2 Amakhosi 19
1 Kwathi lapho uHezekhiya, inkosi, esezwe lokhu, wadabula izigqoko zakhe wagqoka amasaka, wasesiya ethempelini likaThixo.
On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD.
2 Wathuma u-Eliyakhimu umphathi wesigodlo, uShebhina umabhalane labaphristi abangabakhokheli, bonke begqoke amasaka, baya kumphrofethi u-Isaya indodana ka-Amozi.
And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz
3 Bathi kuye, “UHezekhiya uthi: ilanga lanamhla lusuku losizi lokusolwa kanye lehlazo njengalapho abantwana sekufike isikhathi sokuthi bazalwe kodwa amandla okubeletha engekho.
to tell him, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace; for children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength to deliver them.
4 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.”
Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives.”
5 Kwathi izithunywa zenkosi uHezekhiya sezifikile ku-Isaya,
So the servants of King Hezekiah went to Isaiah,
6 u-Isaya wathi kuzo, “Tshelani inkosi yenu lithi, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo: Ungesabi lokhu okuzwileyo, amazwi lawana izinceku zenkosi yase-Asiriya ezingithuke ngawo.
who replied, “Tell your master that this is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid of the words you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.
7 Lalela! Ngizafaka umoya ozamenza athi nxa esizwa umbiko othile, afune ukubuyela elizweni lakhe, athi angafika khonale ngenze ukuba abulawe ngenkemba.’”
Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.’”
8 Kwathi lapho umlawuli webutho esezwile ukuthi inkosi yase-Asiriya yayisisukile eLakhishi, laye wasuka wayathola inkosi isilwa leLibhina.
When the Rabshakeh heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.
9 USenakheribhi wemukela umbiko othi uThirihaka, inkosi yaseKhushi, wayesiza ukuba amhlasele. Ngakho wathumela njalo izithunywa kuHezekhiya lombiko othi:
Now Sennacherib had been warned about Tirhakah king of Cush: “Look, he has set out to fight against you.” So Sennacherib again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
10 “Tshela uHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda ukuthi: Ungavumi ukuthi unkulunkulu omthembileyo akukhohlise esithi, ‘IJerusalema kaliyikunikelwa enkosini yase-Asiriya.’
“Give this message to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
11 Ngempela usukuzwile okwenziwa ngamakhosi ase-Asiriya emazweni wonke, ewabhidliza okupheleleyo. Wena-ke uzaphepha na?
Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the other countries, devoting them to destruction. Will you then be spared?
12 Onkulunkulu bezizwe ezatshabalaliswa ngokhokho bami bake bazikhulula na onkulunkulu beGozani, leHarani, leRezefi kanye labantu base-Edeni ababeseThelasari?
Did the gods of the nations destroyed by my fathers rescue those nations—the gods of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and of the people of Eden in Telassar?
13 Ingaphi inkosi yaseHamathi, inkosi yase-Ariphadi, angaphi amakhosi aseLayiri leSefavayimi, loba eyaseHena kumbe eyase-Iva?”
Where are the kings of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
14 UHezekhiya wamukela incwadi eyeza lezithunywa wayibala. Emva kwalokho waya ethempelini leNkosi, wayichaya phambi kukaThixo.
So Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, read it, and went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.
15 UHezekhiya wakhuleka kuThixo esithi: “Thixo, Nkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, osebukhosini phakathi kwamaKherubhi, wena kuphela nguwe onguNkulunkulu wemibuso yonke yasemhlabeni. Nguwe owenza izulu lomhlaba.
And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD: “O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.
16 Beka indlebe, Thixo, uzwe; vula amehlo akho Thixo, ubone. Lalela uzwe amazwi uSenakheribhi awathumele ukuzathuka uNkulunkulu ophilayo.
Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see. Listen to the words that Sennacherib has sent to defy the living God.
17 Kuliqiniso, Thixo, ukuthi amakhosi ase-Asiriya azitshabalalisa lezizizwe kanye lamazwe azo.
Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste these nations and their lands.
18 Aphosele onkulunkulu bawo emlilweni abatshabalalisa, ngoba kungesibo onkulunkulu kodwa yizigodo lamatshe kuphela, okubunjwe ngezandla zabantu.
They have cast their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods, but only wood and stone—the work of human hands.
19 Khathesi, Thixo, Nkulunkulu wethu, sikhulule esandleni sakhe, ukuze imibuso yonke emhlabeni ibekwazi, ukuthi wena wedwa, Thixo, unguNkulunkulu.”
