Asiriaǁîn ge Jerusalemsa ra ǃhuriǃhuri
(2 Gao-aogu 18:13-272 Kroniks 32:1-19)1 Disihakaǁaǀî kurib, Gao-aob Hiskiab gere ǂgaeǂgui ǁaeb aib ge gao-aob Sanherib Asiriab dib ge hoaraga omǂnamisa ǃādi Judab didi ǃoagu khâimâ tsî ǁîde ge ū. 2 Asiriab gao-aob ge Rabsakeba Lakisa xu Gao-aob Hiskiab ǃoa Jerusalems ǁga kai toroǂnubis xa ǁnūhe hâse ge sî. 3 ǁNāpab ge Hilkiab ôab Eliakimmi, gao-ommi ǃereamsa ge ūhâ ib tsî xoa-aob Sebnab tsî ǂkhanisâu-aob Asafi ôab Joab tsîga ǁîba sī nî ǀhao-ūse ge ǃgûǂoa. 4 Ob ge Rabsakeba ǁîn ǃoa ge mî: “Hiskiab ǃoa mî: ‘ǁNā-amagab ge gao-aoba ra mî, Asiriab gao-aoba: Tare-i aits sa ǂgomǃgâsa ra ǃgaoǃgao? 5 Mîdi ǀguidi a ǀape tsî torob di ǀgai tits ǂâi hâ? Tari-i aits nēsi ǂgomǃgâ hâ, ti ǃoaguts ge khâikhâisen xui-ao. 6 Mû, sadu ge Egipteb ai ra ǂgomǃgâ, ǁnā khôa hâ ǂāb, ǁîb ai ra ǁgâibasen ǃommi hoaba nî ǃkhāba. ǁNātib ge Egipteb gao-aob Faraoba ǁîb ai ra ǂgomǃgân hoana nî ība.
7 “ ‘Xawe du ga “Sida ge sida ǃKhūb Elob ai ra ǂgomaiǂnûi,” ti mîo, ǁîb di ǀgapi ǃkhaigu tsî altar tamade Hiskiaba ge ūbēde, Judab tsî Jerusalems tsîra ǃoab ra mîse: “Nē altars aiǃâ du ge nî ǀgoreǀî?” 8 Nēsi ti ǀhonkhoeb Asiriab gao-aob ǀkha ǀhûǀguitimîsa dī, o ta ge ǀgamǀoadisi hāna nî mā du, ǁînats ga ǂâu hâ hāǃgapi-aoga hōbao. 9 Mâtits kha ǁîb a ǂam ǂammâisab ti ǀhonkhoeb ǃoaba-aogu ǁaegu hâba ra ǂhara! Tsî mâtits kha Egipteba ǁîb torokunidi tsî hāǃgapi-aogu tsîn ǃaroma a ǂgomǃgâ ǁkhā? 10 ǃKhūb ose ge isa nē ǃhūb ǃoagu khâimâ tsî ta ge ǁîba hîkākāsa? ǃKhūb ge tita ǃoa “Nē ǃhūb ǃoagu ǃkham, îts ǁîba hîkākā,” ’ ti ge mî.”
11 O gu ge Eliakimmi, Sebnab tsî Joab tsîga Rabsakeb ǃoa ge mî: “Toxopa sa ǃgāgu ǀkha Aramiagowab ǃnâ ǃhoa re, ǁîba ge ra ǁnâuǃā xuige. Tā sige ǀkha Hebregowab ǃnâ ǃhoa, ǂnubiǂgoab ai hâ khoen nî ǁnâu xuige.”
12 Xaweb ge Rabsakeba ge ǃeream: “Ti ǀhonkhoeb ge sago ǀhonkhoeb tsî sago ǀguigo ǀkha ta nî ǃhoase sî te tama hâ. ǁÎb ǂhôas ge ǂnubiǂgoab ai ǂnôa khoen ǃaromas tsîna ge sîhe, ǁîn tsîn sago ǂûgo khami ǁîn xauba ǂû tsî ǀūba nî āse.”
13 Ob ge Rabsakeba mâ tsî ǃgari dommi ǀkha Hebregowab ǃnâ ge ǃhao: “Kai gao-aob mîde ǃgâ re, Asiriab gao-aob dide! 14 Nētib ge gao-aoba ra mî: ‘Ab Hiskiaba tā ǂgaeǂhapu go, ore go ǁkhāb tide xuige. 15 Ab Hiskiaba tā nētib ra mîse ǃKhūb ai ǂgomǃgâ kai go: Amaseb ge ǃKhūba nî ore go; nē ǃās ge Asiriab gao-aob ǃommi ǃnâ māǁnâhe tide.’ 16 Tā Hiskiaba ǃgâ! Nētib ra Asiriab gao-aoba mî xuige: ‘ǂKhîba tita ǀkha dī, î tita māǁnâsen re; o-i ge mâ-i hoa-i sadu di-e sadu draibehaide xu nî ǂû tsî ǁkhāti sadu ǀnomahaide xu; tsî du ge sadu ǀaude xu nî ā, 17 tita hā tsî sadu di ǃhūb ǂûb khami ī ǃhūb ǃoa nî ūǃgû dus kōse, ǃhūb ǃhorob tsî ǂauxûib dib, ǃhūb pereb tsî draibeǃhanagu diba. 18 Tāb Hiskiaba nēti ra mîse ǂgaeǂhapu du nē mîdi ǀkha: “ǃKhūb ge nî ore du.” ǁAedi ǁgôa-elogu di ǀguiba xare sadu ǃhūba Asiriab gao-aob ǃomma xu huiǂuib ge? 19 Hamati tsî Arpadi ǁgôa-eloga mâpa hâ? Sefarvaims ǁgôa-eloga mâpa hâ? Samariaba ti ǃomma xu ǃnoraǃnora gu ge? 20 Sago ǁaegu mâ ǁgôa-elogu nē ǃhūgu diga ǁîgu ǃhūga ti ǃomma xu ge ǃnoraǃnora? Mâ ǀgaus aib ǃKhūba Jerusalemsa ti ǃomma xu ore ǁkhā?’ ”
21 Xawe gu ge ge ǃnō tsî ǃeream bi tama ge i, gao-aob ge ǁîga “Tā ǁîba ǃeream,” ti mîmā hâ i xui-ao. 22 O gu ge Hilkiab ôab Eliakimmi, gao-ommi ǂammâisab, xoa-aob Sebnab tsî Asafi ôab Joab hîa ge ǂkhanisâu-ao ib tsîga doa hâ saran âgu ǀkha Hiskiab tawa sī tsî Rabsakeb ge mî xūna ǁîba ge mîba.
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.
