2 ImiLando 29 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

Ukubusa kukaHezekiya

¹ UHezekiya waqalisa ukubusa lapho eseleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lanhlanu; wabusa iminyaka engamatshumi amabili lesificamunwemunye eJerusalema. Ibizo likanina lalinguAbija indodakazi kaZekariya.

² Wenza okulungileyo phambi kweNkosi njengokwenza konke kukaDavida ukhokho wakhe.

³ Ngomnyaka wokuqala wokubusa kwakhe, ngenyanga yokuqala, wavula iminyango yethempeli, wayilungisa.

⁴ Waletha abapristi lamaLevi, wababuthanisa egumeni elingasempumalanga,

⁵ wathi kubo: Lalelani lina, maLevi; zihlambululeni, lihlambulule lendlu yeNkosi uNkulunkulu wabokhokho benu, likhuphe yonke ingcekeza esendaweni engcwele.

⁶ Ngoba obaba babengathembekanga, benza okubi phambi kweNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu, bayidelela, bayitshiya indlu yayo, bayifulathela.

⁷ Bavala leminyango yomkoto, bacitsha lezibane, kabatshisanga impepha, kabayinikelanga iminikelo yokutshiswa kuNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli endaweni engcwele.

⁸ Ngakho ulaka lweNkosi lwehlela phezu kukaJuda leJerusalema, isibenze into eyesabekayo lemangalisayo leyokuncifelwa, njengoba libona nje.

⁹ Ngoba liyabona ukuthi obaba babulewe empini, amadodana ethu lamadodakazi ethu labomkethu bathunjiwe ngenxa yalokhu.

¹⁰ Kusenhliziyweni yami ukuba senze isivumelwano leNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, ukuba ulaka lwayo oluvuthayo ludede kithi.

¹¹ Bantwana bami, lingavilaphi, ngoba iNkosi ilikhethile ukuba lime phambi kwayo, liyikhonze, libe zinceku zayo, liyitshisele impepha.

¹² Asesukake amaLevi, oMahathi indodana kaAmasayi loJoweli indodana kaAzariya kumaKohathi; kumaMerari kwakungoKishi indodana kaAbidi loAzariya indodana kaJehaleleli; kumaGerishoni kwakungoJowa indodana kaZima loEdeni indodana kaJowa;

¹³ kwabakoElizafani kwakungoShimiri loJewuweli; kwabakoAsafi kwakungoZekariya loMathaniya;

¹⁴ kwabakoHemani kwakungoJehuweli loShimeyi; kwabakoJeduthuni kwakungoShemaya loUziyeli.

¹⁵ Babuthanisa izihlobo zabo, bazihlambulula, bangena njengokutsho kwenkosi ngamazwi eNkosi uNkulunkulu, balihlambulula ithempeli.

¹⁶ Abapristi bangena endlini engaphakathi kwethempeli ukuyihlambulula, bakhupha wonke amanyala abawafumana ethempelini, bawaletha egumeni lalo; amaLevi awathatha, awasa ngasesifuleni iKidroni.

¹⁷ Baqala ukuyihlambulula indlu ngosuku lokuqala lwenyanga yokuqala, ngosuku lwesificaminwembili lwenyanga bafika emkotweni; bathatha insuku ezificaminwembili ukuyahlukanisela iNkosi indlu; kwathi ngosuku lwetshumi lesithupha lwenyanga yokuqala baqeda.

¹⁸ Basebesiya kuHezekiya inkosi bathi: Sesiyilungisile yonke indlu yeNkosi, ialtare lomnikelo wokutshiswa lezitsha zalo zonke, letafula yezinkwa ezahlukaniselwe iNkosi lezitsha zayo zonke;

¹⁹ zonke izitsha inkosi uAhazi ayezilahlile ngesikhathi sokubusa kwakhe ngokona kwakhe sizilungisile, sazihlambulula, seziphambi kwealtare leNkosi.

²⁰ UHezekiya inkosi wasevuka ekuseni, wabuthanisa zonke induna zomuzi, waya ethempelini.

