2 Kings 19
1 When Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went into the Lord's Temple.
Kwasekusithi lapho inkosi uHezekhiya isizwile, yadabula izigqoko zayo, yazembesa ngesaka, yangena endlini yeNkosi.
2 He sent Eliakim the palace manager, Shebna, the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to see the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz.
Yasithuma uEliyakhimi owayephezu kwendlu, loShebina umabhalane, labadala babapristi, bembeswe ngamasaka kuIsaya umprofethi indodana kaAmozi.
3 They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of trouble, punishment. It's like when babies arrive at the entrance to the birth canal but there's no strength to deliver them.
Basebesithi kuye: Utsho njalo uHezekhiya: Lolusuku lusuku lohlupho lolokusolwa lolokweyiswa; ngoba abantwana sebefikile emlonyeni wesizalo, kanti kakulamandla okubeletha.
4 Maybe the Lord your God, hearing the message the army commander delivered on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria—a message sent to insult the living God—will punish him for his words. Please say a prayer for the remnant of us who still survive.”
Mhlawumbe iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho izakuzwa wonke amazwi kaRabi-Shake, inkosi yeAsiriya inkosi yakhe eyamthumayo, ukuthi aklolodele uNkulunkulu ophilayo; njalo izasola amazwi iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ewezwileyo: Ngakho phakamiselani insali etholakeleyo umkhuleko.
5 After Hezekiah's officials delivered his message to Isaiah,
Izinceku zenkosi uHezekhiya zasezifika kuIsaya.
6 Isaiah replied to them, “Tell your master, This is what the Lord says: Don't be frightened by the words that you have heard, the words used by the servants of the king of Assyria to blaspheme me.
UIsaya wasesithi kuzo: Lizakutsho njalo enkosini yenu: Utsho njalo uJehova: Ungesabi amazwi owezwileyo inceku zenkosi yeAsiriya ezingithuke ngawo.
7 Look, I'm going to scare him—he'll hear a rumor, and he'll have to return to his own country. When he's there I'll have him killed by the sword.”
Khangela, ngizafaka umoya kuyo, njalo izakuzwa ihungahunga, ibuyele elizweni layo; ngizayenza ukuthi iwe ngenkemba elizweni layo.
8 The Assyrian army commander left and went back to join the king of Assyria, having heard the king had left Lachish and was attacking Libnah.
URabi-Shake wasebuyela, wafica inkosi yeAsiriya isilwa imelene leLibhina; ngoba wayezwile ukuthi isisukile eLakishi.
9 Sennacherib had received a message about Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, that said, “Watch out! He has set out to attack you.” So Sennacherib sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying,
Kwathi isizwa ngoTirihaka inkosi yeEthiyophiya kuthiwa: Khangela, uphumile ukuyakulwa emelene lawe, yabuya yathuma izithunywa kuHezekhiya, isithi:
10 “Tell Hezekiah, king of Judah: ‘Don't let your God, the one you're trusting in, fool you by saying that Jerusalem won't fall into the hands of the king of Assyria.
Lizakhuluma kanje kuHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda, lithi: UNkulunkulu wakho omthembileyo kangakukhohlisi esithi: IJerusalema kayiyikunikelwa esandleni senkosi yeAsiriya.
11 Look! You've heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries they've invaded— they destroyed them completely! Do you really think you'll be saved?
Khangela, wena usuzwile ukuthi amakhosi eAsiriya enzeni kuwo wonke amazwe, ngokuwatshabalalisa. Wena-ke uzakhululwa yini?
12 Did the gods of the nations my forefathers destroyed save them—the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who lived in Telassar?
Onkulunkulu bezizwe bazikhululile yini, obaba abazichithayo, iGozani leHarani leRezefi labantwana bakaEdeni ababeseTelasari?
13 Where today is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?”
Ingaphi inkosi yeHamathi, lenkosi yeArpadi, lenkosi yomuzi weSefavayimi, iHena, leIva?
