2 Amakhosi 18
1 Ngomnyaka wesithathu kaHosheya indodana ka-Ela inkosi yako-Israyeli, uHezekhiya indodana ka-Ahazi inkosi yakoJuda waqalisa ukubusa.
Now in the third year of Hoshea, son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, became king of Judah.
2 Wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lanhlanu esiba yinkosi, njalo wabusa eJerusalema okweminyaka engamatshumi amabili lasificamunwemunye. Ibizo likanina lalingu-Abhija indodakazi kaZakhariya.
He was twenty-five years old when he became king, ruling in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years; his mother's name was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah.
3 Wenza okulungileyo phambi kukaThixo, njengalokho okwakwenziwe nguyise uDavida.
He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord as David his father had done.
4 Wadiliza izindawo zokukhonzela, wabhidliza amatshe ababewakhonza njalo wagamulela phansi insika zika-Ashera. Watshaya wenza izicucu inyoka yethusi eyayenziwe nguMosi, ngoba kuze kube yilesosikhathi abako-Israyeli babelokhu beyitshisela impepha. (Yayibizwa ngokuthi Nehushithani.)
He had the high places taken away, and the stone pillars broken to bits, and the Asherah cut down; and the brass snake which Moses had made was crushed to powder at his order, because in those days the children of Israel had offerings burned before it, and he gave it the name Nehushtan.
5 UHezekhiya wayethembele kuThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli. Kakho owayenjengaye kuwo wonke amakhosi akoJuda, loba kulabo abamandulelayo kumbe labo abamlandelayo ekubuseni.
He had faith in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah who were before him.
6 Wabambelela kuThixo kazange ekele ukumlandela, wagcina imilayo uThixo ayeyinike uMosi.
For his heart was fixed on the Lord, not turning from his ways, and he did his orders which the Lord gave to Moses.
7 UThixo wayelaye; waphumelela kukho konke ayekwenza. Wahlamukela inkosi yase-Asiriya kasabanga ngaphansi kwayo.
And the Lord was with him; he did well in all his undertakings: and he took up arms against the king of Assyria and was his servant no longer.
8 Kusukela emphongolweni wesilindo kusiya emzini oyinqaba, wanqoba amaFilistiya, kuze kuyefika khonale eGaza lamazwe akhona.
He overcame the Philistines as far as Gaza and its limits, from the tower of the watchman to the walled town.
9 Ngomnyaka wesine wenkosi uHezekhiya, okwakungumnyaka wesikhombisa wokubusa kukaHosheya indodana ka-Ela inkosi yako-Israyeli, uShalimaneseri inkosi yase-Asiriya wayahlasela iSamariya wayivimbezela.
Now in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea, son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, came up against Samaria, shutting it in with his armies.
10 Ngemva kweminyaka emithathu ama-Asiriya alithumba. Ngakho iSamariya yathunjwa ngomnyaka wesithupha wokubusa kukaHezekhiya, okwakungumnyaka wesificamunwemunye wokubusa kukaHosheya inkosi yako-Israyeli.
And at the end of three years they took it; in the sixth year of Hezekiah's rule, which was the ninth year of Hoshea, king of Israel, Samaria was taken.
11 Inkosi yase-Asiriya yaxotshela abako-Israyeli e-Asiriya yabahlalisa eHala ngaseGozani eMfuleni uHabhori lasemizini yamaMede.
And the king of Assyria took Israel away as prisoners into Assyria, placing them in Halah and in Habor on the river Gozan, and in the towns of the Medes;
12 Lokhu kwenzakala ngoba bengalalelanga uThixo wabo, kodwa sebephule isivumelwano sakhe, lakho konke uMosi inceku kaThixo ayebalaye ngakho. Abazanga balalele njalo abazanga bakwenze.
Because they did not give ear to the voice of the Lord their God, but went against his agreement, even against everything ordered by Moses, the servant of the Lord, and they did not give ear to it or do it.
13 Ngomnyaka wetshumi lane wokubusa kwenkosi uHezekhiya, uSenakheribhi inkosi yase-Asiriya wahlasela wonke amadolobho avikelweyo akoJuda wawathumba.
Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up against all the walled towns of Judah and took them.
