2 Reyes 18

1 En el tercer año de Oseas hijo de Ela, rey de Israel, comenzó a reinar Ezequías hijo de Acaz, rey de Judá.

After King Hoshea had been ruling Israel for almost three years, Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, began to rule Judah.

2 Tenía veinticinco años cuando comenzó a reinar, y reinó veintinueve años en Jerusalén. Su madre se llamaba Abi, hija de Zacarías.

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.

3 Hizo lo que era justo a los ojos del Señor, conforme a todo lo que había hecho su padre David.

Hezekiah did things that Yahweh considered to be right, like his ancestor King David had done.

4 Quitó los lugares altos, rompió las columnas y derribó la Asera. También hizo pedazos la serpiente de bronce que había hecho Moisés, porque en aquellos días los hijos de Israel le quemaban incienso; y la llamó Nehustán.

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.

5 Confió en Yahvé, el Dios de Israel, de modo que después de él no hubo nadie como él entre todos los reyes de Judá, ni entre los que le precedieron.

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.

6 Porque se unió a Yahvé. No se apartó de seguirlo, sino que guardó sus mandamientos, que Yahvé le ordenó a Moisés.

He remained loyal to Yahweh and never disobeyed him. He carefully obeyed all the commandments that Yahweh had given to Moses.

7 El Señor estaba con él. Dondequiera que iba, prosperaba. Se rebeló contra el rey de Asiria y no le sirvió.

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).

8 Golpeó a los filisteos hasta Gaza y sus fronteras, desde la torre de los vigías hasta la ciudad fortificada.

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.

9 En el cuarto año del rey Ezequías, que era el séptimo año de Oseas hijo de Ela, rey de Israel, Salmanasar, rey de Asiria, subió contra Samaria y la sitió.

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].

10 Al cabo de tres años la tomaron. En el sexto año de Ezequías, que era el noveno año de Oseas, rey de Israel, Samaria fue tomada.

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.

11 El rey de Asiria se llevó a Israel a Asiria, y los puso en Halah y en el Habor, el río de Gozán, y en las ciudades de los medos,

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.

12 porque no obedecieron la voz de Yahvé, su Dios, sino que transgredieron su pacto, todo lo que mandó Moisés, siervo de Yahvé, y no quisieron oírlo ni hacerlo.

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.

13 En el año catorce del rey Ezequías, Senaquerib, rey de Asiria, subió contra todas las ciudades fortificadas de Judá y las tomó.

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.

14 Ezequías, rey de Judá, envió al rey de Asiria a Laquis, diciendo: “Te he ofendido. Retírate de mí. Lo que me impongas, lo soportaré”. El rey de Asiria asignó a Ezequías, rey de Judá, trescientos talentos de plata y treinta talentos de oro.

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.

15 Ezequías le dio toda la plata que se encontraba en la casa de Yahvé y en los tesoros de la casa real.

So Hezekiah gave to him all the silver that was in the temple and that was stored in the king’s palace.

16 En aquel tiempo, Ezequías cortó el oro de las puertas del templo de Yahvé y de las columnas que Ezequías, rey de Judá, había recubierto, y se lo dio al rey de Asiria.

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.

17 El rey de Asiria envió a Tartán, a Rabsaris y a Rabsaces desde Laquis al rey Ezequías con un gran ejército a Jerusalén. Subieron y llegaron a Jerusalén. Cuando subieron, vinieron y se pararon junto al conducto del estanque superior, que está en el camino del campo del batán.

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.

18 Cuando llamaron al rey, salieron hacia ellos Eliaquim, hijo de Hilcías, que estaba al frente de la casa, y Sebnah, el escriba, y Joah, hijo de Asaf, el registrador.

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.

19 Rabsaces les dijo: “Di ahora a Ezequías: “El gran rey, el rey de Asiria, dice: “¿Qué confianza es ésta en la que confías?

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]?

