< Isaya 37 >
1 Ikawa siku hiyo mfalme Hezekia aliposika taarifa zao, alichana mavazi yake, na kujifunika nguo za magunia, na akaenda kwenye nyumba ya Yahwe.
When King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the LORD’s house.
2 Na alimtuma Eliakimu, ambae ni kiongozi wa kaya na Shebna mwandishi, na wazee wa makuhani, wote walijifunika nguo za magunia, kwa Isaya mtoto wa Amozi, nabii.
He sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.
3 Wakamwambia yeye, Hezekia akasema hivi, 'Siku hii ni siku ya dhiki, kukemewa, na aibu, ni kama mtoto aliye tayari kuzaliwa lakini mama yake hana nguvu za kumsukuma mtoto.
They said to him, “Hezekiah says, ‘Today is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of rejection; for the children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to give birth.
4 Itakuwa Yahwe Mungu wenu atasikia maneno ya kamanda mkuu, ambao mfalme wa Asira Bwana wake alimtuma kumpinga Mungu anayeishi, na atakemea maneno ambayo Yahwe Mungu wenu ameyasikia. Sasa inueni maombi yenu juu mabaki yaliyoobakia hapa.''
It may be the LORD your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’”
5 Sasa watumishi wa mfalme Hezekia walikuja kwa Isaya,
So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
6 na Isaya akawambia, ''Mwambieni Bwana wenu: 'Yahwe amesma, ''Msiogope kwa maneno mliyoyasikia, maneno ambayo mfalme wa Asiria amenitusi mimi.
Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘The LORD says, “Do not be afraid of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
7 Tazama nitaiweka roho yangu ndani yake na atasikiliiza taarifa fulani na atarudi kwenye nchi yake mwenyewe. Na nitamfanya anguke kwa upanga katika nchi yake mwenyewe.''
Behold, I will put a spirit in him and he will hear news, and will return to his own land. I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.”’”
8 Basi kamanda mkuu alirudi na kumkuta mfalme wa Asira anapigana dhidi ya Libna, Maana aliskia kwamba mfalme amekwenda mbali kutoka Lachishi.
So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.
9 Halafu Sennacheribi alisikia kwamba Tirkhaka mfalme wa Ethiopia na Misri wamehamasishana kupigna dhidi yake. Hivyo akamtuma mjumbe mara nyingine kwa Hezekia apeleke ujumbe:
He heard news concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “He has come out to fight against you.” When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
10 ''Mwambie Hezekia, mfalme wa Yuda, 'Usimruhusu Mungu unayemwamini akudanganye, ''Yerusalemu haitatiwa mikononi mwa mfalme wa Asiria.''
“Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”
11 umesikia kitu ambacho mfalme wa Asiria alichokifanya kwa nchi yote kwa kuiangamiza kabisa. Je utawaokoa?
Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly. Shall you be delivered?
12 Je miungu ya mataifa imewakomboa? taifa ambalo baba yangu aliliangamiza: Gozani, Harani, Rezefi na watu wa Edeni katika Telassari?
Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the children of Eden who were in Telassar?
13 Yuko wapi mfalme wa Hamathi, mfalme wa Arpadi, mfalme wa miji ya Sefarvaaimi, wa Hema na Ivva?''
Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?’”
14 Hezekia alipokea barua hii kutoka mikononi mwa mjumbe na kisoma. Halafu akaenda juu kwenye nyumba ya Yahwe na kuusoma mbele yake.
Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the LORD’s house, and spread it before the LORD.
15 Hezekia alimuomba Mungu:
Hezekiah prayed to the LORD, saying,
16 Yahwe wa majeshi, Mungu wa Israeli, wewe ambae uko juu ya makerubi, wewe ni Mungu mwenywe juu falme zote za dunia. umezifanya mbingu na nchi.
“LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, who is enthroned among the cherubim, you are the God, even you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
17 Jeuza masikio yako, Yahwe, na sikiliza. Fungua macho yako, Ee Yahwe na uone, na usikilize maneno ya Sanacheribi, ambayo ameyatuma kumfanyia mzadha Mungu anayeishi.
Turn your ear, LORD, and hear. Open your eyes, LORD, and behold. Hear all of the words of Sennacherib, who has sent to defy the living God.
18 Ni kweli Yahwe, mfalme wa Asiria ameangamiza mataifa yote na aridhi yao.
Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the countries and their land,
19 Wameiweka miungu yao katika moto, maana haikuwa miungu lakini kazi ya mikono ya wanadamu, ni kuni na jiwe tu.
and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them.
20 Hivyo Waasira wameawaangamiza wao. hivyo saa Yahwe Mungu wetu, tuokoe kwa nguvu zako, ili falme zote za duniani zijue kwamba wewe ni Yahwe peke yako.''
Now therefore, LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you are the LORD, even you only.”
