1 UHezekhiya wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lemihlanu ubudala ethatha ubukhosi, njalo wabusa eJerusalema okweminyaka engamatshumi amabili lasificamunwemunye. Ibizo likanina lalingu-Abhija indodakazi kaZakhariya. 2 Wenza okulungileyo phambi kukaThixo, njengalokho okwakwenziwe nguyise uDavida.

3 Ngenyanga yakuqala ngomnyaka wakuqala wokubusa kwakhe, wavula iminyango yethempeli likaThixo wayilungisa. 4 Wamema abaphristi kanye labaLevi, wababuthanisa egumeni eliseceleni langempumalanga 5 wathi: “Lalelani kimi, lina baLevi! Zihlambululeni khathesi njalo lihlambulule lethempeli likaThixo, uNkulunkulu waboyihlo. Lisuse amanyala endaweni engcwele. 6 Obaba babengathembekanga; benza okubi emehlweni kaThixo uNkulunkulu wethu bamdela. Indawo kaThixo bayincitsha ubuso bakhangela eceleni njalo bamfulathela uThixo. 7 Bavala njalo izivalo zomphempe bacitsha izibane. Abazange batshise impepha njalo kabalethanga iminikelo yokutshiswa endaweni engcwele kaNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli. 8 Ngakho ulaka lukaThixo selwehlele phezu kwabakoJuda laphezu kwabaseJerusalema; uThixo usebenze besabeka, bathuthumelisa baba yinto yokweyiswa, njengoba lizibonela ngawenu amehlo. 9 Lokhu sekubangele ukubulawa kwabo ngenkemba njalo lokuthi amadodana lamadodakazi labomkethu babe sekuthunjweni. 10 Khathesi ngifuna ukwenza isivumelwano loThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, ukuze ulaka lwakhe oluvuthayo lusidedele. 11 Madodana ami, kalingabi ngabangananziyo ngoba uThixo uselikhethile lina ukuma phambi kwakhe limkhonze, limsebenzele lokutshisa impepha.”

15 Bathi sebebuthanise abafowabo bazihlambulula bona, bangena ukuyahlambulula ithempeli likaThixo, njengokuqondisa kwenkosi, eyayilandela ilizwi likaThixo. 16 Abaphristi bangena endaweni engcwele kaThixo ukuba bayeyihlambulula. Konke okwakungcolile ethempelini likaThixo bakukhuphela egumeni lethempeli likaThixo. AbaLevi bakuthwala baya lakho eSigodini saseKhidironi. 17 Baqalisa ukwahlukanisela ngosuku lwakuqala lwenyanga yakuqala, kwathi ngosuku lwesificaminwembili lwenyanga bafika emphempeni kaThixo. Ngezinsuku ezilandelayo ezificaminwembili bangcwelisa ithempeli likaThixo uqobo, baze baqeda ngosuku lwetshumi lesithupha lwenyanga yakuqala.

18 Basebengena enkosini uHezekhiya ukuba bayembikela bathi: “Sesilihlambulule lonke ithempeli likaThixo, le-alithari lomnikelo wokutshiswa lezitsha zalo zonke, kanye lethala lokwendlalela isinkwa esingcwelisiweyo kanye lazozonke impahla zakhona. 19 Sesilungise sangcwelisa zonke izitsha ezasuswa yinkosi u-Ahazi ngokungathembeki kwakhe eseseyinkosi. Khathesi seziphambi kwe-alithari likaThixo.”

