1 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them. 2 And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field. 3 Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah’s son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph’s son, the recorder.
4 ¶ And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? 5 I say, sayest thou , (but they are but vain words) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me? 6 Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him. 7 But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar? 8 Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. 9 How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 10 And am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.
11 ¶ Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jews’ language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.
12 ¶ But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you? 13 Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 14 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you. 15 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. 16 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern; 17 Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18 Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 20 Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? 21 But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer him not.
22 ¶ Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
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.