Mambo Senakheribu ebombela Jerusalema
(2 Bomambo 18:13-272 Zwiyitikalo 32:1-19)1 Mu gole le bugumi lina makole ali manna e kubusa kwa Mambo Hezekiya, mambo we Asiriya Senakheribu wakazha kuwonginilila mizi mikulu yose ye Juda ngono kayitapa. 2 Ngono mambo we Asiriya katuma nkulu we balauli be babhayani babe kudwa ku Lakhishi kuti ayende kuna Mambo Hezekiya ku Jerusalema ana babhayani banjinji. Kaswika kama pa ngolo ye dziba litja pezhugwi mu zila ye bumambo inoyenda ku Nnda we Nsuki. 3 Ngono kashangamidziwa ndi Eliyakimu nkololo wa Hilikiya wakabe ali iye ntjengeti we ng'umba ye bumambo epelekwa ndi Shebina nkwalili na Jowa nkololo wa Asafu nkwali we zwiyitikalo.
4 Nkulu we balauli be babhayani kabadwa kati, “Kadweni Hezekiya muti, ‘Mambo nkulu, mambo we Asiriya kati, Tjawakabiga mu tjili ini ha wakadzikama wakajali wali? 5 Unokumbula kuti mano ne masimba e kugwa matama anolebelekwa koga kene? Wakabiga muna ani, ha undipandukila wali? 6 Wakabiga mu Egipiti, igoguja ludozo gwe lushanga gwakavunika, gunowobhaya mmwe ne mmwe unodozola ndigo. Faro mambo we Egipiti wakajalo kuna ibabo bose bakabiga munli. 7 Koga ha ungandidwa ukati, “Iswi tigelebgwe muna Yahwe Ndzimu wedu.” Apa ate uli iwo we magalo akatuthumala ne zwibeso zwe zwibhayilo zwakati Hezekiya kazwikolomola, ebe edwa Juda ne Jerusalema eti, “Namatani pa tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo itjetji kene?” 8 Buya ngeno udumane na tetshi wangu mambo we Asiriya. Ndowokupa mbizi dzili zwiwulu zwibili (2 000), ha iwe unoshaka bangadzitaswa. 9 Aungatubule kumidzana ne nng'ompela we bashomanana tjose be balanda ba tetshi wangu, ha ili kuti wakabiga mu koloyi dze ngwa ne bataswi be mbizi dze Egipiti. 10 Pezhugwi kwa ipapo ndawobhayana ne shango iyeyi nge kuda kwa Yahwe. Yahwe nge kwabo bakandidwa bakati, Yenda unokolomodza shango iyeyije.’ ”
11 Ipapo Eliyakimu na Shebina na Jowa bakadwa nkulu we batungamili be babhayani be Asiriya bakati, “Tokumbila kuti utilebese nge Tjiaramu ngoti totjiwa, usitilebese nge Tjijuta mu zebe dze bathu ibaba ba pezhugwi kwe guma.” 12 Koga iye 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.”
13 Ipapo nkulu we balauli be babhayani be Asiriya kamilidza hwi kalebeleka nge Tjijuta kati, “Ihwani matama a mambo nkulu, mambo we Asiriya. 14 Mambo kati, Musitjengedziwe ndi Hezekiya ngoti aatowotubula ku musunungula. 15 Musitongo duma Hezekiya ha eti mugalebgwe muna Yahwe eti, ‘Nge malebeswa Yahwe banowotitjidza. Nzi nkulu iwoyu awungatogwe nge Asiriya.’ 16 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, 17 kuswikila ndizha ndi mutola ndi muisa ku shango inonga yenyu, shango ina mathunde ne nkumbi we zhambi, shango ina tjiwunga ne minda ye mizhambi. 18 Hezekiya asitongo mu lasha nge kumudwa eti, ‘Yahwe banowotitjidza.’ Apa uyapo kene ndzimu pakati kwe midzimu ye zwitjaba wakatongo sunungula itjaba mu maboko a mambo we Asiriya? 19 Ingayi kene midzimu ye Hamati ne ye Aripadi? Ye Sefarivaimu kee, ingayi? Apa yakatongo sunungula Samariya mu maboko angu kene? 20 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?”
21 Koga ibo bakanyalala zwabo bakasitongo n'dabila ngekuti mambo bakabe bati, “Musitongo nshandula.” 22 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 zwiyitikalo bakayenda kuna Hezekiya bapalula zwiambalo zwabakaambala, ngono bakambudza matama wose alebgwa ne nkulu we balauli be babhayani be Asiriya.
The Assyrians Surround Jerusalem
(2 Kings 18.13-272 Chronicles 32.1-19)1 Hezekiah had been king of Judah for 14 years when King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded the country and captured every walled city 2 except Jerusalem. The Assyrian king ordered his army commander to leave the city of Lachish and to take a large army to Jerusalem.
The commander went there and stood on the road near the cloth makers' shops along the canal from the upper pool. 3 Three of the king's highest officials came out of Jerusalem to meet him. 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.
4 The Assyrian commander told them:
I have a message for Hezekiah from the great king of Assyria. Ask Hezekiah why he feels so sure of himself. 5 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? 6 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.
7 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?
8 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. 9 How could you even defeat our lowest ranking officer, when you have to depend on Egypt for chariots and cavalry? 10 Don't forget that it was the Lord who sent me here with orders to destroy your nation!
11 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.”
12 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!”
13 Then, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he shouted out in Hebrew:
Listen to what the great king of Assyria says! 14 Don't be fooled by Hezekiah. He can't save you. 15 Don't trust him when he tells you that the Lord will protect you from the king of Assyria. 16 Stop listening to Hezekiah. Pay attention to my king. Surrender to him. He will let you keep your own vineyards, fig trees, and cisterns 17 for a while. Then he will come and take you away to a country just like yours, where you can plant vineyards and raise your own grain.
18 Hezekiah claims the Lord will save you. But don't be fooled by him. Were any other gods able to defend their land against the king of Assyria? 19 What happened to the gods of Hamath, Arpad, and Sepharvaim? Were the gods of Samaria able to protect their land against the Assyrian forces? 20 None of those gods kept their people safe from the king of Assyria. Do you think the Lord, your God, can do any better?
21-22 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.