U-Isaya 37
1 Kwasekusithi inkosi uHezekhiya isikuzwile, yadabula izigqoko zayo, yazembesa ngesaka, yangena endlini yeNkosi.
When King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the LORD’s house.
2 Yasithuma uEliyakhimi umphathi wendlu, loShebina umabhalane, labadala babapristi bembethe amasaka, kuIsaya umprofethi indodana kaAmozi.
He sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.
3 Basebesithi kuye: Utsho njalo uHezekhiya: Lolusuku lusuku lohlupho lolokusolwa lolokweyiswa, ngoba abantwana sebefikile emlonyeni wesizalo, kanti akulamandla okubeletha.
They said to him, “Hezekiah says, ‘Today is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of rejection; for the children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to give birth.
4 Mhlawumbe iNkosi, uNkulunkulu wakho, izawezwa amazwi kaRabi-Shake, onkosi yeAsiriya, inkosi yakhe, emthume ukuthuka uNkulunkulu ophilayo, lokusola ngamazwi iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ewazwileyo. Ngakho phakamisa umkhuleko ngensali etholakeleyo.
It may be the LORD your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’”
5 Ngakho inceku zenkosi uHezekhiya zafika kuIsaya.
So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
6 UIsaya wasesithi kuzo: Lizakutsho njalo enkosini yenu: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Ungesabi amazwi owezwileyo, inceku zenkosi yeAsiriya ezingithuke ngawo.
Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘The LORD says, “Don’t be afraid of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
7 Khangela, ngizafaka umoya kuyo, njalo izakuzwa ihungahunga, ibuyele elizweni layo; njalo ngizayenza ukuthi iwe ngenkemba elizweni layo.
Behold, I will put a spirit in him and he will hear news, and will return to his own land. I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.”’”
8 URabi-Shake wasebuyela, wafica inkosi yeAsiriya isilwa imelene leLibhina; ngoba wayezwile ukuthi isisukile eLakishi.
So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.
9 Wasesizwa ngoTirihaka inkosi yeEthiyophiya kuthiwa: Uphumile ukuzakulwa lawe. Esekuzwile wathuma izithunywa kuHezekhiya esithi:
He heard news concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “He has come out to fight against you.” When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
10 Lizakhuluma kanje kuHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda lithi: UNkulunkulu wakho othembele kuye kangakukhohlisi esithi: IJerusalema kayiyikunikelwa esandleni senkosi yeAsiriya.
“Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem won’t be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”
11 Khangela, wena usuzwile ukuthi amakhosi eAsiriya enzeni kuwo wonke amazwe ngokuwatshabalalisa. Wena-ke uzakhululwa yini?
Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly. Shall you be delivered?
12 Onkulunkulu bezizwe bazikhulula yini obaba abazichithayo, iGozani leHarani leRezefi, labantwana beEdeni ababeseTelasari?
Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the children of Eden who were in Telassar?
13 Ingaphi inkosi yeHamathi, lenkosi yeArpadi, lenkosi yomuzi weSefavayimi, iHena, leIva?
Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?’”
14 UHezekhiya wasesemukela izincwadi esandleni sezithunywa, wazifunda, wenyukela endlini yeNkosi; uHezekhiya wasezichaya phambi kweNkosi.
Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the LORD’s house, and spread it before the LORD.
15 UHezekhiya wasekhuleka eNkosini, esithi:
Hezekiah prayed to the LORD, saying,
16 Nkosi yamabandla, Nkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, ohlala phakathi kwamakherubhi, nguwe wedwa onguNkulunkulu wayo yonke imibuso yomhlaba; wena wenze amazulu lomhlaba.
“LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, who is enthroned amongst the cherubim, you are the God, even you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
17 Thoba indlebe yakho, Nkosi, uzwe, vula amehlo akho, Nkosi, ubone; uzwe wonke amazwi kaSenakheribi awathumele ukuklolodela uNkulunkulu ophilayo.
Turn your ear, LORD, and hear. Open your eyes, LORD, and behold. Hear all of the words of Sennacherib, who has sent to defy the living God.
18 Qiniso, Nkosi, amakhosi eAsiriya achithile zonke izizwe lamazwe azo;
Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the countries and their land,
19 aphosela onkulunkulu bazo emlilweni, ngoba babengeyisibo onkulunkulu, kodwa umsebenzi wezandla zabantu, izigodo lamatshe; ngalokho bababhubhisa.
and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them.
20 Ngakho-ke, Nkosi Nkulunkulu wethu, sisindise esandleni sakhe, ukuze yonke imibuso yomhlaba yazi ukuthi wena wedwa uyiNkosi.
Now therefore, LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you are the LORD, even you only.”
21 UIsaya indodana kaAmozi wasethumela kuHezekhiya, esithi: Itsho njalo iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Lokho okukhuleke kimi ngoSenakheribi inkosi yeAsiriya,
Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “The LORD, the God of Israel says, ‘Because you have prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria,
22 leli yilizwi iNkosi elikhulume ngaye: Intombi emsulwa, indodakazi yeZiyoni iyakudelela, iyakuklolodela; indodakazi yeJerusalema inikina ikhanda ngemva kwakho.
this is the word which the LORD has spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and ridiculed you. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you.
