2 Kings 19
1 And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard [it], that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.
Kwathi lapho uHezekhiya, inkosi, esezwe lokhu, wadabula izigqoko zakhe wagqoka amasaka, wasesiya ethempelini likaThixo.
2 And he sent Eliakim, who [was] over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
Wathuma u-Eliyakhimu umphathi wesigodlo, uShebhina umabhalane labaphristi abangabakhokheli, bonke begqoke amasaka, baya kumphrofethi u-Isaya indodana ka-Amozi.
3 And they said to him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day [is] a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children have come to the birth, and [there is] not strength to bring forth.
Bathi kuye, “UHezekhiya uthi: ilanga lanamhla lusuku losizi lokusolwa kanye lehlazo njengalapho abantwana sekufike isikhathi sokuthi bazalwe kodwa amandla okubeletha engekho.
4 It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rab-shakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up [thy] prayer for the remnant that are left.
Mhlawumbe uThixo uNkulunkulu wakho izawezwa wonke amazwi omlawuli webutho, onkosi yakhe, inkosi yase-Asiriya, emthume ukuba athuke uNkulunkulu ophilayo, lokuthi uzamthuka ngenxa yamazwi uThixo uNkulunkulu wakho awazwileyo. Ngakho-ke khulekela insali elokhu iphila.”
5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
Kwathi izithunywa zenkosi uHezekhiya sezifikile ku-Isaya,
6 And Isaiah said to them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
u-Isaya wathi kuzo, “Tshelani inkosi yenu lithi, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo: Ungesabi lokhu okuzwileyo, amazwi lawana izinceku zenkosi yase-Asiriya ezingithuke ngawo.
7 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumor, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
Lalela! Ngizafaka umoya ozamenza athi nxa esizwa umbiko othile, afune ukubuyela elizweni lakhe, athi angafika khonale ngenze ukuba abulawe ngenkemba.’”
8 So Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he had departed from Lachish.
Kwathi lapho umlawuli webutho esezwile ukuthi inkosi yase-Asiriya yayisisukile eLakhishi, laye wasuka wayathola inkosi isilwa leLibhina.
9 And when he heard it said of Tirhakah king of Cush, Behold, he hath come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying,
USenakheribhi wemukela umbiko othi uThirihaka, inkosi yaseKhushi, wayesiza ukuba amhlasele. Ngakho wathumela njalo izithunywa kuHezekhiya lombiko othi:
10 Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
“Tshela uHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda ukuthi: Ungavumi ukuthi unkulunkulu omthembileyo akukhohlise esithi, ‘IJerusalema kaliyikunikelwa enkosini yase-Asiriya.’
11 Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered?
Ngempela usukuzwile okwenziwa ngamakhosi ase-Asiriya emazweni wonke, ewabhidliza okupheleleyo. Wena-ke uzaphepha na?
12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed; [as] Gozan and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden who [were] in Thelasar?
Onkulunkulu bezizwe ezatshabalaliswa ngokhokho bami bake bazikhulula na onkulunkulu beGozani, leHarani, leRezefi kanye labantu base-Edeni ababeseThelasari?
13 Where [is] the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?
Ingaphi inkosi yaseHamathi, inkosi yase-Ariphadi, angaphi amakhosi aseLayiri leSefavayimi, loba eyaseHena kumbe eyase-Iva?”
14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.
UHezekhiya wamukela incwadi eyeza lezithunywa wayibala. Emva kwalokho waya ethempelini leNkosi, wayichaya phambi kukaThixo.
15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, who dwellest [between] the cherubim, thou art the God, [even] thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.
UHezekhiya wakhuleka kuThixo esithi: “Thixo, Nkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, osebukhosini phakathi kwamaKherubhi, wena kuphela nguwe onguNkulunkulu wemibuso yonke yasemhlabeni. Nguwe owenza izulu lomhlaba.
16 LORD, bow down thy ear, and hear: open, LORD, thy eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent him to reproach the living God.
Beka indlebe, Thixo, uzwe; vula amehlo akho Thixo, ubone. Lalela uzwe amazwi uSenakheribhi awathumele ukuzathuka uNkulunkulu ophilayo.
17 Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,
Kuliqiniso, Thixo, ukuthi amakhosi ase-Asiriya azitshabalalisa lezizizwe kanye lamazwe azo.
18 And have cast their gods into the fire: for they [were] no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.
Aphosele onkulunkulu bawo emlilweni abatshabalalisa, ngoba kungesibo onkulunkulu kodwa yizigodo lamatshe kuphela, okubunjwe ngezandla zabantu.
19 Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou [art] the LORD God, [even] thou only.
Khathesi, Thixo, Nkulunkulu wethu, sikhulule esandleni sakhe, ukuze imibuso yonke emhlabeni ibekwazi, ukuthi wena wedwa, Thixo, unguNkulunkulu.”
20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, [That] which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.
