Josiah Does Away with Pagan Worship
(2 Chronicles 34.3-72 29-33)1 King Josiah summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 and together they went to the Temple, accompanied by the priests and the prophets 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. 3 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. And all the people promised to keep the covenant.
4 Then Josiah ordered the High Priest Hilkiah, his assistant priests, and the guards on duty at the entrance to the Temple to bring out of the Temple all the objects used in the worship of Baal, of the goddess Asherah, and of the stars. The king burned all these objects outside the city near Kidron Valley and then had the ashes taken to Bethel. 5 He removed from office the priests that the kings of Judah had ordained to offer sacrifices on the pagan altars in the cities of Judah and in places near Jerusalem—all the priests who offered sacrifices to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars. 6 He removed from the Temple the symbol of the goddess Asherah, took it out of the city to Kidron Valley, burned it, pounded its ashes to dust, and scattered it over the public burying ground. 7 He destroyed the living quarters in the Temple occupied by the temple prostitutes. (It was there that women wove robes used in the worship of Asherah.) 8 He brought to Jerusalem the priests who were in the cities of Judah, and throughout the whole country he desecrated the altars where they had offered sacrifices. He also tore down the altars dedicated to the goat demons near the gate built by Joshua, the city governor, which was to the left of the main gate as one enters the city. 9 Those priests were not allowed to serve in the Temple, but they could eat the unleavened bread provided for their fellow priests.
10 King Josiah also desecrated Topheth, the pagan place of worship in Hinnom Valley, so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter as a burnt offering to the god Molech. 11 He also removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the worship of the sun, and he burned the chariots used in this worship. (These were kept in the temple courtyard, near the gate and not far from the living quarters of Nathan Melech, a high official.) 12 The altars which the kings of Judah had built on the palace roof above King Ahaz' quarters, King Josiah tore down, along with the altars put up by King Manasseh in the two courtyards of the Temple; he smashed the altars to bits and threw them into Kidron Valley. 13 Josiah desecrated the altars that King Solomon had built east of Jerusalem, south of the Mount of Olives, for the worship of disgusting idols—Astarte the goddess of Sidon, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Molech the god of Ammon. 14 King Josiah broke the stone pillars to pieces, cut down the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and the ground where they had stood he covered with human bones.
15 Josiah also tore down the place of worship in Bethel, which had been built by King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. Josiah pulled down the altar, broke its stones into pieces, and pounded them to dust; he also burned the image of Asherah. 16 Then Josiah looked around and saw some tombs there on the hill; he had the bones taken out of them and burned on the altar. In this way he desecrated the altar, doing what the prophet had predicted long before during the festival as King Jeroboam was standing by the altar. King Josiah looked around and saw the tomb of the prophet who had made this prediction. 17 “Whose tomb is that?” he asked.
The people of Bethel answered, “It is the tomb of the prophet who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done to this altar.”
18 “Leave it as it is,” Josiah ordered. “His bones are not to be moved.”
So his bones were not moved, neither were those of the prophet who had come from Samaria.
19 In every city of Israel King Josiah tore down all the pagan places of worship which had been built by the kings of Israel, who thereby aroused the Lord's anger. He did to all those altars what he had done in Bethel. 20 He killed all the pagan priests on the altars where they served, and he burned human bones on every altar. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
Josiah Celebrates the Passover
(2 Chronicles 35.1-19)21 King Josiah ordered the people to celebrate the Passover in honor of the Lord their God, as written in the book of the covenant. 22 No Passover like this one had ever been celebrated by any of the kings of Israel or of Judah, since the time when judges ruled the nation. 23 Now at last, in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah, the Passover was celebrated in Jerusalem.
Other Changes Made by Josiah
24 In order to enforce the laws written in the book that the High Priest Hilkiah had found in the Temple, King Josiah removed from Jerusalem and the rest of Judah all the mediums and fortunetellers, and all the household gods, idols, and all other pagan objects of worship. 25 There had never been a king like him before, who served the Lord with all his heart, mind, and strength, obeying all the Law of Moses; nor has there been a king like him since.
26 But the Lord's fierce anger had been aroused against Judah by what King Manasseh had done, and even now it did not die down. 27 The Lord said, “I will do to Judah what I have done to Israel: I will banish the people of Judah from my sight, and I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and the Temple, the place I said was where I should be worshiped.”
