2 Kings 18

18 ¹For di third year wey Hoshea, di son of Elah, be king of Israel, na im Hezekiah, di son of Ahaz, come be king of Judah. ²E be twenty-five years old wey e take become king, and e rule for twenty-nine years for Jerusalem. Im mama name na Abijah, di daughter of Zechariah. ³E do wetin correct for our Papa eye, just as im papa David bin do. ⁴E comot di high places, e break di sacred pillars, e cut down di Asherah, and e break di bronze snake wey Moses make into pieces—because reach dat time Israel people still dey burn incense give am, and dem dey call am Nehushtan. ^a a v4 Nehushtan mean "bronze thing"—na name wey dem take yab di bronze idol wey di serpent don turn to be, wey bin be true sign from our Papa before, but wey dem come dey wrongly worship. ⁵E put im trust for our Papa, di God of Israel; no king of Judah fit match am, before am or after am. ⁶E hold our Papa tight, e no ever stop to follow am, and e keep di commands wey our Papa give Moses. ⁷E prosper for anywhere wey e go, because our Papa dey with am. E rebel against di king of Assyria, e refuse to serve am. ⁸E strike di Philistine people reach Gaza and im borders, from watchtower reach fortified city.

⁹For Hezekiah fourth year—wey be Hoshea, di son of Elah, king of Israel, seventh year—Shalmaneser king of Assyria come up against Samaria and surround am. ¹⁰After three years dem capture am—for Hezekiah sixth year, wey be Hoshea king of Israel ninth year—dem capture Samaria. ¹¹Di king of Assyria carry Israel go exile for Assyria, and e settle dem for Halah, for di Habor River of Gozan, and for di cities of di Medes, ¹²because dem no gree hear our Papa voice and dem break im Covenant—everything wey Moses, di servant of our Papa, command—dem no hear am and dem no do am.

Assyria Come Fight Judah

¹³For King Hezekiah fourteenth year, Sennacherib king of Assyria attack all di fortified cities of Judah and capture dem. ¹⁴Den Hezekiah king of Judah send message go meet di king of Assyria for Lachish, e talk say, "I don sin; comot from me, and anything wey you put for my head, I go carry am." Di king of Assyria put for Hezekiah king of Judah head about eleven tons of silver and one ton of gold. ¹⁵Hezekiah give am all di silver wey dem find for di house of our Papa, and for di king storerooms. ¹⁶For dat time Hezekiah scrape di gold from di doors and doorposts of our Papa temple wey Hezekiah king of Judah bin cover, and e give am to di king of Assyria.

¹⁷Di king of Assyria send im supreme commander, im chief officer, and im field commander with plenty army from Lachish go meet King Hezekiah for Jerusalem. Dem come up to Jerusalem and dem stand near di aqueduct of di upper pool, for di road wey dey go di Washerman Field. ¹⁸Dem call for di king, and Eliakim di son of Hilkiah, wey dey oversee di palace, come out go meet dem with Shebnah di secretary and Joah di son of Asaph, di recorder. ¹⁹Di field commander talk give dem say, "Tell Hezekiah: Di great king, di king of Assyria, talk say: Wetin be dis trust wey you dey trust so? ²⁰You dey talk say: strategy and strength for war—na just mouth. Now, who you dey trust, wey make you rebel against me? ²¹Look am, you dey trust Egypt, dat staff wey be reed wey don crack, wey go pierce di hand of anybody wey lean on am. Na so Pharaoh king of Egypt be to everybody wey dey trust am. ²²But if you talk say, 'We dey trust for di LORD our God,' no be im be di one wey Hezekiah comot im high places and im altars, and e tell Judah and Jerusalem say, 'Worship for front of dis altar for Jerusalem'? ²³Come make bet with my master di king of Assyria: I go give you 2,000 horse if you fit find riders to sidon on top dem. ²⁴How you fit take turn back even one officer among di least servants of my master, wey you dey trust Egypt for chariots and horsemen? ²⁵Abi you think say na without di LORD I come up against dis place to destroy am? Na di LORD tell me: Go up against dis land, destroy am."

²⁶Eliakim di son of Hilkiah, Shebnah, and Joah talk give di field commander say, "Abeg, speak Aramaic give us your servants—we sabi am. No speak Hebrew, because di people wey dey for di wall dey hear."

²⁷Di field commander answer say, "Abi na to your master and to you alone my master send me come talk dis thing, and no be to di men wey dey for di wall, wey go chop dem own shit and drink dem own urine with una?"

²⁸Den di field commander stand up and e shout loud loud for Hebrew: "Hear di word of di great king, di king of Assyria! ²⁹Di king talk say: No make Hezekiah deceive una, because e no fit rescue una from im hand. ³⁰No make Hezekiah make una trust for di LORD, wey e dey talk say, 'For sure, di LORD go rescue us; dis city no go fall for di hand of di king of Assyria.' ³¹No listen to Hezekiah. Di king of Assyria talk say: make peace with me and come out come meet me—every one of una go chop from im own vine and fig tree, and drink from im own well, ³²reach di time wey I go carry una go land wey be like una own—grain, new wine, bread, vineyards, olive trees, honey—so dat una go live, una no go die. No listen to Hezekiah; e dey mislead una when e dey talk say, 'Di LORD go rescue us.' ³³Abi any of di gods of di nations don ever rescue im land from di hand of di king of Assyria? ³⁴Where di gods of Hamath and Arpad dey? Where di gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah dey? Dem save Samaria from my hand? ³⁵Which one among all di gods of dis lands don save im own land from my hand, wey di LORD go come save Jerusalem from my hand?"

³⁶But di people keep quiet and dem no answer am even one word, because di king don order say, "No answer am." ³⁷Den Eliakim di son of Hilkiah, wey dey oversee di palace, Shebna di secretary, and Joah di son of Asaph, di recorder, come meet Hezekiah, with dem cloth wey dem tear, and dem report di words of di field commander.