21 Basi Isaya mtoto wa Amozi alituma ujumbe kwa Hezekia, na kusema, Yahwe Mungu wa Israeli amesema, Kwa sababu umeomba kwangu kuhusu Sannacheribi mfalme wa Asiria,
Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “The LORD, the God of Israel says, ‘Because you have prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria,
22 Haya ndiyo maneno ambayo Yahwe amezungumza kuhusu yeye, ''Binti bikira wa Sayuni wanakudharau na kukucheka kwa dharau; mabinti wa Yerusalemu wanatingisha vichwa vyao kwa ajili yako.
this is the word which the LORD has spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and ridiculed you. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you.
23 Ni nani unayempinga na kumtusi? na dhidi ya nani unayenyanyua sauti yako na kunyanyua macho yako kwa kiburi? dhidi ya mtakatifu wa Israeli.
Whom have you defied and blasphemed? Against whom have you exalted your voice and lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel.
24 Kwa kupitia watumishi wako umempinga Bwana na amesema, 'Kwa wingi wa gari nimepanda juu kwenye kilele cha milima, katika kilele cha mwuinuko wa Lebanoni. Nitaikata mierezi yake na kuchagua miti ya miseprasi pale, ni msitu uzao sana.
By your servants, you have defied the Lord, and have said, “With the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon. I will cut down its tall cedars and its choice cypress trees. I will enter into its farthest height, the forest of its fruitful field.
25 Nimechimba kisima na kunywa maji; nimechimba mito yote ya Misri chini ya nyayo za miguu yangu.'
I have dug and drunk water, and with the sole of my feet I will dry up all the rivers of Egypt.”
26 Je haujasikia jinsi nilivyoamua toka siku nyingi na nimelifanyia kazi toka kipindi cha kale? ninayaleta sasa ili yaweze kutimia. Mko hapa kuhiaribu miji imara na yenye ulinzi wa kutosha na kuwa chungu cha uharibifu.
“‘Have you not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it in ancient times? Now I have brought it to pass, that it should be yours to destroy fortified cities, turning them into ruinous heaps.
27 Wakazi wake, waliowadhaifu, waliokata tamaa na wenye aibu. Wanaotesha shambani, majani mabichi, majani juu paa au kwenye shamba kabla ya upepo wa mashariki.
Therefore their inhabitants had little power. They were dismayed and confounded. They were like the grass of the field, and like the green herb, like the grass on the housetops, and like a field before its crop has grown.
28 Lakini najua kukaa kwenu chini, kutoka kwenu nje, mnapoingia ndani, na mnapokuwa wakali dhidi yangu.
But I know your sitting down, your going out, your coming in, and your raging against me.
29 Kwa sababu mnakuwa wakali dhidi yangu, maana kiburi chenu kimeyafikia masikio yangu, Nitaweka ndoano katika pua zenu, na sauti katika midomo yenu; Nitawageuza nyuma kwenye njia mliyokuja nayo.
Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.
30 Hii itakuwa wimbo kwenu: mwaka huu mtakula kinachoota porini na mwaka pili mtakula kinachoota hapo hapo. Lakini mwaka wa tatu lazima mpande na mvune, pandeni mizabibu na mle matunda yake.
“‘This shall be the sign to you: You will eat this year that which grows of itself, and in the second year that which springs from it; and in the third year sow and reap and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.
31 Mabaki ya nyumba ya Yuda ambao wanaishi watachukua mzizi tena na kuzalisha matunda.
The remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah will again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.
32 Maana katika Yerusalemu waliobaki watatoka; Kutoka kwenye mlima Sayuni waliobaki watakuja. Bidii ya Yahwe wa majeshi itafanikisha hili.''
For out of Jerusalem a remnant will go out, and survivors will escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of Armies will perform this.’
33 Hivyo basi Yahwe asema hivi kuhusu Asiria: ''Atakuja katika miji, wala kurusha mkuki hapa. Wala atakuja hapa mbele kwa ngao au kujenga uzio njia panda dhidi yao.
“Therefore the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither will he come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it.
34 Njia atakayojia itakuwa njia hiyo hiyo atakayorudia; ataingia katika mji huu. Hili ni Tamko ya Yahwe.
He will return the way that he came, and he will not come to this city,’ says the LORD.
35 Maana nitaulinda huu mji na kuuokoa, kwa niaba yangu mimi mwenyewe na kwa niaba Daudi mtumishi wangu.''
‘For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.’”
36 Halafu malaika wa Yahwe alienda nje na kuvamia kambi ya Waasiria, na kuwauwa askari 185, 000. Watu walipoamka asubuhi na mapema, miili iliyokufa imelala kila mahali.
Then the LORD’s angel went out and struck one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the camp of the Assyrians. When men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.
37 Hivyo Sennacheribi mfalme wa Asiria aliiacha Israeli na kwenda nyumbani na akakaa Ninewi.
So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, went away, returned to Nineveh, and stayed there.
38 Baadaye, na alipokuwa anabudu katika nyumba ya Nisrochi mungu wake, mtoto wake Adramaleki na Shareza alimuua kwa upanga. Halafu wakakimbilia kwenye nchi ya Ararati. Halafu Esarhadoni mtoto wake akatawala katika sehemu ya baba yake.
As he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons struck him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Esar Haddon his son reigned in his place.