列王紀下 18
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
希西迦做猶大王
18 以拉的兒子以色列王何細亞執政第三年,猶大王亞哈斯的兒子希西迦登基。 2 他二十五歲登基,在耶路撒冷執政二十九年。他母親叫亞比雅[a],是撒迦利雅的女兒。 3 希西迦效法他祖先大衛,做耶和華視為正的事。 4 他拆除邱壇,砸碎神柱,砍倒亞舍拉神像,打碎摩西造的銅蛇,因為當時以色列人仍向銅蛇燒香,稱之為尼忽士旦[b]。 5 希西迦信靠以色列的上帝耶和華,在他前後的猶大諸王沒有一個可與他相比。 6 他對耶和華忠心不渝,遵守耶和華頒給摩西的誡命。 7 耶和華與他同在,他凡事順利。他反抗亞述王的統治,不再臣服於他。 8 他擊敗非利士人,從他們的瞭望塔和堅城,一直打到迦薩及其四境。
9 希西迦執政第四年,即以拉的兒子以色列王何細亞執政第七年,亞述王撒縵以色起兵攻打撒瑪利亞城,將城包圍。 10 三年之後,就是希西迦執政第六年,以色列王何細亞執政第九年,撒瑪利亞失陷。 11 亞述王把以色列人擄到亞述,將他們安置在哈臘、歌散的哈博河一帶以及瑪代人的城邑裡。 12 這都是因為以色列人沒有聽從他們的上帝耶和華,違背了祂的約,不遵行祂僕人摩西所吩咐的一切。
亞述人攻打耶路撒冷
13 希西迦王執政第十四年,亞述王西拿基立起兵攻取了猶大所有的堅城。 14 希西迦王差遣使者去拉吉見亞述王說:「我知罪了,求你退兵!我願意滿足你的任何要求。」亞述王向希西迦索要十噸銀子和一噸金子。 15 希西迦將耶和華殿裡和王宮庫房裡的所有銀子都給了他, 16 又刮下他包在耶和華殿門和門柱上的金子,一併送去。 17 但亞述王派他的元帥、都統和將軍從拉吉率領大軍到耶路撒冷見希西迦。到了耶路撒冷後,他們駐紮在上池的水溝旁、通往漂布場的路上。 18 他們要求見王。希勒迦的兒子宮廷總管以利亞敬、書記舍伯那和亞薩的兒子史官約亞出來見他們。 19 亞述的將軍說:「你們去告訴希西迦,偉大的亞述王說,『你憑什麼這樣自信呢? 20 你所謂的戰略和軍力不過是空話。你究竟倚靠誰,竟敢背叛我? 21 看啊,你所倚靠的埃及只不過是一根破裂的蘆葦,誰倚靠它,誰的手就會被刺傷。倚靠埃及王法老的下場都是這樣。』 22 也許你會說,『我們倚靠我們的上帝耶和華。』希西迦不是拆除了祂的廟宇和祭壇,又吩咐猶大和耶路撒冷的人要在耶路撒冷的祭壇前敬拜祂嗎? 23 來,跟我主人亞述王打個賭,你若能找到兩千騎士,我就給你兩千匹馬! 24 你們即使依靠埃及的戰車和騎兵,又怎能打敗我主人的一個最小的將領呢? 25 更何況我來攻打、毀滅這地方不正是耶和華的意思嗎?耶和華吩咐我攻打、毀滅這地方。」
26 以利亞敬、舍伯那和約亞對亞述的將軍說:「求你用亞蘭語跟僕人們說話,我們都聽得懂。求你不要用希伯來語跟我們說話,免得城牆上的人聽見。」 27 亞述的將軍卻說:「難道我主人派我來只對你們和你們的王說這些話嗎?不也是對城牆上的人說嗎?他們和你們一樣都要吃自己的糞,喝自己的尿。」 28 於是,他站著用希伯來語大喊:「你們要聽偉大的亞述王的話。 29 王說,『你們不要被希西迦欺騙,他不能從我手中救你們。 30 不要聽希西迦的話去倚靠耶和華,說什麼耶和華必拯救你們,這城必不會落在亞述王手中。』 31 不要聽希西迦的話。亞述王說,『你們要跟我講和,出來歸順我,你們就可以吃自己葡萄樹和無花果樹的果子,喝自己井裡的水。 32 以後我會來領你們到一個地方,那裡和這裡一樣有五穀和新酒、餅和葡萄園。你們就可以存活,不至於死。希西迦說耶和華會拯救你們,不要聽信他的話。 33 有哪個國家的神明曾經從亞述王手中救他的國家嗎? 34 哈馬、亞珥拔的神明在哪裡呢?西法瓦音、希拿和以瓦的神明又在哪裡呢?他們從我手中救出撒瑪利亞了嗎? 35 這些國家的神明哪個從我手中救了自己的國家呢?難道耶和華能從我手中救耶路撒冷嗎?』」 36 民眾默不作聲,因為希西迦曾吩咐他們不要答話。 37 總管以利亞敬、書記舍伯那和史官約亞都撕裂衣服,去向希西迦稟告亞述的將軍說的話。
2 Kings 18
New International Version
Hezekiah King of Judah(A)(B)(C)
18 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah(D) son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years.(E) His mother’s name was Abijah[a] daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was right(F) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David(G) had done. 4 He removed(H) the high places,(I) smashed the sacred stones(J) and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake(K) Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.[b])
5 Hezekiah trusted(L) in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. 6 He held fast(M) to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. 7 And the Lord was with him; he was successful(N) in whatever he undertook. He rebelled(O) against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 From watchtower to fortified city,(P) he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.
9 In King Hezekiah’s fourth year,(Q) which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it. 10 At the end of three years the Assyrians took it. So Samaria was captured in Hezekiah’s sixth year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. 11 The king(R) of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes.(S) 12 This happened because they had not obeyed the Lord their God, but had violated his covenant(T)—all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded.(U) They neither listened to the commands(V) nor carried them out.
13 In the fourteenth year(W) of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah(X) and captured them. 14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish:(Y) “I have done wrong.(Z) Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me.” The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents[c] of silver and thirty talents[d] of gold. 15 So Hezekiah gave(AA) him all the silver that was found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace.
16 At this time Hezekiah king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doors(AB) and doorposts of the temple of the Lord, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem(AC)(AD)
17 The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander,(AE) his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool,(AF) on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 18 They called for the king; and Eliakim(AG) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna(AH) the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them.
19 The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah:
“‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence(AI) of yours? 20 You say you have the counsel and the might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? 21 Look, I know you are depending on Egypt,(AJ) that splintered reed of a staff,(AK) which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. 22 But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem”?
23 “‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! 24 How can you repulse one officer(AL) of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen[e]? 25 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the Lord?(AM) The Lord himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.’”
26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,(AN) since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”
27 But the commander replied, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?”
28 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive(AO) you. He cannot deliver you from my hand. 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.’
31 “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree(AP) and drink water from your own cistern,(AQ) 32 until I come and take you 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. Choose life(AR) and not death!
“Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ 33 Has the god(AS) of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath(AT) and Arpad?(AU) Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 35 Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”(AV)
36 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”
37 Then Eliakim(AW) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,(AX) and told him what the field commander had said.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 18:2 Hebrew Abi, a variant of Abijah
- 2 Kings 18:4 Nehushtan sounds like the Hebrew for both bronze and snake.
- 2 Kings 18:14 That is, about 11 tons or about 10 metric tons
- 2 Kings 18:14 That is, about 1 ton or about 1 metric ton
- 2 Kings 18:24 Or charioteers
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