The End of Josiah's Reign
(2 Chronicles 35.20—36.1)28 Everything else that King Josiah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah. 29 While Josiah was king, King Neco of Egypt led an army to the Euphrates River to help the emperor of Assyria. King Josiah tried to stop the Egyptian army at Megiddo and was killed in battle. 30 His officials placed his body in a chariot and took it back to Jerusalem, where he was buried in the royal tombs.
The people of Judah chose Josiah's son Joahaz and anointed him king.
King Joahaz of Judah
(2 Chronicles 36.2-4)31 Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for three months. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from the city of Libnah. 32 Following the example of his ancestors, he sinned against the Lord. 33 His reign ended when King Neco of Egypt took him prisoner in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, and made Judah pay 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold as tribute. 34 King Neco made Josiah's son Eliakim king of Judah as successor to Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Joahaz was taken to Egypt by King Neco, and there he died.
King Jehoiakim of Judah
(2 Chronicles 36.5-8)35 King Jehoiakim collected a tax from the people in proportion to their wealth, in order to raise the amount needed to pay the tribute demanded by the king of Egypt.
36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother was Zebidah, the daughter of Pedaiah from the town of Rumah. 37 Following the example of his ancestors, Jehoiakim sinned against the Lord.
Josia ana Mätu Lui Awi rote
(2 Ambâ 34:3-72 29-33)1 'Dooko 'Bädri'ba Josia zo lazo te, ago dri'bai cini Yuda ro ndi Yerusalema robe otoyikalate ndare. 2 Ago 'bädri'ba oyite Yekalu ya troalo lidri cini Yuda ro ndi Yerusalema robe, kohanii ndi nebii be, lidri se ŋga'bai ndi lemeri'bai be be. 'Bädri'ba zi ata se cini buku se tao'ba ro se usube Yekalu ya ana te ànyari. 3 Ago 'bädri'ba edrete läŋgyiri zo'desi miri ro ro lomvo ago 'ba tao'baro te OPI kandra, nda orone, ago ota ndaro ndi tazevoedre ndaro be ätine ya cini ndaro si ago lindri cini ndaro si, ago ata se tao'baro ono ya 'do oyene oso egyibe buku ana ya ronye; ago lidri cini 'ba tao'ba te tao'baro se ana ätine.
4 Ago 'bädri'ba ta Ilekia, kohani fopara te, ndi kohanii se kundueŋga'bai ndaro yibe, ndi dereŋwa gaga'bai be, lakazà se cini Yekalu OPI roya, se edebe Bala, lu tokoro Asera ndi 'bi'bi be mätuza iyi, lofone tesi. Ago 'bädri'ba za ànya te asi si tesi Yerusalema lomvo loto vodelero Kidrona roya, ago äŋgyi torofo na te Betele ya. 5 Nda ana kohanii lu awi ro se 'bädri'bai Yuda ro kodibe to tori ozane voi lui awi mäturo yasi 'bakicii Yuda ro yasi ago gbikyi Yerusalema lomvosi, ànya se ka kpa ŋga tägyi tagyiri oza Bala ri, kitu ri, 'bi'bi ndi imba be ri kai te. 6 Ago nda lofo beti lu tokoro Asera rote tesi ni Yekalu yasi, lofote tesi ni 'bakici Yerusalema yasi le vodelero Kidrona roya, zate asi si lau, ago onjite torofo ro foda, ago larite 'budri lidri awi ro drisi. 7 Nda pere zoi ronyi'ba manoàgoro ro se orivoya Yekalu ya ana te, vose 'ditoko kayibe boŋgo lu tokoro Asera mäturo o'dina kigye ana. 8 Josia ezi kohanii se cini 'bakicii Yuda ro yasi kai te ago nda enji vo tori oloro se kohanii kayibe ŋga tägyi tagyiri ro ozana kigye iyi te etoni Geba ya le Beraseba ya. Nda pere voi tori oloro se ecivo dereŋwa Yosua, wari'ba 'bakici ro ro kobebe lomvo ana te, se orivoya gaṛi dereŋwa 'bakici ro roya ana. 9 Caoko ale kote kohanii lui awi se kwoi ro ri ikyine ruindune Yekalu OPI roya Yerusalema ya, oko ànya niyi ndi ambata loŋgaako se ozobe kohanii azi ànyaro ri 'do onyane.
