1Now 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. 2And 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. 3Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah’s son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph’s son, the recorder.36.3 scribe: or, secretary
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? 5I 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?36.5 vain…: Heb. a word of lips36.5 I have…: or, but counsel and strength are for the war 6Lo, 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. 7But 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? 8Now 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.36.8 pledges: or, hostages 9How 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? 10And 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? 13Then 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. 14Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you. 15Neither 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. 16Hearken 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;36.16 Make…: or, Seek my favour by a present: Heb. Make with me a blessing 17Until 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. 18Beware 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? 19Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 20Who 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? 21But 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.
Senakeribu Awopseza Yerusalemu
1Chaka cha khumi ndi chinayi cha ulamuliro wa Mfumu Hezekiya, Senakeribu mfumu ya ku Asiriya anathira nkhondo mizinda yonse yotetezedwa ya ku Yuda, nayilanda. 2Kenaka mfumu ya ku Asiriya inatuma kazembe wake wankhondo pamodzi ndi gulu lalikulu lankhondo kuchokera ku Lakisi kupita kwa mfumu Hezekiya ku Yerusalemu. Tsono kazembeyo anayima pafupi ndi ngalande yamadzi yochokera ku Dziwe lakumtunda pa msewu wopita ku malo a munda wa mmisiri wochapa zovala. 3Panali anthu atatu. Woyamba anali Eliyakimu mwana wa Hilikiya komanso ndiye woyangʼanira nyumba ya mfumu. Wachiwiri anali Sebina amene anali mlembi wa bwalo; ndipo wachitatu anali Yowa mwana wa Asafu komanso anali wolemba zochitika. Anthu awa anatuluka kukakumana ndi kazembe wa ankhondo uja.
4Kazembe wa ankhondo anawawuza kuti, “Kamuwuzeni Hezekiya kuti,
“Mfumu yayikulu, mfumu ya ku Asiriya ikunena kuti, Kodi chikukulimbitsa mtima ndi chiyani? 5Iwe ukuti uli ndi luso ndiponso mphamvu pa nkhondo, komatu ukuyankhula mawu opanda pake. Kodi tsono iwe ukudalira yani kuti undiwukire ine? 6Taona tsono, iwe ukudalira Igupto, bango lothyokalo, limene limalasa mʼmanja mwa munthu ngati waliyesa ndodo yoyendera! Umo ndi mmene Farao mfumu ya ku Igupto imachitira aliyense amene akuyidalira. 7Ndipo ngati ukunena kwa ine kuti, ‘Ife tikudalira Yehova Mulungu wathu,’ kodi si Mulungu yemweyo amene nyumba zake ndi maguwa ake, Hezekiya anachotsa, nawuza anthu a ku Yuda ndi a ku Yerusalemu kuti, ‘Muzipembedza pa guwa lansembe ili?’
8“Ndipo tsopano bwera udzakambirane ndi mbuye wanga, mfumu ya ku Asiriya: Ine ndidzakupatsa akavalo 2,000 ngati ungathe kupeza okwerapo! 9Iwe ungathe bwanji kugonjetsa ngakhale mmodzi mwa akazembe angʼonoangʼono a mbuye wanga, pamene ukudalira Igupto kuti akupatse magaleta ndi anthu okwera pa akavalo. 10Kuwonjezera pamenepa, kodi ine ndabwera kudzathira nkhondo ndi kuwononga dziko lino popanda chilolezo cha Yehova? Yehova mwini ndiye anandiwuza kuti ndidzathire nkhondo ndi kuwononga dziko lino.”
11Pamenepo Eliyakimu, Sebina ndi Yowa anawuza kazembeyo kuti, “Chonde yankhulani kwa atumiki anufe mʼChiaramu, popeza timachimva. Musayankhule nafe mu Chihebri kuopa kuti anthu onse amene ali pa khomapa angamve.”
12Koma kazembeyo anayankha kuti, “Kodi mbuye wanga wandituma kuti ndidzanene zinthu izi kwa mbuye wanu yekha ndi inu nokha basi? Ayi, komanso kwa anthu amene akhala pa khomawa. Iwowa adzadya chimbudzi chawo chomwe ndi kumwa mkodzo wawo womwe monga momwe mudzachitire inuyonso.”
13Tsono kazembeyo anayimirira nafuwula mu Chihebri kuti, “Imvani mawu a mfumu yayikulu, mfumu ya ku Asiriya! 14Zimene mfumu ikunena ndi izi: Musalole kuti Hezekiya akunamizeni. Iye sangakupulumutseni! 15Hezekiya asakukakamizeni kudalira Yehova ndi mawu akuti, ‘Ndithu, Yehova adzatipulumutsa; ndipo sadzapereka mzindawu mʼdzanja la mfumu ya ku Asiriya.’
16“Musamumvere Hezekiya. Zimene mfumu ya ku Asiriya ikunena ndi izi: Pangani mtendere ndi ine ndipo mutuluke mu mzinda. Mukatero aliyense wa inu adzadya mphesa ndi nkhuyu za mʼmunda mwake ndiponso adzamwa madzi a mʼchitsime chake, 17mpaka mfumuyo itabwera kudzakutengani kupita ku dziko lofanana ndi lanulo, dziko limene lili ndi tirigu ndi vinyo watsopano, dziko loyenda mkaka ndi uchi.
18“Inu musalole kuti Hezekiya akusocheretseni pamene iye akuti, ‘Yehova adzatipulumutsa.’ Kodi alipo mulungu wa anthu a mtundu wina amene anapulumutsa dziko lake mʼdzanja la mfumu ya ku Asiriya? 19Kodi ili kuti milungu ya Hamati ndi Aripadi? Ili kuti milungu ya Sefaravaimu? Kodi inapulumutsa Samariya mʼdzanja langa? 20Kodi ndi milungu iti mwa milungu yonse ya mayiko awa amene anapulumutsa dziko lake mʼdzanja? Nanga tsono Yehova adzapulumutsa Yerusalemu mʼdzanja langa motani?”
21Koma anthu anakhala chete ndipo sanayankhepo kanthu, chifukwa mfumu inawalamula kuti, “Musayankhe.”
22Pamenepo anthu atatu aja Eliyakimu, mwana wa Hilikiya amene ankayangʼanira nyumba ya mfumu; Sebina mlembi wa bwalo; ndi Yowa, mwana wa Asafu mlembi wa zochitika anapita kwa Hezekiya atangʼamba zovala zawo ndipo anamuwuza zonse zimene anayankhula kazembe uja.
