2 Kings 18
1 After King Hoshea had been ruling Israel for almost three years, Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, began to rule Judah.
以色列王厄拉的兒子曷舍亞三年，阿哈次的兒子希則克雅登基為猶大王。
2 He was 25 years old when he became the king [of Judah] and he ruled from Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of [a man whose name was] Zechariah.
他登極時年二十五歲，在耶路撒冷作王凡二十九年；他的母親名阿彼雅，是則加黎雅的女兒。
3 Hezekiah did things that Yahweh considered to be right, like his ancestor King David had done.
希則克雅行了上主視為正義的事，完全像他祖先達味所行的一樣；
4 He destroyed the places where people worshiped Yahweh on the tops of hills, and he broke into pieces the stone pillars [for worshiping the goddess Asherah]. He also broke into pieces the bronze [replica/statue of a] snake that Moses had made. He did that because the people had named it Nehushtan, and they were burning incense in front of it to honor it.
他廢除了高丘，毀壞了石柱，砍倒了木偶，打碎了梅瑟所製造的銅蛇，因為直到那時，以色列子民仍向銅蛇焚香，稱為乃胡市堂。
5 Hezekiah trusted in Yahweh, the God whom the Israelis [worshiped.] There was no king who ruled Judah before him or after him who was as [devoted to Yahweh as] he was.
他信賴上主以色列的天主；在他前後的猶大列王中，沒有一個可與他相比的。
6 He remained loyal to Yahweh and never disobeyed him. He carefully obeyed all the commandments that Yahweh had given to Moses.
他依靠上主，緊隨不離，謹守上主頒給梅瑟的誡命。
7 Yahweh always (helped/was with) him. He was successful in everything that he did. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to (pay taxes to him/do what the king of Assyria wanted him to do).
因此，上主與他同在，他無論作什麼，必都順利，且擺脫了亞述王的羈絆，不再作他的藩屬；
8 His army defeated [the soldiers of] Philistia as far [south] as Gaza [city] and the nearby villages. They conquered the entire area, from the smallest watchtower to the largest cities surrounded by walls.
又擊敗了培肋舍特人，直追到迦薩，佔領了他們的土地，攻取了守望台和堅城。
9 After King Hezekiah had been ruling Judah for almost four years, and when King Hoshea had been ruling Israel for almost seven years, [the army of] King Shalmaneser of Assyria invaded Israel and surrounded Samaria [city].
希則克雅王四年，即以色列王厄拉的兒子曷舍亞七年，亞述王沙耳瑪乃色來進攻撒瑪黎雅，圍困了這城；
10 In the third year they captured the city. That was when Hezekiah has been ruling Judah for almost six years, and when Hoshea had been ruling Israel for almost nine years.
三年年底攻下，即希則克雅王六年，以色列王曷舍亞九年，撒瑪黎雅失陷。
11 The king of Assyria commanded that the people of Israel be taken to Assyria. Some of them were taken to Halah [town], some were taken to a place near the Habor [River] in [the] Gozan [region], and some were taken to cities where the Mede people-group live.
亞述王遂將以色列人擄往亞述，徙置在哈拉黑和靠近哥倉河的哈波爾，以及瑪待各城內。
12 That happened because the Israelis did not obey Yahweh their God. They disobeyed the agreement that Yahweh had made with their ancestors, and all the laws that Moses, the man who served Yahweh [very well], had told them to obey. They would not obey those laws; they would not even listen to them.
這是因為他們沒有聽從上主，他們天主的聲音，違反了他的盟約：凡上主的僕人梅瑟所吩咐的，他們一概沒有聽從，也沒有遵行。
13 After King Hezekiah had been ruling Judah for almost 14 years, [the army of] King Sennacherib of Assyria attacked all the cities in Judah that had walls around them. They [did not capture Jerusalem, but they] captured all the other cities.
希則克雅王十四年，亞述王散乃黑黎布前來進攻猶大的一切堅城，都佔領了。
14 King Hezekiah sent a message to Sennacherib, while Sennacherib was in Lachish, saying “What I have done was wrong. Please [tell your soldiers to] stop attacking us. If you do that, I will pay you whatever you tell me to.” So the king of Assyria said that Hezekiah must pay to him (ten tons/9,000 kg.) of silver and (one ton/900 kg.) of gold.
