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.

²He did that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh, and walked in the ways of David his father, and didn’t turn aside to the right hand or 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.

³For 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 Asherim, and the engraved 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.

⁴They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence; and the incense altars that were on high above them he cut down; and the Asherim, and the engraved images, and the molten images, he broke in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.

⁵Akapisa mafupa avapristi paaritari dzavo, akanatsa Judha neJerusaremu.

⁵He burnt the bones of the priests on their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.

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

⁶He did this in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even to Naphtali, around in their ruins.

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

⁷He broke down the altars, and beat the Asherim and the engraved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all 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.

⁸Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had 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 recorder, to repair the house of Yahweh 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.

⁹They came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered the money that was brought into God’s house, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, 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;

¹⁰They delivered it into the hand of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of Yahweh; and the workmen who labored in the house of Yahweh gave it to mend and repair the house;

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

¹¹even to the carpenters and to the builders gave they it, to buy cut stone, and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses which 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.

¹²The men did the work faithfully: and their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and others of the Levites, all who were skillful with instruments of music.

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

¹³Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and set forward all who did the work in every kind of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.

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

¹⁴When they brought out the money that was brought into the house of Yahweh, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of Yahweh given by Moses.

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

¹⁵Hilkiah answered Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of Yahweh.” Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.

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

¹⁶Shaphan carried the book to the king, and moreover brought back word to the king, saying, “All that was committed to your servants, they are doing.

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

¹⁷They have emptied out the money that was found in the house of Yahweh, 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.

¹⁸Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has delivered me a book.” Shaphan read therein before the king.

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

¹⁹It happened, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he tore his clothes.

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

²⁰The king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, 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.

²¹“Go inquire of Yahweh for me, and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of Yahweh that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of Yahweh, 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.

²²So Hilkiah, and they whom the king had commanded, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter;) and they spoke to her to that effect.

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

²³She said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me,

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

²⁴“Thus says Yahweh, ‘Behold, I will bring evil on this place, and on its inhabitants, even 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 to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore is my wrath poured out on this place, and it 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 Yahweh, thus you shall tell him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: “As touching the words which you have 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 your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God, when you heard his words against this place, and against its inhabitants, and have humbled yourself before me, and have torn your clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard you,” says Yahweh.

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

²⁸“Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, neither shall your eyes see all the evil that I will bring on this place, and on its inhabitants.”’” They brought back word to the king.

²⁹Ipapo mambo akatuma vanhu vakaunganidza vakuru vose vaJudha naveJerusaremu.

²⁹Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and 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.

³⁰The king went up to the house of Yahweh, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, both great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of Yahweh.

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.

³¹The king stood in his place, and made a covenant before Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh, 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 were written in this book.

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

³²He caused all who were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand. 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.

³³Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all who were found in Israel to serve, even to serve Yahweh their God. All his days they didn’t depart from following Yahweh, the God of their fathers.