King Josiah of Judah
(2 Kings 22.12 2)1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. 2 He did what was pleasing to the Lord; he followed the example of his ancestor King David, strictly obeying all the laws of God.
Josiah Attacks Pagan Worship
3 In the eighth year that Josiah was king, while he was still very young, he began to worship the God of his ancestor King David. Four years later he began to destroy the pagan places of worship, the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and all the other idols. 4 Under his direction the altars where Baal was worshiped were smashed, and the incense altars near them were torn down. They ground to dust the images of Asherah and all the other idols and then scattered the dust on the graves of the people who had sacrificed to them. 5 He burned the bones of the pagan priests on the altars where they had worshiped. By doing all this, he made Judah and Jerusalem ritually clean again. 6 He did the same thing in the cities and the devastated areas of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far north as Naphtali. 7 Throughout the territory of the Northern Kingdom he smashed the altars and the symbols of Asherah, ground the idols to dust, and broke into bits all the incense altars. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
The Book of the Law Is Discovered
(2 Kings 22.3-20)8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purified the land and the Temple by ending pagan worship, King Josiah sent three men to repair the Temple of the Lord God: Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah, the governor of Jerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, a high official. 9 The money that the Levite guards had collected in the Temple was turned over to Hilkiah the High Priest. (It had been collected from the people of Ephraim and Manasseh and the rest of the Northern Kingdom, and from the people of Judah, Benjamin, and Jerusalem.) 10 This money was then handed over to the three men in charge of the Temple repairs, and they gave it to 11 the carpenters and the builders to buy the stones and the timber used to repair the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to decay. 12 The men who did the work were thoroughly honest. They were supervised by four Levites: Jahath and Obadiah of the clan of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam of the clan of Kohath. (The Levites were all skillful musicians.) 13 Other Levites were in charge of transporting materials and supervising the workers on various jobs, and others kept records or served as guards.
14 While the money was being taken out of the storeroom, Hilkiah found the book of the Law of the Lord, the Law that God had given to Moses. 15 He said to Shaphan, “I have found the book of the Law here in the Temple.” He gave Shaphan the book, 16 and Shaphan took it to the king. He reported, “We have done everything that you commanded. 17 We have taken the money that was kept in the Temple and handed it over to the workers and their supervisors.” 18 Then he added, “I have here a book that Hilkiah gave me.” And he read it aloud to the king.
19 When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes in dismay 20 and gave the following order to Hilkiah, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, to Abdon son of Micaiah, to Shaphan, the court secretary, and to Asaiah, the king's attendant: 21 “Go and consult the Lord for me and for the people who still remain in Israel and Judah. Find out about the teachings of this book. The Lord is angry with us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the Lord and have not done what this book says must be done.”
22 At the king's command, Hilkiah and the others went to consult a woman named Huldah, a prophet who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. (Her husband Shallum, the son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, was in charge of the Temple robes.) They described to her what had happened, 23 and she told them to go back to the king and give him 24 the following message from the Lord: “I am going to punish Jerusalem and all its people with the curses written in the book that was read to the king. 25 They have rejected me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and so have stirred up my anger by all they have done. My anger is aroused against Jerusalem, and it will not die down. 26 As for the king himself, this is what I, the Lord God of Israel, say: You listened to what is written in the book, 27 and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I have heard your prayer, 28 and the punishment which I am going to bring on Jerusalem will not come until after your death. I will let you die in peace.”
The men returned to King Josiah with this message.
Josiah Makes a Covenant to Obey the Lord
(2 Kings 23.1-20)29 King Josiah summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, 30 and together they went to the Temple, accompanied by the priests and the Levites and all the rest of the people, rich and poor alike. Before them all the king read aloud the whole book of the covenant, which had been found in the Temple. 31 He stood by the royal column and made a covenant with the Lord to obey him, to keep his laws and commands with all his heart and soul, and to put into practice the demands attached to the covenant, as written in the book. 32 He made the people of Benjamin and everyone else present in Jerusalem promise to keep the covenant. And so the people of Jerusalem obeyed the requirements of the covenant they had made with the God of their ancestors. 33 King Josiah destroyed all the disgusting idols that were in the territory belonging to the people of Israel, and as long as he lived, he required the people to serve the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
Josia 'Bädri'ba Yuda ro
(2 'Bädri'bai 22:1-2)1 Josia ka a'do 'bädri'ba Yuda ro oko ndroa ndaro te njidriena ago nda mirivote ndroa 'butenätu foalo Yerusalema ya. 2 Nda yete tase kusi OPI be ayani; nda sote taoye zutu ndaro 'Bädri'ba Dawidi ro voro, nda ro ota cini Lu rote ŋgyero.