10 'Bädri'ba Josia pere Tofeta vo lu awi mäturo se orivoya vodelero Inoma roya ana kpate, tana ukyi 'diaza oza ŋgwaagoro kode ŋgutiro ndaro 'da lu Moleka ri. 11 Nda pere farasii se 'bädri'bai Yuda ro kodibe to ta kitu mäturo ta dereŋwa eciro Yekalu ya ya kai te, se orivoya orivo Natana Maleka dri'ba 'desi losi ro roya, se orivoya orooro ro, ago nda za arabia kitu mäturo te asi si. 12 Ago nda pere voi tori oloro se 'bädri'bai Yuda ro kobebe zo ya kurusi zo'desi miri ro Aza roya ana te, ndi voi tori oloro se Manase kobebe goko ritu Yekalu roya ana be; nda pere ànya te ago onji ànya te foda ago date vodelero Kidrona roya. 13 Ago 'Bädri'ba Josia enji voi lu awi mäturo se ogone 'buzele Yerusalema ro yasi ana te, ndi le ogone ŋgäṛiŋwadri 'bereŋwa ice ido ro roya, se Solomo 'bädri'ba Yisaraele ro kobebe Asetarete lu tokoro undiro Sidona'bai ro, ago Kemosa lu Moaba ro ndi Milekoma lu Amona'bai ro mätuza ana. 14 'Bädri'ba Josia toga vo caricari se abebe kuni si ana te jinyijinyi ago ga beti lu tokoro Asera rote vuru, ago nda tisi vose ànya kedreyibe kkigye ana te kowa lidri rosi.
15 Ndrani 'do risi Josia pere vo tori oloro Betele ya, se Yeroboama ŋgwa Nebata ro kobebe lu awi mätuza, se koloci Yisaraele be takozi oyene ana te vuru ago tufu kuniŋwà ànyaro te jinyijinyi, 'bi ànya te foda ago nda za lu tokoro Asera kpate. 16 Ondro Josia kozamite oko, nda ndre 'budrii te 'bereŋwa dri, nda zo lazo te ago ewe kowa teni 'budrii kai yasi ago za ànya te vo tori oloro dri, ago enji vo tori oloro te, oso ata OPI ro se nebi kayobe, ṛo kyeno ana ronye.
17 'Dooko nda atate ekye: “Kuni mandrebe lau ana e'diyi ya?”
Ago lidri 'bakici ro zatadri ndaro te ekye: “Ana orivoya 'budri nebi se kikyibe ni Yuda yasi ago kiti tase cini miyebe vo tori oloro Betele ro ri ono tana be ṛo kyeno ana ro.”
18 Josia atate ekye: “Nyè'be kori inye, 'diaza kona kowa ndaro ko.”
Ta'dota ànya e'beyi kowa ndaro te, ndi tro kowa nebi se kikyibe ni Samaria yasi ana robe.
19 Voi lu awi mäturo se cini 'bakicii Samaria ro yasi se 'bädri'bai Yisaraele ro kolobeyibe, se kekoyi ya OPI robe oŋgane kyilaro sina kai nda pere te, nda ye vo cini tori oloro kai te oso se nda koyebe se Betele ya ri kai ronye. 20 Ago nda tufu kohanii cini lui awi ro se orivoya lau kai te, voi tori oloro drisi, ago za kowa lidri rote ànya drisi. 'Dooko nda gote Yerusalema ya.
Josia ye Karama Lävu Odra ro rote
(2 Ambâ 35:1-19)21 'Bädri'ba Josia ta lidri cini te ekye: “Mìye karama Lävu Odra ro ro OPI Lu amiro ri, oso se egyi tana te buku tao'baro ono ya ono ronye.” 22 Aye karama Lävu Odra ro ro aza kote oso nonye eto ṛoni tui vureope'bai se kimiriyi Yisaraele'bai be rosi; kode tui 'bädri'bai Yisaraele ro ndi Yuda robe rosi; 23 oko ndroa 'butealo fonjidriena miri 'Bädri'ba Josia ro rosi oko aye karama Lävu Odra ro ro ono te Yerusalema ya.
