Mambo Hezekiya we Juda
(2 Zwiyitikalo 29:1-22 31:1)1 Mu gole le butatu le mbuso wa Hosheya nkololo wa Ela mambo we Iziraela, Hezekiya nkololo wa Ahazi mambo we Juda katangisa kubusa. 2 Wakatangisa kubusa ana makole ali makumi mabili ana mashanu (25), kabusa makole ali makumi mabili ana ali zhanalume (29) mu Jerusalema. Zina la mmeyabe liyi Abi nkololokadzi wa Zakhariya. 3 Wakathama tjakalulwama mu mesho a Yahwe, sekwakathama tate babe Dafite. 4 Wakadusa magalo akatuthumala, kakwiya mabgwe e thiwa, katema ifano tja Ashera, kapkhwanya nyoka ye phangula yakabe yathamiwa ndi Mushe ngoti kuswika mu tjibaka itjetjo bathu be Iziraela bakabe beipisila motsha, yakabe idang'wa Nehushitani. 5 Hezekiya wakagalabgwe muna Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela, kwakabe kusina wakanga iye muna bomambo bose be Juda shule kukwe kene muna ibabo bakabe bali mbeli kukwe. 6 Wakabhatilila muna Yahwe, kasipambuke mu kubatobela, kabhata milayo ya Yahwe yabakalayila Mushe. 7 Yahwe bakabe banaye, kabhudilila mutjimwe ne tjimwe tjaakabe ethama. Kapandukila mambo we Asiriya, kasinshingile. 8 Kakunda Bafilisitiya kunoti tjose ku Gaza ne mituthu yayo kudwa ku ngadzi kunoti ku nzi we matizhilo. 9 Mu gole le bunna le mbuso wa Hezekiya kuli gole le butendeka le mbuso wa Hosheya nkololo wa Ela mambo we Iziraela, Shalimanesa kanginilila Samariya kaikomba nge ngwa. 10 Kwakati kubupelo gwe makole matatu Baasiriya bakaitola. Mu gole le butathatu le mbuso wa Hezekiya kuli gole le buzhanalume le mbuso wa Hosheya mambo we Iziraela, Samariya ikatapiwa. 11 Mambo we Asiriya kasengela Baiziraela ku Asiriya kababiga mu Hala ne ku Haba gwizi gwe Gozani ne mu mizi mikulu ye Mediya, 12 ngoti abazoteedza hwi la Yahwe Ndzimu wabo, ngono bakatjinya tjidumano na zose zwakalebgwa ndi Mushe nlanda wa Yahwe, abazozwiteedza kene kuli kuzwishingikadza. 13 Mu gole le bugumi lina ali manna (14) le mbuso wa Hezekiya, Senakheribu mambo we Asiriya kazha kuwonginilila mizi mikulu yose ye matizhilo ye Juda ngono kayitapa. 14 Hezekiya mambo we Juda katumila ndayidzo kuna mambo we Asiriya ku Lakhishi eti, “Ndatjinya, shanduka undilekedze, ndowokulipa tjaunoshaka.” Ngono mambo we Asiriya kalipisa Hezekiya mambo we Juda talenta dze siliva dzili mazana matatu (300) ne talenta dze golide dzili makumi matatu (30). 15 Hezekiya kampa siliva yose yakabe ili mu ng'umba ya Yahwe nemu matula e ng'umba ya mambo. 16 Mu tjibaka itjetjo Hezekiya ka kokonola golide mu matendele e ng'umba ya Yahwe nemu makwasayile, yakabe ya namatidziwa na Hezekiya mambo we Juda kayipa mambo we Asiriya.
