UHezekiya uhlambulula indlu kaThixo
1UHezekiya wayeneminyaka emashumi mabini anantlanu ukungena kwakhe ebukhosini, waza walawula eJerusalem iminyaka engamashumi amabini anethoba. Unina yayinguAbhiya intombi kaZakariya. 2Njengoyise-mkhulu uDavide naye wênza okuhle emehlweni *kaNdikhoyo.
3Ngenyanga yokuqala yonyaka wakhe wokuqala ekulawuleni, wayivula indlu kaNdikhoyo, wawahlaziya amasango ayo. 4Ababingeleli nabaLevi wabaqokelela kwinkundla esempuma, wathetha nabo, 5wathi: “BaLevi, ndiphulaphuleni; zihlambululeni, ze niyihlambulule nayo indlu kaNdikhoyo uThixo wooyihlo. Yisuseni yonke into enomlaza endaweni engcwele. 6Oobawo zange banyaniseke; benze okubi emehlweni *kaNdikhoyo uThixo wethu, bakreqa kuye. Ewe, basuka bamfulathela uNdikhoyo ndawonye nendawo ahlala kuyo. 7Bazivala iingcango zevaranda, bazicima nezibane. Bayeka ukwenza iziqhumiso, kananjalo nokumenzela amadini atshiswayo uThixo kaSirayeli kwindawo engcwele. 8Ngoko ke ingqumbo kaNdikhoyo iphezu koJuda neJerusalem. Ezi ndawo wazitsho zayinto eyoyikekayo, inyumnyezi nesigculelo, nto leyo ke esizibonelayo ngawethu amehlo. 9Ngenxa yale nto ke oobawo babulawa ngekrele, bona oonyana neentombi nabafazi bethu basiwa ekuthinjweni. 10Ngoku ndizimisele ukwenza umnqophiso noNdikhoyo uThixo kaSirayeli, khon' ukuze ithothe ingqumbo yakhe ngakuthi. 11Bonyana, ngoku musani ukuba ngabangakhathaliyo; kaloku uNdikhoyo uninyulile ukuze nime phambi kwakhe, nimsebenzele, nimlungiselele, nenze iziqhumiso.”
12Aba baLevi ke bangena emsebenzini:
kumaKohati: uMahati unyana ka-Amasayi, noYoweli unyana ka-Azariya;
kumaMerari: uKishe unyana ka-Abhedi, noAzariya unyana kaJehaleli;
kumaGershon: uJowa unyana kaZima, noEden unyana kaJowa;
13kwinzala kaElizafan: uShimri noJewuyeli;
kwinzala ka-Asafu: uZakariya noMataniya;
14kwinzala kaHeman: uJewuyeli noShimeyi;
kwinzala kaJedutun: uShemaya noUziyeli.
15Bakuba bewaqokelele amawabo bazihlambulula, baya kuhlambulula nendlu kaNdikhoyo ngokomyalelo kakumkani efezekisa ilizwi likaNdikhoyo.
16Ababingeleli bangena endaweni engcwele endlwini kaNdikhoyo bayihlambulula. Yonke into eyafumaneka inomlaza bayikhuphela enkundleni yendlu kaNdikhoyo. Zonke izinto ezinjalo zathathwa ngabaLevi, baya kuzigalela kwintili yeKedron. 17Le ntlambululo bayiqala ngomhla wokuqala kwinyanga yokuqala, kwaza ke kwathi kuba ngumhla wesibhozo wenyanga leyo babe sebefikelele kwivaranda kaNdikhoyo. Yaba zezinye iintsuku ezisibhozo behlambulula indlu kaNdikhoyo ngokwayo, baza ke bagqibezela ngomhla weshumi elinesithandathu kwakuloo nyanga yokuqala.
18Baza ke baya kukumkani uHezekiya, bathi: “Xa iyonke indlu kaNdikhoyo siyihlambulule: iqonga lamadini atshiswayo nazo zonke izinto ezisetyenziswa kulo, kunye netafile yesonka esisodwa nezinto zayo. 19Sizilungisile sazihlambulula zonke izinto ezakhutshwa ngukumkani uAhazi koko kunganyaniseki kwakhe ngethuba lakhe. Kungokunje nâzo phambi kweqonga likaNdikhoyo.”
