2 Kings 18

1 In the third year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah over Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah.

1 以色列王以拉的兒子何細亞第三年，猶大王亞哈斯的兒子希西家登基。

2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah.

2 他登基的時候年二十五歲，在耶路撒冷作王二十九年。他母親名叫亞比，是撒迦利雅的女兒。

3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.

3 希西家行耶和華眼中看為正的事，效法他祖大衛一切所行的。

4 He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He also demolished the bronze snake called Nehushtan that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had burned incense to it.

4 他廢去邱壇，毀壞柱像，砍下木偶，打碎摩西所造的銅蛇，因為到那時以色列人仍向銅蛇燒香。希西家叫銅蛇為銅塊 。

5 Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. No king of Judah was like him, either before him or after him.

5 希西家倚靠耶和華－以色列的上帝，在他前後的猶大列王中沒有一個及他的。

6 He remained faithful to the LORD and did not turn from following Him; he kept the commandments that the LORD had given Moses.

6 因為他專靠耶和華，總不離開，謹守耶和華所吩咐摩西的誡命。

7 And the LORD was with Hezekiah, and he prospered wherever he went. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to serve him.

7 耶和華與他同在，他無論往何處去盡都亨通。他背叛、不肯事奉亞述王。

8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its borders, from watchtower to fortified city.

8 希西家攻擊非利士人，直到迦薩，並迦薩的四境，從瞭望樓到堅固城。

9 In the fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign, which was the seventh year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah over Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it.

9 希西家王第四年，就是以色列王以拉的兒子何細亞第七年，亞述王撒縵以色上來圍困撒馬利亞；

10 And at the end of three years, the Assyrians captured it. So Samaria was captured in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel.

10 過了三年就攻取了城。希西家第六年，以色列王何細亞第九年，撒馬利亞被攻取了。

11 The king of Assyria exiled the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.

11 亞述王將以色列人擄到亞述，把他們安置在哈臘與歌散的哈博河邊，並米底亞人的城邑；

12 This happened because they did not listen to the voice of the LORD their God, but violated His covenant—all that Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded—and would neither listen nor obey.

12 都因他們不聽從耶和華－他們上帝的話，違背他的約，就是耶和華僕人摩西吩咐他們所當守的。

13 In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah.

13 希西家王十四年，亞述王西拿基立上來攻擊猶大的一切堅固城，將城攻取。

14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand from me.” And the king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

14 猶大王希西家差人往拉吉去見亞述王，說：「我有罪了，求你離開我；凡你罰我的，我必承當。」於是亞述王罰猶大王希西家銀子三百他連得，金子三十他連得。

15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace.

15 希西家就把耶和華殿裏和王宮府庫裏所有的銀子都給了他。

16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold with which he had plated the doors and doorposts of the temple of the LORD, and he gave it to the king of Assyria.

16 那時，猶大王希西家將耶和華殿門上的金子和他自己包在柱上的金子都刮下來，給了亞述王。

17 Nevertheless, the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh, along with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They advanced up to Jerusalem and stationed themselves by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.

17 亞述王從拉吉差遣他珥探、拉伯撒利，和拉伯沙基率領大軍往耶路撒冷，到希西家王那裏去。他們上到耶路撒冷，就站在上池的水溝旁，在漂布地的大路上。

18 Then they called for the king. And Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebnah the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, went out to them.

18 他們呼叫王的時候，就有希勒家的兒子家宰以利亞敬，並書記舍伯那和亞薩的兒子史官約亞，出來見他們。

19 The Rabshakeh said to them, “Tell Hezekiah that this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: What is the basis of this confidence of yours?

19 拉伯沙基說：「你們去告訴希西家說，亞述大王如此說：『你所倚靠的有甚麼可仗賴的呢？

20 You claim to have a strategy and strength for war, but these are empty words. In whom are you now trusting, that you have rebelled against me?

20 你說有打仗的計謀和能力，我看不過是虛話。你到底倚靠誰才背叛我呢？

21 Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

21 看哪，你所倚靠的埃及是那壓傷的葦杖；人若靠這杖，就必刺透他的手。埃及王法老向一切倚靠他的人也是這樣。

22 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is He not the One whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem: ‘You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?

22 你們若對我說：我們倚靠耶和華－我們的上帝，希西家豈不是將上帝的邱壇和祭壇廢去，且對猶大和耶路撒冷的人說：你們當在耶路撒冷這壇前敬拜嗎？

23 Now, therefore, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them!

23 現在你把當頭給我主亞述王，我給你二千匹馬，看你這一面騎馬的人夠不夠。

24 For how can you repel a single officer among the least of my master’s servants when you depend on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

24 若不然，怎能打敗我主臣僕中最小的軍長呢？你竟倚靠埃及的戰車馬兵嗎？

25 So now, was it apart from the LORD that I have come up against this place to destroy it? The LORD Himself said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”

25 現在我上來攻擊毀滅這地，豈沒有耶和華的意思嗎？耶和華吩咐我說：你上去攻擊毀滅這地吧！』」

26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, along with Shebnah and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak with us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

26 希勒家的兒子以利亞敬和舍伯那，並約亞，對拉伯沙基說：「求你用亞蘭言語和僕人說話，因為我們懂得；不要用猶大言語和我們說話，達到城上百姓的耳中。」

27 But the Rabshakeh replied, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to you and your master, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are destined with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”

27 拉伯沙基說：「我主差遣我來，豈是單對你和你的主說這些話嗎？不也是對這些坐在城上、要與你們一同吃自己糞、喝自己尿的人說嗎？」

28 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out loudly in Hebrew: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!

28 於是拉伯沙基站着，用猶大言語大聲喊着說：「你們當聽亞述大王的話！

29 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you; he cannot deliver you from my hand.

29 王如此說：『你們不要被希西家欺哄了；因他不能救你們脫離我的手。

30 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’

30 也不要聽希西家使你們倚靠耶和華，說耶和華必要拯救我們，這城必不交在亞述王的手中。』

31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and his own fig tree and drink water from his own cistern,

31 不要聽希西家的話！因亞述王如此說：『你們要與我和好，出來投降我，各人就可以吃自己葡萄樹和無花果樹的果子，喝自己井裏的水。

32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey—so that you may live and not die. But do not listen to Hezekiah, for he misleads you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’

32 等我來領你們到一個地方與你們本地一樣，就是有五穀和新酒之地，有糧食和葡萄園之地，有橄欖樹和蜂蜜之地，好使你們存活，不至於死。希西家勸導你們，說耶和華必拯救我們；你們不要聽他的話。

33 Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

33 列國的神有哪一個救他本國脫離亞述王的手呢？

34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?

34 哈馬、亞珥拔的神在哪裏呢？西法瓦音、希拿、以瓦的神在哪裏呢？他們曾救撒馬利亞脫離我的手嗎？

35 Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered his land from my hand? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”

35 這些國的神有誰曾救自己的國脫離我的手呢？難道耶和華能救耶路撒冷脫離我的手嗎？』」

36 But the people remained silent and did not answer a word, for Hezekiah had commanded, “Do not answer him.”

36 百姓靜默不言，並不回答一句，因為王曾吩咐說：「不要回答他。」

37 Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.

37 當下，希勒家的兒子家宰以利亞敬和書記舍伯那，並亞薩的兒子史官約亞，都撕裂衣服，來到希西家那裏，將拉伯沙基的話告訴了他。