Senakheribu uno tshusidzila Jerusalema
(2 Zwiyitikalo 32:1-19Isaya 36:1-22)17 Mambo we Asiriya katuma ntungamili nkulu we ngwa ne ntungamili we bashingi be nzi wa mambo ne nlauli we babhayani kuna Mambo Hezekiya ku Jerusalema ana ngwa hwulu kudwa ku Lakhishi. Bakayenda bakanoswika ku Jerusalema, bakati beswika bakama pa ngolo ye dziba lipezhugwi, limu zila ipa nnda we nsuki. 18 Bakadana mambo, ngono Eliyakimu nkololo wa Hilikiya wakabe ali ntjengeti we ng'umba ye bumambo, na Shebina we nkwalili na Jowa nkololo wa Asafu we nkwali we zwakashingikala bakayenda kubali. 19 Nkulu we balauli be babhayani kabadwa kati, “Kadweni Hezekiya muti, ‘Mambo nkulu, mambo we Asiriya kati, tjawakabiga mutjili ini wakadzikama wakajali kene? 20 Apa unokumbula kuti kuleba matama koga ndiwo maano ne simba lekugwa kene? Wakabiga muna yani haundipandukila kene? 21 Bonani, wakabiga mu Egipiti, igoguja ludozo gwe lushanga gwakavunika, gunowobhaya mmwe ne mmwe unodozola nago. Faro mambo we Egipiti wakajalo kuna ibabo bose bakabiga munli. 22 Koga ha mungandidwa muti, “Takabiga muna Yahwe Ndzimu wedu.” Apa ate uli iwo we magalo akatuthumala ne zwibeso zwinopisigwa zwibhayilo zwakakolomogwa ndi Hezekiya, edwa Juda ne Jerusalema eti, “Mu namate mbeli kwe tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tjimu Jerusalema kene?” 23 Buya ngeno udumane na tetshi wangu mambo we Asiriya. Ndowokupa mbizi dzili zwiwulu zwibili (2 000), ha ungawana bataswi badzo. 24 Aungatubule kumidzana ne nng'ompela we bashomanana tjose be balanda ba tetshi wangu, ha ilikuti wakabiga mu koloyi dze ngwa ne bataswi be mbizi be Egipiti. 25 Pezhugwi kwa ipapo, apa ndazha kuwonginilila ndi kolomodza magalo iyawa kusina dama ladwa kuna Yahwe kene? Yahwe ndibo bandidwa bakati ndinginilile shango iyeyi ndiyikolomodze.’ ” 26 Koga Eliyakimu nkololo wa Hilikiya na Shebina na Jowa bakadwa nkulu we batungamili be babhayani be Asiriya beti, “Tokumbila kuti utilebese nge Tjiaramu ngoti totjiwa, usitilebese nge Tjijuta mu zebe dze bathu ibaba ba pezhugwi kwe guma.” 27 Koga ntungamili kabadabila eti, “Apa moti ndatumwa kuwoleba zwithu izwezwi kuna tetshi wenyu ne ku muli koga kene? Akuzojalo, ndatumwa neku bathu bapezhugwi kwe guma, banowoja mapambuko abo bakang'wa mitundo yabo koga samwi.” 28 Ipapo nkulu we balauli be babhayani be Asiriya kamilidza hwi kalebeleka nge Tjijuta eti, “Ihwani matama a mambo nkulu, mambo we Asiriya, 29 Mambo bakati, ‘Musitjengedziwe ndi Hezekiya ngoti aatowotubula ku musunungula mu luboko gwangu. 30 Musitongo duma Hezekiya eti mugalebgwe muna Yahwe eti, nge malebeswa Yahwe banowotitjidza. Nzi nkulu iwoyu awungatogwe nge Asiriya.’ 31 Musitongo teedza Hezekiya. Mambo we Asiriya kati, ‘Dumanani nami mube ne mbakiso mubhudile ngeno kundili, ipapo mmwe ne mmwe wenyu unowoja zhambi dze nzhambi uwe ne phaya dze mpaya uwe eng'wa vula mu tshime lile, 32 kudzina ndizha ndiwomutola ndimuyisa ku shango inonga yenyu, shango ye mathunde ne nkumbi we zhambi, shango ye tjiwunga ne minda dze mizhambi, shango ye miti ye mitoba ne butji, kuti mutjile musife. Musiteedze Hezekiya apa emutjengela eti Yahwe banowotisunungula. 33 Apa kuna imwe ye midzimu ye zwitjaba yakatongo sunungula shango yawo mu luboko gwa mambo we Asiriya kene? 34 Ingayi midzimu ye Hamati ne Aripadi? Ingayi midzimu ye Sefarivaimu ne Hena ne Iva? Apa yakasunungula Samariya mu luboko gwangu kene? 35 Ndiipi midzimu pakati kwayo yose iyeyi yakatongo sunungula shango dzayo mu maboko angu kene? Apa ngono mungandibudza kuti Yahwe ungasunungula Jerusalema mu maboko angu kene?’ ”
36 Koga bakanyalala zwabo bakasitongo ndabila ngekuti mambo bakabe bati, “Musitongo nshandula.” 37 Ipapo Eliyakimu nkololo wa Hilikiya iye wakabe ali ntjengeti we ng'umba ye bumambo ana Shebina nkwalili na Jowa nkololo wa Asafu ali nkwali we zwakashingikala, bakayenda kuna Hezekiya bapalula zwiambalo zwabakaambala, ngono bakambudza matama wose alebgwa ne nkulu we balauli be babhayani be Asiriya.
King Hezekiah of Judah
(2 Chronicles 29.12 22 31.1)1 Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah in the third year of Hoshea's rule in Israel. 2 Hezekiah was 25 years old when he became king, and he ruled 29 years from Jerusalem. His mother Abi was the daughter of Zechariah.
