2 Amakhosi 18
1 Kwasekusithi ngomnyaka wesithathu kaHosheya indodana kaEla, inkosi yakoIsrayeli, uHezekhiya indodana kaAhazi inkosi yakoJuda waba yinkosi.
And it comes to pass, in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz, king of Judah, has reigned;
2 Wayeleminyaka engamatshumi amabili lanhlanu lapho esiba yinkosi; wabusa iminyaka engamatshumi amabili lesificamunwemunye eJerusalema. Lebizo likanina lalinguAbhi indodakazi kaZekhariya.
he was a son of twenty-five years in his reigning, and he has reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother [is] Abi daughter of Zechariah.
3 Wasesenza okulungileyo emehlweni eNkosi njengakho konke uDavida uyise akwenzayo.
And he does that which [is] right in the eyes of YHWH, according to all that his father David did,
4 Yena wasusa indawo eziphakemeyo, wabhidliza insika eziyizithombe, wagamula izixuku, wachoboza inyoka yethusi uMozisi ayeyenzile, ngoba kuze kube yilezonsuku abantwana bakoIsrayeli babeyitshisela impepha; wayibiza ngokuthi nguNehushitani.
he has turned aside the high places, and broken in pieces the standing-pillars, and cut down the Asherah, and beaten down the bronze serpent that Moses made, for up to these days the sons of Israel were making incense to it, and he calls it “a piece of bronze.”
5 Wathembela eNkosini, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli; okwathi emva kwakhe kakubanga khona onjengaye emakhosini wonke akoJuda, loba ayengaphambi kwakhe.
In YHWH, God of Israel, he has trusted, and after him there has not been like him among all the kings of Judah, nor [among any] who were before him;
6 Ngoba wanamathela eNkosini, kaphambukanga ekuyilandeleni, kodwa wagcina imilayo yayo iNkosi eyayilaya uMozisi.
and he cleaves to YHWH, he has not turned aside from after Him, and keeps His commands that YHWH commanded Moses.
7 LeNkosi yaba laye; loba ngaphi lapho aphumela khona waphumelela. Wavukela inkosi yeAsiriya, kayisebenzelanga.
And YHWH has been with him; in every place where he goes out he acts wisely, and he rebels against the king of Asshur, and has not served him;
8 Yena watshaya amaFilisti waze wafika eGaza lemingcele yayo, kusukela emphotshongweni wabalindi kuze kube semzini obiyelweyo.
he has struck the Philistines, even to Gaza and its borders, from a tower of watchers to the fortified city.
9 Kwasekusithi ngomnyaka wesine wenkosi uHezekhiya, owawungumnyaka wesikhombisa kaHosheya indodana kaEla, inkosi yakoIsrayeli, uShalimaneseri inkosi yeAsiriya wenyuka wamelana leSamariya, wayivimbezela.
And it comes to pass, in the fourth year of King Hezekiah—it [is] the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel—Shalmaneser king of Asshur has come up against Samaria and lays siege to it,
10 Basebeyithumba ekupheleni kweminyaka emithathu. Ngomnyaka wesithupha kaHezekhiya, owawungumnyaka wesificamunwemunye kaHosheya inkosi yakoIsrayeli, iSamariya yathunjwa.
and they capture it at the end of three years; in the sixth year of Hezekiah—it [is] the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel—Samaria has been captured,
11 Inkosi yeAsiriya yathumbela uIsrayeli eAsiriya, yababeka eHala leHabori umfula weGozani, lemizini yamaMede.
and the king of Asshur removes Israel to Asshur, and placed them in Halah, and in Habor [by] the river Gozan, and [in] cities of the Medes,
12 Ngoba bengalilalelanga ilizwi leNkosi uNkulunkulu wabo, kodwa baseqa isivumelwano sayo, konke uMozisi inceku yeNkosi eyayikulayile; kabalalelanga, kabenzanga.
because that they have not listened to the voice of their God YHWH, and transgress His covenant—all that He commanded Moses, servant of YHWH—indeed, they have not listened nor done [it].
13 Langomnyaka wetshumi lane wenkosi uHezekhiya, uSenakheribi inkosi yeAsiriya wenyuka wamelana layo yonke imizi yakoJuda ebiyelweyo, wayithumba.
