2 Kings 18
1 After King Hoshea had been ruling Israel for almost three years, Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, began to rule Judah.
Le Israel fia, Hosea, Ela ƒe vi ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe etɔ̃lia me la, Yuda fia, Ahaz ƒe viŋutsu Hezekia zu fia.
2 He was 25 years old when he became the king [of Judah] and he ruled from Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of [a man whose name was] Zechariah.
Edze fiaɖuɖu gɔme esi wòxɔ ƒe blaeve vɔ atɔ̃. Eɖu fia ƒe blaeve-vɔ-asiekɛ le Yerusalem. Dadaa ŋkɔe nye Abiya, Zekaria ƒe vinyɔnu.
3 Hezekiah did things that Yahweh considered to be right, like his ancestor King David had done.
Eɖu fia nyuie le Mawu ƒe ŋkume abe fofoa, David ene.
4 He destroyed the places where people worshiped Yahweh on the tops of hills, and he broke into pieces the stone pillars [for worshiping the goddess Asherah]. He also broke into pieces the bronze [replica/statue of a] snake that Moses had made. He did that because the people had named it Nehushtan, and they were burning incense in front of it to honor it.
Hezekia gbã nuxeƒe siwo nɔ toawo dzi kple woƒe aƒeliwo. Eho aƒeliwo, hegbã akɔblida si Mose wɔ eye wona ŋkɔe be Nehustan elabena va se ɖe fifia la, Israelviwo gadoa dzudzɔ nɛ.
5 Hezekiah trusted in Yahweh, the God whom the Israelis [worshiped.] There was no king who ruled Judah before him or after him who was as [devoted to Yahweh as] he was.
Exɔ Yehowa, Israel ƒe Mawu la dzi se kple dzi blibo eye fia siwo do ŋgɔ nɛ kple esiwo kplɔe ɖo la dometɔ aɖeke menɔ Yehowa ŋu kplikplikpli kpɔ abe eya ene o.
6 He remained loyal to Yahweh and never disobeyed him. He carefully obeyed all the commandments that Yahweh had given to Moses.
Elé ɖe Yehowa ŋu eye megbugbɔ le eyome o. Elé se siwo katã Yehowa de na Mose la me ɖe asi.
7 Yahweh always (helped/was with) him. He was successful in everything that he did. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to (pay taxes to him/do what the king of Assyria wanted him to do).
Yehowa nɔ kplii eye wòna nu sia nu si wòwɔ la dze edzi nɛ. Etso ɖe Asiria fia ŋu eye mesubɔe o.
8 His army defeated [the soldiers of] Philistia as far [south] as Gaza [city] and the nearby villages. They conquered the entire area, from the smallest watchtower to the largest cities surrounded by walls.
Hezekia ɖu Filistitɔwo dzi tso gbetakpɔxɔ dzi va se ɖe du siwo woɖo gli ƒo xlãe la dzi; eɖu Filistitɔwo dzi yi ɖe Gaza kple eƒe nutowo me ke.
9 After King Hezekiah had been ruling Judah for almost four years, and when King Hoshea had been ruling Israel for almost seven years, [the army of] King Shalmaneser of Assyria invaded Israel and surrounded Samaria [city].
Le eƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe enelia si nye Fia Hosea, Ela vi, ƒe fiaɖuɖu le Israel ƒe ƒe adrelia me la, Asiria fia, Salmaneser, ho aʋa ɖe Israel ŋu eye wòɖe to ɖe Samaria du la.
10 In the third year they captured the city. That was when Hezekiah has been ruling Judah for almost six years, and when Hoshea had been ruling Israel for almost nine years.
Le ƒe etɔ̃ megbe, si nye Fia Hezekia ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe adelia kple Israel fia ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe asiekɛlia me la, woɖu Samaria dzi.
11 The king of Assyria commanded that the people of Israel be taken to Assyria. Some of them were taken to Halah [town], some were taken to a place near the Habor [River] in [the] Gozan [region], and some were taken to cities where the Mede people-group live.
Ɣe ma ɣie Asiria fia ɖe aboyo Israelviwo yi Asiria eye wòda wo ɖe Hala du la me kple teƒe siwo le Habor tɔsisi la to le Gozan kple Mediatɔwo ƒe duwo me.
