2 IZikhronike 29

29 ¹UHezekiya waba yinkosi eneminyaka engamashumi amabili nanhlanu, wabusa iminyaka engamashumi amabili nesishiyagalolunye eJerusalema. Unina: u-Abija, indodakazi kaZakariya. ²Wenza okulungileyo emehlweni kaBaba wethu, njengoba kwenza uyise uDavide. ³Ngonyaka wokuqala wokubusa kwakhe, ngenyanga yokuqala, wavula iminyango yendlu kaBaba wethu wayilungisa. ⁴Wangenisa abapristi namaLevi, wababuthela esigcawini esisempumalanga. ⁵Wathi kubo: “Ngilaleleni, maLevi! Zingcweliseni manje, ningcwelise nendlu kaBaba wethu, uNkulunkulu wawoyihlo, nikhiphe ukungcola endaweni eNgcwele. ⁶Okhokho bethu babengathembekanga, benza okubi emehlweni kaBaba wethu; bamlahla, babhekisa ubuso babo kude nendawo yokuhlala kaBaba wethu, bamfulathela. ⁷Bavala neminyango yompheme wokungena, bacima izibani, abazange bashise impepho noma banikele iminikelo yokushiswa endlini engcwele kuBaba wethu, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli. ⁸Ngakho intukuthelo kaBaba wethu yehlela phezu kukaJuda neJerusalema, wabenza into yokwesabeka, yokunengeka, neyokudelelwa, njengoba nibona ngamehlo enu. ⁹Ngokuba obaba bethu bawa ngenkemba; amadodana ethu, amadodakazi ethu, nabafazi bethu basekuthunjweni ngenxa yalokhu. ¹⁰Manje ngifisa ukwenza isivumelwano noBaba wethu, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, ukuze intukuthelo yakhe evuthayo isuke kithi. ¹¹Madodana ami, ningadembesi manje—uBaba wethu wanikhetha ukuba nime phambi kwakhe, nimkhonze, nibe yizinceku zakhe, nishise impepho.”

¹²AmaLevi asukuma: amaKohati—uMahati indodana ka-Amasayi, noJoweli indodana ka-Azariya; amaMerari—uKishi indodana ka-Abidi, no-Azariya indodana kaJehaleleli; amaGerishoni—uJowa indodana kaZima, no-Edeni indodana kaJowa; ¹³emadodaneni ka-Elizafani, uShimri noJehiyeli; emadodaneni ka-Asafa, uZakariya noMathaniya; ¹⁴emadodaneni kaHemani, uJehiyeli noShimeyi; nasemadodaneni kaJeduthuni, uShemaya no-Uziyeli. ¹⁵Babuthela abafowabo ndawonye, bazingcwelisa, bangena ukuyohlanza indlu kaBaba wethu, njengokuyala kwenkosi ngokwamazwi kaBaba wethu. ¹⁶Abapristi bangena endlini engaphakathi kaBaba wethu ukuze bayihlanze, bakhipha konke ukungcola abakuthola ethempelini likaBaba wethu, bakuyisa egcekeni. AmaLevi akuthwala akuyisa esifufuleni iKidroni. ¹⁷Baqala ukungcwelisa ngosuku lokuqala lwenyanga yokuqala; ngosuku lwesishiyagalombili lwaleyo nyanga, bafika empemeni wokungena wendlu kaBaba wethu. Bayingcwelisa indlu kaBaba wethu izinsuku eziyisishiyagalombili, baqeda ngosuku lweshumi nesithupha lwenyanga yokuqala. ¹⁸Base bengena enkosini uHezekiya bathi: “Siyihlanzile yonke indlu kaBaba wethu—i-altare lomnikelo wokushiswa nazo zonke izitsha zalo, netafula lezinkwa zokubukwa nazo zonke izitsha zalo. ^a a v18 Izinkwa zokubukwa: izinkwa eziyishumi nambili ezazigcinwa etafuleni elikhethekile endaweni eNgcwele njengomnikelo oqhubekayo phambi kukaNkulunkulu. ¹⁹Zonke izitsha inkosi u-Ahazi eyazilahla ngesikhathi sokubusa kwakhe kokungathembeki, sesizilungisile sazingcwelisa—zimi phambi kwe-altare likaBaba wethu.”

