2 Ahemfo 20
1 Saa nna no mu no, Hesekia yaree owuyare, na Amos babarima Odiyifo Yesaia kɔɔ ne nkyɛn kɔkae se, “Sɛnea Awurade se ni: Toto wʼakwan yiye, efisɛ worebewu; na wo ho renyɛ wo den bio.”
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 Bere a Hesekia tee asɛm yi, otwaa nʼani hwɛɛ ɔfasu, bɔɔ Awurade mpae se,
Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed,
3 “Kae, Awurade, sɛnea manantew wʼanim nokware mu na mede me koma ayɛ nea ɛfata wɔ wʼanim.” Na Hesekia suu bebree.
“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 Na ansa na Yesaia befi adiwo no mfimfini no, Awurade de asɛm yi besii ne so se,
Isaiah left the king, but before he had crossed the middle courtyard of the palace, Yahweh gave him a message
5 “San kɔ Hesekia a ɔyɛ me nkurɔfo kannifo no nkyɛn, na kɔka kyerɛ no se, ‘Sɛɛ na Awurade a ɔyɛ wʼagya Dawid Nyankopɔn se: Mate wo mpaebɔ no, ahu wo nusu no. Mɛsa wo yare, na nnansa akyi no, wobɛsɔre afi mpa so, na woakɔ Awurade Asɔredan mu.
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 Mede mfe dunum bɛka wo mfe ho, na megye wo ne saa kuropɔn yi afi Asiriahene nsam. Me somfo Dawid nti, mɛyɛ eyi de agye mʼanuonyam.’”
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 Na Yesaia ka kyerɛɛ Hesekia asomfo no se, “Momfa borɔdɔma nyɛ ngo, na momfa nsrasra pɔmpɔ no so.” Wɔyɛɛ saa, na Hesekia nyaa ahoɔden.
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 Ansa na ɔrebenya ayaresa no, Hesekia bisaa Yesaia se, “Nsɛnkyerɛnne bɛn na Awurade bɛyɛ, de akyerɛ sɛ ɔbɛsa me yare, na matumi akɔ Awurade Asɔredan mu nnansa so?”
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 Yesaia buae se, “Eyi ne nsɛnkyerɛnne a Awurade bɛyɛ akyerɛ wo sɛ obedi ne bɔhyɛ so. Wopɛ sɛ sunsuma no kɔ nʼanim anammɔntu du anaa ɛsan nʼakyi anammɔntu du?”
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 Hesekia buae se, “Honhom no kɔ nʼanim bere biara. Na mmom, ma ɛnkɔ nʼakyi.”
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 Enti Yesaia srɛɛ Awurade sɛ ɔnyɛ eyi, na ɔmaa sunsuma no tetew san nʼakyi anammɔntu du wɔ Ahas atrapoe no so.
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 Saa bere yi mu na Babiloniahene Baladan babarima Merodak-Baladan soma ma wɔkɔmaa Hesekia tirinkwa ne akyɛde, efisɛ na wate sɛ ɔyare dennen bi bɔɔ Hesekia.
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 Hesekia gyee Babilonia ananmusifo yi, kyerɛɛ wɔn biribiara a ɔwɔ wɔ nʼadekoradan mu a ɛyɛ dwetɛ, sikakɔkɔɔ, nnuhuam ne ngo a ɛyɛ huam. Afei nso, ɔde wɔn kɔɔ nʼadekorabea, san kyerɛɛ wɔn nʼadekoradan mu biribiara. Biribiara nni nʼahemfi hɔ anaa nʼaheman mu hɔ a Hesekia ankyerɛ wɔn.
[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 Afei Odiyifo Yesaia kɔɔ ɔhene Hesekia nkyɛn, kobisaa no se, “Asɛm bɛn na saa mmarima no kae na he na wofi bae?” Hesekia buae se, “Wofi akyirikyiri asase bi so. Wofi Babilonia, na wɔbaa me nkyɛn.”
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 Odiyifo no bisae se, “Dɛn na wohuu wɔ wʼahemfi hɔ?” Hesekia buae se, “Wohuu biribiara a ɛwɔ mʼahemfi ha. Biribiara nni mʼademude mu a mamfa ankyerɛ wɔn.”
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 Na Yesaia ka kyerɛɛ Hesekia se, “Tie saa asɛm a efi Awurade nkyɛn yi:
[Isaiah knew that Hezekiah had done a very foolish thing]. So Isaiah said to him, “Listen to what Yahweh says to you.
17 Nokware, bere bi bɛba a, wɔbɛsoa biribiara a ɛwɔ wʼahemfi ne agyapade a wʼagyanom akora de abedu nnɛ no akɔ Babilonia. Biribiara renka, sɛɛ na Awurade se.
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 Wʼankasa wʼasefo bi mpo, wɔbɛfa wɔn nnommum. Wɔbɛyɛ piamfo a wɔbɛsom wɔ Babiloniahene ahemfi.”
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 Na Hesekia ka kyerɛɛ Yesaia se, “Saa asɛm yi a efi Awurade nkyɛn a woaka akyerɛ me yi yɛ asɛm papa.” Nanso na ɔhene no redwene sɛ, ne bere so de, obenya asomdwoe ne bammɔ.
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 Nsɛm a esisii Hesekia ahenni mu nkae no a ne tumidi ka ho, ne sɛnea ɔyɛɛ subun, twaa suka maa nsu baa kurow no mu no nyinaa, wɔankyerɛw angu Yuda Ahemfo Abakɔsɛm Nhoma no mu ana?
[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 Bere a Hesekia wui no, ne babarima Manase na odii nʼade sɛ ɔhene.
Later Hezekiah died [EUP], and his son Manasseh became the king.
