¹Josiya akatanga kubata ushe ava namakore masere; akabata ushe paJerusaremu makore makumi matatu nerimwe.

¹Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.

²Akaita zvakarurama pamberi paJehovha, akafamba nenzira yababa vake Dhavhidhi, haana kutsaukira kurudyi kana kuruboshwe.

²And he did what was right in the sight of Jehovah, and walked in the ways of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand nor to the left.

³nekuti pagore rorusere rokubata kwake ushe, achiri muduku, akatanga kutsvaka Mwari waDhavhidhi baba vake; zvino pagore regumi namaviri akatanga kunatsa Judha neJerusaremu, achibvisa matunhu akakwirira, namatanda okunamata nawo nemifananidzo yakavezwa, nemifananidzo yakaumbwa.

³And in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherahs, and the graven images, and the molten images.

⁴Vakakoromora aritari dzavaBhaari, iye aripo; akatema aritari dzezvipfungaidzo zvinonhuwira dzakanga dzakaitwa pamusoro padzo; akaputsanya matanda okunamata nawo, nemifananidzo yakavezwa, nemifananidzo yakaumbwa, akazvikuya zvikaita guruva, akarisasa pamarinda avaizvibayira.

⁴And they broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence; and the sun-pillars that were on high above them he cut down; and the Asherahs and the graven images and the molten images he broke in pieces, and made dust [of them] and strewed it upon the graves of those that had sacrificed to them;

⁵Akapisa mafupa avapristi paaritari dzavo, akanatsa Judha neJerusaremu.

⁵and he burned the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.

⁶Akaitawo saizvozvo pamaguta aManase naEfuremu naSimioni, kusvikira paNafutari, pamatongo awo.

⁶And [so did he] in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even to Naphtali, in their ruins round about;

⁷Akaputsa aritari, akakuya matanda okunamata nawo nemifananidzo yakavezwa zvikaita guruva, akatema mifananidzo yose yezuva panyika yose yaIsiraeri, ndokudzokera Jerusaremu.

⁷and he broke down the altars, and beat the Asherahs and the graven images into powder, and cut down all the sun-pillars throughout the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem.

⁸Zvino pagore regumi namasere rokubata kwake ushe, akati anatsa nyika neimba, ndokutuma Shafani mwanakomana waAzaria, naMaaseya, mubati weguta, naJoa mwanakomana waJohazi, gurukota, kundogadzira imba yaJehovha Mwari wake.

⁸And in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the chronicler, to repair the house of Jehovah his God.

⁹Vakasvika kuna Hirikia mupristi mukuru, vakamupa mari yakanga yaiswa mumba yaMwari, yakanga yaunganidzwa navaRevhi, vatariri vemikova, pakati paManase paEfuremu, navose vakasara vavaIsiraeri navaJudha vose, navaBhenjamini, navakanga vagere Jerusaremu.

⁹And they came to Hilkijah the high priest, and they delivered [to them] the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin, and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

¹⁰Vakaipa pamaoko avabati vakanga vachitarira imba yaJehovha, vakairipa kuzovandudza nokugadzirisa imba;

¹⁰And they gave [it] into the hand of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and they gave it to the workmen who wrought in the house of Jehovah to reinstate and repair the house:

¹¹vakaipa vavezi navavaki, kuti vatenge mabwe akavezwa namatanda okubatanidza, nokuita mapango edzimba dzakanga dzaparadzwa namadzimambo aJudha.

¹¹they gave [it] to the carpenters and the builders, to buy hewn stone, and timber for the joists, and to floor the houses that the kings of Judah had destroyed.

¹²Vanhu avo vakabata basa nokutendeka; vatariri vavo vaiva Jahati naObhadhiya, vaRevhi vavanakomana vaMerari, naZekariya, naMeshurami, vavanakomana vaKohati, kuzoraira basa; navamwe vaRevhi, vose vaiziva kuridza zvinoridzwa.

¹²And the men did the work faithfully. And over them were appointed Jahath and Obadiah, Levites, of the children of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the children of the Kohathites, for the oversight; and all these Levites were skilled in instruments of music.

¹³Ivo vaitarirawo vatakuri vemitoro, vakarairawo vose vaibata mabasa amarudzi ose; pakati pavaRevhi pakanga panavanyori, navatariri, navarindi vemikova.

¹³They were also over the bearers of burdens, and were overseers of all that worked in any manner of service. And of the Levites were the scribes, and officers, and doorkeepers.

¹⁴Zvino vakati vachibudisa mari yakanga yaiswa mumba maJehovha, mupristi Hirikia ndokuwana bhuku yomurayiro waJehovha, wakange wapiwa naMozisi.

¹⁴And when they brought out the money that had been brought into the house of Jehovah, Hilkijah the priest found the book of the law of Jehovah by Moses.

¹⁵Hirikia akapindura, akati kuna Shafani munyori, Ndawana bhuku yomurayiro mumba maJehovha. Hirikia ndokupa bhuku iyo kuna Shafani.

¹⁵Then Hilkijah spoke and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkijah gave the book to Shaphan.

¹⁶Zvino Shafani akaenda nebhuku kuna mambo, uye akendawo neshoko kuna mambo, akati, Zvose zvakarairwa varanda venyu, vanozviita.

¹⁶And Shaphan carried the book to the king. And moreover he brought the king word again saying, All that was committed to the hand of thy servants, they do;

¹⁷Vakadurura mari yakawanikwa mumba maJehovha, vakaiisa mumaoko avatariri, nomumaoko avabati vebasa.

