2 Tavaareekh 32

asooree yahoodaah men ghus aatay hain

¹hizaqiyaah nay vafaadaaree say yah tamaam mansoobay takmeel tak pahunchaaay. phir ek din asoor ka baadshaah sanherib apnee fauj kay saath yahoodaah men ghus aaya aur qil’aaband shaheron ka muhaasara karnay laga taaki un par qabza karay. ²jab hizaqiyaah ko ittila milee ki sanherib a kar yarooshalam par hamla karnay kee tayyaariyaan kar raha hai ³to us nay apnay sarkaaree aur faujee afsaron say mashvra kiya. khayaal yah pesh kiya gaya ki yarooshalam shaher kay baahar tamaam chashmon ko malbay say band kiya jaaay. sab muttafiq ho gaay, ⁴kyoonki unhon nay kaha, “asoor kay baadshaah ko yahaan a kar kasrat ka paanee kyoon milay?” bahut say aadmee jama huay aur mil kar chashmon ko malbay say band kar diya. unhon nay us zameenadoz naalay ka munh bhee band kar diya jis kay zareeay paanee shaher men pahunchta tha.

⁵is kay ilaava hizaqiyaah nay badee mehanat say faseel kay tootay-phootay hisson kee marammat karva kar us par burj banvaaay. faseel kay baahar us nay ek aur chaardeevaaree taameer kee jabki yarooshalam kay us hissay kay chabootray mazeed mazboot karvaaay jo ‘daaood ka shaher’ kahelaata hai. saath saath us nay badee miqdaar men hathiyaar aur dhaalen banvaaeen. ⁶hizaqiyaah nay logon par faujee afsar muqarrar kiay.

phir us nay sab ko darvaazay kay saath vaalay chauk par ikattha karkay un kee hausalaaafzaaee kee, ⁷“mazboot aur diler hon! asoor kay baadshaah aur us kee badee fauj ko dekh kar mat daren, kyoonki jo taaqat hamaaray saath hai vah usay haasil naheen hai. ⁸asoor kay baadshaah kay liyay sirf khaakee aadmee lad rahay hain jabki rabb hamaara khuda hamaaray saath hai. vahee hamaaree madad karkay hamaaray liyay ladega!” hizaqiyaah baadshaah kay in alfaaz say logon kee badee hausalaaafzaaee huee.

asooree yarooshalam ka muhaasara kartay hain

⁹jab asoor ka baadshaah sanherib apnee pooree fauj kay saath lakees ka muhaasara kar raha tha to us nay vahaan say yarooshalam ko vafad bheja taaki yahoodaah kay baadshaah hizaqiyaah aur yahoodaah kay tamaam baashindon ko paighaam pahunchaaay,

¹⁰“shaah-ay-asoor sanherib farmaatay hain, tumhaara bharosa kis cheez par hai ki tum muhaasaray kay vaqt yarooshalam ko chhodna naheen chaahatay? ¹¹jab hizaqiyaah kaheta hai, ‘rabb hamaara khuda hamen asoor kay baadshaah say bachaaega’ to vah tumhen ghalat raah par la raha hai. is ka sirf yah nateeja niklega ki tum bhookay aur piyaasay mar jaaogay. ¹²hizaqiyaah nay to is khuda kee behuramtee kee hai. kyoonki us nay us kee oonchee jagahon kay mandiron aur qurbaanagaahon ko dha kar yahoodaah aur yarooshalam say kaha hai ki ek hee qurbaangaah kay saamnay parastish karen, ek hee qurbaangaah par qurbaaniyaan chadhaaen. ¹³kya tumhen ilm naheen ki main aur meray baapdaada nay deegar mamaalik kee tamaam qaumon kay saath kya kuchh kiya? kya in qaumon kay devta apnay mulkon ko mujh say bachaanay kay qaabil rahay hain? hargiz naheen! ¹⁴meray baapdaada nay in sab ko tabaah kar diya, aur koee bhee devta apnee qaum ko mujh say bacha na saka. to phir tumhaara devta tumhen kis tarah mujh say bachaaega? ¹⁵hizaqiyaah say fareb na khaao! vah is tarah tumhen ghalat raah par na laaay. us kee baat par etimaad mat karna, kyoonki ab tak kisee bhee qaum ya saltanat ka devta apnee qaum ko meray ya meray baapdaada kay qabzay say chhutkaara na dila saka. to phir tumhaara devta tumhen meray qabzay say kis tarah bachaaega?”

¹⁶aisee baaten kartay kartay sanherib kay afsar rabb israaeel kay khuda aur us kay khaadim hizaqiyaah par kufr baktay gaay.

