2 IZikhronike 31

31 ¹Kwathi lokhu sekuphelile, wonke u-Israyeli owayekhona waphuma waya emizini yakwaJuda, waphahlaza izinsika ezingcwele, wagawula izinsika zika-Ashera, wadiliza izindawo eziphakeme nama-altare kulo lonke elakwaJuda, nelakwaBenjamini, nelakwaEfrayimi, nelakwaManase, wakubhubhisa kwaphela. Emva kwalokho wonke u-Israyeli wabuyela emizini yawo, kwaba yilowo waya endaweni yakhe.

²UHezekiya wabela abapristi namaLevi ngokwezigaba zabo, kwaba yilowo ngokwenkonzo yakhe, abapristi namaLevi ngokufanayo, ukuze kwenziwe iminikelo yokushiswa neminikelo yokuthula, ukuze bakhonze, babonge, badumise emasangweni ezinkambu zikaBaba wethu.

³Inkosi yanikela kweyayo ingcebo ukuze kube khona iminikelo yokushiswa—iminikelo yokushiswa yasekuseni neyakusihlwa, naleyo yamaSabatha, neyokuthwasa kwenyanga, neyemikhosi emisiwe—njengoba kulotshiwe emthethweni kaBaba wethu. ⁴Wayala abahlali baseJerusalema ukuba banikele isabelo sabapristi namaLevi, ukuze bazinikele emthethweni kaBaba wethu. ⁵Kwathi nje lokhu kuyalwa sekwandile, abakwa-Israyeli banikela ngokuchichima izithelo zokuqala zokusanhlamvu, newayini elisha, namafutha, noju, nayo yonke imikhiqizo yasendle, baletha nokweshumi kwakho konke ngokuchichima. ⁶Abakwa-Israyeli nabakwaJuda ababehlala emizini yakwaJuda nabo baletha okweshumi kwezinkomo nezimvu, nokweshumi kwalokho okwakungcweliselwe uBaba wethu, bakubekelela izinqwaba.

⁷Baqala ukwakha izinqwaba ngenyanga yesithathu, baqeda ngeyesikhombisa. ^a a v7 Inyanga yesithathu iwela ekupheleni kukaMeyi–kuJuni; inyanga yesikhombisa kuSepthemba–ku-Okthoba — cishe izinyanga ezine zokunikela. ⁸UHezekiya nezikhulu bafika, babona izinqwaba, babusisa uBaba wethu nabantu bakhe u-Israyeli. ⁹UHezekiya wabuza abapristi namaLevi ngalezi zinqwaba. ¹⁰U-Azariya umpristi omkhulu, wasendlini kaZadoki, wamphendula wathi: “Kusukela abantu baqala ukuletha iminikelo endlini kaBaba wethu, sidlile saneliseka kwasala okuningi, ngokuba uBaba wethu ubusise abantu bakhe, kwasala le nsalela enkulu.”

¹¹UHezekiya wayaleza ukuba kulungiswe amakamelo okugcina endlini kaBaba wethu, bawalungisa. ¹²Baletha ngokwethembeka iminikelo, nokweshumi, nezipho ezingcweliselwe. UKhonaniya umLevi wayephethe; uShimeyi umfowabo wayengowesibili. ¹³OJehiyeli, no-Azaziya, noNahati, no-Asaheli, noJerimoti, noJozabadi, no-Eliyeli, no-Ismakiya, noMahati, noBenaya babengababonisi, ngaphansi kukaKhonaniya nomfowabo uShimeyi, ababebekwe yinkosi uHezekiya no-Azariya, induna enkulu yendlu kaBaba wethu. ¹⁴UKore indodana ka-Imna, umLevi owayengumgcinisango ngasempumalanga, wayengamele iminikelo yokuzithandela eyayinikelwa uBaba wethu, ukwaba iminikelo kaBaba wethu nezipho ezingcwele kakhulu. ¹⁵Ngaphansi kwakhe, o-Edeni, noMiniyamini, noJeshuwa, noShemaya, no-Amariya, noShekaniya bakhonza ngokwethembeka emizini yabapristi, bebabela abapristi abakhula nabo ngokwezigaba, abakhulu nabancane ngokufanayo, ¹⁶ngaphandle kokunika labo ababebhaliwe ngokozalo, abesilisa abaneminyaka emithathu kuya phezulu—bonke abangena endlini kaBaba wethu ngemisebenzi yansuku zonke—ngokwenkonzo yabo ngesikhundla nangesigaba. ¹⁷Abapristi babhalwa ngokwezindlu zawoyise; amaLevi aneminyaka engamashumi amabili kuya phezulu, ngokomsebenzi nangokwesigaba. ¹⁸Babhalwa kanye nabantwana babo bonke abancane, nabafazi babo, namadodana, namadodakazi—lonke ibandla—ngokuba bazingcwelisa ngokwethembeka ebungcweleni. ¹⁹Mayelana nenzalo yabapristi ka-Aroni eyayihlala emadlelweni azungeza imizi yabo, kwaqanjwa amadoda kuyo yonke imizi ngayinye ukuba anike izabelo kuwo wonke umpristi wesilisa nakuwo wonke amaLevi ayebhalwe ngokozalo.

²⁰UHezekiya wakwenza lokhu kulo lonke elakwaJuda. Wenza okuhle, nokulungileyo, nokuthembekileyo phambi kukaBaba wethu. ²¹Kukho konke akuqalayo—ukukhonza indlu kaBaba wethu, nokugcina umthetho nomyalo, nokufuna uBaba wethu—wakwenza ngenhliziyo yakhe yonke, waphumelela.