猶大王希則克雅於是派遣使者，到拉基士去見亞述王說：「我錯了，請你退兵；凡你向我提出的條件，我都接受。」於是亞述王限令猶大王希則克雅繳納三百「塔冷通」銀子，三十「塔冷通」金子。
15 So Hezekiah gave to him all the silver that was in the temple and that was stored in the king’s palace.
希則克雅只得把上主殿內，和王宮府庫所有的銀子都交出來。
16 Hezekiah’s men also stripped the gold from the doors of the temple and the gold that he himself had put on the doorposts, and he sent all that gold to the king of Assyria.
同時，猶大王希則克雅將上主殿宇門上的金子和他自己包鑲在門柱上的金子都剝下來，交給了亞述王。
17 But the king of Assyria sent a large army with some of his important officials from Lachish [city] to [persuade] King Hezekiah [to surrender]. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they stood alongside the aqueduct/channel in which water flows from the upper pool into Jerusalem, near the road to the field where the women wash clothes.
亞述王從拉基士打發元帥、衛隊長和大將軍率領大軍到耶路撒冷去見希則克雅。他們就上到耶路撒冷，一來到，就站在上池的水溝旁，漂布田間的大路上，
18 They sent a message requesting King Hezekiah to come to them, but the king sent three of his officials [to talk to them]. He sent Hilkiah’s son Eliakim, who supervised the palace; Shebna, the official secretary; and Asaph’s son Joah, who communicated the king’s messages to the people.
求見君王。希耳克雅的兒子厄里雅金家宰，舍布納書記和阿撒夫的兒子約阿黑史官，出來迎接他們。
19 One of Sennacherib’s important officials told them to take this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the king of Assyria, the great king, says: ‘What are you trusting in [to rescue you] [RHQ]?
大將軍對他們說：「你們去告訴希則克雅說：大王，亞述王這樣說：你所依靠的，算得什麼依靠﹖
20 You say that you have weapons to fight us, and some country promises [to help you], [and that will enable you to defeat us, ] but that is only talk [RHQ]. Who do you think will help you to rebel against my [soldiers from Assyria]?
你想空口說話，就是戰略和戰鬥的力量嗎﹖如今你靠誰來背叛我﹖
21 Listen to me! You are relying on [the army of] Egypt. But that is like [MET] using a broken reed for a walking stick on which you could lean. But it would pierce the hand of anyone who would lean on it! That is what the king of Egypt would be like for anyone who relied on him [for help].
我現在你看，你依靠的埃及是一根破裂的蘆杖；誰依靠這杖，它就刺傷誰的手，且把手刺透；埃及王法郎對所有依靠他的人，就是這樣。
22 But perhaps you will say to me, “No, we are (relying on/trusting in) Yahweh our God [to help us].” [I would reply, ] “Is he not the one whom you [insulted by] tearing down his shrines and altars and forcing everyone in Jerusalem and [other places in] Judah to worship only in front of the altar [in Jerusalem]?”’
假使你們對我說：我們依靠雅威我們的天主，希則克雅豈不是曾推翻他的高丘和祭壇，且對猶大和耶路撒冷說：你們只應在耶路撒冷的這祭壇前朝拜﹖
23 So I suggest that you make a deal between you and my master/boss, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses, but [I do not think that] you are able to find 2,000 of your men who can ride on them!
如今你可與我的主上亞述王打賭：我給你兩千匹馬，你是否能給這些馬配上騎兵﹖
24 You are expecting the king of Egypt to send chariots and men riding horses [to assist you]. But they certainly would not [RHQ] be able to resist/defeat even the most insignificant/unimportant official in the army of Assyria!
若不能，你怎敢拒絕我主上最小僕人中的一個軍長，而去依靠埃及的戰車和騎兵﹖
25 Furthermore, (do you think that we have come to destroy Jerusalem without Yahweh’s help?/do not think that we have come to Jerusalem without Yahweh’s help.) [RHQ] It is Yahweh himself who told us to come here and destroy this land!”
現在，我上來攻打毀滅這地，難道不是雅威的意思嗎﹖雅威曾對我說：你上去攻打這地，加以毀滅! 」
26 Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the official from Assyria, “Sir, please speak to us in your Aramaic language, because we understand it. Do not speak to us in our Hebrew language, because the people who are standing on the wall will understand it [and be frightened].”
