מלכים ב 18
| ויהי בשנת שלש להושע בן אלה מלך ישראל מלך חזקיה בן אחז מלך יהודה | 1 |
After King Hoshea had been ruling Israel for almost three years, Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, began to rule Judah.
| בן עשרים וחמש שנה היה במלכו ועשרים ותשע שנה מלך בירושלם ושם אמו אבי בת זכריה | 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.
| ויעש הישר בעיני יהוה ככל אשר עשה דוד אביו | 3 |
Hezekiah did things that Yahweh considered to be right, like his ancestor King David had done.
| הוא הסיר את הבמות ושבר את המצבת וכרת את האשרה וכתת נחש הנחשת אשר עשה משה כי עד הימים ההמה היו בני ישראל מקטרים לו ויקרא לו נחשתן | 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.
| ביהוה אלהי ישראל בטח ואחריו לא היה כמהו בכל מלכי יהודה ואשר היו לפניו | 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.
| וידבק ביהוה לא סר מאחריו וישמר מצותיו אשר צוה יהוה את משה | 6 |
He remained loyal to Yahweh and never disobeyed him. He carefully obeyed all the commandments that Yahweh had given to Moses.
| והיה יהוה עמו בכל אשר יצא ישכיל וימרד במלך אשור ולא עבדו | 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).
| הוא הכה את פלשתים עד עזה ואת גבוליה ממגדל נוצרים עד עיר מבצר | 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.
| ויהי בשנה הרביעית למלך חזקיהו--היא השנה השביעית להושע בן אלה מלך ישראל עלה שלמנאסר מלך אשור על שמרון--ויצר עליה | 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].
| וילכדה מקצה שלש שנים בשנת שש לחזקיה היא שנת תשע להושע מלך ישראל נלכדה שמרון | 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.
| ויגל מלך אשור את ישראל אשורה וינחם בחלח ובחבור נהר גוזן--וערי מדי | 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.
| על אשר לא שמעו בקול יהוה אלהיהם ויעברו את בריתו את כל אשר צוה משה עבד יהוה ולא שמעו ולא עשו | 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.
| ובארבע עשרה שנה למלך חזקיה עלה סנחריב מלך אשור על כל ערי יהודה הבצרות--ויתפשם | 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.
| וישלח חזקיה מלך יהודה אל מלך אשור לכישה לאמר חטאתי שוב מעלי--את אשר תתן עלי אשא וישם מלך אשור על חזקיה מלך יהודה שלש מאות ככר כסף ושלשים ככר זהב | 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.
| ויתן חזקיה את כל הכסף הנמצא בית יהוה ובאצרות בית המלך | 15 |
So Hezekiah gave to him all the silver that was in the temple and that was stored in the king’s palace.
| בעת ההיא קצץ חזקיה את דלתות היכל יהוה ואת האמנות אשר צפה חזקיה מלך יהודה ויתנם למלך אשור | 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.
| וישלח מלך אשור את תרתן ואת רב סריס ואת רבשקה מן לכיש אל המלך חזקיהו בחיל כבד--ירושלם ויעלו ויבאו ירושלם ויעלו ויבאו ויעמדו בתעלת הברכה העליונה אשר במסלת שדה כבס | 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.
| ויקראו אל המלך ויצא אלהם אליקים בן חלקיהו אשר על הבית ושבנה הספר ויואח בן אסף המזכיר | 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.
| ויאמר אליהם רבשקה אמרו נא אל חזקיהו כה אמר המלך הגדול מלך אשור מה הבטחון הזה אשר בטחת | 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]?
| אמרת אך דבר שפתים--עצה וגבורה למלחמה עתה על מי בטחת כי מרדת בי | 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]?
| עתה הנה בטחת לך על משענת הקנה הרצוץ הזה על מצרים אשר יסמך איש עליו ובא בכפו ונקבה כן פרעה מלך מצרים לכל הבטחים עליו | 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].
| וכי תאמרון אלי אל יהוה אלהינו בטחנו הלוא הוא אשר הסיר חזקיהו את במתיו ואת מזבחתיו ויאמר ליהודה ולירושלם לפני המזבח הזה תשתחוו בירושלם | 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]?”’
| ועתה התערב נא את אדני את מלך אשור ואתנה לך אלפים סוסים אם תוכל לתת לך רכבים עליהם | 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!
| ואיך תשיב את פני פחת אחד עבדי אדני--הקטנים ותבטח לך על מצרים לרכב ולפרשים | 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!
| עתה המבלעדי יהוה עליתי על המקום הזה להשחתו יהוה אמר אלי עלה על הארץ הזאת והשחיתה | 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!”
| ויאמר אליקים בן חלקיהו ושבנה ויואח אל רבשקה דבר נא אל עבדיך ארמית--כי שמעים אנחנו ואל תדבר עמנו יהודית באזני העם אשר על החמה | 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].”
| ויאמר אליהם רבשקה העל אדניך ואליך שלחני אדני לדבר את הדברים האלה הלא על האנשים הישבים על החמה לאכל את חריהם (צואתם) ולשתות את שניהם (מימי רגליהם) עמכם | 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].”
| ויעמד רבשקה ויקרא בקול גדול יהודית וידבר ויאמר שמעו דבר המלך הגדול מלך אשור | 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,
| כה אמר המלך אל ישא לכם חזקיהו כי לא יוכל להציל אתכם מידו | 29 |
‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you. He will not be able to rescue you from my power [MTY].
| ואל יבטח אתכם חזקיהו אל יהוה לאמר הצל יצילנו יהוה ולא תנתן את העיר הזאת ביד מלך אשור | 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!’
| אל תשמעו אל חזקיהו כי כה אמר מלך אשור עשו אתי ברכה וצאו אלי ואכלו איש גפנו ואיש תאנתו ושתו איש מי ברו | 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.
| עד באי ולקחתי אתכם אל ארץ כארצכם ארץ דגן ותירוש ארץ לחם וכרמים ארץ זית יצהר ודבש וחיו ולא תמתו ואל תשמעו אל חזקיהו כי יסית אתכם לאמר יהוה יצילנו | 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!
| ההצל הצילו אלהי הגוים איש את ארצו מיד מלך אשור | 33 |
The gods that people of other nations worship have never rescued them from the power [MTY] of the king of Assyria [RHQ]!
| איה אלהי חמת וארפד איה אלהי ספרוים--הנע ועוה כי הצילו את שמרון מידי | 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?
| מי בכל אלהי הארצות אשר הצילו את ארצם מידי כי יציל יהוה את ירושלם מידי | 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]?’”
| והחרישו העם ולא ענו אתו דבר כי מצות המלך היא לאמר לא תענהו | 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.”
| ויבא אליקים בן חלקיה אשר על הבית ושבנא הספר ויואח בן אסף המזכיר אל חזקיהו--קרועי בגדים ויגדו לו דברי רבשקה | 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.
