Hesekia Ɔsom Nhyehyɛe Foforo
1Afahyɛ no twaa mu no, Israelfo a wɔkɔɔ bi no kɔɔ Yuda, Benyamin, Efraim ne Manase nkurow nyinaa so, kɔsɛee afadum kronkron no, twitwaa Asera nnua no, yiyii abosonsomfo nsɔree so ne afɔremuka no. Eyi akyi, Israelfo no san kɔɔ wɔn nkurow so ne wɔn afi mu.
2Hesekia kyekyɛɛ asɔfo no ne Lewifo no mu akuwakuw, sɛ wɔmmɔ ɔhyew afɔre ne asomdwoe afɔre, sɛ wɔnsom, na wɔmfa aseda ne nkamfo mma Awurade wɔ Asɔredan no apon ano. 3Ɔhene no ankasa fii nea ɔwɔ mu maa anɔpa ne anwummere, nnaawɔtwe homeda afahyɛ ne Ɔsram Foforo Afahyɛ no ne afirihyia afɔre a aka no ɔhyew afɔrebɔde, sɛnea wɔakyerɛw wɔ Awurade Mmara no mu no. 4Ɔhyɛɛ sɛ nnipa a wɔwɔ Yerusalem no mfa nea wonya mu kyɛfa a mmara no ka no bɛma asɔfo no ne Lewifo no, sɛnea ɛbɛma wɔde wɔn ho nyinaa ahyɛ Awurade Mmara no mu.
5Nnipa no tiee no aso pa mu, na wofi koma pa mu de atoko, nsa foforo, ngo, ɛwo ne wɔn nnɔbae nkae mu nea edi kan nyinaa bae. Wɔde wɔn ahode biara mu ntotoso du du bae. 6Nnipa a wotu fii Israel baa Yuda no ne Yudafo no ankasa de wɔn anantwi ne wɔn nguan so ntotoso du du ne nneɛma a wɔahyira so ama Awurade, wɔn Nyankopɔn no so ntotoso du du bae. Wɔboaa ano ma ɛyɛɛ akuw akɛseakɛse. 7Wɔde saa ntotoso du du a edi kan no baa ɔsram a ɛto so abiɛsa no awiei mu, na nneɛma no anoboa kɔɔ so kosii ɔsram a ɛto so ason no mfiase mu. 8Bere a Hesekia ne ne mpanyimfo behuu nneɛma no dodow no, wɔdaa Awurade ne ne nkurɔfo Israel ase.
9Hesekia bisaa asɔfo no ne Lewifo no se, “Ɛhe na eyinom nyinaa fi bae?” 10Na ɔsɔfopanyin Asaria a ofi Sadok abusua mu buae se, “Efi bere a ɔmanfo fii ase sɛ wɔde akyɛde reba Awurade Asɔredan mu no, yɛanya bebree a yebedi ama bi aka, efisɛ Awurade ahyira ne nkurɔfo.”
11Hesekia yɛɛ nʼadwene sɛ obenya adekoradan wɔ Awurade Asɔredan no mu, na wɔyɛe. 12Na wodii nokware de akyɛde no ne ntotoso du du no nyinaa baa Asɔredan no mu. Wɔde hyɛɛ Lewini Kenania nsa maa ne nua Simei yɛɛ ne boafo. 13Na Yehiel, Asasia, Nahat, Asahel, Yerimot, Yosabad, Eliel, Ismakia, Mahat ne Benaia yɛ wɔn a wɔhwɛ hɔ no aboafo. Ɔhene Hesekia ne Asaria a na ɔyɛ wɔn a na wɔhwɛ Onyankopɔn Asɔredan no mu so panyin no na wɔkyekyɛɛ saa dibea ahorow yi.
14Lewini Yimna babarima Kore a ɔyɛ Apuei Pon ano hwɛfo no na wɔde hyɛɛ ne nsa sɛ ɔnkyekyɛ Onyankopɔn ayamye afɔrebɔde a ɛyɛ akyɛde ne nneɛma a wɔde ama Awurade no. 15Nʼaboafo nokwafo no ne Eden, Miniamin, Yesua, Semaia, Amaria ne Sekania. Na wɔkyekyɛɛ nneɛma no maa asɔfo mmusua a wɔwɔ wɔn nkurow so sɛnea wɔn nkyekyɛmu te, na wɔkyɛɛ nneɛma no pɛpɛɛpɛ maa mmofra ne mpanyin.
16Na wɔkyɛɛ mmarimaa a wɔadi mfe abiɛsa rekɔ nyinaa akyɛde no bi a wɔn din wɔ wɔn anato nhoma mu, na da biara wɔkɔ Awurade Asɔredan mu, kɔyɛ wɔn nnwuma a wɔde ahyɛ wɔn kuw no nsa no. 17Na wɔkyɛɛ nneɛma no maa asɔfo a wɔakyerɛw wɔn din wɔ wɔn anato nhoma mu ne Lewifo a wɔadi mfe aduonu ne nea ɛboro saa, a wɔahyehyɛ wɔn din sɛnea wɔn nnwuma ne wɔn nkyekyɛmu te no. 18Na wɔmaa abusuafo a wɔakyerɛw wɔn din wɔ anato nhoma mu a nkokoaa, ɔyerenom ne mmabarima ne mmabea nso ka ho nnuan. Efisɛ na wɔadi nokware adwira wɔn ho.
