Aayassur taa homona Jerusalem
(2 Aak. 18:13-272 Ondjal. 32:1-19)1 Momumvo omutimulongo nomutine gwepangelo lyomukwaniilwa Hiskia, Sennakerib, omupangeli gwaAssur okwa matukile iilandohote yaJuda e te yi kutha ko. 2 Okwa tumu elenga lye ekuluntu lya zi muLakish pamwe netangakwiita enene, li ka kondjithe omukwaniilwa Hiskia muJerusalem. Elenga olya kwata po ondjila yaatungi yoonguwo pomukanka gwomeya ngoka tagu kutha omeya mondama yopombanda. 3 Aajuda yatatu oya yi yeke mu tsakaneke: elenga lyomuuwa Eliakim lyaHilkia, amushangampangu Shebna naamushangandjayi Joa yaAsaf. 4 Elenga enene lyomupangeli gwaAssur olya ti kuyo: “Lombwela Hiskia kutya omupangeli omunene gwaAssur ota ti ngeyi: ‘Einekelo lyoye olyo okwiinekela shike?’ 5 Otandi ti: ‘Moohapu dhanathangwa ohamu zi tuu omayele noonkondo pethimbo lyiita? Ngoye owi inekela lye, sho wa tsile ndje ondumbo? 6 Ngiika owi inekela Egipiti, ihe Egipiti olya fa enenge lya shandjuka tali tsu oshikaha shomuntu ngoka ti itsile ko. Omukwaniilwa gwaEgipiti osho a tya, ngele pe na ngoka te mu inekele.’ ”
7 Elenga enene olya tsikile ko tali ti: “Nenge otamu lombwele ndje mu tye, otwi inekela Omuwa, Kalunga ketu? Hamba, Hiskia ina hanagula po nani omaha gokunonomena niiyambelo yOmuwa, sho a lombwele Aajuda nAajerusalem, ya simaneke oshiyambelo shimwe ashike? 8 Medhina lyamwene gwandje, omupangeli gwaAssur, otandi mbetse nangoye. Otandi ku pe uukambe omayuvi gaali, ngele oto vulu oku u monena aakayili. 9 Ngoye ito gwana nando okumatukila elenga limwe eshona lyokuAssur, ndele natango owi inekela Egipiti te ku tumine omatembakwiita naakayilinkambe! 10 Nenge oto dhiladhila kutya onda homona oshilongo shika noku shi hanagula po ndaa na eutho lyOmuwa? Omuwa oye mwene a lombwele ndje, ndi shi matukile, ngame ndi shi hanagule po.”
11 Eliakim, Shebna naJoa oya lombwele elenga ya ti: “Tatekulu, popya Oshiaramea, otu shi uvite. Ino popya Oshihebeli, aantu ayehe ye li kombanda yedhingililokuma otaye tu pulakene.”
12 Elenga olya yamukula lya ti: “Oto dhiladhila kutya mwene gwandje okwa tumu ndje kumwene gwoye nokungoye amuke, ndi popye oohapu ndhika? Aawoo, ondi na okulombwela wo aantu mboka ye li kekuma, mboka ye na okulya omapumba gawo notaa nu omasita gawo naanaa ngaashi ne.”
13 Elenga olya thikama po e tali igidha mOshihebeli tali ti: “Pulakeneni sho omupangeli gwaAssur te mu lombwele! 14 Ote mu londodha, mwaa kotokelwe kuHiskia. Hiskia ita vulu oku mu hupitha. 15 Inamu pitika, e mu heke mu inekele Omuwa. Inamu dhiladhila kutya Omuwa ote ke mu hupitha, nenge a keelele omatangakwiita getu gaAssur okukwata po oshilando sheni. 16 Inamu pulakena Hiskia. Omupangeli gwaAssur ote mu lombwele, mu pite mo moshilando, mu ye pondje ne mu igandje. Amuhe otamu ka pitikilwa, mu lye omandjembele komiviinu dheni yene, oonkwiyu komikwiyu dheni yene nokunwa omeya momithima dheni yene, 17 sigo omupangeli te mu fala moshilongo sha faathana nosheni, moka mu na iitsambe yomiviinu tayi gandja omaviinu nomu na iilya yokuninga iikwiila. 18 Inamu tulwa muugoya kuHiskia, mu dhiladhile kutya Omuwa ote mu hupitha. Ookalunga yiigwana yilwe oya hupitha tuu iilongo yawo miikaha yomupangeli gwaAssur? 19 Ookalunga yaHamat noyaArpad oye li peni ngashingeyi? Ookalunga yaSefarvaim oye li peni? Oya hupitha tuu Samaria? 20 Uunake gumwe gwookalunga mbaka ya hupitha nando oshilongo shimwe shomuyo miikaha yomupangeli gwetu? Ndele nena oshike tashi mu dhiladhilitha kutya Omuwa ota hupitha Jerusalem?”
21 Aantu oya li ya tya thilu, naanaa ngaashi omukwaniilwa Hiskia e ya lombwele; inaa popye nando osha. 22 Nena Eliakim, Shebna naJoa oya tuula oonguwo dhawo moluhodhi e taa zi po e taa ka lombwela omukwaniilwa shoka elenga lyokuAssur lya ti.
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.