Ŋgatoza Azaka se Josia yebe
24 'Bädri'ba Josia ana ta ata'ba tori avo robe ndi kwozoi be ndi lui zo robe ndi lui edeedero be ndi ŋgase cini undiro andrebe wari Yuda ro ndi Yerusalema robe ya te, tana nda ko'ba aye ota se egyite buku se kohani Ilekia kusube Yekalu ya ana ro robe. 25 'Bädri'ba käti aza a'do kote oso nda ronye, se indurute OPI ri ya cini ndaro si, tauni cini ndaro si ago mbara cini ndaro si, ota Musa ro orooro ro; 'bädri'ba aza go a'do kpa kote oso nda ronye nda vosi.
26 Caoko kyila ndra OPI ro Yuda lomvo kye kote ta tase 'Bädri'ba Manase koyebe ya OPI ro ekoza ana rota. 27 OPI atate ekye: “Manana Yuda kpa 'da ni mi maro yasi, oso mana Yisaraele be ronye, ago mavona 'bakici Yerusalema se manjibe ono ndi zwi cowa, ndi Yekalu se makye ma mätuzana kigye ana be.”
Ädu 'Dimiri Josia ro
(2 Ambâ 35:20–36:1)28 Taoye cini azaka se Josia koyebe egyi tana te Buku Ambâ ro 'Bädri'bai Yuda ro roya. 29 Tu 'Bädri'ba Josia rosi, Neko 'bädri'ba Ezipeto ro oyite 'bädri'ba Asaria ro opane Golo Eferata ya. 'Bädri'ba Josia oyite kyila oyene 'bädri'ba Ezipeto ro be Megido ya ago 'bädri'ba Neko fu ndate lau. 30 Ago dri'bai losi ro ndaro ŋgyiyi avo ndaro te arabia si ni Megido yasi eziyi nda te Yerusalema ya ago seyi nda te 'budri modo ndaro ya. 'Dooko lidri Yuda ro njiyi ŋgwa Josia ro Joaza te ago äṛuyi ndate a'done 'bädri'ba ro vo täpi ndaro roya.
Joaza 'Bädri'ba Yuda ro
(2 Ambâ 36:2-4)31 Joaza ka eto 'dimiri oko ndroa ndaro te orivoya 'buteritu fonätu, nda mirivote imba nätu Yerusalema ya. Ävuru endre ndaro ro ni Amutala ŋguti Yeremaya ro ni 'bakici Libena yasi. 32 Ago nda yete tase undiro ayani OPI mile, oso se cini zutui ndaro koloyeyibe ronye. 33 Neko 'bädri'ba Ezipeto ro 'ba Joaza te kamba'ba ro Ribela ya wari Amata roya, ukyi nda mirivo 'da Yerusalema ya ago 'batate lidri Yuda ro ri talentaro kama alo (100) mo'di ro ndi talentaro alo logo läguläguro robe ozone. 34 Neko 'bädri'ba Ezipeto ro 'ba Eliakima ŋgwa Josia rote 'bädri'ba ro vo täpi ndaro Josia roya, ago toza ävuru ndaro te Jehoiakima. Oko nda ru Joaza te ago ezi nda te Ezipeto ya, ago nda drate lau.
Jehoiakima 'Bädri'ba Yuda ro
(2 Ambâ 36:5-8)35 'Bädri'ba Jehoiakima ozo mo'di ndi logo läguläguro be te Neko 'bädri'ba Ezipeto ro ri. Nda 'ba tate parata driutwe ro urune ago ozone oso 'bädri'ba Neko ko'ba tana be ronye. Nda ru mo'di ndi logo läguläguro be teni lidri rigyesi oso se atibe 'di alo alo ri ozone a'do ŋga ànyaro ro voro ronye.
36 Jehoiakima ka eto 'dimiri oko ndroa ndaro te orivoya 'buteritu fonji, nda mirivote ndroa 'butealo foalo Yerusalema ya. Endre ndaro ävuruna ni Zebida ŋguti Pedaya ro ni 'bakici Ruma yasi. 37 Nda yete tase undiro ayani OPI mile, oso se cini zutui ndaro koloyeyibe ronye.