¹⁷and they have emptied out the money that was found in the house of Jehovah, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of the workmen.

¹⁸Zvino Shafani munyori akaudza mambo, akati, mupristi Hirikia andipa bhuku. Ipapo Shafani akaravamo pamberi pamambo.

¹⁸And Shaphan the scribe informed the king saying, Hilkijah the priest has given me a book. And Shaphan read out of it before the king.

¹⁹Zvino mambo akati achinzwa mashoko omurayiro, akabvarura nguvo dzake.

¹⁹And it came to pass when the king heard the words of the law, that he rent his garments.

²⁰Mambo .akaraira Hirikia naAhikami mwanakomana waShafani, naAbhidhoni mwanakomana waMika, naShafani munyori, naAsaya muranda wamambo, akati,

²⁰And the king commanded Hilkijah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying,

²¹Endai mundondibvunzira Jehovha, ini navakasara vaIsiraeri navaJudha pamusoro pamashoko ebhuku yakawanikwa; nekuti kutsamwa kwaJehovha, kwadururwa pamusoro pedu, kukuru, nekuti madzibaba edu haana kuchengeta shoko raJehovha, kuti vaite zvose zvakanyorwa mubhuku iyi.

²¹Go, inquire of Jehovah for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which is found; for great is the wrath of Jehovah that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of Jehovah, to do according to all that is written in this book.

²²Ipapo Hirikia navakanga varairwa namambo vakaenda kuna Huridha muporofitakadzi, mukadzi waSharumi mwanakomana waTokihati, mwanakomana waHazira, muchengeti wenguvo (zvino iye akanga agere Jerusaremu kuRupandi Rwepiri rweguta;) vakataura naye saizvozvo.

²²And Hilkijah and they that the king [had appointed] went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokehath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe: now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter [of the town]; and they spoke with her to that effect.

²³Iye akati kwavari, Zvanzi naJehovha Mwari waIsiraeri, Udzai munhu akakutumai kwandiri, muti,

²³And she said to them, Thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel: Tell the man that sent you to me,

²⁴Zvanzi naJehovha, tarirai, ndichauyisa zvakaipa pamusoro penzvimbo iyi, napamusoro pavagerepo, iko kutuka kose kwakanyorwa mubhuku iyo yavakarava pamberi pamambo waJudha.

²⁴Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah.

²⁵nekuti vakandirasha, vakapisira vamwe vamwari zvinonhuhwira, vakanditsamwisa namabasa ose amaoko avo; naizvozvo kutsamwa kwangu kwadururwa pamusoro penzvimbo iyi, hakungadzimwi.

²⁵Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my fury shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.

²⁶Asi muti kuna mambo waJudha, akakutumai kuzobvunza Jehovha, Zvanzi naJehovha Mwari waIsiraeri, kana ari mashoko awakanzwa,

²⁶But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus shall ye say to him: Thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel touching the words which thou hast heard:

²⁷moyo wako zvawakanga uri munyoro, ukazvininipisa pamberi paMwari, nguva yawakanzwa mashoko ake pamusoro penzvimbo iyi, napamusoro pavageremo, ukazvininipisa pamberi pangu, ukabvarura nguvo dzako, ukachema pamberi pangu, zvino zvanzi naJehovha, Ini ndakunzwawo.

²⁷Because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy garments and weep before me, I also have heard [thee], saith Jehovah.

²⁸Tarira, ndichakuisa kumadzibaba ako, uchavigwa muhwiro nomufaro; meso ako haangaoni zvakaipa zvose zvandichauyisa pamusoro penzvimbo iyi, navanhu vageremo. Vakadzoka neshoko kuna mambo.

²⁸Behold, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof. And they brought the king word again.

²⁹Ipapo mambo akatuma vanhu vakaunganidza vakuru vose vaJudha naveJerusaremu.

²⁹And the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.

³⁰Mambo akakwira kumba kwaJehovha, ana varume vose vaJudha, navose vakanga vagere Jerusaremu, navapristi, navaRevhi, navanhu vose, vakuru navaduku; akavaravira mashoko ose ebhuku yesungano yakanga yawanikwa mumba maJehovha.

³⁰And the king went up into the house of Jehovah, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and the Levites, and all the people, great and small; and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which had been found in the house of Jehovah.

³¹Mambo akamira panzvimbo yake, akaita sungano pamberi paJehovha, akazvisunga kutevera Jehovha, nokuchengeta mirairo yake, nezvipupuriro zvake, nezvaakatema, nomoyo wake wose nomweya wake wose, kuti aite mashoko esungano akanyorwa mubhuku iyi.

³¹And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that are written in this book.

³²Akaraira vose vakanga vari Jerusaremu naBhenjamini kuabvumira. Vagere Jerusaremu vakaita sezvakarehwa pasungano yaMwari, iye Mwari wamadzibaba avo.

³²And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand [to it]. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

³³Josiya akabvisa zvakanga zvichinyangadza zvose panyika dzose dzaiva dzavaIsiraeri, akaraira vose vakanga vari pakati paIsiraeri kushumira Mwari, kushumira iye Jehovha Mwari wavo. Mazuva ake ose havana kutsauka pakutevera Jehovha Mwari wamadzibaba avo.

³³And Josiah removed all the abominations out of all the countries that belonged to the children of Israel, and made to serve all that were found in Israel, -- to serve Jehovah their God: all his days they did not depart from following Jehovah, the God of their fathers.