King Hezekiah of Judah
(2 Kings 18.1-3)1 Hezekiah was 25 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled 29 years from Jerusalem. His mother was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 2 Hezekiah obeyed the Lord by doing right, just as his ancestor David had done.
The Temple Is Purified
3 In the first month of the first year of Hezekiah's rule, he unlocked the doors to the Lord's temple and had them repaired. 4 Then he called the priests and Levites to the east courtyard of the temple 5 and said:
It's time to purify the temple of the Lord God of our ancestors. You Levites must first go through the ceremony to make yourselves clean, then go into the temple and bring out everything that is unclean and unacceptable to the Lord. 6 Some of our ancestors were unfaithful and disobeyed the Lord our God. Not only did they turn their backs on the Lord, but they also completely ignored his temple. 7 They locked the doors, then let the lamps go out and stopped burning incense and offering sacrifices to him. 8 The Lord became terribly angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem, and everyone was shocked and horrified at what he did to punish them. Not only were 9 our ancestors killed in battle, but our own children and wives were taken captive.
10 So I have decided to renew our agreement with the Lord God of Israel. Maybe then he will stop being so angry with us. 11 Let's not waste any time, my friends. You are the ones who were chosen to be the Lord's priests and to offer him sacrifices.
12-14 When Hezekiah finished talking, the following Levite leaders went to work:
Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohath clan; Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merari clan; Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershon clan; Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphan clan; Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaph clan; Jehuel and Shimei from the Heman clan; Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthun clan.
15 These leaders gathered together the rest of the Levites, and they all went through the ceremony to make themselves clean. Then they began to purify the temple according to the Law of the Lord, just as Hezekiah had commanded.
16 The priests went into the temple and carried out everything that was unclean. They put these things in the courtyard, and from there, the Levites carried them outside the city to Kidron Valley.
17 The priests and Levites began their work on the first day of the first month. It took them one week to purify the courtyards of the temple and another week to purify the temple. So on the sixteenth day of that same month 18 they went back to Hezekiah and said:
Your Majesty, we have finished our work. The entire temple is now pure again, and so is the altar and its utensils, as well as the table for the sacred loaves of bread and its utensils. 19 And we have brought back all the things that King Ahaz took from the temple during the time he was unfaithful to God. We purified them and put them back in front of the altar.
Worship in the Temple
20 At once, Hezekiah called together the officials of Jerusalem, and they went to the temple. 21 They brought with them seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven goats as sacrifices to take away the sins of Hezekiah's family and of the people of Judah, as well as to purify the temple. Hezekiah told the priests, who were descendants of Aaron, to sacrifice these animals on the altar.
22 The priests killed the bulls, the rams, and the lambs, then splattered the blood on the altar. 23 They took the goats to Hezekiah and the worshipers, and they laid their hands on the animals. 24 The priests then killed the goats and splattered the blood on the altar as a sacrifice to take away the sins of everyone in Israel, because Hezekiah had commanded that these sacrifices be made for all the people of Israel.
25 Next, Hezekiah assigned the Levites to their places in the temple. He gave them cymbals, harps, and other stringed instruments, according to the instructions that the Lord had given King David and the two prophets, Gad and Nathan. 26 The Levites were ready to play the instruments that had belonged to David; the priests were ready to blow the trumpets.
27 As soon as Hezekiah gave the signal for the sacrifices to be burned on the altar, the musicians began singing praises to the Lord and playing their instruments, 28 and everyone worshiped the Lord. This continued until the last animal was sacrificed.
29 After that, Hezekiah and the crowd of worshipers bowed down and worshiped the Lord. 30 Then Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to sing the songs of praise that David and Asaph the prophet had written. And so they bowed down and joyfully sang praises to the Lord.
31 Hezekiah said to the crowd, “Now that you are once again acceptable to the Lord, bring sacrifices and offerings to give him thanks.”
The people did this, and some of them voluntarily brought animals to be offered as sacrifices. 32 Seventy bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs were brought as sacrifices to please the Lord; 33 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep were brought as sacrifices to ask the Lord's blessing. 34 There were not enough priests to skin all these animals, because many of the priests had not taken the time to go through the ceremony to make themselves clean. However, since all the Levites had made themselves clean, they helped the priests until the last animal was skinned. 35 Besides all the sacrifices that were burned on the altar, the fat from the other animal sacrifices was burned, and the offerings of wine were poured over the altar.
So the temple was once again used for worshiping the Lord. 36 Hezekiah and the people of Judah celebrated, because God had helped them make this happen so quickly.