20 Ekuseni ngosuku olulandelayo inkosi uHezekhiya wabuthanisa izikhulu zedolobho ndawonye wasesiya ethempelini likaThixo. 21 Baletha inkunzi eziyisikhombisa, lenqama eziyisikhombisa, lamazinyane ezimvu amaduna ayisikhombisa kanye lempongo eziyisikhombisa kungumnikelo wesono sombuso, lesendlu yokukhonzela kanye lesikaJuda. Inkosi yalaya abaphristi, abenzalo ka-Aroni, ukunikela ngalokho e-alithareni likaThixo. 22 Ngakho babulala inkunzi, abaphristi bathatha igazi bachela ngalo e-alithareni; kwalandela inqama abazibulala bachela igazi lazo e-alithareni; basebebulala amazinyane ezimvu bachela igazi lawo e-alithareni. 23 Impongo zomnikelo wesono zalethwa phambi kwenkosi laphambi kwebandla, babeka izandla zabo phezu kwazo. 24 Abaphristi basebebulala impongo baletha igazi lazo e-alithareni kungumnikelo wesono ukuze kwenzelwe wonke u-Israyeli indlela yokubuyisana, ngoba inkosi yayilaye ukuthi kube lomnikelo wokutshiswa lomnikelo wesono kunikelelwa wonke u-Israyeli.

25 AbaLevi yababeka phakathi kwethempeli likaThixo belezigubhu, lamachacho lemihubhe njengalokho okwakumiswe nguDavida loGadi umboni wenkosi loNathani umphrofethi; lokhu kwakungumlayo kaThixo oweza ngabaphrofethi bakhe. 26 Ngakho abaLevi balinda belamachacho kaDavida, abaphristi belamacilongo.

27 UHezekhiya wakhupha isiqondiso sokuba kwenziwe umnikelo wokutshiswa e-alithareni. Kuthe kuqalisa umnikelo, ukuhlabelela uThixo lakho kwaqalisa, kwahamba kanyekanye lamacilongo kanye lamachacho kaDavida inkosi yako-Israyeli. 28 Ibandla lonke lakhothama lakhonza, abahlabeleli behlabela labamacilongo bewavuthela. Konke lokhu kwaqhubeka kwaze kwaphela umnikelo wokutshiswa.

29 Ngemva kokuphela kweminikelo inkosi labo bonke ababekhona baguqa bakhonza. 30 Inkosi uHezekhiya lezikhulu zayo yatshela abaLevi ukuba badumise uThixo ngamazwi kaDavida kanye laka-Asafi umboni. Ngakho badumisa ngokuhlabelela ngenjabulo bakhothamisa amakhanda abo bakhonza.

31 UHezekhiya wasesithi, “Selizinikele kuThixo khathesi. Wozani lilethe imihlatshelo leminikelo yokubonga ethempelini likaThixo.” Ngakho ibandla laletha imihlatshelo leminikelo, yokubonga, njalo ababelenhliziyo ezivumayo baletha iminikelo yokutshiswa.

32 Inani leminikelo yokutshiswa eyalethwa libandla kwakuzinkunzi ezingamatshumi ayisikhombisa, inqama ezilikhulu lamazinyane amaduna ezimvu angamakhulu amabili, konke kungokomnikelo wokutshiswa kuThixo. 33 Izifuyo ezahlukaniselwa ukuba ngumhlatshelo kwakuzinkunzi ezingamakhulu ayisithupha lezimvu lembuzi ezizinkulungwane ezintathu. 34 Kodwa, abaphristi babebalutshwana kakhulu ekuhlinzeni ezomnikelo wokutshiswa; ngakho basebencediswa ngabafowabo abaLevi waze waphela umsebenzi njalo abanye abaphristi baze bangcweliswa ngoba abaLevi babekunanzelele kakhulu ukuzingcwelisa kulabaphristi. 35 Umnikelo wokutshiswa wawumnengi, kanye lamafutha omnikelo wobudlelwano kanye lomnikelo wokunathwayo okwakuhambelana lomnikelo wokutshiswa.

Ngakho lokhu kwaba yikuvuselelwa kwenkonzo ethempelini likaThixo. 36 UHezekhiya labo bonke abantu bajabula ngababekuphiwe nguNkulunkulu ekwenzela abantu bakhe, ngoba kwakwenzakale ngokuphangisa.