²¹ Baletha inkunzi eziyisikhombisa lenqama eziyisikhombisa lamawundlu ayisikhombisa lempongo eziyisikhombisa, kwaba ngumnikelo wesono sombuso lesendlu engcwele lesakoJuda. Waselaya abapristi, amadodana kaAroni, ukunikela ngakho phezu kwealtare leNkosi.

²² Inkunzi zahlatshwa, abapristi bathatha igazi balikhaphazela ealtareni; babulala lezinqama, igazi lazo lakhatshazelwa ealtareni; babulala lamawundlu, igazi lawo lakhatshazelwa phezu kwealtare.

²³ Impongo zomnikelo wesono zasezilethwa phambi kwenkosi uHezekiya lebandla, babeka izandla zabo phezu kwazo;

²⁴ abapristi basebezibulala, banikela umnikelo wesono ngegazi lazo phezu kwealtare ukuze kwenzelwe wonke uIsrayeli indlela yokubuyisana. Ngoba inkosi uHezekiya yayilayile ukuba umnikelo wokutshiswa lomnikelo wesono yenzelwe uIsrayeli wonke.

²⁵ Wasebeka amaLevi ethempelini leNkosi elezigubhu lamachacho lemihubhe, njengokulaywa kukaDavida lokukaGadi umboni weNkosi lokukaNathani umprofethi; ngoba lumlayo wavela eNkosini ngabaprofethi bayo.

²⁶ AmaLevi ema ephethe izinto zokuhlabelela zikaDavida labapristi bephethe impondo zokukhaliswa.

²⁷ UHezekiya waselaya ukuba umnikelo wokutshiswa unikelwe phezu kwealtare; kwathi lapho umnikelo wokutshiswa uqaliswa ukunikelwa, kwaqalisa lokuyihlabelela iNkosi uNkulunkulu, kwakhaliswa impondo, kwatshaywa lezinto zokuhlabelela zikaDavida inkosi yakoIsrayeli.

²⁸ Lonke ibandla lathi mbo ngobuso phansi, labahlabeleli bahlabela, labakhalisi bempondo bazikhalisa; konke lokhu kwaqhubeka kwaze kwaphela ukutshiswa komnikelo;

²⁹ kuthe sekuphelile ukutshiswa komnikelo, inkosi labo bonke ababekhona bakhothama bathi mbo ngobuso phansi.

³⁰ UHezekiya inkosi lezikhulu balaya amaLevi ukuba ayidumise iNkosi ngokuhlabela amazwi kaDavida lakaAsafi umboni. Ayidumisa ngokuhlabela, athokoza, athi mbo ngobuso phansi.

³¹ UHezekiya wasesithi ebantwini: Selizahlukanisele iNkosi; sondelani lilethe imihlatshelo yenu leminikelo yokubonga ethempelini. Ibandla laseliletha imihlatshelo leminikelo yokubonga; bonke ababelenhliziyo ezinhle baletha iminikelo yokutshiswa.

³² Iminikelo yokutshiswa eyalethwa libandla yayizinkunzi ezingamatshumi ayisikhombisa, lenqama ezilikhulu, lamawundlu angamakhulu amabili; konke lokhu kwakungokomnikelo wokutshisela iNkosi.

³³ Okwahlukaniselwe iNkosi kwakuzinkunzi ezingamakhulu ayisithupha lezimvu ezizinkulungwane ezintathu.

³⁴ Kodwa abapristi babebalutshwana, behluleka ukuyihlinza yonke iminikelo yokutshiswa; abanye abapristi bengakazihlambululi izihlobo zabo amaLevi abasiza, waze waphela umsebenzi, ngoba amaLevi akhuthalela ukuzihlambulula kulabapristi.

³⁵ Ngaphandle kobunengi beminikelo yokutshiswa kwakukhona amahwahwa leminikelo yokuthula leminikelo yokuthululwa, leminikelo yokutshiswa. Yabuyiselwa ngokunjaloke inkonzo yethempeli.

³⁶ UHezekiya labantu bonke bathokoza ngalokho uNkulunkulu abenzele khona, lokuthi kwenzakala masinyane.