12 That happened because the Israelis did not obey Yahweh their God. They disobeyed the agreement that Yahweh had made with their ancestors, and all the laws that Moses, the man who served Yahweh [very well], had told them to obey. They would not obey those laws; they would not even listen to them.
Eva eme alea elabena Israelviwo gbe toɖoɖo Yehowa, woƒe Mawu la eye womewɔ nu si wòdi be woawɔ la o, ke boŋ woda le eƒe nubabla la dzi eye wogbe se siwo katã Mose, Yehowa ƒe dɔla de na wo la dzi wɔwɔ.
13 After King Hezekiah had been ruling Judah for almost 14 years, [the army of] King Sennacherib of Assyria attacked all the cities in Judah that had walls around them. They [did not capture Jerusalem, but they] captured all the other cities.
Emegbe le Fia Hezekia ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe wuienelia me la, Asiria fia, Senakerib ɖe to ɖe Yuda du siwo katã woglã la eye wòɖu wo dzi.
14 King Hezekiah sent a message to Sennacherib, while Sennacherib was in Lachish, saying “What I have done was wrong. Please [tell your soldiers to] stop attacking us. If you do that, I will pay you whatever you tell me to.” So the king of Assyria said that Hezekiah must pay to him (ten tons/9,000 kg.) of silver and (one ton/900 kg.) of gold.
Fia Hezekia ɖe kuku, bia ŋutifafa eye wòɖo du ɖe Asiria fia le Lakis be, “Meda vo eya ta maxe fe ɖe sia ɖe si nàbla nam ne àdzo le nye anyigba dzi ko.” Ale Asiria fia bia be wòaxe klosalo kilo akpe ewo kple sika kilo akpe ɖeka na ye.
15 So Hezekiah gave to him all the silver that was in the temple and that was stored in the king’s palace.
Hena ga home sia kpɔkpɔ la, Fia Hezekia dzra klosalo si wodzra ɖo ɖe gbedoxɔ la kple fiasã la ƒe nudzraɖoƒewo me.
16 Hezekiah’s men also stripped the gold from the doors of the temple and the gold that he himself had put on the doorposts, and he sent all that gold to the king of Assyria.
Etsɔ sika si wofa ɖe gbedoxɔ la ƒe ʋɔtruwo ŋu kple esi eya ŋutɔ fa ɖe ʋɔtrutiwo ŋu gɔ̃ hã la katã na Asiria fia.
17 But the king of Assyria sent a large army with some of his important officials from Lachish [city] to [persuade] King Hezekiah [to surrender]. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they stood alongside the aqueduct/channel in which water flows from the upper pool into Jerusalem, near the road to the field where the women wash clothes.
Togbɔ be Fia Hezekia wɔ nu sia hã la, Asiria fia ɖo eƒe aʋafia, aʋakplɔlawo ƒe amegã, gadzikpɔlawo ƒe tatɔ kple asrafo siwo le gbedzi la ƒe amegã ɖa tso Lakis kple aʋakɔ gã aɖe ɖe Fia Hezekia gbɔ le Yerusalem. Esi wova ɖo Yerusalem la, woƒu asaɖa anyi ɖe mɔ gã la to le afi si woɖaa avɔ le le Dzigbeta la to.
18 They sent a message requesting King Hezekiah to come to them, but the king sent three of his officials [to talk to them]. He sent Hilkiah’s son Eliakim, who supervised the palace; Shebna, the official secretary; and Asaph’s son Joah, who communicated the king’s messages to the people.
Wobia tso Fia Hezekia si be wòava ƒo nu kple yewo, ke Hezekia ɖo Eliakim, Hilkia ƒe vi si nye eƒe asitsanyawo dzi kpɔla, Sebna, eƒe nuŋlɔla kple Yoa, Asaf ƒe vi, dukɔwo ƒe ŋutinyanyala ɖa be woabia ŋutifafa.
19 One of Sennacherib’s important officials told them to take this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the king of Assyria, the great king, says: ‘What are you trusting in [to rescue you] [RHQ]?
Aʋafia la gblɔ na wo be, “Gblɔ na Hezekia be, “Ale Asiria fia, fiagã la gblɔe nye esi: ‘Nu ka dzie nètu wò dzideƒo sia ɖo?
