< 2 Chronicles 32 >
1 After Hezekiah's faithful work, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invaded Judah and attacked its fortified towns, planning to conquer them for himself.
Ngemva kwakho konke lokhu uHezekhiya ayekwenze ngokwethembeka, kweza uSenakheribhi inkosi yase-Asiriya wahlasela elakoJuda. Wavimbezela amadolobho ayelezinqaba, edinga ukuwanqoba abe ngawakhe.
2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come to attack Jerusalem,
UHezekhiya uthe ebona ukuthi uSenakheribhi usefikile njalo uhlose ukuhlasela iJerusalema,
3 he talked with his army commanders about blocking up the water sources that lay outside the city. This is what they did.
wabuza izikhulu zakhe kanye labebutho ukuthi kwakungaba njani ukuthi kuvalwe amanzi avela emithonjeni engaphandle kwedolobho, bahle bamncedisa.
4 They directed a large group of workers to block all the springs as well as the stream flowing nearby. “Why should the kings of Assyria come here and find plenty of water?” they asked.
Ixuku elikhulu lamadoda labuthana, lakanye bawavala amanzi awemthonjeni lawesifula esasidabula phakathi kwelizwe. Bathi, “Kungani amakhosi ase-Asiriya afanele afice amanzi amanengi na?”
5 Hezekiah set to work and rebuilt all the parts of the wall that had fallen down and constructed towers on it. He also built another wall outside the first wall. He reinforced the Millo in the city of David. He also made a large quantity of weapons and shields.
Ngakho wasebenza ngamandla evuselela umduli lokwakha imiphotshongo phezu kwawo. Wakha omunye umduli ngaphandle kwalowo waseqinisa imithangala eyayivele ingeyoMuzi kaDavida. Wenza lezikhali lezihlangu ezinengi kakhulu.
6 Hezekiah put army commanders in charge of the people. Then he summoned the people to gather in the square at the city gate. He spoke to them confidently, telling them,
Wabeka izikhulu zebutho zaphatha abantu wasezimisa phambi kwakhe egcekeni lesango elingasedolobheni wazikhuthaza ngalamazwi:
7 “Be strong and be brave! Don't be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria with his large army, for there are more with us than with him.
“Qinani libe lesibindi. Lingesabi njalo lingethuselwa libutho elikhulu kangaka lenkosi yase-Asiriya ngoba kulamandla amakhulu akithi adlula akuye.
8 He has human help, but we have the Lord God on our side to help us and fight our battles.” The people were encouraged by this speech of Hezekiah, king of Judah.
Yena ulengalo yenyama kuphela, kodwa thina siloThixo uNkulunkulu wethu ukusisiza lokusilwela izimpi zethu.” Abantu baba lesibindi ngenxa yalokho okwatshiwo yinkosi yakoJuda uHezekhiya.
9 Some time later, when Sennacherib was attacking the town of Lachish with his armies, he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah, king of Judah, and for everyone from Judah living there.
Muva, uSenakheribhi inkosi yase-Asiriya lawo wonke amabutho akhe esavimbezele eLakhishi, wathuma izikhulu zakhe eJerusalema ziphethe lelilizwi elalisiya kuHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda kanye labantu bonke abakoJuda abebekhona lapho wathi:
10 “This is what Sennacherib, king of Assyria, says. What are you going to trust in to help you survive when I come to attack Jerusalem?
“Nanku okutshiwo nguSenakheribhi inkosi yase-Asiriya uthi: Usithatha ngaphi wena isibindi, esokuthi wale ulokhu useJerusalema yona ivinjezelwe?
11 Can't you see that in reality Hezekiah is telling you to die from starvation and thirst when he tells you, ‘The Lord our God will save us from the king of Assyria’?
Nxa uHezekhiya esithi, ‘UThixo uNkulunkulu wethu uzasisindisa ezandleni zenkosi yase-Asiriya,’ uyalikhohlisa, ukuba life ngendlala langomhawu wamanzi.
