhabhiloni uNebhukhadineza wathumba uJehoyakhini.
Then King Jehoiachin and his mother and his advisors and important officers and palace officials all surrendered to the Babylonian army. These thngs happened when Nebuchadnezzar had been king for eight years. He arrested Jehoiachin and took him to Babylon.
13 Njengelizwi likaThixo, uNebhukhadineza wabutha yonke inotho yasethempelini likaThixo lenotho yesigodlo senkosi, wabutha zonke izitsha zegolide ezazisethempelini likaThixo, ezazenziwe nguSolomoni inkosi yako-Israyeli, njengokutsho kukaThixo.
Just as Yahweh had said would happen, Nebuchadnezzar’s [soldiers] took [to Babylon] all the valuable things from Yahweh’s temple and from the king’s palace. They cut apart all the gold items that King Solomon had put in the temple.
14 Wathumba abaseJerusalema bonke: izikhulu zonke, lawo wonke amadoda empi lazozonke izingcitshi ezileminwe, abantu abazinkulungwane ezilitshumi. Kwasala abantukazana kuphela elizweni.
They took from Jerusalem [to Babylon] 10,000 people, including the important officials and the best soldiers and the people who made and repaired things that were made of metal. Only the very poor people were left in Judah.
15 UNebhukhadineza wamthatha uJehoyakhini wayamgqilaza eBhabhiloni. Wathumba njalo eJerusalema unina wenkosi labafazi bayo lezikhulu zayo lamadoda aziwayo elizweni.
Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers also took to Babylon Jehoiachin’s wives and officials, his mother, and [all] the important people.
16 Inkosi yaseBhabhiloni yathumbela eBhabhiloni wonke amadoda angamaqhawe, azinkulungwane eziyisikhombisa, aqinileyo ayengaphuma impi, kanye lezingcitshi ezileminwe eziyinkulungwane.
They also took to Babylon 7,000 of the best soldiers and 1,000 men who knew how to make and repair things that are made from metal. All of these people whom they took were strong and able to fight in wars.
17 Inkosi yaseBhabhiloni yabeka uMathaniya isinini sikaJehoyakhini waba yinkosi esikhundleni sikaJehoyakhini, yasimupha ibizo elitsha lokuthi nguZedekhiya.
Then the king of Babylon appointed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Mattaniah, to be the king [of Judah], and he changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah.
18 UZedekhiya waba yinkosi eleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lanye, njalo wabusa eJerusalema okweminyaka elitshumi lanye. Ibizo likanina lalinguHamuthali indodakazi kaJeremiya, waseLibhina.
When Zedekiah was twenty-one years old, he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal; she was the daughter of a man named Jeremiah from Libnah [town].
19 Wenza okubi emehlweni kaThixo, njengalokho okwakwenziwe nguJehoyakhimi.
But Zedekiah did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, just as Jehoiakim had done.
20 Kwakungenxa yokuthukuthela kukaThixo ukuze kwenzakale konke lokhu eJerusalema lakoJuda, njalo ekucineni kwabangela ukuthi uThixo abachithe. Ngalokho uZedekhiya wayihlamukela inkosi yaseBhabhiloni.
Yahweh was very angry. So (and finally/after he had been patient a long time) he expelled the people of Jerusalem and [the other places in] Judah and sent them to Babylon. [That is what happened when] Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