20 You say that you have weapons to fight us, and some country promises [to help you], [and that will enable you to defeat us, ] but that is only talk [RHQ]. Who do you think will help you to rebel against my [soldiers from Assyria]?
Ègblɔ be, aʋawɔmɔnuwo kple aʋawɔwɔ ƒe ŋusẽ le ye si, ke nya dzodzrowo ko gblɔm nèle. Ame ka ŋue nèle ŋu ɖom ɖo hafi dze aglã ɖe ŋunye?
21 Listen to me! You are relying on [the army of] Egypt. But that is like [MET] using a broken reed for a walking stick on which you could lean. But it would pierce the hand of anyone who would lean on it! That is what the king of Egypt would be like for anyone who relied on him [for help].
Kpɔ ɖa, azɔ la, èle ŋu ɖom ɖe Egipte ŋu, Egipte si nye aƒla ŋeŋe si tɔa asi na ame, dea abi ame ŋu ne èziɔ ɖe eŋu. Nenema tututue Farao, Egipte fia le ɖe ame sia ame si ɖoa ŋu ɖe eŋu la ŋuti.
22 But perhaps you will say to me, “No, we are (relying on/trusting in) Yahweh our God [to help us].” [I would reply, ] “Is he not the one whom you [insulted by] tearing down his shrines and altars and forcing everyone in Jerusalem and [other places in] Judah to worship only in front of the altar [in Jerusalem]?”’
Ne ègblɔ be, “Míele ŋu ɖom ɖe Yehowa, míaƒe Mawu la ŋu” la, ɖe menye eya ƒe nuxeƒewo kple vɔsamlekpuiwoe Hezekia gbã, hegblɔ na Yuda kple Yerusalem be, “Ele na mi be miasubɔ le vɔsamlekpui sia ŋgɔ le Yerusalem” oa?
23 So I suggest that you make a deal between you and my master/boss, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses, but [I do not think that] you are able to find 2,000 of your men who can ride on them!
“‘Va azɔ ne nàtso gbe kple nye aƒetɔ Asiria fia. Matsɔ sɔ akpe eve na wò ne àte ŋu akpɔ wo dolawo ko!
24 You are expecting the king of Egypt to send chariots and men riding horses [to assist you]. But they certainly would not [RHQ] be able to resist/defeat even the most insignificant/unimportant official in the army of Assyria!
Togbɔ be nèle dzi ɖom ɖe Egipte ŋu be wòana tasiaɖamwo kple sɔdolawo wò hã la, aleke nàte ŋu awɔ aɖu nye aƒetɔ ƒe aʋafiawo dometɔ suetɔ gɔ̃ hã dzi?
25 Furthermore, (do you think that we have come to destroy Jerusalem without Yahweh’s help?/do not think that we have come to Jerusalem without Yahweh’s help.) [RHQ] It is Yahweh himself who told us to come here and destroy this land!”
Gawu la, ɖe meva be madze teƒe sia dzi atsrɔ̃e ne nyemexɔ gbe tso Yehowa gbɔ oa? Yehowa ŋutɔe gblɔ nam be mava ƒo ɖe dukɔ sia dzi ne matsrɔ̃e.’”
26 Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the official from Assyria, “Sir, please speak to us in your Aramaic language, because we understand it. Do not speak to us in our Hebrew language, because the people who are standing on the wall will understand it [and be frightened].”
Eliakim, Hilkia ƒe vi, Sebna kple Yoa gblɔ na wo be, “Míeɖe kuku ƒo nu na mí le Aramgbe me elabena míese Aramgbe. Migaƒo nu na mí le Hebrigbe me o: ame siwo le glia dzi la ava se míaƒe nyawo.”
27 But the official replied, “Do you think [RHQ] that my master sent me to say these things only to you and not to the people who are standing on the wall? [If you reject this message, ] the [people in this city] will soon need to eat their own dung and drink their own urine, just like you will, [because there will be nothing more for you to eat or drink].”
Ke Asiriatɔwo ƒe aʋafia la ɖo eŋu be, “Ɖe nye aƒetɔ ɖom ɖa be maƒo nu na mi kple miaƒe aƒetɔ koa? Ɖe meɖom ɖe ame siwo le glia dzi la hã gbɔ oa? Elabena evɔ na wo abe miawo ke ene. Woaɖu woawo ŋutɔ ƒe afɔdzi eye woano woawo ŋutɔ ƒe aɖuɖɔ!”
