1 UHezekiya wayeneminyaka emashumi mabini anantlanu ukungena kwakhe ebukhosini, waza walawula eJerusalem iminyaka engamashumi amabini anethoba. Unina yayinguAbhiya intombi kaZakariya.
2 Njengoyise-mkhulu uDavide naye wênza okuhle emehlweni *kaNdikhoyo.
3 Ngenyanga yokuqala yonyaka wakhe wokuqala ekulawuleni, wayivula indlu kaNdikhoyo, wawahlaziya amasango ayo.
4 Ababingeleli nabaLevi wabaqokelela kwinkundla esempuma, wathetha nabo,
5 wathi: “BaLevi, ndiphulaphuleni; zihlambululeni, ze niyihlambulule nayo indlu kaNdikhoyo uThixo wooyihlo. Yisuseni yonke into enomlaza endaweni engcwele.
6 Oobawo zange banyaniseke; benze okubi emehlweni *kaNdikhoyo uThixo wethu, bakreqa kuye. Ewe, basuka bamfulathela uNdikhoyo ndawonye nendawo ahlala kuyo.
7 Bazivala iingcango zevaranda, bazicima nezibane. Bayeka ukwenza iziqhumiso, kananjalo nokumenzela amadini atshiswayo uThixo kaSirayeli kwindawo engcwele.
8 Ngoko ke ingqumbo kaNdikhoyo iphezu koJuda neJerusalem. Ezi ndawo wazitsho zayinto eyoyikekayo, inyumnyezi nesigculelo, nto leyo ke esizibonelayo ngawethu amehlo.
9 Ngenxa yale nto ke oobawo babulawa ngekrele, bona oonyana neentombi nabafazi bethu basiwa ekuthinjweni.
10 Ngoku ndizimisele ukwenza umnqophiso noNdikhoyo uThixo kaSirayeli, khon' ukuze ithothe ingqumbo yakhe ngakuthi.
11 Bonyana, ngoku musani ukuba ngabangakhathaliyo; kaloku uNdikhoyo uninyulile ukuze nime phambi kwakhe, nimsebenzele, nimlungiselele, nenze iziqhumiso.”
12 Aba 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;
13 kwinzala kaElizafan: uShimri noJewuyeli;kwinzala ka-Asafu: uZakariya noMataniya;
14 kwinzala kaHeman: uJewuyeli noShimeyi;kwinzala kaJedutun: uShemaya noUziyeli.
15 Bakuba bewaqokelele amawabo bazihlambulula, baya kuhlambulula nendlu kaNdikhoyo ngokomyalelo kakumkani efezekisa ilizwi likaNdikhoyo.
16 Ababingeleli bangena endaweni engcwele endlwini kaNdikhoyo bayihlambulula. Yonke into eyafumaneka inomlaza bayikhuphela enkundleni yendlu kaNdikhoyo. Zonke izinto ezinjalo zathathwa ngabaLevi, baya kuzigalela kwintili yeKedron.
17 Le 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.
18 Baza ke baya kukumkani uHezekiya, bathi: “Xa iyonke indlu kaNdikhoyo siyihlambulule: iqonga lamadini atshiswayo nazo zonke izinto ezisetyenziswa kulo, kunye netafile yesonka esisodwa nezinto zayo.
19 Sizilungisile sazihlambulula zonke izinto ezakhutshwa ngukumkani uAhazi koko kunganyaniseki kwakhe ngethuba lakhe. Kungokunje nâzo phambi kweqonga likaNdikhoyo.”
20 Kwakusasa ngemini elandelayo ukumkani uHezekiya wawaqokelela amagosa esixeko, waza waya nawo endlwini kaNdikhoyo.
21 Beza 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.
22 Ngoko 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.
23 Iibhokhwe zedini lesono zona zasiwa kukumkani nebandla, baza ke babeka izandla zabo phezu kwazo.
24 Ababingeleli 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.
25 Ukumkani 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.
26 Bema ke abaLevi, bephethe ezo zikhalisi zikaDavide, ababingeleli bona bephethe amaxilongo.
27 UHezekiya ke wayalela ukuba kwenziwe idini elitshiswayo apho eqongeni. Lathi ke lakuqaliswa idini elo, yaqalisa nengoma kudunyiswa uNdikhoyo, ikhatshwa ngamaxilongo nezikhalisi zikaDavide ukumkani wakwaSirayeli.
28 Lonke ibandla lakhahlela linqula, zabe nazo iimvumi zisitsho, namaxilongo ngokunjalo. Zaqhuba njalo ke lada lafezeka elo dini litshiswayo.
29 Lakugqitywa ke elo dini litshiswayo ukumkani naye wonke umntu owayelapho baguqa benqula.
30 Ukumkani uHezekiya enamaphakathi bayalela abaLevi ukuba badumise uNdikhoyo ngamazwi kaDavide kunye nawemboni uAsafu. Ngoko ke batsho ngentswahla bedumisa ngovuyo olukhulu, baza ke bakhahlela benqula.
31 Wathi 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.
32 Amadini awenziwa libandla elo yayingamashumi asixhenxe eenkunzi zeenkomo, ikhulu leenkunzi zeegusha, namakhulu amabini amaxhwane angamaduna; zizonke ezo zinto zenzelwa uNdikhoyo idini elitshiswayo.
33 Imfuyo eyanikelwa ukwenza amadini yayisisithandathu samakhulu eenkunzi zeenkomo, namawaka amathathu eegusha neebhokhwe.
34 Ababingeleli 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.
35 Ayemaninzi amadini atshiswayo, ngokunjalo namanqatha edini lobudlelwana, nedini elithululwayo elalikhapha loo madini atshiswayo.Ngaloo ndlela ke kwabuyiselwa ukusetyenziswa kwendlu kaNdikhoyo.
36 UHezekiya nabantu bephela yabonwabisa into awabenzela yona uThixo, kuba yonke yenzeka ngokukhawuleza.