20 Ustedes dicen (pero no son más que palabras vanas): ‘Hay consejo y fuerza para la guerra’. Ahora bien, ¿en quién confían ustedes, que se han rebelado contra mí?

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]?

21 Ahora bien, he aquí que confiáis en el bastón de esta caña magullada, incluso en Egipto. Si un hombre se apoya en ella, se le meterá en la mano y la atravesará. Así es el Faraón, rey de Egipto, para todos los que confían en él.

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].

22 Pero si me decís: “Confiamos en el Señor, nuestro Dios”, ¿no es aquel cuyos lugares altos y cuyos altares ha quitado Ezequías, y ha dicho a Judá y a Jerusalén: “Adoraréis ante este altar en Jerusalén”?

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]?”’

23 Ahora, pues, por favor, dad prendas a mi amo el rey de Asiria, y yo os daré dos mil caballos si sois capaces de poner jinetes en ellos.

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!

24 ¿Cómo, pues, puedes rechazar el rostro de un capitán del más pequeño de los siervos de mi amo, y poner tu confianza en Egipto para carros y jinetes?

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!

25 ¿Acaso he subido sin Yahvé contra este lugar para destruirlo? Yahvé me dijo: “Sube contra esta tierra y destrúyela””.

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!”

26 Entonces Eliaquim, hijo de Jilquías, Sebna y Joá, dijeron a Rabsaces: “Por favor, habla a tus siervos en lengua siria, porque nosotros la entendemos. No hables con nosotros en la lengua de los judíos, a oídos del pueblo que está en el muro”.

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].”

27 Pero Rabsaces les dijo: “¿Acaso mi amo me ha enviado a su amo y a ustedes para decirles estas palabras? ¿No me ha enviado a los hombres que se sientan en el muro, para que coman su propio estiércol y beban su propia orina con ustedes?”

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].”

28 Entonces Rabsaces se puso de pie y gritó con gran voz en el idioma de los judíos, y habló diciendo: “Oigan la palabra del gran rey, el rey de Asiria.

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,

29 El rey dice: ‘No dejes que Ezequías te engañe, porque no podrá librarte de su mano.

‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you. He will not be able to rescue you from my power [MTY].

30 No dejen que Ezequías los haga confiar en Yahvé, diciendo: “Seguramente Yahvé nos librará, y esta ciudad no será entregada en manos del rey de Asiria.”

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!’

31 No escuchen a Ezequías’. Porque el rey de Asiria dice: ‘Hagan las paces conmigo y salgan a mi encuentro; y cada uno de ustedes coma de su propia vid, y cada uno de su propia higuera, y cada uno beba agua de su propia cisterna;

“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.

32 hasta que yo venga y los lleve a una tierra como la suya, una tierra de grano y de vino nuevo, una tierra de pan y de viñas, una tierra de olivos y de miel, para que vivan y no mueran. No escuchen a Ezequías cuando los convenza diciendo: “El Señor nos librará”.

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!

33 ¿Acaso alguno de los dioses de las naciones ha librado su tierra de la mano del rey de Asiria?

The gods that people of other nations worship have never rescued them from the power [MTY] of the king of Assyria [RHQ]!

34 ¿Dónde están los dioses de Hamat y de Arpad? ¿Dónde están los dioses de Sefarvaim, de Hena y de Ivva? ¿Han librado a Samaria de mi mano?

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?

35 ¿Quiénes son, entre todos los dioses de los países, los que han librado a su país de mi mano, para que Yahvé libere a Jerusalén de mi mano?”

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]?’”

36 Pero el pueblo se quedó callado y no le respondió ni una sola palabra, porque la orden del rey era: “No le respondan”.

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.”

37 Entonces Eliaquim, hijo de Hilcías, que estaba al frente de la casa, vino con Sebna, el escriba, y con Joah, hijo de Asaf, el registrador, a Ezequías con las ropas rasgadas, y le contaron las palabras de Rabsaces.

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.