Ezekia 'Bädri'ba Yuda ro
(2 'Bädri'bai 18:1-3)1 Ezekia ka a'do 'bädri'ba ro oko ndroa ndaro te 'buteritu fonji, ago nda mirivote ndroa 'buteritu fonjidriesu Yerusalema ya. Ävuru endre ndaro ro ni Abija ŋguti Zekaria ro. 2 Nda yete tase kusi OPI be ayani, oso zutu ndaro 'Bädri'ba Dawidi koyebe ronye.
Wäṛi Yekalu ro
3 Imba käti ndroa käti a'do Ezekia ro 'bädri'ba ro rosi oko, nda go pi dereŋwa Yekalu rote ago go ede ànya te. 4 Nda mbikala gboko aza kohanii ndi Lewe'bai robe te, goro Yekalu ro 'buzelesi ya 5 ago atate ànyari lau. Nda ekye: Be ami Lewe'bai ri andivo amiro edene wäṛi, ago Yekalu OPI, Lu zutui amiro ro wäṛine. Nyòlofo ŋgase cini undiro 'do ni Yekalu yasi. 6 Tana zutui amaro a'doyite ta'diriako OPI Lu amaro ri ago yeyi tase kusi nda ko ono te. Ànya e'beyi nda te, ago siyi kundu te vose nda kabe ori kigye 'do ri. 7 Ànya seyi käläsi Yekalu rote, izweyi lambai te, ago zayi ŋga tägyi tagyiriro ca ŋgapäṛi ozaro kote Yekalu Lu Yisaraele ro roya. 8 Tana ta'doro OPI a'dote kyilaro Yuda ndi Yerusalema be be, ago tase nda koyebe ànyari ono tana so lä'bi te ago so turi te 'dicini ya. Mini ta ono ṛote kadopara. 9 Utufu täpii amaro te kyila ya, ago äru 'ditoko ndi ŋgàga amaro be te di kamba'bai ro.
10 “Yauono musutate tao'baro o'bane OPI, Lu Yisaraele robe, ukyi nda ogo a'do 'da kyilaro ama be. 11 Ŋgwai maro, nyenji saa ko. Ami ni 'dise OPI konjibe ŋga tägyi tagyiriro ozane ndäri ago lidri lepene nda mätuvoya owo.”
12 Lewe'bai se lau kai ni kwoi: Käläsikala Koata ro yasi ni: Maata ŋgwa Amasai ro, ndi Joela ŋgwa Azaria robe. Käläsikala Merari ro yasi ni: Kisi ŋgwa Abedi ro, ndi Azaria ŋgwa Jalelela robe. Käläsikala Geresona ro yasi ni: Joa ŋgwa Zimena ro, ndi Edene ŋgwa Joa robe. 13 Käläsikala Elizafana ro yasi ni: Simeri ndi Juela be. Käläsikala Asafa ro yasi ni: Zekaria ndi Matania be. 14 Käläsikala Emana ro yasi ni: Juela ndi Simei be. Ago käläsikala Jedutuna ro yasi ni: Semaya ndi Uziela be.
15 Lidri kwoi mbiyikala Lewe'bai azi ànyaro rote, ago ànya edeyi andivo ànyaro te wäṛiro. 'Dooko ànya etoyi Yekalu waṛi te, oso 'bädri'ba kota ànya be oyene ota OPI ro voro ronye. 16 Kohanii ciyite Yekalu ya wäṛine, ago ànya lofoyi ŋgase cini undiro te tesi goro ya. 'Dooko Lewe'bai ŋgyiyite ni nasi uguyite 'bakici kundusi vodele goloŋwa Kidrona roya.
17 Etoyi losina te u'du käti imba käti rosi, ago u'du njidriena imba rosi oko ànya ndeyi losina cini te, ndi tro zoya ecivo Yekalu roya be. 'Dooko ànya go yeyi losi kpate u'du njidriana aza ya, madale u'du 'butealo fonjidrialo imba roya. Yekalu edevoya mätu oyeza.
Ago Äṛu Yekalu te
18 Lewe'bai rayi ta kwoi te 'Bädri'ba Ezekia ri ekye: “Mande wäṛi Yekalu rote kpeye, tro vo tori oloro, tara'biza ambata alokado o'baro, ndi lakazà na cini be. 19 Màgo mologo lakazà cini se 'Bädri'ba Ahaza kolofobe tesi ndroa se nda ka'dobe ta'diriako Lu ri ana si ana te kovole vona ya, ago màgo märute. Yauono te cini orivoya mile vo tori oloro OPI ro roya.”
