Hezekiah Asks Isaiah the Prophet for Advice
(Isaiah 37.1-13)1 As soon as Hezekiah heard the news, he tore off his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. Then he went into the temple of the Lord. 2 He told Prime Minister Eliakim, Assistant Prime Minister Shebna, and the senior priests to dress in sackcloth and tell the prophet Isaiah:
3 These are difficult and disgraceful times. Our nation is like a woman too weak to give birth, when it's time for her baby to be born. 4 Please pray for those of us who are left alive. The king of Assyria sent his army commander to insult the living God. Perhaps the Lord heard what he said and will do something, if you will pray.
5 When these leaders went to Isaiah, 6 he told them that the Lord had this message for Hezekiah:
I am the Lord. Don't worry about the insulting things that have been said about me by these messengers from the king of Assyria. 7 I will upset him with rumors about what's happening in his own country. He will go back, and there I will make him die a violent death.
8 Meanwhile, the commander of the Assyrian forces heard that his king had left the town of Lachish and was now attacking Libnah. So he went there.
9 About this same time the king of Assyria learned that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was on his way to attack him. Then the king of Assyria sent some messengers with this note for Hezekiah:
10 Don't trust your God or be fooled by his promise to defend Jerusalem against me. 11 You have heard how we Assyrian kings have completely wiped out other nations. What makes you feel so safe? 12 The Assyrian kings before me destroyed the towns of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and everyone from Eden who lived in Telassar. What good did their gods do them? 13 The kings of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah have all disappeared.
Hezekiah Prays
(Isaiah 37.14-20)14 After Hezekiah had read the note from the king of Assyria, he took it to the temple and spread it out for the Lord to see. 15 He prayed:
Lord God of Israel, your throne is above the winged creatures. You created the heavens and the earth, and you alone rule the kingdoms of this world. 16 But just look how Sennacherib has insulted you, the living God.
17 It is true, our Lord, that Assyrian kings have turned nations into deserts. 18 They destroyed the idols of wood and stone that the people of those nations had made and worshiped. 19 But you are our Lord and our God! We ask you to keep us safe from the Assyrian king. Then everyone in every kingdom on earth will know that you are the only God.
The Lord's Answer to Hezekiah
(Isaiah 37.21-35)20 Isaiah went to Hezekiah and told him that the Lord God of Israel had said:
Hezekiah, I heard your prayer about King Sennacherib of Assyria. 21 Now this is what I say to that king:
The people of Jerusalem
hate and make fun of you;
they laugh
behind your back.
22 Sennacherib, you cursed,
shouted, and sneered at me,
the holy God of Israel.
23 You let your officials
insult me, the Lord.
And this is how you
bragged about yourself:
“I led my chariots
to the highest heights
of Lebanon's mountains.
I went deep into its forest,
cutting down the best cedar
and cypress trees.
24 I dried up every stream
in the land of Egypt,
and I drank water
from wells I had dug.”
25 Sennacherib, now listen
to me, the Lord.
I planned all this long ago.
And you don't even realize
that I alone am the one
who decided that you
would do these things.
I let you make ruins
of fortified cities.
26 Their people became weak,
terribly confused.
They were like wild flowers
or tender young grass
growing on a flat roof,
scorched before it matures.
27 I know all about you,
even how fiercely angry
you are with me.
28 I have seen your pride
and the tremendous hatred
you have for me.
Now I will put a hook
in your nose,
a bit in your mouth,
then I will send you back
to where you came from.
29 Hezekiah, I will tell you what's going to happen. This year you will eat crops that grow on their own, and the next year you will eat whatever springs up where those crops grew. But the third year you will plant grain and vineyards, and you will eat what you harvest. 30 Those who survive in Judah will be like a vine that puts down deep roots and bears fruit. 31 I, the Lord All-Powerful, will see to it that some who live in Jerusalem will survive.
32 I promise that the king of Assyria won't get into Jerusalem, or shoot an arrow into the city, or even surround it and prepare to attack. 33 As surely as I am the Lord, he will return by the way he came and will never enter Jerusalem. 34 I will protect it for myself and for my servant David.
The Death of King Sennacherib
(Isaiah 37.36-38)35 That same night the Lord sent an angel to the camp of the Assyrians, and he killed 185,000 of them. And so the next morning, the camp was full of dead bodies. 36 After this King Sennacherib went back to Assyria and lived in the city of Nineveh. 37 One day he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, when his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords. They escaped to the land of Ararat, and his son Esarhaddon became king.