And now, O LORD our God, please save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.”
20 U-Isaya indodana ka-Amozi wathumela ilizwi kuHezekhiya elithi: “Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli: Ngiwuzwile umkhuleko wakho mayelana loSenakheribhi inkosi yase-Asiriya.
Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria.
21 Nanti ilizwi uThixo aselikhulume ngaye: ‘Ndodakazi eGcweleyo iZiyoni iyakweyisa njalo iyakuklolodela. Ndodakazi iJerusalema inqekuza ikhanda layo lapho wena ubaleka.
This is the word that the LORD has spoken against him: ‘The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises you and mocks you; the Daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head behind you.
22 Ngubani lowo omthukileyo wamhlazisa? Ngubani lowo omphakamisele ilizwi lakho wamphakamisela lamehlo akho ngokuzigqaja na? NgoNgcwele ka-Israyeli!
Whom have you taunted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!
23 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.
Through your servants you have taunted the Lord, and you have said: “With my many chariots I have ascended to the heights of the mountains, to the remote peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the finest of its cypresses. I have reached its farthest outposts, the densest of its forests.
24 Ngigebhile imithombo ezizweni nganatha amanzi khona. Ngezinyawo zami ngomisile zonke izifula zaseGibhithe.”’”
I have dug wells and drunk foreign waters. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.”
25 “‘Kawuzwanga na? Lokhu ngakumisa endulo. Ngakuceba ensukwini zasendulo; khathesi sengenze ukuba kufezeke, ukuthi usudilize amadolobho avikelweyo aba yizinqwaba zamatshe.
Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it; in days of old I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should crush fortified cities into piles of rubble.
26 Abantu bakhona, abangaselamandla, badangele njalo bayangekile. Banjengezilimo ensimini, njengamahlumela aluhlaza, lanjengotshani obuhluma ephahleni lwendlu bubuye butshe bungakakhuli.
Therefore their inhabitants, devoid of power, are dismayed and ashamed. They are like plants in the field, tender green shoots, grass on the rooftops, scorched before it is grown.
27 Kodwa ngiyakwazi lapho okhona, lalapho usiza uphinde uhambe; kanye lokuthi ungithukuthelela kangakanani.
But I know your sitting down, your going out and coming in, and your raging against Me.
28 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.’
Because your rage and arrogance against Me have reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose and My bit in your mouth; I will send you back the way you came.’
29 Lokhu kuzakuba yisibonakaliso kuwe, Hezekhiya: Lonyaka lizakudla okuzikhulela kodwa, ngomnyaka wesibili lidle umkhukhuzela wakhona. Kodwa ngomnyaka wesithathu hlanyelani livune, hlanyelani izivini lidle izithelo zazo.
And this will be a sign to you, O Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the second year what springs from the same. But in the third year you will sow and reap; you will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
30 Futhi insali yendlu kaJuda izagxilisa njalo impande phansi ithele izithelo ngaphezulu.
And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root below and bear fruit above.
31 Ngoba eJerusalema kuzavela insali, kuthi entabeni iZiyoni kuphume ixuku labasindayo. Ukutshiseka kukaThixo uSomandla kuzakwenza ukuba lokhu kufezeke.
For a remnant will go forth from Jerusalem, and survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.
32 Ngakho-ke mayelana lenkosi yase-Asiriya uThixo uthi: ‘Kasoze angene kulelidolobho loba atshoke umtshoko lapha. Kasoze eze kulo elehawu kumbe akhe umduli wokulivimbezela.
So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow into it. He will not come before it with a shield or build up a siege ramp against it.
33 Uzabuyela ngendlela eza ngayo, kasoze angene kulelidolobho, kutsho uThixo.
He will go back the way he came, and he will not enter this city,’
34 Idolobho leli ngizalivikela ngilihlenge, ngenxa yami langenxa kaDavida inceku yami.’”
‘I will defend this city and save it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.’”
35 Ngalobobusuku ingilosi kaThixo yasuka yayabulala abantu abalikhulu elilamatshumi ayisificaminwembili lanhlanu lezinkulungwane ezihonqweni zama-Asiriya. Kwathi lapho abantu bevuka ekuseni kwakhona bonke kwasekuyizidumbu kuphela!
And that very night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!
36 Ngakho uSenakheribhi inkosi yama-Asiriya wasuka ezihonqweni wahamba. Wabuyela eNiniva wahlala khona.
So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.
37 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.
One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.