12 Wasn't it Hezekiah who destroyed the high places and altars of this god and told Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this one altar, and offer sacrifices on it alone’?
UHezekhiya akasuye yini ngokwakhe owasusa izindawo zikankulunkulu lowu eziphakemeyo lama-alithare, esithi kuJuda leJerusalema, ‘Kumele likhonzele e-alithareni elilodwa njalo litshisele kulo imihlatshelo na’?
13 Don't you know what I and my fathers have done to all the nations of the earth? None of their gods could save them or their lands from me!
Kutsho ukuthi alikwazi yini lokho engikwenzileyo lalokho okwenziwa ngobaba ebantwini bamanye amazwe na? Kambe onkulunkulu balezozizwe benelisa yini ukukhulula ilizwe labo esandleni sami na?
14 Which one of all these gods of these nations that my fathers destroyed has been able to save them from me? So why would you think your god can save you from me?
Nguphi kubo bonke onkulunkulu bamazwe balezozizwe ezabhujiswa ngobaba owake wenelisa ukukhulula abantu bakhe kimi na? UNkulunkulu wenu angalikhulula njani esandleni sami?
15 So don't let Hezekiah fool you, and don't let him mislead you like this. Don't trust him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to save their people from me or from my fathers. So it's even less possible for your god to save you from me!”
Qaphelani lingakhohliswa nguHezekhiya limyekele elilahlekisa. Lingamethembi, ngoba kakho unkulunkulu loba ngowasiphi isizwe loba yiwuphi umbuso oseke wenelisa ukukhulula abantu bakhe esandleni sami loba esandleni sabokhokho. Pho kanganani ukuba owenu unkulunkulu angalikhulula yini esandleni sami!”
16 Sennacherib's officers continued criticizing the Lord God and his servant Hezekiah.
Izikhulu zikaSenakheribi zaqhubekela phambili zikhuluma kubi ngoThixo uNkulunkulu langenceku yakhe uHezekhiya.
17 Sennacherib also wrote letters insulting the Lord, the God of Israel, taunting him by saying, “In the same way the gods of the nations did not save their people from me, so the god of Hezekiah will not save his people from me either.”
Inkosi yaloba lezincwadi ithuka uThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, isitsho lokhu okubi ngaye: “Njengoba onkulunkulu babantu bamanye amazwe behluleka ukukhulula abantu babo esandleni sami, kuyafanana kunjalo uNkulunkulu kaHezekhiya kasoze enelise ukukhulula abantu bakhe esandleni sami.”
18 The Assyrians also shouted this out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem standing on the wall to frighten and to terrify them so that the city would be surrendered.
Basebememeza ngesiHebheru ebantwini baseJerusalema ababephezu komduli, bebethusela ukuze besabe babesebethumba idolobho.
19 They talked about the God of Jerusalem like they did about the gods of the other nations, gods made by human beings.
Bakhuluma ngoNkulunkulu weJerusalema njengalokho abakwenza ngabonkulunkulu babanye abantu bemhlabeni, izinto ezibunjwe yizandla zabantu.
20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, appealed about this in prayer to the God of heaven.
INkosi uHezekhiya lomphrofethi u-Isaya indodana ka-Amozi bakhala ngomkhuleko ngalokhu.
21 The Lord sent an angel who wiped out every warrior, leader, and commander in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he returned home in disgrace. When he went into the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him with their swords.
UThixo wathuma ingilosi, eyabhubhisa wonke amadoda empi labakhokheli lezikhulu enkambeni yenkosi yase-Asiriya. Ngakho wabuyela elizweni lakhe ngokuyangeka. Esengene ethempelini likankulunkulu wakhe, amanye amadodana akhe amjuqa ngenkemba.
22 The Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from King Sennacherib of Assyria and all other enemies, giving them peace in every direction.
Ngalokho uThixo wamsindisa uHezekhiya labantu baseJerusalema esandleni sikaSenakheribhi inkosi yase-Asiriya lakuzo zonke ezinye izitha. UThixo wabavikela wabaphatha kuhle inxa zonke.
