2 Kings 23

23 ¹Den di king send word, and dem gada all di elders of Judah and Jerusalem come meet am. ²Di king go up to di house of our Papa with all Judah and everybody wey dey stay for Jerusalem—di priests, di prophets, and all di people, from di smallest to di greatest. As dem dey hear am, e read every word wey dey inside di Book of di Covenant wey dem find for di house of our Papa. ³Di king stand for di pillar and make Covenant for front of our Papa: to follow am and keep im commandments, im testimonies, and im laws with im whole heart and im whole soul, to carry out di Covenant words wey dem write for dis book. And all di people join di Covenant.

⁴Di king order Hilkiah di high priest, di priests wey dey next for rank, and di doorkeepers make dem comot from di temple of our Papa all di things wey dem make for Baal, Asherah, and di whole army of heaven. E burn dem for outside Jerusalem for di Kidron fields and carry dia ashes go Bethel. ⁵E comot di idol-worship priests wey di kings of Judah bin put to burn incense for di high places for di towns of Judah and around Jerusalem, and dem wey dey burn incense to Baal, to di sun, di moon, di stars, and all di army of heaven. ⁶E bring out di Asherah pole from di house of our Papa go di Kidron Valley for outside Jerusalem, burn am, grind am make e turn dust, and scatter di dust for di graves of ordinary people. ⁷E pull down di houses of di man-prostitutes wey dey inside di house of our Papa, di place wey di women bin dey weave cloth for Asherah. ⁸E bring all di priests comot from di towns of Judah and make di high places dirty, di place wey di priests bin dey burn incense, from Geba go reach Beersheba. E pull down di high places wey dey for di gates—for di entrance of di Gate of Joshua di city governor, for di left side of di city gate. ⁹But di priests of di high places no come up to di altar of our Papa for Jerusalem, even though dem dey chop bread wey no get yeast among dia fellow priests. ¹⁰E make Topheth dirty, wey dey for di Valley of Ben Hinnom, so dat nobody go fit pass im son or im daughter through di fire go give Molech. ¹¹E comot di horses wey di kings of Judah bin dedicate to di sun, for di entrance to di house of our Papa, near di room of Nathan-Melech di official wey dey inside di temple compound. E burn di chariots of di sun with fire. ¹²Di altars wey dey on top di roof of Ahaz upper room, wey di kings of Judah bin make, and di altars wey Manasseh make for di two courtyards of di house of our Papa, di king pull dem down; e break dem for dia and throw dia dust inside di Kidron Valley. ¹³Di king make dirty di high places wey dey for east of Jerusalem, for south of di Mountain of Corruption, wey Solomon di king of Israel bin build for Ashtoreth, di disgusting idol of di Sidonians, for Chemosh, di disgusting idol of Moab, and for Milcom, di disgusting idol of di Ammonites. ^a a v13 Di Mountain of Corruption na di southern ridge of di Mount of Olives, dem give am dis bad name because Solomon bin build shrines to foreign gods for dia. ¹⁴E break di sacred pillars, cut down di Asherah poles, and full dia places with human bones.

¹⁵Even di altar for Bethel—di high place wey Jeroboam di son of Nebat make, wey lead Israel go inside sin—dat altar and high place e pull down, e burn di high place, grind am make e turn dust, and burn di Asherah pole. ¹⁶As Josiah turn and see di tombs wey dey for di hillside, e send men make dem take di bones comot and burn dem on top di altar, to spoil am—to make di word of our Papa come true wey di man of God bin talk when e prophesy dis things. ¹⁷E ask, “Wetin be dis monument wey I dey see?” Di men of di city talk say, “Na di tomb of di man of God wey come from Judah and prophesy against di altar of Bethel di very things wey you do.”

¹⁸“Leave am,” e talk. “Make nobody move im bones.” So dem leave im bones, together with di bones of di prophet wey come from Samaria. ¹⁹Josiah come comot too all di high-place shrines for di towns of Samaria, wey di kings of Israel bin build to make our Papa vex; e do dem di same way e bin do for Bethel. ²⁰E kill all di priests of dose high places on top di altars, burn human bones on top dem, and go back Jerusalem.

Josiah Bring Back di Passover

²¹Den di king order all di people, “Celebrate di Passover to una Papa, as dem write am for dis Book of di Covenant.” ²²Dem never keep dis kind Passover since di days of di judges wey bin lead Israel, or for all di days of di kings of Israel and Judah. ²³But for di eighteenth year of King Josiah, dem keep dis Passover to our Papa for Jerusalem.

²⁴Josiah come comot too di people wey dey call spirit, di people wey dey do juju, di house-gods, di idols, and all di disgusting things wey dem bin dey see for Judah and Jerusalem—to make di words of di law come true wey dem write for di book wey Hilkiah di priest find for di house of our Papa. ²⁵No king wey dey before or after Josiah turn to our Papa like am—with im whole heart, im whole soul, im whole strength, dey follow all di law of Moses. ²⁶Still, our Papa no turn from im big, hot, burning anger against Judah, because of all di things wey Manasseh do to make am vex.

²⁷For our Papa bin talk say, “I go comot Judah from my front too, as I comot Israel, and I go reject dis city wey I choose, Jerusalem, and di house wey I talk say, My name go dey dia.”

²⁸Di other things wey Josiah do, and all wey e do—dem no write dem for di book of di history of di kings of Judah? ²⁹For im days Pharaoh Necho of Egypt march go up to help di king of Assyria for di River Euphrates. King Josiah go meet am, but Necho kill am for Megiddo as e just set eye on am. ³⁰Im servants carry im body for chariot from Megiddo go Jerusalem and bury am for im own tomb. Den di people of di land take Jehoahaz di son of Josiah, anoint am, and make am king for im papa place.

Jehoahaz Rule and Dem Carry Am Comot

³¹Jehoahaz na twenty-three years when e become king, and e rule three months for Jerusalem. Im mama na Hamutal di daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah. ³²And e do wetin bad for di sight of our Papa, just as im fathers bin do. ³³Pharaoh Necho chain am for Riblah for di land of Hamath, so dat e no go fit rule for Jerusalem, and e make di land pay fine of about four tons of silver and about seventy-five pounds of gold. ³⁴Pharaoh Necho make Eliakim di son of Josiah king for im papa place and change im name to Jehoiakim. E carry Jehoahaz go Egypt, and na dia e die. ³⁵Jehoiakim pay di silver and gold to Pharaoh, but e tax di land to meet wetin Pharaoh demand. E collect silver and gold from di people of di land, each person by wetin dem assess am, to give Pharaoh Necho.

Jehoiakim Rule For Judah

³⁶Jehoiakim na twenty-five years when e become king, and e rule eleven years for Jerusalem. Im mama na Zebidah di daughter of Pedaiah, from Rumah. ³⁷And e do wetin bad for di sight of our Papa, just as im fathers bin do.