Ukusetyenziswa kwendlu kaThixo kuyabuyiselwa
20Kwakusasa ngemini elandelayo ukumkani uHezekiya wawaqokelela amagosa esixeko, waza waya nawo endlwini kaNdikhoyo. 21Beza neenkunzi zeenkomo ezisixhenxe, nesixhenxe seenkunzi zeegusha, namaxhwane eegusha asixhenxe angamaduna, kunye naweebhokhwe ekwasixhenxe ekwangamaduna, zinto ezo benza ngazo idini lesono, besenzela umbuso wonke nendawo engcwele noJuda ngokwakhe. Ke ukumkani wayalela ababingeleli, inzala ka-Aron, ukuba ezo zinto bazenze idini eqongeni likaNdikhoyo. 22Ngoko ke bazixhela ezo nkunzi zeenkomo, baza ke ababingeleli balithatha igazi lazo, bafefa ngalo iqonga elo. Kananjalo ke bazixhela neenkunzi zeegusha, baza bafefa iqonga ngelo gazi lazo. Namaxhwane eegusha bawaxhela, ngegazi lawo bafefa kwaelo qonga. 23Iibhokhwe zedini lesono zona zasiwa kukumkani nebandla, baza ke babeka izandla zabo phezu kwazo. 24Ababingeleli ke bazixhela iibhokhwe ezo, igazi lazo balisa eqongeni laba lidini lesono lokungxengxezela uSirayeli ephela. Kaloku ukumkani wayenze umyalelo mayela nedini elitshiswayo kunye nelesono ngokunxulumene noSirayeli ephela.
25Ukumkani wamisa abaLevi endlwini kaNdikhoyo bephethe amacangci, iihapu, kunye nemirhubhe, ngalaa ndlela yayimiswe nguDavide, nemboni kakumkani uGadi, noNatan *umshumayeli – ndlela leyo ke yayiyalelwe nguNdikhoyo ngabashumayeli bakhe. 26Bema ke abaLevi, bephethe ezo zikhalisi zikaDavide, ababingeleli bona bephethe amaxilongo.
27UHezekiya ke wayalela ukuba kwenziwe idini elitshiswayo apho eqongeni. Lathi ke lakuqaliswa idini elo, yaqalisa nengoma kudunyiswa uNdikhoyo, ikhatshwa ngamaxilongo nezikhalisi zikaDavide ukumkani wakwaSirayeli. 28Lonke ibandla lakhahlela linqula, zabe nazo iimvumi zisitsho, namaxilongo ngokunjalo. Zaqhuba njalo ke lada lafezeka elo dini litshiswayo.
29Lakugqitywa ke elo dini litshiswayo ukumkani naye wonke umntu owayelapho baguqa benqula. 30Ukumkani uHezekiya enamaphakathi bayalela abaLevi ukuba badumise uNdikhoyo ngamazwi kaDavide kunye nawemboni uAsafu. Ngoko ke batsho ngentswahla bedumisa ngovuyo olukhulu, baza ke bakhahlela benqula.
31Wathi ke ukumkani uHezekiya: “Ngoku ke nizinikezele kuNdikhoyo. Ngoko ke zisani amadini neminikelo yokubulela endlwini kaNdikhoyo.” Ewe ke, ibandla lawazisa amadini kunye neminikelo yokubulela, baza ke bonke abaqhutywa ziintliziyo zabo benza amadini atshiswayo.
32Amadini awenziwa libandla elo yayingamashumi asixhenxe eenkunzi zeenkomo, ikhulu leenkunzi zeegusha, namakhulu amabini amaxhwane angamaduna; zizonke ezo zinto zenzelwa uNdikhoyo idini elitshiswayo. 33Imfuyo eyanikelwa ukwenza amadini yayisisithandathu samakhulu eenkunzi zeenkomo, namawaka amathathu eegusha neebhokhwe. 34Ababingeleli ke babembalwa ukuhlinza loo madini bebodwa, ngoko ke bancediswa zizizalwana zabo abaLevi, wada wafezeka umcimbi lowo, nangokongezeka kwababingeleli abahlanjululwayo. Kaloku abaLevi bona babekukhuthalele ukuzihlambulula kunababingeleli abo. 35Ayemaninzi amadini atshiswayo, ngokunjalo namanqatha edini lobudlelwana, nedini elithululwayo elalikhapha loo madini atshiswayo.
Ngaloo ndlela ke kwabuyiselwa ukusetyenziswa kwendlu kaNdikhoyo. 36UHezekiya nabantu bephela yabonwabisa into awabenzela yona uThixo, kuba yonke yenzeka ngokukhawuleza.