Ŋgagota Josia ro Mätu Lu Uniako'bai ro Lomvo
3 Ndroa njidriena a'do Josia ro 'bädri'ba ro rosi, 'dooko nda drigba ŋgaga ro oko, nda eto Lu zutu ndaro 'Bädri'ba Dawidi ro mätuna te. Ago ndroa su vosi oko nda eto vo mätu ro Lu uniako'bai ro, beti lu tokoro Asera ro ndi lu awi cini azaka be perena te. 4 Nda 'ba lidri ndaro tufu vo tori oloro se abe Bala mätu sina kai te ago toga vo ŋga tägyi tagyiriro ozaro se loto lomvoigyesi kai te riya vuru. Ànya onjiyi beti Asera ro ndi beti lu azaka robe te foda durufu ro ago lariyite 'budrii lidri se koloyi tori be ànyari kai ro drisi. 5 Nda za kowa kohanii Lu uniako'bai rote vo tori oloro se ànya kämätuyibe kigye iyi drisi. Tase cini kwoi oyena si nonye nda go 'ba Yuda ndi Yerusalema be te wäṛiro kpa to'di. 6 Nda ye kpate oso inye 'bakicii cini yasi ago wari se cini tandro ro Manase, Eperaima, ndi Simeona robe yasi, ndi le mä'dudri wari Nafatali ro roya. 7 Nda tufu vo tori oloro ndi beti Asera robe te jinyijinyi wari cini 'Bädri Mä'dudrisi ro yasi, onji lu awi te foda durufu ro, ago toga vo ŋga tägyi tagyiriro ozaro cini te jinyijinyi. 'Dooko nda gote Yerusalema ya.
Usu Buku Ota rote
(2 'Bädri'bai 22:3-20)8 Ago ndroa 'butealo fonjidriena ŋgamiri ndaro rosi, ondro nda konde wari wäṛite ndi Yekalu be ago ko'ba mätu Lu uniako'bai rote okyene oko, 'Bädri'ba Josia zo lidri nätu te ogone Yekalu OPI Lu ro edene ànya ni: Sapana ŋgwa Azalia ro, Maseya, wari'ba Yerusalema ro, ndi Joa ŋgwa Joaza ro, dri'ba 'desi losi robe. 9 Parata se okotobe Yekalu ya se Lewe'bai kabe ni vona ondrena ana ozote Elekia Kohani Fopara rigye. (Okoto parata ono teni lidri Eperaima ro ndi Manase robe ndi lidri cini 'Bädri Mä'dudrisi ya rigyesi, ago ni lidri Yuda ro, Benjamina ro, ndi Yerusalema robe rigyesi.) 10 'Dooko ozo parata se ono te dri'bai nätu Yekalu edero se kai rigye, ago ànya ozoyite 11 kyikyi'bai ice ro ndi ŋga obe'bai be rigye kuni ndi loro be ogyeza zo se 'bädri'ba Yuda ro ko'babe ruperene ana ogo edeza. 12 Ago lidri se kai yeyi losi te 'diriro. Lewe'bai su: Jata ndi Obadaya be, ni käläsikala Merari ro yasi, ago Zekaria ndi Mesulama be ni käläsikala Koata ro yasi täkyiyi ànya ni. (Lewe'bai kwoi cini orivoya tauni loŋgo oŋgo robe lakazà loŋgo oŋgo rosi.) 13 Lewe'bai azaka a'doyite dri'bai lakazà losi ro luŋgyi'bai ro, ago losioye'bai losi cini dritoto täkyivoya, ago azaka a'doyite egyi'bai ro ago gaga'bai ro.
