2 Kings 18
1 After King Hoshea had been ruling Israel for almost three years, Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, began to rule Judah.
El año tercero de Oseas, hijo de Ela, rey de Israel, comenzó a reinar Ezequías, hijo de Acaz, rey de Judá.
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.
Tenía 25 años cuando comenzó a reinar, y reinó 29 años en Jerusalén. El nombre de su madre fue Abi, hija de Zacarías.
3 Hezekiah did things that Yahweh considered to be right, like his ancestor King David had done.
Hizo lo recto ante Yavé, conforme a todo lo que hizo su antepasado David.
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.
[Ezequías] quitó los lugares altos, quebró las estatuas y cortó los símbolos de Asera. También destrozó la serpiente de bronce que Moisés hizo, a la cual llamó Nehustán, porque hasta aquellos días los hijos de Israel le quemaban incienso.
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.
Confió en Yavé, ʼElohim de Israel. Ni antes ni después de él hubo otro como él entre todos los reyes de Judá,
6 He remained loyal to Yahweh and never disobeyed him. He carefully obeyed all the commandments that Yahweh had given to Moses.
pues se apegó a Yavé. No se apartó de Él, sino guardó los Mandamientos que Yavé ordenó a Moisés.
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).
Yavé estaba con [Ezequías] y lo prosperaba en todo lo que hacía. Él se rebeló contra el rey de Asiria y no le sirvió.
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.
Derrotó también a los filisteos hasta Gaza y sus territorios, desde las torres de los centinelas hasta la ciudad fortificada.
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].
En el cuarto año del rey Ezequías, que era el año séptimo de Oseas, hijo de Ela, rey de Israel, aconteció que Salmanasar, rey de Asiria, subió contra Samaria y la sitió.
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.
Después de tres años la capturaron, es decir, el año sexto de Ezequías, que era el año noveno de Oseas, rey de Israel.
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.
El rey de Asiria llevó cautivos a los israelitas a Asiria, y los ubicó en Halah y Habor, junto al río Gozán, y en las ciudades de los medos,
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.
porque no atendieron la voz de Yavé su ʼElohim, sino quebrantaron su Pacto. No escucharon ni practicaron todo lo que Moisés esclavo de Yavé ordenó.
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.
El año 14 del rey Ezequías, Senaquerib, rey de Asiria, subió contra todas las ciudades fortificadas de Judá y las tomó.
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.
Entonces Ezequías, rey de Judá, envió a decir al rey de Asiria en Laquis: Me equivoqué. Retírate de mí, y aceptaré lo que me impongas. Y el rey de Asiria impuso a Ezequías, rey de Judá, 9.9 toneladas de plata y 990 kilogramos de oro.
15 So Hezekiah gave to him all the silver that was in the temple and that was stored in the king’s palace.
Ezequías entregó toda la plata que había en la Casa de Yavé y en los tesoros de la casa real.
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.
En aquel tiempo Ezequías, rey de Judá, quitó el oro de las puertas de la Casa de Yavé y de los soportes que él mismo había recubierto. Entregó todo esto al rey de Asiria.
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.
Después el rey de Asiria envió al Tartán, al Rabsaces y al Rabsaces con un gran ejército desde Laquis a Jerusalén contra el rey Ezequías. Subieron, llegaron a Jerusalén y se detuvieron junto al acueducto del estanque de arriba que está en el camino al Campo del Lavador.
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.
Llamaron al rey. Entonces Eliaquim, hijo de Hilcías, administrador del palacio, el escriba Sebna y el cronista Joa, hijo de Asaf, salieron hacia ellos.
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]?
Y el Rabsaces les dijo: Digan ahora a Ezequías: El gran rey de Asiria dice: ¿Qué confianza es ésta en la cual te apoyas?
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]?
¿Piensas que la estrategia y el poder para la guerra son cuestión de palabras? ¿En quién confías para rebelarte contra mí?
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].
¿Confías en ese bastón de caña quebrada que es Egipto, que al que se apoya en él, se le clava en la mano y la atraviesa? Así es Faraón, rey de Egipto, para todos los que confían en él.
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]?”’
Y si me dicen: Nosotros confiamos en Yavé, nuestro ʼElohim. ¿No es el mismo del cual Ezequías quitó los lugares altos y dijo a Judá y a Jerusalén: Delante de este altar adorarán en Jerusalén?
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!
Ahora pues, haz un compromiso con mi ʼadón, el rey de Asiria, y yo te daré 2.000 caballos, si tienes jinetes para ellos.
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!
¿Cómo te atreves a resistir a un oficial, al menor de los esclavos de mi ʼadón, al confiar en los carruajes y en los jinetes de Egipto?
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!”
¿Subí para destruir este lugar sin consultar a Yavé? Pues Yavé me dijo: ¡Sube contra esta tierra y destrúyela!
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].”
Entonces Eliaquim, hijo de Hilcías, Sebna y Joa, dijeron al Rabsaces: Te rogamos que hables a tus esclavos en siríaco, porque nosotros lo entendemos. No nos hables en hebreo a oídos de la gente que está sobre el muro.
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].”
Pero el Rabsaces les respondió: ¿Me envió mi ʼadón a decir estas palabras solo a tu ʼadón y a ti, y no a los hombres que están sentados en el muro, expuestos a comerse con ustedes sus propios excrementos y beber su propia orina?
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,
Se puso en pie el Rabsaces y exclamó a gran voz en hebreo: ¡Escuchen palabra del gran rey de Asiria!
29 ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you. He will not be able to rescue you from my power [MTY].
El rey dice: No los engañe Ezequías, porque no podrá librarlos de mi mano.
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!’
Ezequías no los obligue a confiar en Yavé y diga: Ciertamente Yavé nos librará, y esta ciudad no será entregada en mano del rey de Asiria.
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.
No escuchen a Ezequías, porque el rey de Asiria dice: Convengan la paz conmigo y salgan a mí. Cada uno comerá de su vid y su higuera, y cada uno beberá el agua de su pozo,
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!
hasta que yo venga para llevarlos a una tierra como su propia tierra: tierra de grano y mosto, tierra de pan y viñas, tierra de olivos, aceite y miel. Vivirán y no morirán. No escuchen a Ezequías, quien los persuade: Yavé nos librará.
33 The gods that people of other nations worship have never rescued them from the power [MTY] of the king of Assyria [RHQ]!
¿Alguno de los ʼelohim de las naciones ha librado su tierra de la mano del rey de Asiria?
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?
¿Dónde están los ʼelohim de Hamat y Arfad? ¿Dónde están los ʼelohim de Sefarvaim, de Hena y de Iva? ¿Pudieron librar a Samaria de mi mano?
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]?’”
¿Cuáles de todos los ʼelohim de estas naciones libraron sus tierras de mi mano, para [confiar] que Yavé libre a Jerusalén de mi mano?
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.”
Pero el pueblo calló y no le respondió alguna palabra, pues había una consigna del rey: No le respondan.
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.
Eliaquim, hijo de Hilcías, administrador del palacio, el escriba Sebna y el cronista Joa, hijo de Asaf, fueron a Ezequías con sus ropas rasgadas y le declararon las palabras del Rabsaces.