¹⁷asoor kay baadshaah nay vafad kay haath khat bhee bheja jis men us nay rabb israaeel kay khuda kee ihaanat kee. khat men likha tha, “jis tarah deegar mamaalik kay devta apnee qaumon ko mujh say mahfooz na rakh sakay usee tarah hizaqiyaah ka devta bhee apnee qaum ko meray qabzay say naheen bachaaega.”

¹⁸asooree afsaron nay buland aavaaz say ibraanee zabaan men baadshaah ka paighaam faseel par khaday yarooshalam kay baashindon tak pahunchaaya taaki un men khauf-o-hiraas phail jaaay aur yoon shaher par qabza karnay men aasaanee ho jaaay. ¹⁹in afsaron nay yarooshalam kay khuda ka yoon tamaskhur udaaya jaisa vah duniya kee deegar qaumon kay devtaaon ka udaaya kartay thay, haalaanki deegar maabood sirf insaanee haathon kee paidaavaar thay.

rabb sanherib ko saza deta hai

²⁰phir hizaqiyaah baadshaah aur aamoos kay betay yasaayaah nabee nay chillaatay huay aasmaan par takhtnasheen khuda say iltimaas kee. ²¹javaab men rabb nay asooriyon kee lashkargaah men ek farishta bheja jis nay tamaam behtareen faujiyon ko afsaron aur kamaandaron samet maut kay ghaat utaar diya. chunaanchay sanherib sharminda ho kar apnay mulk laut gaya. vahaan ek din jab vah apnay devta kay mandir men daakhil hua to us kay kuchh beton nay usay talvaar say qatl kar diya.

²²is tarah rabb nay hizaqiyaah aur yarooshalam kay baashindon ko shaah-ay-asoor sanherib say chhutkaara dilaaya. us nay unhen doosree qaumon kay hamlon say bhee mahfooz rakha, aur chaaron taraf amn-o-amaan phail gaya. ²³beshumaar log yarooshalam aaay taaki rabb ko qurbaaniyaan pesh karen aur hizaqiyaah baadshaah ko qeemtee tuhfay den. us vaqt say tamaam qaumen us ka bada ehatiraam karnay lageen.

hizaqiyaah kay aakhiree saal

²⁴un dinon men hizaqiyaah itna beemaar hua ki marnay kee naubat a pahunchee. tab us nay rabb say dua kee, aur rabb nay us kee sun kar ek ilaahee nishaan say is kee tasdeeq kee. ²⁵lekin hizaqiyaah maghroor hua, aur us nay is meharbaanee ka munaasib javaab na diya. nateejay men rabb us say aur yahoodaah aur yarooshalam say naaraaz hua. ²⁶phir hizaqiyaah aur yarooshalam kay baashindon nay pachhta kar apna gharoor chhod diya, is liyay rabb ka ghazab hizaqiyaah kay jeetay jee un par naazil na hua.

²⁷hizaqiyaah ko bahut daulat aur izzat haasil huee, aur us nay apnee sonay-chaandee, javaahir, balsaan kay qeemtee tel, dhaalon aur baaqee qeemtee cheezon kay liyay khaas khazaanay banvaaay. ²⁸us nay ghalla, angoor ka ras aur zaitoon ka tel mahfooz rakhnay kay liyay godaam taameer kiay aur apnay gaay-bailon aur bhed-bakriyon ko rakhnay kee bahut see jagahen bhee banva leen. ²⁹us kay gaay-bailon aur bhed-bakriyon men izaafa hota gaya, aur us nay kaee naay shaheron kee bunyaad rakhee, kyoonki allaah nay usay nihaayat hee ameer bana diya tha. ³⁰hizaqiyaah hee nay jaihoon chashmay ka munh band karkay us ka paanee surang kay zareeay maghrib kee taraf yarooshalam kay us hissay men pahunchaaya jo ‘daaood ka shaher’ kahelaata hai. jo bhee kaam us nay shuroo kiya us men vah kaamyaab raha. ³¹ek din baabal kay hukmaraanon nay us kay paas vafad bheja taaki us ilaahee nishaan kay baaray men maaloomaat haasil karen jo yahoodaah men hua tha. us vaqt allaah nay usay akela chhod diya taaki us kay dil kee haqeeqee haalat jaanch lay.

³²baaqee jo kuchh hizaqiyaah kee hukoomat kay dauraan hua aur jo nek kaam us nay kiya vah ‘aamoos kay betay yasaayaah nabee kee roya’ men qalamband hai jo ‘shaahaan-ay-yahoodaah-o-israaeel’ kee kitaab men darj hai. ³³jab vah mar kar apnay baapdaada say ja mila to usay shaahee qabristaan kee ek oonchee jagah par dafnaaya gaya. jab janaaza nikla to yahoodaah aur yarooshalam kay tamaam baashindon nay us ka ehatiraam kiya. phir us ka beta manassee takhtnasheen hua.