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.
Yahuuda mansa Hesekiya
(2 Taarika 29:1-22 31:1)1 Ela dinkewo Hoseya la mansayaa sanji sabanjaŋo Banisirayila bankoo kaŋ, wo saŋo le mu Ahasi dinkewo Hesekiya keta Yahuuda mansa ti. 2 Wo waatoo a siyo be sanji muwaŋ niŋ luulu le, aduŋ a ye maraloo ke Yerusalaamu saatewo kono le fo sanji muwaŋ niŋ kononto. A baamaa too mu Abi le ti, Jakariya dimmusoo. 3 A baarata kuu betoo le la Yaawe* ñaa koto komeŋ a bonsuŋ Dawuda ye a ke ñaameŋ. 4 A ye batudulaa tintiŋolu* buruka, a ye jalaŋ beroolu teyi, aniŋ a ye Asera* jalaŋ dokoolu kuntu ka ì boyi. A ye jaawali saa tunkandiŋo fanaa teyi ka a janjaŋ, Musa ye meŋ dadaa. Kaatu ka naa bula fo wo waatoo la, Banisirayilankoolu ka cuuraayoo siisindi a ye le ka a batu. Ì ka a kumandi nuŋ Nehusitani le la.
5 Hesekiya laata Yaawe, Banisirayila la Alla la le. Ate ñoŋo maŋ soto Yahuuda mansoolu kono, ka bo a siŋ be mennu kaŋ, aniŋ mennu siŋ be ate kaŋ. 6 A ye Yaawe la kuwo muta a bulu fuloo la le, aduŋ a maŋ bo a la siloo nooma. A ye yaamaroolu muta le, Yaawe ye mennu dii ka bo niŋ Musa la. 7 Yaawe tarata a fee le, aduŋ a dunta kuu-wo-kuu to ka a ke, a si ñaatotaa soto jee. A balanta Asiriya mansa ma le, aduŋ a maŋ soŋ ka tara a la maraloo koto. 8 A ye Filisitinkoolu noo keloo la le, biriŋ kantaridulaa tatoo fo saatee tatariŋ, aniŋ ka taa fo Kaasa tundoo bee kaŋ.
9 Mansa Hesekiya la mansayaa sanji naaninjaŋo kono, meŋ keta Ela dinkewo Banisirayila mansa Hoseya la mansayaa sanji woorowulanjaŋo ti, Asiriya mansa Salimanesa wulita naŋ Samariya kamma, a ye jee suki. 10 Bituŋ sanji saba koolaa a naata jee muta. Hesekiya la mansayaa sanji wooronjaŋo kono, meŋ keta Banisirayila mansa Hoseya la mansayaa sanji konontonjaŋo ti, wo tumoo le mu Samariya mutata. 11 Asiriya mansa ye Banisirayilankoolu muta le, a ye ì samba Asiriya bankoo kaŋ. A ye ì sindi Hala saatewo to, Kosani tundoo kaŋ, Habori Boloŋo daala, aniŋ Mediyankoolu la saatewolu to. 12 Ñiŋ keta le kaatu ì maŋ Yaawe, ì la Alla la kumoolu muta. Ì ye a la kambeŋo tiñaa le, aniŋ a ye Musa yaamari meŋ na, Yaawe la dookuulaa. Ì maŋ i lamoyi a la, sako ka soŋ a la.
Asiriyankoolu naata ka Yerusalaamu saatewo kele
(2 Taarika 32:1-19Yesaya 36:1-22)13 Mansa Hesekiya la maraloo sanji taŋ niŋ naaninjaŋo kono, Asiriya mansa Sennakeribu ye Yahuuda saatee tatariŋolu bee boyinkaŋ keloo la, aduŋ a ye ì muta. 14 Mansa Hesekiya ye kiilaalu kii Asiriya mansa kaŋ Lakisi saatewo to, ka a fo a ye ko, “Hesekiya ko a ye meŋ ke, a maŋ beŋ. I si a tu jee, aduŋ niŋ i ye feŋ-wo-feŋ kaniŋ a bulu, a be a ke la le.” Bituŋ Asiriya mansa ye Mansa Hesekiya kaniŋ kodiforoo kilo wuli taŋ na, aniŋ sanoo kilo wuli kiliŋ. 15 Hesekiya ye kodiforoo bee le dii a la meŋ be Yaawe Batudulaa Buŋo* kono, aniŋ mansasuwo naafulu maabodulaa. 16 Wo waatoo le mu Mansa Hesekiya ye sanoo bondi Yaawe Batudulaa Buŋo daalu bala, aniŋ daakuŋolu, a faŋo ye mennu muuri niŋ sanoo la, bituŋ a ye ì dii Asiriya mansa la.
17 Asiriya mansa ye a la kuntii baa saba Taritani, Rabusarisi, aniŋ Rabusake kii, ì niŋ kelediŋ kafu baa ka bo naŋ Lakisi ka taa Hesekiya kaŋ Yerusalaamu. Ì wulita ka naa Yerusalaamu, aduŋ kabiriŋ ì futata, ì loota siloo to jiibori dinkoo maafaŋo la, meŋ ka woyi naŋ ka bo santo daloo to ka taa Kuuru Dulaa. 18 Bituŋ ì ye kiilaa kii ka Mansa Hesekiya kumandi naŋ. Wo le to mansa la dookuulaa kee saba fintita ì kaŋ naŋ. Wolu le mu Hilikiya dinkewo Eliyakimu ti, meŋ tarata marariŋ mansasuwo ma, Sebuna, meŋ mu safeerilaa ti, aniŋ Asafu dinkewo Yowa, meŋ marata taarika safeeriŋolu ma.