23 Ngubani omeyisileyo wamhlambaza? Njalo uphakamisele bani ilizwi, waphakamisela amehlo akho phezulu? Umelene loNgcwele kaIsrayeli.
Whom have you defied and blasphemed? Against whom have you exalted your voice and lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel.
24 Uklolodele iNkosi ngesandla sezinceku zakho, wathi: Ngobunengi bezinqola zami mina ngenyukele endaweni ephakemeyo yezintaba, ezinhlangothini zeLebhanoni. Njalo ngizagamula imisedari yayo emide, ikhethelo lezihlahla zamafiri ayo, ngingene ekuphakameni kwemingcele yayo, igusu leKharmeli layo.
By your servants, you have defied the Lord, and have said, “With the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon. I will cut down its tall cedars and its choice cypress trees. I will enter into its farthest height, the forest of its fruitful field.
25 Mina ngagebha, nganatha amanzi, langengaphansi yenyawo zami ngomisa yonke imifula yendawo evinjelweyo.
I have dug and drunk water, and with the sole of my feet I will dry up all the rivers of Egypt.”
26 Kawuzwanga yini ukuthi ngakwenza endulo, ngakubumba ensukwini zendulo? Khathesi ngikufikisile, ukuthi ube ngowokudiliza imizi evikelweyo ibe zinqumbi zamanxiwa.
“‘Have you not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it in ancient times? Now I have brought it to pass, that it should be yours to destroy fortified cities, turning them into ruinous heaps.
27 Ngakho abahlali bayo babelesandla esifitshane, besaba, baba lenhloni, baba njengotshani beganga, lemibhida eluhlaza, utshani bempahla, lamabele ahanguliweyo engakami.
Therefore their inhabitants had little power. They were dismayed and confounded. They were like the grass of the field, and like the green herb, like the grass on the housetops, and like a field before its crop has grown.
28 Kodwa ngiyakwazi ukuhlala kwakho, lokuphuma kwakho, lokungena kwakho, lokungithukuthelela kwakho.
But I know your sitting down, your going out, your coming in, and your raging against me.
29 Ngenxa yokungithukuthelela kwakho, lokuthi umsindo wakho wenyukele endlebeni zami, ngizakufaka umkhala wami emakhaleni akho, letomu lami endebeni zakho, ngikwenze ubuyele ngendlela oweza ngayo.
Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.
30 Lokhu-ke kuzakuba yisibonakaliso kuwe; lonyaka uzakudla okuzikhulelayo; langomnyaka wesibili umkhukhuzela; kuthi ngomnyaka wesithathu lihlanyele, livune, lihlanyele izivini, lidle izithelo zazo.
“‘This shall be the sign to you: You will eat this year that which grows of itself, and in the second year that which springs from it; and in the third year sow and reap and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.
31 Lokuphephileyo kwendlu yakoJuda okuseleyo kuzaphinda kugxumeke impande phansi, kuthele izithelo ngaphezulu.
The remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah will again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.
32 Ngoba kuzaphuma eJerusalema insali, lokuphephileyo entabeni yeZiyoni. Ukutshiseka kweNkosi yamabandla kuzakwenza lokhu.
For out of Jerusalem a remnant will go out, and survivors will escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of Armies will perform this.’
33 Ngakho, utsho njalo uJehova ngenkosi yeAsiriya: Kayiyikungena kulumuzi, kayiyikutshoka umtshoko khona, kayiyikuza phambi kwawo ilesihlangu, kayiyikubuthelela idundulu maqondana lawo.
“Therefore the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither will he come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it.
34 Ngendlela eyeza ngayo, ngayo izabuyela, njalo kayiyikungena kulo umuzi, itsho iNkosi.
He will return the way that he came, and he won’t come to this city,’ says the LORD.
35 Ngoba ngizawuvikela lumuzi ukuwusindisa, ngenxa yami, langenxa kaDavida inceku yami.
‘For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.’”
36 Khona kwaphuma ingilosi yeNkosi, yatshaya enkambeni yamaAsiriya abazinkulungwane ezilikhulu lamatshumi ayisificaminwembili lanhlanu. Kwathi bevuka ekuseni kakhulu, khangela-ke, bonke babeyizidumbu ezifileyo.
Then the LORD’s angel went out and struck one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the camp of the Assyrians. When men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.
37 Ngakho uSenakheribi inkosi yeAsiriya wasuka, wahamba ebuyela, wahlala eNineve.
So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, went away, returned to Nineveh, and stayed there.
38 Kwasekusithi ekhonza endlini kaNisiroki unkulunkulu wakhe, oAdrameleki loSharezeri amadodana akhe bamtshaya ngenkemba; bona basebephephela elizweni leArarathi. UEsarihadoni indodana yakhe wasebusa esikhundleni sakhe.
As he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons struck him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Esar Haddon his son reigned in his place.