Ombara Hiskija ma ningire ondunge ku Jesaja
(Jes 37:1-7)1 Mokamanga ombara Hiskija tja zuva omaserekarerero wawo, otja nyondorora ozombanda ze moruhoze, e ri zarisa ozombanda zomakutu na i kondjuwo ya Muhona. 2 Eye wa hinda Eljakim, omuṱakamise omunene wondjuwo youhona, na Sebna, omutjangerepo wouhona, nOvapristeri Oviuru komuprofete Jesaja, omuzandu wa Amos. Owo wina va zarere ozombanda zomakutu. 3 Ombuze ndje ve raera okukayandja ku Jesaja, oyo ndji: “Ndino oro eyuva romihihamo; eṱe matu verwa, nu matu yambururwa. Tu ri otja omukazendu ngwe rirongerere okupanduka, nungwari ngu hi nomasa okutjita nao. 4 Ombara yOvaasirie ya hinda omuhongore wayo omunene okukayamburura Ndjambi omunamuinyo. Arikana, Muhona, Ndjambi woye, nga zuve omayambururiro nga, nu nga vere imba mbe ye hungire. Nambano kumbira ovandu vetu ku Ndjambi, imba mba hupa.”
5 Jesaja tja zuva ombuze ndji yombara Hiskija, 6 otja yarura eziriro ndi a tja: “Muhona me ku tjivisa kutja o ha tirisiwa i Ovaasirie nomahungiriro wawo wokutja Muhona ke nokumuyama. 7 Muhona ma tjiti kutja indji ombara i zuve ondangu yorive, ndji mai tjiti kutja ombara i yaruke kehi rayo oini; nu Muhona me keizepaisira ngo.”
Ovaasirie mave hindi ondandero yarwe
(Jes 37:8-20)8 Omuhongore wOvaasirie wa zuva kutja ombara Sanherib wa za mOlakis na karwisa otjihuro Libna, tji tja ri popezu na Lakis; eye opa ira ngo okukahungira na ye. 9 Kwa zuvaka ombuze kOvaasirie kutja otjimbumba tjovita tjOvaengipte tji tja hongorerwa i Tirhaka, ombara ya Etiopie, tje ya okuverwisa. Nombara tji ya zuva nai ya hinda orutuu ku Hiskija, ombara ya Juda, 10 okukemuraera nai: “Omukuru ku we riyameka we ku tjivisa kutja ove ko nokuhita momake wandje; nungwari o wovisiwa i ye. 11 Ove wa zuva ozombara zOvaasirie tji ze tjita komahi ngamwa aehe ngu maze vanga okunyona. Mo ripura kutja mo yenene okutaura are? 12 Ootate mukururume va nyonene ovihuro mbi ooGosan na Haran na Resef, nave zepa ovandu va Eden, mba turire mOtelasar, nu kapa ri omukuru wawo umwe ngwa sorere okuveyama. 13 Ozombara zovihuro ooHamat na Arpad na Sefarwajim na Hena na Iwa ze ri pi?”
14 Ombara Hiskija wa kambura orutuu ndwi kovahindwa ne ru rese. Tjazumba eye wa ya kondjuwo ya Muhona a katwa orutuu ndwi momurungu wa Muhona, 15 na kumbu a tja: “Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, ngu u haama kotjihavero tjoye tjouhona kombanda yovakerubi, oove erike ngu u ri Ndjambi, ngu u honapara kombanda yomauhona aehe mouye, ove wa utire eyuru nehi. 16 Nambano, Muhona, tu zuvira, nu tara ku imbi mbi mavi tjitwa ku eṱe. Puratena komambo aehe Sanherib ngu ma hungire okukuyamburura, ove ngu u ri Ndjambi omunamuinyo. 17 Eṱe atuhe matu tjiwa, Muhona, kutja ozombara za Asirie za nyona oviwaṋa ovingi, aze tjiti omahi wavyo okurira onguza 18 naze ningiririsa oomukuru vavyo vovisenginina, mbe ha ri oomukuru oparukaze, nungwari mba ri oviserekarera vyomiti nomawe uriri mbya ungurwa i omake wovandu. 19 Nambano, Muhona, Ndjambi wetu, tu yama kOvaasirie, kokutja oviwaṋa avihe mouye vi tjiwe kutja oove erike, Muhona, ngu u ri Ndjambi.”