19 Asiriya kelediŋ kuntiyo ko ì ye ko, “Asiriya mansa baa ko a lafita a loŋ na le Mansa Hesekiya be jikiriŋ meŋ na. 20 Fo a ye a miira le ko, kuma kenseŋolu le mu keloo feeroo niŋ semboo ti baŋ? A be jikiriŋ jumaa le la fo a ka balaŋo tiliŋ ate la? 21 Fo a be jikiriŋ Misira mansa le la baŋ, wo meŋ ka munta le komeŋ taamaraŋ doko katiriŋo? Moo-wo-moo sujita a kaŋ ka maakoyiroo ñini, a be i soo la i buloo kono le komeŋ ñookala katiriŋo. 22 Waraŋ fo a ko a be jikiriŋ Yaawe, ali la Alla le la baŋ? Fo ate Hesekiya maŋ wo le la batudulaa tintiŋolu niŋ sadaabodulaalu* buruka baŋ? Aduŋ a ko Yahuuda moolu niŋ Yerusalaamu moolu ye le ko, ì si naa ka baturoo ke sadaabodulaa doroŋ to, meŋ be Yerusalaamu. 23 Wo to saayiŋ a niŋ m maarii, Asiriya mansa ye beŋ kaŋ to. A be suu wuli fula dii la a la le, niŋ a ye a tara a si suuborindilaalu soto noo ì ye. 24 Wo to ate si balaŋ noo hani kelediŋ kiliŋ ma baŋ, meŋ na kuwo dooyaata m maarii la kelediŋ kuntiyolu bee ti, niŋ a ye a tara a be jikiriŋ Misira bankoo le la, ka keleraŋ sareetoolu* niŋ suuborindilaalu soto? 25 Wo bee koolaa, ate maŋ wuli a faŋ ye naŋ ñiŋ dulaa kamma, ka a kasaara, niŋ a maŋ ke Yaawe la yaamaroo kaŋ ti. Yaawe le ko a si wuli naŋ ñiŋ bankoo kamma, ka a kasaara.”
26 Bituŋ Hilikiya dinkewo Eliyakimu, aniŋ Sebuna niŋ Yowa ko kelediŋ kuntii baa ñiŋ ye ko, “Dukaree diyaamu ntolu, i la dookuulaalu ye, Arameya kaŋo to. Ŋà a moyi le. Kana diyaamu ǹ ye Hiburu kaŋo to fo moolu ye a moyi, mennu be tata sansaŋo kaŋ santo.” 27 Bari kelediŋ kuntii baa ñiŋ ko ì ye le ko, “Fo m maarii ye n kii ka ñiŋ kumoolu fo alitolu niŋ ali maarii dammaa le ye baŋ? A ye n kii le ka diyaamu ñiŋ moolu fanaa ye, mennu be siiriŋ tata sansaŋo kaŋ santo. Itolu fanaa be ì la buwo domo la le, ì ye ì la sumunaa miŋ, komeŋ alitolu faŋolu.”
28 Bituŋ kelediŋ kuntii baa ñiŋ loota, a sarita santo Hiburu kaŋo to, ka a fo ko:
“Ali i lamoyi Asiriya mansa baa la kumoo la. 29 Mansa ko ali kana soŋ Hesekiya ye ali neenee. A te ali bondi noo la ate bulu. 30 Ali kana soŋ Hesekiya ye ali dundi ñiŋ to ka jiki Yaawe la, ka a fo ali ye, a koyita a ma le ko, Yaawe be ali tankandi la le, aduŋ a te ñiŋ saatewo duŋ na Asiriya mansa bulu. 31 Ali kana i lamoyi Hesekiya la. Asiriya mansa ko ali ye soŋ kayiroo la ali niŋ ate teema, aduŋ ali si finti naŋ saatewo kono ka ali faŋ seyi a ma. Niŋ wo keta, moo-wo-moo be a fansuŋ wayini* yiridiŋolu niŋ sooto yiridiŋolu domo la le, aduŋ a be i miŋ na a fansuŋ koloŋo le to. 32 Wo koolaa a be naa le a ye ali samba banku doo kaŋ, meŋ niŋ ali la bankoo mulunta. Wo bankoo kaŋ siimaŋ kesoo siyaata jee le, aniŋ mbuuroo. Wayini yiri kankaŋolu be jee le, aniŋ wayinoo. Olifu* yiroolu be jee le, aniŋ olifu tuloo, aniŋ liyo. I si a je ali te faa la, bari ali si baluu. Wo to ali kana i lamoyi Hesekiya la niŋ a ka a fo ko, Yaawe be ali tankandi la le. 33 Fo banku koteŋ jalaŋ ne nene sotota baŋ, meŋ ye a la moolu tankandi noo Asiriya mansa bulu? 34 Hamati niŋ Aripadi jalaŋolu lee? Sefariwayimu, Hena, aniŋ Iwa jalaŋolu lee? Fo ì ye Samariya tankandi noo a bulu le baŋ? 35 Jalaŋolu bee kono banku jumaa le la jalaŋolu ye ì la bankoolu tankandi noo a bulu? Wo to fo Yaawe si Yerusalaamu tankandi noo ate bulu baŋ?”
36 Bari moolu tuta deyiriŋ ne, ì maŋ hani kuma kiliŋ fo, kaatu Mansa Hesekiya ye ì yaamari le ko, ì kana a jaabi. 37 Bituŋ Hilikiya dinkewo Eliyakimu, meŋ marata mansasuwo ma, Sebuna meŋ mu safeerilaa ti, aniŋ Asafu dinkewo Yowa, meŋ marata taarika safeeroolu ma, taata Hesekiya kaŋ. Ì niŋ ì la dendika farariŋolu le taata, niikuyaa kamma la, aduŋ ì ye kumoo bee saata, kelediŋ kuntiyo ñiŋ ye meŋ fo.