14 Ondro ate parata lofo ni zo ŋga odroro ya oko, Elikia usu buku Ota OPI ro rote, Ota se Lu kozobe Musa si ana. 15 'Dooko nda atate Sapana ri ekye: “Musu buku Ota rote Yekalu ya noŋwa.” Ago nda ozo buku ana te Sapana rigye, 16 ago Sapana ezite 'bädri'ba ri. Nda raa pa ta rote ekye: “Màye ŋgase cini nyozo ota na be ono te. 17 Märu parata se a'babe Yekalu ya ono te ago mozote losioye'bai ndi täkyi'bai ànyaro be ri. 18 'Dooko nda ata kpate ekye: Elekia ozo buku ono ni märigye.” Ago nda zite ṛeṛe 'bädri'ba ri.
19 Ondro 'bädri'ba keri ata se buku ana ro äzibe ana te oko, nda wa boŋgo ndaro te yaloŋga be, 20 ago ozo ota kwoi te Elekia, Ayikama ŋgwa Sapana ro, Abedona ŋgwa Mikaya ro, Sapana egyi'ba vure ro, ndi Asaya ruindu'ba 'bädri'ba robe ri ekye: 21 “Nyoyi ago nyeji OPI ta maro ta ago ta lidri se ke'bebe drigba Yuda ndi Yisaraele be ya ono rota. Miṛi ta ŋgaembaro buku ono ro vona. OPI orivoya kyilaro ama be tana zutui amaro royi ata OPI ro kote ago yeyi tase cini egyibe buku ono ya aba se beṛo oyene ono kote.”
22 Elekia ndi 'diazaka be, oyiyite toko se nebi ro äzibe Huleda, se koribe vo telesi Yerusalema ro se ramba ro ana ya ana ejine. (Ago anyaro Saluma, ŋgwa Tikeva ro kwozo Harehasa ro ni dri'ba boŋgo runduṛuro Yekalu ro ro.) Ànya itiyi tase ka'dobe ana te anyari, 23 ago anya atate ànyari ogone 'bädri'ba re lazo 24 OPI ro kwoi be ekye: “Ma oye Yerusalema ndi lidri na cini be ezane latri se cini egyibe buku se äzibe 'bädri'ba ri ono ya ono si. 25 Tana ànya gayitezo maro ago loyi tori te lui azaka ri, ta'doro tase cini ànya koyebe kwoi eko ya maro te kyilaro. Kyila maro ŋgate Yerusalema be, ago i'dwene te i'do. 26 Ono ni tase ma OPI, Lu Yisaraele ro mabe atana owo makye: Oso mi 'bädri'ba modo, ondro nyeri tase egyibe buku ono ya ono te oko, 27 nyetadrite ago nyologo andivo miro te vuru makandra, ondro nyeri ozi se manyabe Yerusalema ndi lidri na be ezane ono te ono, nyotowa boŋgo miro te ago nyiliyite. Yauono meri mätu miro te, 28 ago taezaro se ma oyebe ozone Yerusalema ri 'do mänina kote ozone madale odra miro vosi. Ma'bana mi 'da odrane liyaro.”
Ago lidri se kai egoyite 'bädri'ba Josia re lazo se ono be.
Tao'baro Josia ro OPI Orone
(2 'Bädri'bai 23:1-20)29 'Dooko 'Bädri'ba Josia zi dri'bai cini Yuda ndi Yerusalema be rote voaloya, 30 ago ciyite troalo Yekalu ya, tro kohanii ndi Lewe'bai be ndi lidri cini be ŋga'bai ndi ŋgaako'bai be. 'Bädri'ba zi buku se tao'baro se usube Yekalu ya ana te kpeye ṛeṛe ànya mile. 31 Nda edrete läŋgyiri 'bädri'ba ro lomvo ago 'ba tao'baro te OPI be nda orone, taora cini ndaro ndi ota ndaro be ätine ya cini ndaro si ago lindri cini ndaro si, ago ata tao'baro oyene, oso se egyibe buku ono ya ronye. 32 'Dooko nda 'ba lidri Benjamina ro ndi 'dise cini orivoya Yerusalema ya lau ana te tao'bane tao'baro ana ätine. Ta'dota lidri Yerusalema ro royi tao'baro se ànya ko'bayibe Lu zutui ànyaro be ana te. 33 'Bädri'ba Josia pere Lu awi se cini undiro lidri Yisaraele ro ro wari ana ya kai te, ago nda 'ba lidri cini te ruindune OPI, Lu zutui ànyaro ro ri, tu cini ori ndaro rosi.