Ombuze ya Jesaja kombara
(Jes 37:21-38)20 Jesaja wa hinda ombuze okukaraera ombara Hiskija kutja Muhona wa zuva ongumbiro yombara ne i ziri, 21 ama tja nai: “Otjihuro Jerusalem matji ku yoro, Sanherib, nu matji ku nyekerere. 22 Hapo mo ripura kutja wa yamburura nu wa nyekerera uṋe? Ove kawa ri nondengero ku ami, ngu mbi ri Ndjambi, Omuyapuke wa Israel. 23 Ove wa tuma ovahindwa voye okundjiyamburura kutja ove nomatemba woye aehe wovita mwa huura ozondundu inḓa ozonde tjinenenene, nangarire indji ondomba yondundu Libanon. Ove we rihiva kutja wa ka otupapa itwi oture tjinenenene nomimbonde imbi omiwamiwa koṋa ngo, okutja wa kavaza kokwara kwokuti ku kwa pita. 24 Ove we rihiva kutja wa hupura ozondjombo no nu omeva momahi wozonganda, nokutja ozombaze zovarwe voye wovita za tomba onḓonḓu Nil nga tji ya kaha.
25 “Ko na pu wa zuvire kutja ami mbe ripura okuṱuna oviṋa mbi avihe rukuru are? Nambano ami mbe vi yenenisa. Ami mbe ku pa omasa okutjita ovihuro ovinamasa kutja vi rire ovitambatundu. 26 Ovandu, mba turire mo kava ri nomasa; owo aave tira nu va ri nohoṋi. Va ri otja omahozu mokuti poo ozondombora, nḓa hapa komututu wondjuwo, nu nḓe nyosiwa i ombepo ombyu yokomuhuka.
27 “Nungwari ami me tjiwa oviṋa avihe vyoye mbi u tjita, nokoṋa akuhe ku u yenda; nu me tjiwa tji u rokohera mu ami. 28 Ami mba zuva omaserekarerero womarokohero nga nomeritongamisiro woye; nambano me hweke oruuri meyuru roye nombate motjinyo tjoye, nu me ku yarura nondjira tjingeyo, indji ndji mwa etere.”
29 Tjazumba Jesaja wa tja nai kombara Hiskija: “Otjiraisiro tjoviṋa, mbi mavi tjitwa, otjo hi: Ombura ndji na indji ndji mai yende mamu ri ovikokotwa vyokuti mbi mavi rihapere ovini, nungwari mombura indji oitjatatu mamu yenene okukuna ovikokotwa vyeṋu nokuvikonda, nu mamu kunu omivite namu ri omandjembere wavyo. 30 Imba mba hupa mOjuda mave takavara tjimuna ovikunwa mbi mavi nangananisa omize vyavyo mehi navi eta ovihape. 31 Mamu kara ovandu mOjerusalem na kondundu Sion mbu mave hupu, onḓero ya Muhona Omunamasaaehe tjinga amai tjiti nai.
32 “Ihi Muhona tja hungirira ombara ya Asirie, otjo hi: ‘oyo kai nokuhita motjihuro hi poo okuyumba otjiku nangarire tjimwe mu tjo. Kape novarwe wovita mbe notuvao mbu mave ya popezu notjihuro ho, nu kape notumbo twomakoverero tu matu tungwa okukondoroka tjo. 33 Oyo mai yaruka nondjira tjingeyo, indji ndji ye ya na yo, nu kamaai hiti motjihuro hi. Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, mba hungire. 34 Ami me yeura otjihuro hi ne tji yama mena rondjozikiro yandje omuini, na mena romakwizikiro ngu mba tjita komukarere wandje David!’ ”
35 Ouṱuku mbo omuengeri wa Muhona wa ya kozondanda zOvaasirie na kazepa ovarwe wovita 185,000. Menyunguhuka rependukirwa raindo owo avehe va saravara mbo ava koka. 36 Sanherib, ombara yOvaasirie, otja womboroka na yaruka kotjihuro Ninive. 37 Eyuva rimwe Sanherib ngunda ama kumbire mondjuwo onḓere yomukuru we wotjisenginina Nisrok, ovazandu ve vevari, ooAdramelek na Sareser, otji ve mu zepa nomangaruvyo wawo; tjazumba ave henene kehi ra Ararat. Nu omuzandu we warwe, Asarhadon, we mu pingena okurira ombara.