14 Ngakho uHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda wathumela ilizwi enkosini yase-Asiriya eLakhishi esithi, “Ngiphambanisile. Suka kimi, mina ngizakubhadala konke okufunayo kimi.” Inkosi yase-Asiriya yathi uHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda kayinike amathalenta esiliva angamakhulu amathathu kanye legolide elingamathalenta angamatshumi amathathu.
And Hezekiah, king of Judah, sent to Lachish, to the king of Assyria, saying, I have done wrong; give up attacking me, and whatever you put on me I will undergo. And the payment he was to make was fixed by the king of Assyria at three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
15 Ngakho uHezekhiya wamnika sonke isiliva esatholakala ethempelini likaThixo lasezindlini zenotho yesigodlweni senkosi.
So Hezekiah gave him all the silver in the house of the Lord, and in the king's store-house.
16 Ngalesisikhathi uHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda waxexebula igolide elalisezivalweni zethempeli likaThixo lelalinanyathiselwe emigubazini yethempeli likaThixo, walinika inkosi yase-Asiriya.
And at that time Hezekiah had the gold from the doors of the Lord's house, and from the door-pillars plated by him, cut off and gave it to the king of Assyria.
17 Inkosi yase-Asiriya yathumela umlawuli omkhulu wamabutho ayo, lesikhulu somndlunkulu kanye lomlawuli wamabutho lamabutho amanengi, besuka eLakhishi besiya enkosini uHezekhiya eJerusalema. Bafika eJerusalema bema emgelweni wechibi elingaphezulu, elisendleleni yeNsimu yoMgezisi.
Then the king of Assyria sent the Tartan and the Rab-saris and the Rab-shakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah, with a strong force. And they went up and came to Jerusalem, and took up their position by the stream of the higher pool, by the highway of the washerman's field.
18 Babiza inkosi ngokwayo: Kodwa kweza u-Eliyakhimu indodana kaHilikhiya umphathi wesigodlo, loShebhina umabhalane, loJowa indodana ka-Asafi umbhali.
And they sent for the king, and Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them.
19 Umlawuli webutho wathi kubo, “Tshelani uHezekhiya ukuthi: ‘Nanku okutshiwo yinkosi enkulu, inkosi yase-Asiriya ithi: Uthembeni ngalesisibindi sakho na?
And the Rab-shakeh said to them, Say now to Hezekiah, These are the words of the great king, the king of Assyria: In what are you placing your hope?
20 Uthi ulamaqhinga lamandla ebutho, kodwa ukhuluma amazwi ayize. Uthembe bani uze ungihlamukele nje?
You say you have a design, and strength for war, but these are only words. Now to whom are you looking for support, that you have gone against my authority?
21 Khangela, ngiyazi uthembe iGibhithe, yona enjengomhlanga ozimvava osika isandla somuntu umlimaze nxa eweyamile. Unjalo uFaro inkosi yaseGibhithe kubo bonke abathembele kuye.
See, now, you are basing your hope on that broken rod of Egypt, which will go through a man's hand if he makes use of it for a support; for so is Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to all who put their faith in him.
22 Njalo nxa lisithi kimi, “Thina sithembe uThixo uNkulunkulu wethu”: kasuye yini uHezekhiya asusa izindawo zakhe eziphakemeyo lama-alithare akhe, esithi kuJuda leJerusalema, “Kumele likhonzele phambi kwaleli i-alithari eliseJerusalema”?
And if you say to me, Our hope is in the Lord our God: is it not he, whose high places and altars Hezekiah has taken away, saying to Judah and Jerusalem that worship may only be given before this altar in Jerusalem?
23 Khathesi woza wenze isivumelwano lenkosi yami, inkosi yase-Asiriya: Ngizakunika amabhiza azinkulungwane ezimbili nxa bekhona abazawagada!
And now, take a chance with my master, the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to put horsemen on them.
24 Pho ungayehlula njani induna yezikhulu ezincane zenkosi yami eyodwa, lanxa uthembele eGibhithe ekutholeni izinqola zempi labagadi bamabhiza na?
How then may you put to shame the least of my master's servants? and you have put your hope in Egypt for war-carriages and horsemen:
25 Phezu kwalokho, kanti ngizehlasela lokuzochitha lindawo ngaphandle kwelizwi elivela kuThixo na? UThixo uqobo nguye othe ngizohlasela ilizwe leli ngilichithe.’”
And have I now come up to send destruction on this place without the Lord's authority? It was the Lord himself who said to me, Go up against this land and make it waste.