23 From then on he was very well respected by all the nations, and many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and valuable gifts for Hezekiah, king of Judah.
Abanengi balethela uThixo iminikelo eJerusalema kanye lezipho eziligugu kuHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda. Kusukela lapho waba lesithunzi wahlonitshwa yizizwe zonke.
24 Around that time Hezekiah fell sick and was about to die. So he prayed to the Lord, who replied by healing him and giving him a miraculous sign.
Ngalezonsuku uHezekhiya wagula eselengela ekufeni. Wakhuleka kuThixo, wamphendula ngokumnika isibonakaliso.
25 But because he had become proud, Hezekiah did not acknowledge the gift he'd been given. So the Lord's anger fell on him, and on Judah and Jerusalem.
Kodwa inhliziyo kaHezekhiya yagcwala ngokuzikhukhumeza ngakho kazange azihluphe ngesihawu ayesitshengisiwe; ngakho intukuthelo kaThixo yehlela phezu kwakhe lasebantwini bakoJuda labaseJerusalema.
26 Then Hezekiah apologized for his arrogance, as did the people of Jerusalem, and the Lord's anger no longer fell on them during Hezekiah's lifetime.
Ngakho uHezekhiya waphenduka ukuzikhukhumeza ngenhliziyo yakhe, labantu baseJerusalema labo benza njalo; ngalokho ulaka lukaThixo alusabehlelanga ngezinsuku zikaHezekhiya.
27 Hezekiah was very rich and highly honored, and he built treasury storerooms to hold silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuable things.
UHezekhiya wayelenotho enengi njalo elodumo, wasesakha izindlu zokulondolozela isiliva sakhe legolide kanye lamatshe akhe aligugu, iziyoliso, izihlangu lakho konke okunye okuligugu.
28 He constructed buildings to store supplies of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and stalls for all kinds of animals, including cattle and sheep.
Wakha njalo iziphala zokugcinela amabele, iwayini elitsha lamafutha, wakha izibaya zemihlobo eyehlukeneyo yenkomo, lezibaya zemihlambi yezimvu.
29 He built many towns, and he owned large herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, for God had made him very wealthy.
Wakha imizi wazuza imihlambi yezimvu leyenkomo, ngoba uNkulunkulu wamnika inotho enkulu kakhulu.
30 Hezekiah blocked off the outlet of the upper Gihon spring and made the water flow down to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah was successful in everything he did.
UHezekhiya nguye owavala amanzi entombo yangaphezulu kweGihoni wawadonsa agelezela ngentshonalanga koMuzi kaDavida. Waphumelela kukho konke ayekwenza.
31 But when ambassadors of the rulers of Babylon came to him to ask about the miraculous sign that had happened in the country, God left him to himself test him, so he could know Hezekiah's true thinking.
Ekufikeni kwamanxusa ayethunywe ngababusi beBhabhiloni bezobuza ngomangaliso owawenzakele elizweni, uNkulunkulu wamtshiya ukuze amhlole ukuthi azi konke okwakusenhliziyweni yakhe.
32 The rest of what Hezekiah did, including his acts of loyalty, are recorded in the vision of the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
Ezinye izehlakalo ngokubusa kukaHezekhiya lemisebenzi yakhe yokuzinikela kulotshiwe embonweni womphrofethi u-Isaya indodana ka-Amozi egwalweni lwamakhosi akoJuda lawako-Israyeli.
33 Hezekiah died and was buried in the upper cemetery of David's descendants. All Judah and the people of Jerusalem honored him at his death. His son Manasseh took over as king.
UHezekhiya waphumula labokhokho bakhe wangcwatshwa eqaqeni lapha okulamangcwaba abosendo lukaDavida. AbakoJuda bonke labantu baseJerusalema bamhlonipha ekufeni kwakhe. Kwathi uManase indodana yakhe wathatha isikhundla waba yinkosi.