19Na asɔfo, Aaron asefo a na wɔtete nkuraa a atwa nkurow no ho ahyia no anaa nkurow no mu no de, woyiyii nnipa ma wɔkyɛɛ ɔbarima biara a ɔfra asɔfo no mu ne Lewifo a wɔakyerɛw wɔn din anato mu no nneɛma no bi.
20Saa ɔkwan yi so na Hesekia fa kyɛɛ nneɛma wɔ Yudaman no mu nyinaa, na ɔyɛɛ nea ɛfata na ɛsɔ Awurade, ne Nyankopɔn ani. 21Nea Hesekia yɛɛ nyinaa de som wɔ Onyankopɔn Asɔredan no mu, ne mmɔden a ɔbɔɔ sɛ obedi ne mmara ne nʼahyɛde so no, ɔde ne koma nyinaa hwehwɛɛ ne Nyankopɔn. Ne saa nti, ɛma onyaa nkɔso bebree.
1The Passover Feast came to an end. The people of Israel who were in Jerusalem went out to the towns of Judah. They smashed the sacred stones. They cut down the poles used to worship the female god named Asherah. They destroyed the high places and the altars. They did those things all through Judah and Benjamin. They also did them in Ephraim and Manasseh. They destroyed all the objects used to worship other gods. Then the Israelites returned to their own towns and property.
The People Bring Gifts to the Lord
2Hezekiah put the priests and Levites in groups based on their duties. The priests sacrificed burnt offerings and friendship offerings. The Levites served the Lord by giving thanks and singing praises at the gates of his house. 3The king gave some of his own possessions to the temple. He gave them for the morning and evening burnt offerings. He gave them for the burnt offerings for every Sabbath day. He gave them for the burnt offerings for every New Moon feast. And he gave them for the burnt offerings for every yearly appointed feast. He did it in keeping with what is written in the Law of the Lord. 4Hezekiah gave an order to the people who were living in Jerusalem. He commanded them to give to the priests and Levites the share they owed them. Then the priests and Levites could give their full attention to the Law of the Lord. 5The order went out. Right away the people of Israel began to give freely. They gave the first share of the harvest of their grain, fresh wine, olive oil and honey. They also gave the first share of everything else their fields produced. They brought a large amount. It was a tenth of everything. 6Here is what the people of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah brought. They brought a tenth of their herds and flocks. They also brought a tenth of the holy things they had set apart to the Lord their God. They put them in piles. 7They began doing it in the third month. They finished in the seventh month. 8Hezekiah and his officials came and saw the piles. When they did, they praised the Lord. And they blessed his people Israel.
9Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the piles. 10Azariah the chief priest answered him. He said, “The people have been bringing their gifts to the Lord’s temple. Ever since they began to bring them, we’ve had enough to eat. We have even had plenty to spare. That’s because the Lord has blessed his people. So we have a large amount left over.” Azariah was from the family line of Zadok.
11Hezekiah gave orders to prepare storerooms in the Lord’s temple. And it was done. 12The people were faithful. They brought in their offerings and a tenth of everything they produced. They also brought the gifts they had set apart to the Lord. Konaniah the Levite was in charge of everything they brought. His brother Shimei was next in command after him. 13Konaniah and his brother Shimei had helpers who worked with them. Their names were Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath and Benaiah. King Hezekiah and Azariah had appointed them. Azariah was the official in charge of God’s temple.
14Kore the Levite guarded the East Gate. He was in charge of the offerings people chose to give to God. He handed out the offerings made to the Lord. He also handed out the gifts that had been set apart to the Lord. Kore was the son of Imnah. 15Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shekaniah helped Kore. They were faithful in helping him in the towns of the priests. They handed out gifts to their brother priests, group by group. They gave the gifts to old men and young men alike.
16In addition to that, they handed out gifts to the males who were three years old or more. The names of those males were listed in their family history. All of them would enter the Lord’s temple. They would carry out their duties each day. Each group did all the different things it was supposed to do. 17Kore and his Levite companions also handed out gifts to the priests. The priests were listed by their families in their family history. Those Levites also handed out gifts to the Levites who were 20 years old or more. Each group did all the different things it was supposed to do. 18Those groups included all the little ones, the wives, and the sons and daughters of the whole community. All of them were listed in their family history. They were faithful in setting themselves apart to serve the Lord.
19Some of the priests lived in other towns or on farms around their towns. They were from the family line of Aaron. Men were chosen by name to hand out shares to those priests. They gave a share to every male among them. They also gave a share to everyone whose name was written down in the family history of the Levites.
20That’s what Hezekiah did all through Judah. He did what was good and right. He was faithful to the Lord his God. 21He tried to obey his God. He worked for him with all his heart. That’s the way he worked in everything he did to serve God’s temple. He obeyed the law. He followed the Lord’s commands. So he had success.
