Hezekiah Asks Isaiah the Prophet for Advice
(Isaiah 37.1-13)1 As soon as Hezekiah heard the news, he tore off his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. Then he went into the temple of the Lord. 2 He told Prime Minister Eliakim, Assistant Prime Minister Shebna, and the senior priests to dress in sackcloth and tell the prophet Isaiah:
3 These are difficult and disgraceful times. Our nation is like a woman too weak to give birth, when it's time for her baby to be born. 4 Please pray for those of us who are left alive. The king of Assyria sent his army commander to insult the living God. Perhaps the Lord heard what he said and will do something, if you will pray.
5 When these leaders went to Isaiah, 6 he told them that the Lord had this message for Hezekiah:
I am the Lord. Don't worry about the insulting things that have been said about me by these messengers from the king of Assyria. 7 I will upset him with rumors about what's happening in his own country. He will go back, and there I will make him die a violent death.
8 Meanwhile, the commander of the Assyrian forces heard that his king had left the town of Lachish and was now attacking Libnah. So he went there.
9 About this same time the king of Assyria learned that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was on his way to attack him. Then the king of Assyria sent some messengers with this note for Hezekiah:
10 Don't trust your God or be fooled by his promise to defend Jerusalem against me. 11 You have heard how we Assyrian kings have completely wiped out other nations. What makes you feel so safe? 12 The Assyrian kings before me destroyed the towns of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and everyone from Eden who lived in Telassar. What good did their gods do them? 13 The kings of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah have all disappeared.
Hezekiah Prays
(Isaiah 37.14-20)14 After Hezekiah had read the note from the king of Assyria, he took it to the temple and spread it out for the Lord to see. 15 He prayed:
Lord God of Israel, your throne is above the winged creatures. You created the heavens and the earth, and you alone rule the kingdoms of this world. 16 But just look how Sennacherib has insulted you, the living God.
17 It is true, our Lord, that Assyrian kings have turned nations into deserts. 18 They destroyed the idols of wood and stone that the people of those nations had made and worshiped. 19 But you are our Lord and our God! We ask you to keep us safe from the Assyrian king. Then everyone in every kingdom on earth will know that you are the only God.
The Lord's Answer to Hezekiah
(Isaiah 37.21-35)20 Isaiah went to Hezekiah and told him that the Lord God of Israel had said:
Hezekiah, I heard your prayer about King Sennacherib of Assyria. 21 Now this is what I say to that king:
The people of Jerusalem
hate and make fun of you;
they laugh
behind your back.
22 Sennacherib, you cursed,
shouted, and sneered at me,
the holy God of Israel.
23 You let your officials
insult me, the Lord.
And this is how you
bragged about yourself:
“I led my chariots
to the highest heights
of Lebanon's mountains.
I went deep into its forest,
cutting down the best cedar
and cypress trees.
24 I dried up every stream
in the land of Egypt,
and I drank water
from wells I had dug.”
25 Sennacherib, now listen
to me, the Lord.
I planned all this long ago.
And you don't even realize
that I alone am the one
who decided that you
would do these things.
I let you make ruins
of fortified cities.
26 Their people became weak,
terribly confused.
They were like wild flowers
or tender young grass
growing on a flat roof,
scorched before it matures.
27 I know all about you,
even how fiercely angry
you are with me.
28 I have seen your pride
and the tremendous hatred
you have for me.
Now I will put a hook
in your nose,
a bit in your mouth,
then I will send you back
to where you came from.
29 Hezekiah, I will tell you what's going to happen. This year you will eat crops that grow on their own, and the next year you will eat whatever springs up where those crops grew. But the third year you will plant grain and vineyards, and you will eat what you harvest. 30 Those who survive in Judah will be like a vine that puts down deep roots and bears fruit. 31 I, the Lord All-Powerful, will see to it that some who live in Jerusalem will survive.
32 I promise that the king of Assyria won't get into Jerusalem, or shoot an arrow into the city, or even surround it and prepare to attack. 33 As surely as I am the Lord, he will return by the way he came and will never enter Jerusalem. 34 I will protect it for myself and for my servant David.
The Death of King Sennacherib
(Isaiah 37.36-38)35 That same night the Lord sent an angel to the camp of the Assyrians, and he killed 185,000 of them. And so the next morning, the camp was full of dead bodies. 36 After this King Sennacherib went back to Assyria and lived in the city of Nineveh. 37 One day he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, when his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords. They escaped to the land of Ararat, and his son Esarhaddon became king.
