2 Amakhosi 20
1 Ngalezonsuku uHezekhiya wagula okokufa. UIsaya indodana kaAmozi umprofethi wasefika kuye wathi kuye: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Laya indlu yakho, ngoba uzakufa, kawuyikuphila.
About that time, Hezekiah became very ill. [He thought that he] was about to die. Isaiah the prophet came to him and said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘You should tell the people in your palace what you want them to do after you die, because you are not going to recover from this illness. You are going to die.’”
2 Wasephendulela ubuso bakhe emdulini, wakhuleka eNkosini esithi:
Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed,
3 Ngiyakuncenga Nkosi, ake ukhumbule ukuthi ngihambe phambi kwakho ngobuqotho langenhliziyo epheleleyo, ngenza okulungileyo emehlweni akho. UHezekhiya wasekhala inyembezi ngokukhala okukhulu.
“Yahweh, do not forget that I have always served you faithfully, and I have done things that pleased you.” Then Hezekiah started to cry loudly.
4 Kwasekusithi uIsaya engakaphumi egumeni elingaphakathi, ilizwi leNkosi lafika kuye lisithi:
Isaiah left the king, but before he had crossed the middle courtyard of the palace, Yahweh gave him a message
5 Buyela uthi kuHezekhiya umbusi wabantu bami: Itsho njalo iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaDavida uyihlo: Ngiwuzwile umkhuleko wakho, ngabona inyembezi zakho; khangela, ngizakusilisa; ngosuku lwesithathu uzakwenyukela endlini yeNkosi.
which said, “Go back to Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, and say to him, ‘I, Yahweh, the God whom your ancestor King David [worshiped], have heard what you prayed. And I have seen your tears. So, listen: I will heal you. Two days from now you will [be able to] go up to my temple.
6 Njalo ngizakwengezelela iminyaka elitshumi lanhlanu ensukwini zakho; ngikukhulule wena lalumuzi esandleni senkosi yeAsiriya; ngiwuvikele lumuzi ngenxa yami langenxa yenceku yami uDavida.
I will enable you to live for 15 more years. And I will rescue you and this city again from the power [MTY] of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for the sake of my own reputation and because of what I promised King David, who served me [well].’”
7 UIsaya wasesithi: Thathani isigaqa somkhiwa. Basebesithatha, basifaka phezu kwethumba, yasisila.
So Isaiah [returned to the palace and told Hezekiah what Yahweh had said. Then he] [to Hezekiah’s servants], “Bring a paste made of boiled figs. Put some of it on his boil, and he will get well.”
8 UHezekhiya wasesithi kuIsaya: Yisiphi isibonakaliso sokuthi iNkosi izangisilisa, lokuthi ngizakwenyukela endlini yeNkosi ngosuku lwesithathu?
Then Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, “What will Yahweh do to prove that he will heal me and that two days from now I will be able to go up to the temple?”
9 UIsaya wasesithi: Lesi yisibonakaliso kuwe esivela eNkosini esokuthi iNkosi izayenza into eyikhulumileyo: Isithunzi sizakuya phambili izinyathelo ezilitshumi, loba siye emuva izinyathelo ezilitshumi yini?
Isaiah replied, “Yahweh will do something that will prove to you that he will do what he promised. Do you want him to cause the shadow on the stairway/sundial to go back ten steps/degrees, or to go forward ten steps/degrees?”
10 UHezekhiya wasesithi: Kulula esithunzini ukuthi selule izinyathelo ezilitshumi; hatshi, kodwa isithunzi kasibuyele emuva izinyathelo ezilitshumi.
Hezekiah replied, “It is easy to cause the shadow to move forward, [because that is what it always does]. Tell him to cause it to move backward ten steps/degrees.”
11 UIsaya umprofethi wasekhala eNkosini, yasibuyisela emuva isithunzi, ngezinyathelo esasehle ngazo esikhwelweni sikaAhazi, izinyathelo ezilitshumi emuva.