3 Hezekiah obeyed the Lord, just as his ancestor David had done. 4 He destroyed the local shrines, then tore down the images of foreign gods and cut down the sacred pole for worshiping the goddess Asherah. He also smashed the bronze snake Moses had made. The people had named it Nehushtan and had been offering sacrifices to it.
5 Hezekiah trusted the Lord God of Israel. No other king of Judah was like Hezekiah, either before or after him. 6 He was completely faithful to the Lord and obeyed the laws the Lord had given to Moses for the people. 7 The Lord helped Hezekiah, so he was successful in everything he did. He even rebelled against the king of Assyria, refusing to be his servant. 8 Hezekiah defeated the Philistine towns as far away as Gaza—from the smallest towns to the large, walled cities.
9 During the fourth year of Hezekiah's rule, which was the seventh year of Hoshea's rule in Israel, King Shalmaneser of Assyria led his troops to Samaria, the capital city of Israel. They attacked 10 and captured it three years later, in the sixth year of Hezekiah's rule and the ninth year of Hoshea's rule. 11 The king of Assyria took the Israelites away as prisoners; he forced some of them to live in the town of Halah, others to live near the Habor River in the territory of Gozan, and still others to live in towns where the Median people lived. 12 All of that happened because the people of Israel had not obeyed the Lord their God. They rejected the solemn agreement he had made with them, and they ignored everything that the Lord's servant Moses had told them.
King Sennacherib of Assyria Invades Judah
(2 Chronicles 32.1-19Isaiah 36.1-22)13 In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah's rule in Judah, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded the country and captured every walled city, except Jerusalem. 14 Hezekiah sent this message to Sennacherib, who was in the town of Lachish: “I know I am guilty of rebellion. But I will pay you whatever you want, if you stop your attack.”
Sennacherib told Hezekiah to pay ten tons of silver and one ton of gold. 15 So Hezekiah collected all the silver from the Lord's temple and the royal treasury. 16 He even stripped the gold that he had used to cover the doors and doorposts in the temple. He gave it all to Sennacherib.
17 The king of Assyria ordered his three highest military officers to leave Lachish and take a large army to Jerusalem. When they arrived, the officers stood on the road near the cloth makers' shops along the canal from the upper pool. 18 They called out to Hezekiah, and three of his highest officials came out to meet them. One of them was Hilkiah's son Eliakim, who was the prime minister. The other two were Shebna, assistant to the prime minister, and Joah son of Asaph, keeper of the government records.
19 One of the Assyrian commanders told them:
I have a message for Hezekiah from the great king of Assyria. Ask Hezekiah why he feels so sure of himself. 20 Does he think he can plan and win a war with nothing but words? Who is going to help him, now that he has turned against the king of Assyria? 21 Is he depending on Egypt and its king? That's the same as leaning on a broken stick, and it will go right through his hand.
22 Is Hezekiah now depending on the Lord your God? Didn't Hezekiah tear down all except one of the Lord's altars and places of worship? Didn't he tell the people of Jerusalem and Judah to worship at that one place?
23 The king of Assyria wants to make a bet with you people. He will give you 2,000 horses, if you have enough troops to ride them. 24 How could you even defeat our lowest ranking officer, when you have to depend on Egypt for chariots and cavalry? 25 Don't forget that it was the Lord who sent me here with orders to destroy your nation!
26 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said, “Sir, we don't want the people listening from the city wall to understand what you are saying. So please speak to us in Aramaic instead of Hebrew.”
27 The Assyrian army commander answered, “My king sent me to speak to everyone, not just to you leaders. These people will soon have to eat their own body waste and drink their own urine! And so will the three of you.”
28 Then, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he shouted in Hebrew:
Listen to what the great king of Assyria says! 29 Don't be fooled by Hezekiah. He can't save you. 30 Don't trust him when he tells you that the Lord will protect you from the king of Assyria. 31 Stop listening to Hezekiah! Pay attention to my king. Surrender to him. He will let you keep your own vineyards, fig trees, and cisterns 32 for a while. Then he will come and take you away to a country just like yours, where you can plant vineyards, raise your own grain, and have plenty of olive oil and honey. Believe me, you won't starve there.
Hezekiah claims the Lord will save you. But don't be fooled by him. 33 Were any other gods able to defend their land against the king of Assyria? 34 What happened to the gods of Hamath and Arpad? What about the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Were the gods of Samaria able to protect their land against the Assyrian forces? 35 None of these gods kept their people safe from the king of Assyria. Do you think the Lord your God can do any better?
36-37 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah had been warned by King Hezekiah not to answer the Assyrian commander. So they tore their clothes in sorrow and reported to Hezekiah everything the commander had said.