Ukukhonza kubuyela endlini kaBaba

²⁰Inkosi uHezekiya yavuka ekuseni kakhulu, yabuthela izikhulu zomuzi ndawonye, yenyukela endlini kaBaba wethu. ²¹Baletha izinkunzi eziyisikhombisa, izinqama eziyisikhombisa, amawundlu ayisikhombisa, nezimpongo eziyisikhombisa, njengomnikelo wesono wombuso, nowendlu engcwele, nowakwaJuda, wayala amadodana ka-Aroni, abapristi, ukuba akunikele phezu kwe-altare likaBaba wethu. ²²Bazihlaba izinkunzi; abapristi bathatha igazi balifafaza phezu kwe-altare. Bazihlaba izinqama bafafaza igazi phezu kwe-altare, base bewahlaba amawundlu bafafaza igazi phezu kwe-altare. ²³Baletha izimpongo zomnikelo wesono phambi kwenkosi nebandla, babeka izandla zabo phezu kwazo. ²⁴Abapristi bazihlaba, benza umnikelo wesono ngegazi lazo phezu kwe-altare ukuze kwenzelwe inhlawulo yesono bonke abakwa-Israyeli, ngokuba inkosi yayiyale umnikelo wokushiswa nomnikelo wesono ngenxa yabo bonke abakwa-Israyeli.

²⁵Wamisa amaLevi endlini kaBaba wethu enamasimbali, namahabhu, nemiqangala, njengokuyala kukaDavide, noGadi umboni wenkosi, noNathani umprofethi—ngokuba umyalo wawuvela kuBaba wethu ngabaprofethi bakhe. ²⁶AmaLevi ema nezinsimbi zomculo zikaDavide, abapristi bema namacilongo. ²⁷UHezekiya wayala ukuba kunikelwe umnikelo wokushiswa phezu kwe-altare; lapho uqala, kwaqala nengoma kaBaba wethu, kanye namacilongo nezinsimbi zomculo zikaDavide, inkosi yakwa-Israyeli. ²⁸Lonke ibandla lakhothama, abahlabeleli bahlabelela, abashayi bamacilongo bashaya, kwaze kwaphela umnikelo wokushiswa.

²⁹Lapho umnikelo usuphelile, inkosi nabo bonke ababekhona kanye nayo bakhothama bakhuleka. ³⁰Inkosi uHezekiya nezikhulu bayala amaLevi ukuba adumise uBaba wethu ngamazwi kaDavide nawka-Asafa umboni. Ahlabelela ngenjabulo, akhothama phansi, akhuleka.

³¹Wayesethi uHezekiya: “Manje senizingcwelisile kuBaba wethu. Sondelani, nilethe imihlatshelo neminikelo yokubonga endlini kaBaba wethu.” Ngakho ibandla laletha imihlatshelo neminikelo yokubonga; bonke ababenezinhliziyo ezizimiselayo baletha iminikelo yokushiswa. ³²Ibandla laletha izinkunzi ezingamashumi ayisikhombisa, izinqama eziyikhulu, namawundlu angamakhulu amabili—konke kungumnikelo wokushiswa kuBaba wethu. ³³Iminikelo engcwelisiweyo yayiyizinkunzi ezingamakhulu ayisithupha nezimvu eziyizinkulungwane ezintathu. ³⁴Abapristi babebalwa kakhulu ukuba bahlinze yonke iminikelo yokushiswa, ngakho abafowabo amaLevi babasiza kwaze kwaphela umsebenzi, kwaze kwaba abapristi bazingcwelisa; amaLevi ayeqotho ngenhliziyo ekuzingcweliseni kunabapristi. ³⁵Ngaphandle kweminikelo eminingi yokushiswa, kwakukhona namanoni eminikelo yokuthula neminikelo yokuphuzwa. Ngakho inkonzo yendlu kaBaba wethu yabuyiselwa. ³⁶UHezekiya nabo bonke abantu bajabula ngalokho uBaba wethu abakulungiselela khona, ngokuba kwenzeka ngokuzumayo.