Mambo unokumbila gumbuludzo kuna Isaya
(Isaya 37:1-7)1 Kwakati Mambo Hezekiya e hwa nge kwako, kapalula zwiambalo zwizwe ngono kaambala jila le saka kanongina mu ng'umba ya Yahwe. 2 Ngono katuma Eliyakimu, iye wakabe ali ntjengeti we ng'umba ye bumambo ana Shebina nkwalili ne bapirisiti bakulu ku nlebesambeli Isaya nkololo wa Amozi, bose bakabe bakaambala matyila e saka. 3 Bakadwa Isaya bakati, “Hezekiya kati, ‘Zhuba lino i zhuba le buyendasi, le kutjemegwa nele kubhakhwa nge shoni, lofanana ne mwana akafanila kuti atshibamiwe ngono mmeyabe basitjina simba le kuti bantshibame. 4 Kungana kukabe kwashingikala kuti Yahwe Ndzimu uwo babe bahwa matama wose alebgwa ne nkulu we balauli be babhayani be Asiriya, wakatumiwa ndi tetshi uwe kudadila Ndzimu unotjila, ngono pamwe banowontjemelela matama Yahwe Ndzimu uwo abahwa e aleba. Ndizo tembezelela malimbelimbe akasala.’ ” 5 Makombgwa a Mambo Hezekiya akati eswika kuna Isaya, 6 Isaya kabadwa kati, “Kadweni tetshi wenyu muti, ‘Yahwe bakati, usitje tjimwe ngekwe matama iyawa awahwa, andatukwa ndiwo nge balanda ba mambo we Asiriya. 7 Bonani, ndowolonga meya mu nli, ngono unowohwa makwayi, kabgwilila ku shango iye kwandinowothama kuti abulawe nge thumo mu shango iye.’ ”
Baasiriya banotshusidzila kakale
(Isaya 37:8-20)8 Nkulu we balauli be babhayani be Asiriya kabgwilila ku shango iye, ngono kawana mambo we Asiriya egwa ne Libina ngoti wakabe ahwa kuyi mambo bakabhuda mu Lakhishi. 9 Senakheribu mambo we Asiriya kahwa ngekwa Tirihaka we Itopiya kuti waswika kuwogwa naye. Wakati ehwa ikoku katuma batumwa kuna Hezekiya kabadwa kati, 10 “Kadweni Hezekiya mambo we Juda muti, ‘Musitongo tjebegwa nge Ndzimu wamunogalabgwe muuli nge kumugadzabgwe kuti Jerusalema ayingawile mu maboko a mambo we Asiriya.’ 11 Bonani, makahwa tjakashingwa ndi bomambo be Asiriya mu shango dzose, bakadzilobesa. Ngono apa imwi mungatjidziwa kene? 12 Apa midzimu ye zwitjaba yakazwitjidza kene? Bakalobesiwa ndi botate bangu ndiaba, bathu be Gozani ne Harani ne Rezefu ne bathu be Edeni bakabe bali mu Telasari. 13 Ungayi mambo we Hamati ne mambo we Aripadi ne mambo we nzi nkulu Sefarivaimu kene we Hena kene we Iva?” 14 Mambo Hezekiya kaamutjila lukwalo mu batumwa ngono kagubala. Ngono kayenda nago ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe kaguwala mbeli kwa Yahwe. 15 Ngono Hezekiya katembezela Yahwe kati, “Imwi Yahwe Masimbawose, Ndzimu we Iziraela imwi mu gele pezhugwi kwe dzikherubhu, ndimwi Ndzimu muli moga mu mibuso yose ye shango, makathama kudzimu ne shango. 16 Teedzani mu hwe, imwi Yahwe, muhwe ngono mulinge nge mesho enyu mubone imwi Yahwe, ihwani matama a Senakheribu aakazhisa kudadila Ndzimu unotjila. 17 Yahwe, malebeswa bomambo be Asiriya bakathukudza zwitjaba ne shango dzazo, 18 bakalashila midzimu yazo mu moto nenguba yakabe isi midzimu koga zwili zwithu zwakathamiwa nge maboko e bathu, kuli zwikuni ne mabgwe ndizo wali zwakakolomodziwa. 19 Ndizo, Yahwe Ndzimu mutigwile mu simba lile, kuti ndizo mibuso yose ye shango izibe kuti imwi moga ndimwi Yahwe.”
