Isaiæ 36
1 Et factum est in quartodecimo anno regis Ezechiae, ascendit Sennacherib rex Assyriorum super omnes civitates Iuda munitas, et cepit eas.
When King Hezekiah had been [ruling Judah] for almost 14 years, King Sennacherib of Assyria came [with his army] to attack the cities in Judah that had walls around them. [They did not conquer Jerusalem, but] they conquered all the other cities.
2 Et misit rex Assyriorum Rabsacen de Lachis in Ierusalem, ad regem Ezechiam in manu gravi, et stetit in aquaeductu piscinae superioris in via Agri fullonis.
Then 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 in their positions alongside the aqueduct/channel in which water flows into the upper pool [into Jerusalem], near the road to the field where the women wash clothes.
3 Et egressus est ad eum Eliachim filius Helchiae, qui erat super domum, et Sobna scriba, et Ioahe filius Asaph a commentariis.
The Israeli officials who went out of the city to talk with them were Hilkiah’s son Eliakim, the (palace administrator/man who supervised the workers in the palace), Shebna the king’s secretary, and Asaph’s son Joah, who wrote down the government decisions.
4 Et dixit ad eos Rabsaces: Dicite Ezechiae: Haec dicit rex magnus, rex Assyriorum: Quae est ista fiducia, qua confidis?
Then 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?
5 aut quo consilio vel fortitudine rebellare disponis? super quem habes fiduciam, quia recessisti a me?
You say that you have weapons to fight us and some country’s 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]?
6 Ecce confidis super baculum arundineum confractum istum, super Aegyptum: cui si innixus fuerit homo, intrabit in manum eius, et perforabit eam: sic Pharao rex Aegypti omnibus, qui confidunt in eo.
Listen to me! You are relying on [the army of] Egypt. But [that will be 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].
7 Quod si responderis mihi: In Domino Deo nostro confidimus: nonne ipse est, cuius abstulit Ezechias excelsa et altaria, et dixit Iuda et Ierusalem: Coram altari isto adorabitis?
But perhaps you will say to me, ‘[No], we are relying on 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]?’
8 Et nunc trade te domino meo regi Assyriorum, et dabo tibi duo millia equorum, nec poteris ex te praebere ascensores eorum.
So I suggest that you make a deal with my master/boss, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses, but [I do not think that] you can find 2,000 of your men who can ride on them!
9 Et quomodo sustinebis faciem iudicis unius loci ex servis domini mei minoribus? Quod si confidis in Aegypto, in quadrigis, et in equitibus:
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!
10 et nunc numquid sine Domino ascendi ad terram istam ut disperderem eam? Dominus dixit ad me: Ascende super terram istam, et disperde eam.
Furthermore, [do not think that] [RHQ] we have come here to attack and destroy this land without Yahweh’s orders! It is Yahweh himself who told us to come here and destroy this land!”
11 Et dixit Eliachim, et Sobna, et Ioahe ad Rabsacen: Loquere ad servos tuos Syra lingua: intelligimus enim: ne loquaris ad nos Iudaice in auribus populi, qui est super murum.
Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the official from Assyria, “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 become frightened].”
12 Et dixit ad eos Rabsaces: Numquid ad dominum tuum et ad te misit me dominus meus, ut loquerer omnia verba ista; et non potius ad viros, qui sedent in muro, ut comedant stercora sua, et bibant urinam pedum suorum vobiscum?
But the official replied, “Do you think that my master sent me to say these things [only] to you, and not to the people standing on the wall [RHQ]? [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].”
13 Et stetit Rabsaces, et clamavit voce magna Iudaice, et dixit: Audite verba regis magni, regis Assyriorum.
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!
14 Haec dicit rex: Non seducat vos Ezechias, quia non poterit eruere vos.
He says, ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you! He will not be able to rescue you!
15 Et non vobis tribuat fiduciam Ezechias super Domino, dicens: Eruens liberabit nos Dominus, non dabitur civitas ista in manu regis Assyriorum.
Do not allow him to persuade you to trust in Yahweh, saying that Yahweh will rescue you, and that [the army of] the King of Assyria will never capture this city!’
16 Nolite audire Ezechiam: haec enim dicit rex Assyriorum: Facite mecum benedictionem, et egredimini ad me, et comedite unusquisque vineam suam, et unusquisque ficum suam: et bibite unusquisque aquam cisternae suae,
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 well.
17 donec veniam, et tollam vos ad terram, quae est ut terra vestra, terram frumenti et vini, terram panum et vinearum.
[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] new wine and, and where we make lots of bread.’
18 Nec conturbet vos Ezechias, dicens: Dominus liberabit nos. Numquid liberaverunt dii gentium unusquisque terram suam de manu regis Assyriorum?
Do not allow Hezekiah to mislead you by saying, “Yahweh will rescue us.” The gods that people of other nations worship have never [RHQ] rescued any of them from the power [MTY] of the King of Assyria!
19 Ubi est deus Emath, et Arphad? ubi est deus Sepharvaim? numquid liberaverunt Samariam de manu mea?
Why were the gods of Hamath and Arpad [cities], and the gods of Sepharvaim unable to rescue Samaria from my power [MTY]?
20 Quis est ex omnibus diis terrarum istarum, qui eruerit terram suam de manu mea, ut eruat Dominus Ierusalem de manu mea?
No, no god [RHQ] of any nation has been able to rescue their people from me. So why do you think that Yahweh will rescue you people of Jerusalem from my power [MTY]?’”
21 Et siluerunt, et non responderunt ei verbum. Mandaverat enim rex, dicens: Ne respondeatis ei.
But the people [who were listening] were silent. No one said anything, because King [Hezekiah] had commanded, “[When the official from Assyria talks to you], do not answer him.”
22 Et ingressus est Eliachim filius Helchiae, qui erat super domum, et Sobna scriba, et Ioahe filius Asaph a commentariis ad Ezechiam scissis vestibus, et nunciaverunt ei verba Rabsacis.
Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah returned to Hezekiah with their clothes torn [because they were extremely distressed]. They told him what the official from Assyria had said.