And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Asshur has come up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and seizes them,
14 UHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda wasethumela enkosini yeAsiriya eLakishi esithi: Ngonile; buyela usuke kimi; okubeka phezu kwami ngizakuthwala. Inkosi yeAsiriya yasibeka phezu kukaHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda amathalenta esiliva angamakhulu amathathu, lamathalenta angamatshumi amathathu egolide.
and Hezekiah king of Judah sends to the king of Asshur at Lachish, saying, “I have sinned, turn back from off me; that which you put on me I bear”; and the king of Asshur lays on Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold,
15 UHezekhiya wasemnika sonke isiliva esatholakala endlini kaJehova lenothweni yendlu yenkosi.
and Hezekiah gives all the silver that is found in the house of YHWH and in the treasures of the house of the king;
16 Ngalesosikhathi uHezekhiya waquma igolide ezivalweni zethempeli leNkosi, lemigubazini uHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda ayekunamathisele, walinika inkosi yeAsiriya.
at that time Hezekiah has cut off the doors of the temple of YHWH, and the pillars that Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gives them to the king of Asshur.
17 Inkosi yeAsiriya yasithuma uTharithani loRabi-Sarisi loRabi-Shake besuka eLakishi besiya enkosini uHezekhiya belebutho elinzima eJerusalema. Benyuka-ke bafika eJerusalema. Sebenyuke bafika bema emgelweni wechibi eliphezulu, elisemgwaqweni omkhulu wensimu yomwatshi.
And the king of Asshur sends Tartan, and the chief of the eunuchs, and the chief of the butlers, from Lachish, to King Hezekiah, with a heavy force, to Jerusalem, and they go up and come to Jerusalem, and they go up, and come in and stand by the conduit of the upper pool that [is] in the highway of the fuller’s field.
18 Sebebize inkosi, kwaphumela kibo uEliyakhimi indodana kaHilikhiya owayengumphathi wendlu, loShebina umbhali, loJowa indodana kaAsafi umabhalane.
And they call to the king, and Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who [is] over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the remembrancer, go out to them.
19 URabi-Shake wasesithi kibo: Khulumani khathesi kuHezekhiya: Itsho njalo inkosi enkulu, inkosi yeAsiriya ithi: Yisibindi bani lesi, othembela kuso?
And the chief of the butlers says to them, “Now say to Hezekiah, Thus said the great king, the king of Asshur: What [is] this confidence in which you have confided?
20 Uthi, kodwa yilizwi lendebe nje: Kulecebo lamandla empi. Usuthembe bani ukuthi ungivukele?
You have said: Only a word of the lips! Counsel and might [are] for battle; now, on whom have you trusted that you have rebelled against me?
21 Khangela-ke, wena uthembele odondolweni lomhlanga owephukileyo, oluyiGibhithe, uba umuntu eseyama phezu kwalo, luzangena esandleni sakhe lusihlabe. Unjalo uFaro inkosi yeGibhithe kubo bonke abathembela kuye.
Now behold, you have trusted for yourself on the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; which a man leans on, and it has gone into his hand and pierced it! So [is] Pharaoh king of Egypt to all those trusting on him.
22 Kodwa uba lisithi kimi: ENkosini uNkulunkulu wethu siyathemba; angithi yiyo elezindawo zayo eziphakemeyo lamalathi ayo uHezekhiya awasusileyo, wathi kuJuda leJerusalema: Phambi kwalelilathi lizakhonza eJerusalema?
And when you say to me, We have trusted in our God YHWH, is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has turned aside, and says to Judah and to Jerusalem, You bow yourselves before this altar in Jerusalem?
23 Ngakho-ke, akunike isibambiso enkosini yami, inkosi yeAsiriya, njalo ngizakunika amabhiza azinkulungwane ezimbili, uba wena ulakho ukunika abagadi bawo.
And now, please give a pledge for yourself to my lord the king of Asshur, and I give two thousand horses to you, if you are able to give riders for yourself on them.
24 Pho, uzabuyisela emuva njani ubuso benduna eyodwa yabancinyane nje benceku zenkosi yami; wena-ke uthembele eGibhithe ngezinqola labagadi bamabhiza?
And how do you turn back the face of one captain of the least of the servants of my lord, that you trust for yourself on Egypt for chariot and for horsemen?
25 Kambe ngenyukile yini ukumelana lalindawo ngingelaJehova ukuyichitha? UJehova uthe kimi: Yenyuka umelane lalelilizwe, ulichithe.
Have I now come up without YHWH against this place to destroy it? YHWH said to me, Go up against this land, and you have destroyed it.”