Ndayidzo ya Isaya kuna Mambo
(Isaya 37:21-38)20 Ipapo Isaya nkololo wa Amozi katuma nthu kuna Hezekiya kunon'dwa eti, “Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, ‘Nda hwa kunditembezela kuko ngekwa Mambo Senakheribu we Asiriya. 21 Ngono dama lalebgwa ndi Yahwe nge kukwe yeli:
“ ‘Mwanadi we Ziyoni
unokuseka maanya, unokudadila,
nkololokadzi we Jerusalema unokuzunguzila nsholo.
22 Wakatuka ukadadila yani kene?
Ndiyani wawaka milidzila hwi
ubonyabonya mesho uzwikudza kene?
Uthamila wakayengemala we Iziraela.
23 Wakatuma balanda babo kudadila Yahwe,
wakalebeleka uti,
“Ndakatathila pezhugwi kwe matombo
nge koloyi dzangu dzengwa njinji,
anoti ku midzibo ikule ye Lebanoni,
aligila pasi miti yako milefu inoyi misida,
ne misipuri yakanaka.
Ndakaswika pezhugwi kwayo,
angina mu ishaka tjayo tjakazwiyana.
24 Ndakatsha matshime
ngono ang'wa vula mu shango ye bataya,
ndakapkhwisa hwobana dzose dze Egipiti
nge matshambo angu.”
25 Awuzotongobe wahwa kene
kuti ndakakulongolosa ntolo ikoku kene?
Tjandinoshingikadza sangwenu
nge tjandakalongolosa ntolo,
tjekuti mizi mikulu ye matizhilo,
unoyipkhwanya ikasala ili matuluthulu e malala.
26 Babaki bako bakapedziwa simba,
bakahwumana bakabhakhwa nge shoni,
bakafanana ne zwidzwalo zwimu nnda,
ne bushwa gutjibutjetjana gusathu gukasima,
nenge bushwa gwakamela pezhugwi kwe ng'umba,
gwapisiwa nge zhuba gusathu gukakula.
27 Ndoziba kwaunogala ne tjibaka tjaunomilika,
ndoziba kubhuda kuko ne kungina kuko,
ne kundimukila nge bushongola kuko.
28 Ngoti wakandimukila nge bushongola,
ngono kuzwikudza kuko
kukaswika mu zebe dzangu,
ndowokulonga pima mu tjimilo
ne tomu mu nlomo uwo,
ndowokubgwiliza nge zila yawakazha ndiyo.
29 “ ‘Tjilakidzo tjowobe etji ku kuli, mugole lino mowoja tjinozwimelegwa, muna linozha mowoja mazhamba atjo, koga muna le butatu mudzwale, muvune, mulime minda ye mizhambi ngono muje mitjelo yayo. 30 Malimbelimbe akatjila e ng'umba ya Juda anowokula se ndzi unokula pasi ube ne thabi pezhugwi dzibe ne mitjelo. 31 Ngoti malimbelimbe anowobhuda mu Jerusalema, mu Dombo le Ziyoni kowobhuda gupo le bakatjila. Kupisika kwa Yahwe Masimbawose ndiko kunowothama ikoku. 32 Ndizo tjinolebgwa ndi Yahwe ngekwa mambo we Asiriya ndiyetji, “Aatowotshamba mu nzi nkulu iwoyu, akuna nsebe waanowoposa muuli, aatowoboneka mbeli kwawo akabhata tjiviko kene kuli kuukomba nge ngwa. 33 Zila yaakazha ndiyo, ndiyo yaanowobgwilila ndiyo. Aatowotshamba mu nzi nkulu iwoyu, koleba Yahwe. 34 Nzi nkulu iwoyu ndowoumila kuwutjidza, ndiwuzwitjidzila kakale ndiwutjidzila Dafite nlanda wangu.” ’ ” 35 Ipapo ntumwa wa Yahwe kayenda ku bukotokelo gwe Asiriya ngono kabulaya babhayani bali zwiwulu zwili zana lina makumi ali zhanakadzi lina mashanu (185 000). Kwakati tjimuka mangwanana bakabe bakafa bali zwitumbu. 36 Ipapo Senakheribu mambo we Asiriya kamilika kayenda ku nzi kanogala ku Ninive. 37 Kwakati limwe zhuba atjanamata ndzimu uwe wakabe uyi Nishirokhi mu ng'umba yawo, Adiramelekhi na Shareze bakololo babe bakambulaya nge thumo, ngono bakatizhila ku shango ye Ararati. Ngono nkololo uwe Esarihadoni kan'gala thaka.