14 Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the Lord's Temple and opened it out before the Lord.
UHezekhiya waseyemukela incwadi esandleni sezithunywa, wayibala, wasesenyukela endlini yeNkosi, uHezekhiya wayichaya phambi kweNkosi.
15 Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying, “Lord, God of Israel, you who live above the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth, you are Creator of heaven and earth.
UHezekhiya wasekhuleka phambi kweNkosi, wathi: Nkosi, Nkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, ohlala phakathi kwamakherubhi, wena unguNkulunkulu, wena wedwa, wayo yonke imibuso yomhlaba; wena wenze amazulu lomhlaba.
16 Please listen with your ears, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see. Listen to the message that Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.
Nkosi, thoba indlebe yakho, uzwe, Nkosi, vula amehlo akho, ubone; uzwe amazwi kaSenakheribi amthume ngawo ukuklolodela uNkulunkulu ophilayo.
17 Yes, it's true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have destroyed these nations and their lands.
Qiniso, Nkosi, amakhosi eAsiriya azichithile izizwe lelizwe lazo,
18 They have thrown their gods into the fire because they are not really gods—they are just the work of human hands, made of wood and stone so they could destroy them.
aphosela onkulunkulu bazo emlilweni; ngoba babengeyisibo onkulunkulu, kodwa umsebenzi wezandla zabantu, izigodo lamatshe; ngakho bababhubhisa.
19 Now, Lord our God, please save us from him, in order that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that only you, Lord, are God.”
Ngakho-ke, Nkosi Nkulunkulu wethu, ngicela usisindise esandleni sakhe, ukuze yonke imibuso yomhlaba yazi ukuthi wena uyiNkosi uNkulunkulu, wena wedwa.
20 Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent a message to Hezekiah, saying, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer about Sennacherib, king of Assyria.
UIsaya indodana kaAmozi wasethumela kuHezekhiya esithi: Itsho njalo iNkosi, uNkulunkulu wakoIsrayeli: Lokho okukhuleke kimi mayelana loSenakheribi inkosi yeAsiriya ngikuzwile.
21 This is the word the Lord condemning him: The virgin daughter of Zion scorns you and mocks you; the daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head as you run away.
Yileli ilizwi iNkosi elikhulume mayelana laye: Intombi emsulwa, indodakazi yeZiyoni, iyakudelela, iyakuklolodela; indodakazi yeJerusalema inikina ikhanda ngemva kwakho.
22 Who have you been insulting and ridiculing? Who did you raise your voice against? Who did you look at with so proud eyes? It was against the Holy One of Israel!
Ngubani omeyisileyo wamhlambaza? Njalo uphakamisele bani ilizwi, waphakamisela amehlo akho phezulu? Umelene loNgcwele kaIsrayeli.
23 By your servants you have mocked the Lord. You said: ‘With my many chariots I have ascended to the high mountains, to the farthest peaks of Lebanon. I have chopped down its tallest cedars, the best of its cypress trees. I have reached its most distant outposts, its deepest forests.
Ngesandla sezithunywa zakho uyeyisile iNkosi, wathi: Ngobunengi bezinqola zami ngenyuke indawo ephezulu yezintaba, inhlangothi zeLebhanoni. Ngizagamula imisedari yayo emide, lamafiri ayo akhethekileyo. Ngizangena endaweni yokuhlala yamaphethelo ayo, igusu eliminyeneyo.
24 I have dug wells and drunk water in foreign lands. With the soles of my feet I dried up all the rivers in Egypt.’”
Mina ngagebha nganatha amanzi angaziwayo, langengaphansi yenyawo zami ngomisa yonke imifula yezindawo ezivinjelweyo.
25 The Lord replies, “Haven't you heard? I decided it long ago; I planned it in the olden days. Now I am making sure it happens—that you are to knock down fortified towns into piles of rubble.