20 'Dooko 'Bädri'ba Ezekia mbikala dri'bai rote teinye leyeako, ago ànya ciyite troalo Yekalu ya. 21 Ànya eziyi 'daŋgoyi njidrieri, timeleraŋgai njidrieri, timelegogoi njidrieri, ndi tegoi njidrieri be te, ŋgapäṛi ro takozi katidri 'bädri'ba ro ndi lidri Yuda ro robe onaza ago Yekalu wäṛiza. 'Bädri'ba atate kohanii se zelevoi Arona ro iyi ri, koronyai kai olone tori ro vo tori oloro dri. 22 Kohanii fuyi 'daŋgoi te käti, 'dooko timeleraŋgai ndi timelegogoi be, ago luvuyi kari na te ba alo alo vo tori oloro dri. 23 Äduro oko ànya eziyi tegoi te 'bädri'ba ndi lowa se kombikalabe ana be re, se 'bayi dri ànyaro te ànya drisi. 24 'Dooko kohanii fuyi tegoi te ago dayi kari na te vo tori oloro dri tori ro takozi lidri cini ro onaza, tana 'Bädri'ba ozotate ŋgapäṛi ozaro ndi ŋgapäṛi ta takozi rota be oyene ta Yisaraele cini rota.
25 'Bädri'ba sote ŋgaemba se OPI kozobe 'Bädri'ba Dawidi ri Gada nebi 'bädri'ba rosi, ago nebi Natana si ana ro voro; nda 'ba Lewe'bai te orine Yekalu ya, lekyembe be ago araca be, 26 oso lakazà se Dawidi koye losi be sina ana ronye. Ago kohanii edreyi kpate lau cekuṛei be. 27 'Dooko Ezekia ozotate ŋgapäṛi ozaro ozane; ago ondro eto ozana te oko, lidri ŋgo loŋgo räṛu rote OPI ri, ago cekuṛe ovo'bai ndi loŋgo o'bi'bai lakazà dri toto loŋgo oŋgoro si be etoyi kpate. 28 'Dise cini lau ana dro'beruyite mätu ya, ago loŋgo oŋgo'bai ndi cekuṛe ovo'bai be uguyi loŋgo oŋgo te madale ande tori oza gwo. 29 'Dooko 'Bädri'ba Ezekia ndi lidri cini be soyi kaya te vuru mätuyi Lu te. 30 Ago 'Bädri'ba ndi dri'bai tu'de robe atayite Lewe'bai ri loŋgo räṛu ro se Dawidi kegyibe ago nebi Asafa kegyibe ana oŋgone. Ta'dota 'dicini ŋgo loŋgo te riyä amba si, ondro ànya kosoyi kaya te vuru ago kämätuyite owo.
31 'Dooko Ezekia atate lidri ri ekye: “Yauono ami bete orivoya wäṛiro ono, ka'do inye nyezi ŋgapäṛi oloro tori ro aro'boya ozoza OPI ri.” Ago ànya royi tate ago azaka ànyaro eziyi koronyai kpate ole ànyaro ronye olone tori ozaro ro. 32 Ànya eziyi 'daŋgoi 'butenjidrieri (70), timeleraŋgai kama alo (100), ndi timelegogoi kama ritu (200) be te tori ozaro ro OPI ri; 33 ago ànya eziyi 'daŋgoi kama njidrialo (600) ndi timele kutu nätu (3,000) be kpate onyane lidri ri. 34 Oko oso kohanii ka'dobe i'do amba koronyai se cini kwoi tufune ronye, Lewe'bai payi ànya te madale ande losi te. Ago amba kohanii ro 'bayi andivo ànyaro te a'done wäṛiro. (Ta a'doro wäṛiro ya Lewe'bai a'doyi ni 'diriro ndrani kohanii drisi.) 35 Kohanii ri ni vo ombiombiro ŋgase alobe onyane lidri ri 'do ro ozane, kinja ŋgapäṛi se abe ozana cu 'do ro ro, ago ni vino se ozobe ŋgapäṛi ozaro be 'do ozone.
Ta'doro ago eto mätu oye te kpa to'di Yekalu ya. 36 'Bädri'ba Ezekia ndi lidri cini ndaro be a'doyite riyä si, tana OPI pa ànya te losi ono oyene ndriro.