26 Ngakho u-Eliyakhimu indodana kaHilikhiya, loShebhina loJowa bathi kumlawuli webutho, “Ake ukhulume ezincekwini zakho ngesi-Aramayikhi, ngoba siyasizwa. Ungasikhulumisi ngesiHebheru lababantu abasemdulini besizwa.”
Then Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the Rab-shakeh, Will you kindly make use of the Aramaean language in talking to your servants, for we are used to it, and do not make use of the Jews' language in the hearing of the people on the wall.
27 Kodwa umlawuli webutho waphendula esithi, “Inkosi yami ingithume ukuba izinto lezi ngizitsho kuphela enkosini yenu lakini, hatshi ebantwini abahlezi emdulini, okuzakuthi labo, njengani badle ubulongwe babo banathe lomchamo wabo na?”
But the Rab-shakeh said to them, Is it to your master or to you that my master has sent me to say these words? has he not sent me to the men seated on the wall? for they are the people who will be short of food with you when the town is shut in.
28 Umlawuli webutho wasukuma wasememeza ngesiHebheru esithi, “Zwanini ilizwi lenkosi enkulu, inkosi yase-Asiriya!
Then the Rab-shakeh got up and said with a loud voice in the Jews' language, Give ear to the words of the great king, the king of Assyria;
29 Lokhu yikho okutshiwo yinkosi: Lingamvumeli uHezekhiya ukuba alikhohlise. Angeke alikhulule.
This is what the king says: Do not be tricked by Hezekiah, for there is no salvation for you in him.
30 Lingamvumeli uHezekhiya elincenga ukuba lithembe kuThixo lapho esithi, ‘Ngempela uThixo uzasikhulula; idolobho leli kaliyikuphiwa esandleni senkosi yase-Asiriya.’
And do not let Hezekiah make you put your faith in the Lord, saying, The Lord will certainly keep us safe, and this town will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.
31 Lingamlaleli uHezekhiya. Nanku okutshiwo yinkosi yase-Asiriya: Yenza isivumelwano sokuthula lami, uphume uze kimi. Lapho-ke omunye lomunye uzakudla esivinini sakhe lasemkhiweni wakhe anathe lamanzi emthonjeni wakhe,
Do not give ear to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me; and everyone will be free to take the fruit of his vine and of his fig-tree, and the water of his spring;
32 ngize ngifike ngilithathe, ngilise elizweni elifanana lelakini, ilizwe lamabele lewayini elitsha, ilizwe lesinkwa lezivini, ilizwe lezihlahla zama-oliva loluju. Khethani impilo hatshi ukufa, Lingamlaleli uHezekhiya, ngoba uyalikhohlisa nxa esithi, ‘UThixo uzasikhulula.’
Till I come and take you away to a land like yours, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vine-gardens, a land of oil-giving olives and of honey, so that life and not death may be your fate. Give no attention to Hezekiah when he says to you, The Lord will keep us safe.
33 Kambe ukhona unkulunkulu wesinye isizwe osewake wakhulula ilizwe lakhe esandleni senkosi yase-Asiriya na?
Has any one of the gods of the nations kept his land from falling into the hands of the king of Assyria?
34 Bangaphi onkulunkulu baseHamathi le-Ariphadi na? Bangaphi onkulunkulu baseSefavayimi labaseHena labase-Iva na? Bayikhululile iSamariya esandleni sami na?
Where are the gods of Hamath and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, of Hena and Ivvah? have they kept Samaria out of my hands?
35 Nguphi kubo bonke onkulunkulu bamazwe la oke wenelisa ukukhulula ilizwe lakhe kimi na? Pho uThixo angayikhulula njani iJerusalema esandleni sami na?”
Who among all the gods of these countries have kept their country from falling into my hands, to give cause for the thought that the Lord will keep Jerusalem from falling into my hands?
36 Kodwa abantu bathula kabazange batsho lutho, ngoba inkosi yayilaye yathi, “Lingamphenduli.”
But the people kept quiet and gave him no answer: for the king's order was, Give him no answer.
37 U-Eliyakhimu indodana kaHilikhiya umgcini wesigodlo loShebhina umabhalane loJowa indodana ka-Asafi umbhali, baya kuHezekhiya izigqoko zabo zidabukile bamtshela okwakutshiwo ngumlawuli webutho.
Then Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah, with their clothing parted as a sign of grief, and gave him an account of what the Rab-shakeh had said.