U-Isaya indodana ka-Amozi wathumela ilizwi kuHezekhiya elithi: “Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli: Ngiwuzwile umkhuleko wakho mayelana loSenakheribhi inkosi yase-Asiriya.
21 This [is] the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, [and] laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
Nanti ilizwi uThixo aselikhulume ngaye: ‘Ndodakazi eGcweleyo iZiyoni iyakweyisa njalo iyakuklolodela. Ndodakazi iJerusalema inqekuza ikhanda layo lapho wena ubaleka.
22 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted [thy] voice, and lifted up thy eyes on high: [even] against the Holy [One] of Israel.
Ngubani lowo omthukileyo wamhlazisa? Ngubani lowo omphakamisele ilizwi lakho wamphakamisela lamehlo akho ngokuzigqaja na? NgoNgcwele ka-Israyeli!
23 By thy messengers thou hast reproached the LORD, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the hight of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down its tall cedar trees, [and] its choice fir trees: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, [and into] the forest of his Carmel.
Ngezithunywa zakho umthukile uThixo. Utshilo njalo ukuthi, “Ngezinqola zami ezinengi ngikhwelile eziqongweni zezintaba, iziqongo eziphezulu kakhulu zaseLebhanoni. Sengigamule ngawisa izihlahla ezinde zemisedari, izihlahla ezikhethiweyo zamaphayini. Ngifikile eziqongweni zalo ezikhatshana, emaguswini alo amahle kakhulu.
24 I have digged and drank strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places.
Ngigebhile imithombo ezizweni nganatha amanzi khona. Ngezinyawo zami ngomisile zonke izifula zaseGibhithe.”’”
25 Hast thou not heard long ago [how] I have done it, [and] of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldst be to lay waste fortified cities [in] ruinous heaps.
“‘Kawuzwanga na? Lokhu ngakumisa endulo. Ngakuceba ensukwini zasendulo; khathesi sengenze ukuba kufezeke, ukuthi usudilize amadolobho avikelweyo aba yizinqwaba zamatshe.
26 Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were [as] the grass of the field, and [as] the green herb, [as] the grass on the house-tops, and [as corn] blasted before it is grown up.
Abantu bakhona, abangaselamandla, badangele njalo bayangekile. Banjengezilimo ensimini, njengamahlumela aluhlaza, lanjengotshani obuhluma ephahleni lwendlu bubuye butshe bungakakhuli.
27 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.
Kodwa ngiyakwazi lapho okhona, lalapho usiza uphinde uhambe; kanye lokuthi ungithukuthelela kangakanani.
28 Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
Ngenxa yokungithukuthelela kwakho langenxa yokuthi ubuqholo bakho sebufikile ezindlebeni zami ngizafaka umkhala wami emakhaleni akho lamatomu ami emlonyeni wakho, njalo ngizakwenza ubuyele ngendlela oze ngayo.’
29 And this [shall be] a sign to thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits of it.
Lokhu kuzakuba yisibonakaliso kuwe, Hezekhiya: Lonyaka lizakudla okuzikhulela kodwa, ngomnyaka wesibili lidle umkhukhuzela wakhona. Kodwa ngomnyaka wesithathu hlanyelani livune, hlanyelani izivini lidle izithelo zazo.
30 And the remnant that hath escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.
Futhi insali yendlu kaJuda izagxilisa njalo impande phansi ithele izithelo ngaphezulu.
31 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape from mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD [of hosts] shall do this.
Ngoba eJerusalema kuzavela insali, kuthi entabeni iZiyoni kuphume ixuku labasindayo. Ukutshiseka kukaThixo uSomandla kuzakwenza ukuba lokhu kufezeke.
32 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
Ngakho-ke mayelana lenkosi yase-Asiriya uThixo uthi: ‘Kasoze angene kulelidolobho loba atshoke umtshoko lapha. Kasoze eze kulo elehawu kumbe akhe umduli wokulivimbezela.
33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
Uzabuyela ngendlela eza ngayo, kasoze angene kulelidolobho, kutsho uThixo.
34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
Idolobho leli ngizalivikela ngilihlenge, ngenxa yami langenxa kaDavida inceku yami.’”
35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they [were] all dead corpses.
Ngalobobusuku ingilosi kaThixo yasuka yayabulala abantu abalikhulu elilamatshumi ayisificaminwembili lanhlanu lezinkulungwane ezihonqweni zama-Asiriya. Kwathi lapho abantu bevuka ekuseni kwakhona bonke kwasekuyizidumbu kuphela!
36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
Ngakho uSenakheribhi inkosi yama-Asiriya wasuka ezihonqweni wahamba. Wabuyela eNiniva wahlala khona.
37 And it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead.
Kwathi ngolunye usuku ekhonza ethempelini likaNisirokhi unkulunkulu wakhe, amadodana akhe u-Adrameleki loShareza ambulala ngenkemba asebalekela elizweni lase-Ararathi. U-Esarihadoni indodana yakhe yaba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