希耳克雅的兒子厄里雅金、舍布納和約阿黑對大將軍說：「請你對你的僕人說阿剌美話，因為我們都懂；你不要對我們說猶太話，因為城牆上的百姓能聽到。」
27 But the official replied, “Do you think [RHQ] that my master sent me to say these things only to you and not to the people who are standing on the wall? [If you reject this message, ] the [people in this city] will soon need to eat their own dung and drink their own urine, just like you will, [because there will be nothing more for you to eat or drink].”
大將軍回答說：「難道我的主上打發我來，只對你的主上和你講這些話，而不是對那些坐在城牆上，和你們一樣該吃自己的糞，喝自己的尿的人，講這些話嗎﹖」
28 Then the official stood up and shouted in the Hebrew language [to the people sitting on the wall]. He said, “Listen to this message from the great king, the king of Assyria. He says,
大將軍於是站起來，仍用猶太話大聲喊說：「你們聽大王亞述王的話罷!
29 ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you. He will not be able to rescue you from my power [MTY].
大王這樣說：你們別上希則克雅的當，他決不能拯救你們脫離我的手；
30 Do not allow him to persuade you to rely on Yahweh, saying that Yahweh will rescue you, and that the army of Assyria will never capture this city!’
也不要讓希則克雅使你們依靠雅威說：雅威必會拯救我們，這城決不會落在亞述王手中。
31 “Do not pay attention to what Hezekiah says! This is what the king of Assyria says: ‘Come out of the city and surrender to me. If you do that, I will arrange for each of you to drink the juice from your own grapevines, and to eat figs from your own trees, and to drink water from your own wells.
千萬別聽信希則克雅! 原來亞述王曾這樣說：你們要與我和好，出來歸順我，各人就可以吃自己的葡萄和無花果，各人也可以喝自己井裡的水，
32 You will be able to do that until we come and take you to a land that is like your land—a land where there is grain to make bread and vineyards to [produce grapes for making] wine. It will be a land that has plenty of olive trees and honey. If you do what the king of Assyria commands, you will not die. You will continue to live. ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to persuade you to trust in Yahweh saying that he will rescue you!
直到我來領你們到一個與你們本國一樣的地方去，一個有五穀和新酒的地方，一個有食糧和葡萄樹的地方，一個產橄欖油和蜂蜜的地方，叫你們生活下去，而不至於死亡。千萬別聽信希則克雅，因為他欺騙你們說：雅威必拯救我們。
33 The gods that people of other nations worship have never rescued them from the power [MTY] of the king of Assyria [RHQ]!
萬國的神中，有那一個由亞述王手中，拯救了自己的國土﹖
34 Why were the gods of Hamath and Arpad [cities] unable to rescue their people from the king of Assyria [RHQ]? What happened to the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah, [towns that we completely destroyed and their gods disappeared] [RHQ]? Did any god rescue Samaria from my power?
哈瑪特和阿帕得的神在那裡﹖色法瓦因、赫納和依瓦的神在那裡﹖撒瑪黎雅地的神在那裡﹖難道他們從我手中拯救了撒瑪黎雅﹖
35 No, none of the gods of the countries [that my army attacked] rescued their people [RHQ] from me! So why do you think that Yahweh will rescue you people of Jerusalem from my power [MTY]?’”
在這地域中的神，有那一個由我手中救出了自己的國土﹖難道雅威就能由我手中拯救耶路撒冷嗎﹖」
36 But the people [who were listening] stayed silent. No one said anything, because King Hezekiah had told them, “[When the official from Assyria talks to you, ] do not answer him.”
人都不作聲，一句話都沒有回答他，因為君王有命，不要回答他。
37 Then Eliakim the palace administrator and Shebna the court secretary and Joah the royal historian went back to Hezekiah with their clothes torn [because they were extremely distressed], and they told him what the official from Assyria had said.
當下希耳克雅的兒子厄里雅金家宰、舍布納書記和阿撒夫的兒子約阿黑史官，撕裂了自己的衣服，來見希則克雅，將那將軍的話全部告訴了他。