So Isaiah prayed earnestly to Yahweh, and Yahweh caused the shadow to go backward ten steps/degrees on the stairway/sundial that King Ahaz had made (OR, that workers had built for King Ahaz).
12 Ngalesosikhathi uMerodaki-Baladani indodana kaBaladani, inkosi yeBhabhiloni, wathumela izincwadi lesipho kuHezekhiya, ngoba wayezwile ukuthi uHezekhiya ubekade egula.
At that time, King Merodach-Baladan, the son of Baladan the [previous] King of Babylonia, heard a report that King Hezekiah had been very sick. So he wrote some letters and gave them to some messengers to take to Hezekiah, along with a gift.
13 UHezekhiya wabalalela, wabatshengisa yonke indlu yakhe yezinto eziligugu, isiliva legolide lamakha lamafutha amahle lendlu yezikhali zakhe, lakho konke okwakutholakala endlini yakhe yokuligugu; kakulalutho endlini yakhe lembusweni wonke wakhe uHezekhiya angabatshengisanga lona.
[When the messengers arrived], Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. Then he showed them everything that was in his (treasure houses/places where very valuable things were stored)—the silver and gold, the spices, the nice-smelling olive oil, and all the weapons [for his soldiers]. He showed them all the [valuable] things in his storerooms and everywhere else in his kingdom [HYP]; he showed them everything.
14 UIsaya umprofethi wasesiza enkosini uHezekhiya wathi kiyo: Batheni lababantu? Futhi bebevela ngaphi besiza kuwe? UHezekhiya wasesithi: Bebevela elizweni elikhatshana, eBhabhiloni.
Then the prophet Isaiah went to Hezekiah and asked him, “Where did those men come from, and what did they say to you?” Hezekiah replied, “They came from a country very far from here. They came from Babylonia.”
15 Wasesithi: Baboneni endlini yakho? UHezekhiya wasesithi: Babone konke okusendlini yami; kakulalutho phakathi kokuligugu kwami engingabatshengisanga khona.
Isaiah asked, “What did they see in your palace?” Hezekiah replied, “They saw everything. I showed them absolutely everything that I own—all my valuable things.”
16 UIsaya wasesithi kuHezekhiya: Zwana ilizwi leNkosi.
[Isaiah knew that Hezekiah had done a very foolish thing]. So Isaiah said to him, “Listen to what Yahweh says to you.
17 Khangela, insuku ziyeza lapho konke okusendlini yakho lalokho oyihlo abakubekelelayo kuze kube lamuhla kuzathwalelwa eBhabhiloni; kakuyikusala lutho, itsho iNkosi.
There will be a time when everything that is still in your palace, all the valuable things that were put there by you and your ancestors, will be carried away to Babylon. There will be nothing left here! [That is what] Yahweh says [to you]
18 Njalo bazathatha emadodaneni akho azaphuma kuwe, ozawazala, abe ngabathenwa esigodlweni senkosi yeBhabhiloni.
Furthermore, some of your own descendants will be forced to go there, and they will be castrated in order that they may become servants in the palace of the King of Babylon.”
19 UHezekhiya wasesithi kuIsaya: Lihle ilizwi leNkosi olikhulumileyo. Wasesithi: Kakunjalo yini, uba kuzakuba khona ukuthula lokuvikeleka ensukwini zami?
Then Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, “That message from Yahweh that you have given to me is good.” He said that because he was thinking, “Even if that happens, there will be peace and security [in Israel] all the rest of my life.”
20 Ezinye-ke zezindaba zikaHezekhiya, lawo wonke amandla akhe, lokuthi wenza ichibi, lomgelo, wangenisa amanzi phakathi komuzi, kakubhalwanga yini egwalweni lwemilando yamakhosi akoJuda?
[If you want to know more about] [RHQ] all the other things that Hezekiah did, about his brave deeds in battle, about his ordering a reservoir to be built in the city and a tunnel [to be dug] to bring water into the reservoir, they are all written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.
21 UHezekhiya waselala laboyise. UManase indodana yakhe wasesiba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.
Later Hezekiah died [EUP], and his son Manasseh became the king.
