Chapter 24
1 UYowashe ubeminyaka isixhenxe ezelwe, ukuba ngukumkani kwakhe; waba neminyaka emashumi mane engukumkani eYerusalem. Igama lonina belinguTsibheya waseBher-shebha.
2 UYowashe wenza okuthe tye emehlweni kaYehova yonke imihla kaYehoyada umbingeleli.
3 UYehoyada wamzekela abafazi ababini; wazala oonyana neentombi.
4 Kwathi emveni koko kwaba sentliziyweni kaYowashe, ukuba ayihlaziye indlu kaYehova.
5 Wabahlanganisa ababingeleli nabaLevi, wathi kubo, Phumani niye emizini yakwaYuda, nibuthe imali kumaSirayeli onke, yokuyihlaziya indlu kaThixo wenu iminyaka ngeminyaka; yikhawuleziseni loo nto. Ke abaLevi abayikhawulezisanga.
6 Ukumkani wambiza uYehoyada umbingeleli omkhulu, wathi kuye, Yini na ukuba ungabaveleli abaLevi, bayizise irhafu kumaYuda naseYerusalem, ngokomyalelo kaMoses, umkhonzi kaYehova, nowebandla lamaSirayeli, ngenxa yentente yesingqiniso?
7 (Ngokuba uAtaliya, laa mfazi ungendawo, noonyana bakhe, babeyigqobhozile indlu kaThixo; kananjalo zonke izinto ezingcwele zendlu kaYehova babezenze ezooBhahali.)
8 Wathi ukumkani, mabenze umkhombe, bawubeke esangweni lendlu kaYehova ngaphandle.
9 Bathumela ilizwi kwaYuda naseYerusalem, ukuba kuziswe kuYehova irhafu eyamiswa nguMoses umkhonzi kaThixo, phezu kwamaSirayeli entlango.
10 Bavuya bonke abathetheli, nabantu bonke; bayizisa, bayiphosa emkhombeni wada wazala.
11 Kwathi ke ngexesha lokuziswa komkhombe ngesandla sabaLevi kubaveleli bokumkani, bakubona ukuba ininzi imali, weza umbhali wokumkani, nomveleli wombingeleli omkhulu, bayikhupha imali esemkhombeni, baza bawuthwala, bawubuyisela endaweni yawo. Benjenjalo imihla ngemihla, bahlanganisa imali yaninzi.
12 Ukumkani noYehoyada bayinikela kubenzi bomsebenzi wenkonzo endlwini kaYehova; bona baqesha abaxholi bamatye neengcibi zemithi, ukuba bayihlaziye indlu kaYehova; neengcibi zesinyiti, nezobhedu; ukuba zilungise indlu kaYehova.
13 Basebenza ke abenzi bomsebenzi; wenyuka umsebenzi wokuyihlaziya ezandleni zabo; bayimisa indlu kaThixo, yazinziswa, yazinyaswa.
14 Bakuyigqiba, bayizisa imali eseleyo phambi kokumkani noYehoyada, benza ngayo iimpahla zendlu kaYehova, iimpahla zokulungiselela, nezamadini anyukayo, neenkamba, neempahla zegolide nezesilivere. Baye benyusa amadini anyukayo endlwini kaYehova ngamaxesha onke, yonke imihla kaYehoyada.
15 Ke uYehoyada wayeseleyingwevu, ehambisekile ebudaleni, ukufa kwakhe. Ebeminyaka ilikhulu linamanci mathathu ezelwe, ukufa kwakhe.
16 Bamngcwabela emzini kaDavide kookumkani; ngokuba wenza okulungileyo kwaSirayeli, nakuThixo, nakwindlu yakhe.
17 Emva kokufa kukaYehoyada, beza abathetheli bakwaYuda, baqubuda kukumkani. Waza wabaphulaphula ukumkani.
18 Bayishiya indlu kaYehova, uThixo wooyise, bakhonza ooAshera nezithixo. Afikelwa buburhalarhume amaYuda neYerusalem ngenxa yelo tyala lawo.
19 Wathuma abaprofeti kubo bokubabuyisela kuYehova, babaqononondisa; ke bona abaphulaphula noko.
20 UMoya kaThixo wamthi gqubuthu uZekariya, unyana kaYehoyada umbingeleli, wema phezu kwabantu, wathi kubo, Utsho uThixo ukuthi, Yini na ukuba niyigqithe imithetho kaYehova, nize ningabi nampumelelo? Ngokuba nimshiyile uYehova, wonishiya nani.
21 Bamceba bamxuluba ngamatye, ngokomthetho wokumkani entendelezweni yendlu kaYehova.
22 Wenjenjalo uYowashe ukumkani, akayikhumbula inceba abeyenzile uYehoyada, uyise kaZekariya, kuye; wesuka wambulala unyana wakhe. Ekufeni kwakhe wathi, UYehova wokhangela abuze.
23 Kwathi ekupheleni komnyaka, yenyuka yeza kuye impi yama-Aram; eza kwaYuda naseYerusalem, abatshabalalisa bonke abathetheli babantu ebantwini; onke amaxhoba awo awathumela kukumkani waseDamasko.
24 Ngokuba impi yama-Aram yeza inamadoda ambalwa; uYehova wanikela esandleni sawo impi eninzi kunene; ngokuba babemshiyile uYehova, uThixo wooyise. Amgweba ke uYowashe.
25 Ekumkeni kwawo kuye (ngokuba amshiya eneentlungu ezinkulu), bamceba abakhonzi bakhe (ngenxa yamagazi oonyana bakaYehoyada umbingeleli), bambulalela esingqengqelweni sakhe, wafa; bamngcwabela emzini kaDavide; ke abamngcwabelanga emangcwabeni ookumkani.
26 Abo ke bamcebayo nguZabhadi, unyana kaShimehati umAmonikazi, noYozabhadi, unyana kaShimriti umMowabhikazi.
27 Ke oonyana bakhe, nobuninzi bezihlabo ezimsongelayo, nokusekwa kwendlu kaThixo, nanzo zibhaliwe ezincwadini zamabali ookumkani. UAmatsiya, unyana wakhe, waba ngukumkani esikhundleni sakhe.