26 UEliyakhimi indodana kaHilikhiya loShebina loJowa basebesithi kuRabi-Shake: Akukhulume lenceku zakho ngesiSiriya, ngoba siyasizwa; ungakhulumi lathi ngesiJuda endlebeni zabantu abasemdulini.
And Eliakim son of Hilkiah says—and Shebna and Joah—to the chief of the butlers, “Please speak to your servants [in] Aramaic, for we are understanding, but do not speak with us [in] Jewish, in the ears of the people who [are] on the wall.”
27 Kodwa uRabi-Shake wathi kubo: Inkosi yami ingithumile yini enkosini yakho lakuwe ukukhuluma lamazwi? Kakusebantwini yini abahlezi phezu komduli ukuze badle ubulongwe babo, banathe umchamo wabo kanye lani?
And the chief of the butlers says to them, “For your lord, and to you, has my lord sent me to speak these words? Is it not for the men—those sitting on the wall—to eat their own dung and to drink their own water, with you?”
28 URabi-Shake wasesima wamemeza ngelizwi elikhulu ngesiJuda, wakhuluma esithi: Zwanini ilizwi lenkosi enkulu, inkosi yeAsiriya.
And the chief of the butlers stands and calls with a great voice [in] Jewish, and speaks and says, “Hear a word of the great king, the king of Asshur—
29 Itsho njalo inkosi: UHezekhiya kangalikhohlisi, ngoba kayikuba lakho ukulikhulula esandleni sayo.
thus said the king: Do not let Hezekiah lift you up, for he is not able to deliver you out of his hand;
30 Njalo uHezekhiya angalenzi lithembele eNkosini esithi: INkosi izasikhulula lokusikhulula, lalumuzi kawuyikunikelwa esandleni senkosi yeAsiriya.
and do not let Hezekiah make you trust in YHWH, saying, YHWH certainly delivers us, and this city is not given into the hand of the king of Asshur.
31 Lingamlaleli uHezekhiya, ngoba itsho njalo inkosi yeAsiriya: Yenzani isivumelwano sokuthula lami, liphume lize kimi; dlanini-ke, ngulowo lalowo okwevini lakhe langulowo lalowo okomkhiwa wakhe, linathe, ngulowo lalowo amanzi omthombo wakhe;
Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus said the king of Asshur: Make a blessing with me, and come out to me, and each eat of his vine, and each [eat] of his fig tree, and each drink the waters of his own well,
32 ngize ngifike ngilithathe ngilise elizweni elifanana lelizwe lakini, ilizwe lamabele lewayini elitsha, ilizwe lesinkwa lezivini, ilizwe lamafutha emihlwathi loluju, ukuze liphile lingafi. Lingamlaleli uHezekhiya ngoba eliyenga esithi: INkosi izasikhulula.
until my coming in, and I have taken you to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive oil, and honey; and live, and do not die; and do not listen to Hezekiah when he persuades you, saying, YHWH delivers us.
33 Onkulunkulu bezizwe sebake bawakhulula yini ngulowo lalowo ilizwe lakhe esandleni senkosi yeAsiriya?
Have each of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Asshur?
34 Bangaphi onkulunkulu beHamathi leArpadi? Bangaphi onkulunkulu beSefavayimi, beHena, leIva? Kambe bayikhulule yini iSamariya esandleni sami?
Where [are] the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where [are] the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah, that they have delivered Samaria out of my hand?
35 Ngobani kubo bonke onkulunkulu balawomazwe abakhulule ilizwe labo esandleni sami, ukuthi iNkosi ikhulule iJerusalema esandleni sami?
Who [are they] among all the gods of the lands that have delivered their land out of my hand, that YHWH delivers Jerusalem out of my hand?”
36 Kodwa abantu bathula, kabaze bamphendula lalizwi, ngoba umlayo wenkosi wawuyikuthi: Lingamphenduli.
And the people have kept silent, and have not answered him a word, for the command of the king is, saying, “Do not answer him.”
37 UEliyakhimi indodana kaHilikhiya owayengumphathi wendlu, loShebina umbhali, loJowa indodana kaAsafi umabhalane, basebesiza kuHezekhiya izigqoko zidatshuliwe, bamtshela amazwi kaRabi-Shake.
And Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who [is] over the house, comes in, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the remembrancer, to Hezekiah, with torn garments, and they declare to him the words of the chief of the butlers.