Kawuzwanga yini ukuthi ngakwenza endulo, ngakubumba ensukwini zendulo. Khathesi ngikufikisile, ukuthi ube ngowokudiliza imizi evikelweyo ibe zinqumbi zamanxiwa.
26 Their people, powerless, are terrified and humiliated. They're like plants in a field, like soft green shoots, like grass that sprouts on rooftop—scorched before it can even grow.
Ngakho abahlali bayo babelesandla esifitshane, besaba babe lenhloni, baba njengotshani beganga lemibhida eluhlaza, utshani bempahla, lamabele ahanguliweyo engakami.
27 But I know you very well—where you live, when you come in, when you leave, and your furious anger against me.
Kodwa ngiyakwazi ukuhlala kwakho lokuphuma kwakho lokungena kwakho lokungithukuthelela kwakho.
28 Because of your furious anger against me, and because I know how you disrespect me, I'm going to put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will force you to return the same way you came.”
Ngenxa yokungithukuthelela kwakho, lokuthi umsindo wakho wenyukele endlebeni zami, ngizafaka umkhala wami emakhaleni akho, letomu lami endebeni zakho, ngikwenze ubuyele ngendlela oweza ngayo.
29 “Hezekiah, this will be a sign to prove this is true: This year you'll eat what grows by itself. The second year you'll eat what grows from that. But in the third year you'll sow and reap, you'll plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
Lokhu-ke kuzakuba yisibonakaliso kuwe; lonyaka uzakudla okuzikhulelayo, langomnyaka wesibili umkhukhuzela, kuthi ngomnyaka wesithathu lihlanyele livune, lihlanyele izivini lidle izithelo zazo.
30 The remnant that's left of Judah will revive again, sending roots below and bearing fruit above.
Lokuphephileyo kwendlu yakoJuda okuseleyo kuzaphinda kugxumeke impande phansi, kuthele izithelo ngaphezulu.
31 For a remnant will come out of Jerusalem, and survivors will come from Mount Zion. The intense determination of the Lord will make sure this happens.
Ngoba kuzaphuma eJerusalema insali, lokuphephileyo entabeni yeZiyoni. Ukutshiseka kweNkosi yamabandla kuzakwenza lokhu.
32 This is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: He shall not enter this city or shoot an arrow at it. He shall not advance towards it with a shield, or build a siege ramp against it.
Ngakho utsho njalo uJehova ngenkosi yeAsiriya: Kayiyikungena kulumuzi, kayiyikutshoka umtshoko khona, kayiyikuza phambi kwawo ilesihlangu, kayiyikubuthelela idundulu maqondana lawo.
33 He shall return the same way he came, and he shall not enter this city, says the Lord.
Ngendlela eyeza ngayo, ngayo izabuyela, kayiyikungena kulo umuzi, itsho iNkosi.
34 I will defend this city and save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”
Ngoba ngizawuvikela lumuzi ukuwusindisa, ngenxa yami, langenxa kaDavida inceku yami.
35 That night the angel of the Lord went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000. When the survivors woke up in the morning, they were surrounded by dead bodies.
Kwasekusithi ngalobobusuku ingilosi yeNkosi yaphuma yatshaya enkambeni yamaAsiriya izinkulungwane ezilikhulu lamatshumi ayisificaminwembili lanhlanu. Lapho bevuka ekuseni kakhulu, khangela, bonke babeyizidumbu ezifileyo.
36 Sennacherib, king of Assyria, gave up and left. He returned home to Nineveh and stayed there.
Ngakho uSenakheribi inkosi yeAsiriya wasuka wahamba wabuyela, wahlala eNineve.
37 While he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword and then ran away to the land of Ararat. His son Esar-haddon succeeded him as king.
Kwasekusithi ekhonza endlini kaNisiroki unkulunkulu wakhe, oAdrameleki loSharezeri amadodana akhe bamtshaya ngenkemba, bona baphephela elizweni leArarathi. UEsarihadoni indodana yakhe wasebusa esikhundleni sakhe.