28 Then the official stood up and shouted in the Hebrew language [to the people sitting on the wall]. He said, “Listen to this message from the great king, the king of Assyria. He says,
Tete aʋafiagã la te va hedo ɣli gblɔ le Hebrigbe me be, “Mise Asiria fia, fiagã la ƒe nya!
29 ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you. He will not be able to rescue you from my power [MTY].
Ale fia la gblɔe nye esi, migana Hezekia nable mi o. Mate ŋu aɖe mi tso nye asi me o!
30 Do not allow him to persuade you to rely on Yahweh, saying that Yahweh will rescue you, and that the army of Assyria will never capture this city!’
Migana Hezekia nable mia nu be, miɖo dzi ɖe Yehowa ŋu o, esime wògblɔ be, ‘Yehowa aɖe mi godoo; womatsɔ du sia ade asi na Asiria fia o.’
31 “Do not pay attention to what Hezekiah says! This is what the king of Assyria says: ‘Come out of the city and surrender to me. If you do that, I will arrange for each of you to drink the juice from your own grapevines, and to eat figs from your own trees, and to drink water from your own wells.
“Migaɖo to Fia Hezekia o. Nya si Asiria fia gblɔe nye esi: Miwɔ ŋutifafa kplim eye miava gbɔnye. Ekema mia dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe aɖu nu tso eya ŋutɔ ƒe wain kple gboti me eye wòano tsi tso eya ŋutɔ ƒe vudo me
32 You will be able to do that until we come and take you to a land that is like your land—a land where there is grain to make bread and vineyards to [produce grapes for making] wine. It will be a land that has plenty of olive trees and honey. If you do what the king of Assyria commands, you will not die. You will continue to live. ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to persuade you to trust in Yahweh saying that he will rescue you!
va se ɖe esime mava akplɔ mi ayi anyigba si ɖi mia tɔ la dzi, anyigba si dzi bli kple wain yeye le, afi si abolo bɔ ɖo eye waingblewo le, afi si amitiwo kple anyitsi le. Mitia agbe, ke menye ku o! “Migaɖo to Hezekia o, elabena ele mia flum ne egblɔ be, ‘Yehowa axɔ na mí.’
33 The gods that people of other nations worship have never rescued them from the power [MTY] of the king of Assyria [RHQ]!
Dukɔ bubu aɖe ƒe mawuwo ɖe eƒe amewo tso Asiria fia ƒe asi me kpɔa?
34 Why were the gods of Hamath and Arpad [cities] unable to rescue their people from the king of Assyria [RHQ]? What happened to the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah, [towns that we completely destroyed and their gods disappeared] [RHQ]? Did any god rescue Samaria from my power?
Nya kae dzɔ ɖe Hamat, Arpad, Sefarvaim, Hena kple Iva ƒe mawuwo dzi? Ɖe woɖe Samaria?
35 No, none of the gods of the countries [that my army attacked] rescued their people [RHQ] from me! So why do you think that Yahweh will rescue you people of Jerusalem from my power [MTY]?’”
Ke mawuwo dometɔ kawoe le dukɔ siawo katã me si te ŋu ɖe eƒe anyigba tso nye asi me kpɔ hafi Yehowa ya ate ŋu aɖe Yerusalem tso nye asi me?”
36 But the people [who were listening] stayed silent. No one said anything, because King Hezekiah had told them, “[When the official from Assyria talks to you, ] do not answer him.”
Ke ame siwo nɔ glia dzi la meke nu o, elabena woƒe fia de se na wo be, womegagblɔ nya aɖeke o.
37 Then Eliakim the palace administrator and Shebna the court secretary and Joah the royal historian went back to Hezekiah with their clothes torn [because they were extremely distressed], and they told him what the official from Assyria had said.
Azɔ la, Eliakim, Hilkia ƒe vi, asitsanyawo dzikpɔla la kple Sebna, fia ƒe nuŋlɔla kple Yoa, Asaf ƒe vi, dukɔwo ƒe ŋutinyanyala dze woƒe awuwo eye woyi Fia Hezekia gbɔ hegblɔ nya siwo Asiriatɔwo ƒe aʋafia la gblɔ na wo la nɛ.
