Isaiah 36
1 Hezekiah manghai te kum hlai li a lo vaengah Assyria manghai Sennacherib loh a paan. Te vaengah Judah khopuei cakrhuet te boeih a muk tih a tuuk.
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 Te phoeiah Assyria manghai loh khotawt Rabshakeh te Lakhish lamloh Jerusalem kah manghai Hezekiah taengah tatthai neh duel a tueih pah. Te vaengah hno suk lo long kah a so tuibuem, tuilong ah pai.
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 Te dongah im khoem Hilkiah capa Eliakim tah cadaek Shebna, hnokhoem Asaph capa Joah neh anih taengla pawk.
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 Te vaengah amih te khotawt Rabshakeh loh, “Hezekiah te, 'Manghai aw, Assyria kah manghai len loh, 'Uepangnah la banim na pangtung thil te?
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 Hmuilai lamkah olka mailai khaw caemtloek ham cilsuep neh thayung thamal ni ka ti. Kai he tloelh hamla unim na pangtung thil coeng.
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 Capu conghol a paep tangtae la na pangtung thil dae te. Te Egypt soah aka hangdang hlang tah a kut a hun tih a toeh. Egypt manghai Pharaoh aka pangtung thil boeih tah te tlam pawn ni.
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 Kai taengah, 'BOEIPA ka Pathen dongah ni ka pangtung uh,’ na ti cakhaw Hezekiah loh a hmuensang neh a hmueihtuk a palet pah te anih moenih a? Judah neh Jerusalem taengah, 'Hmueihtuk hmai ah he bakop uh,’ a ti dae ta.
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 Te dongah ka boeipa te, Assyria manghai toengah rhikhang laeh. Nang te marhang a thawng thawng la kam pae eh. Nang te paek ham ni na coeng thai atah te rhoek te ngol thil.
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 Ka boeipa kah sal khuikah rhalboei pakhat kah maelhmai te metlam na mael tak eh. Tetca khaw leng ham neh marhang caem ham Egypt na pangtung thil mai.
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 BOEIPA mueh lam a khohmuen he phae ham ka caeh? BOEIPA loh kamah taengah, 'Khohmuen ke caeh thil lamtah phae laeh,’ a ti ta,’ ti nah,” a ti nah.
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 Te vaengah Eliakim, Shebna, Joah loh khotawt Rabshakeh te, “Na sal rhoek ham he Aramaih la thui mai. Ka yakming coeng dongah kaimih taengah Judah ol la thui boel mai. Vongtung sokah pilnam a hna laat lah ve,” a ti nah.
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 Tedae khotawt Rabshakeh loh, “He olka thui ham a ka boei loh na boei rhoek neh nangmih taengah kai n'tueih? Vongtung soah aka ngol hlang ham neh amih kah a khawt aka ca ham, amih kah yuntui aka mam, a kho tui nangmih bang ham moenih a?
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 Te phoeiah khotawt Rabshakeh pai tih Judah ol neh a len la pang. Te vaengah, “Manghai len Assyria manghai ol he hnatun uh lah.
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 Manghai loh, 'Nangmih te Hezekiah loh n'rhaithi boel saeh, nangmih huul hamla a coeng moenih.
He says, ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you! He will not be able to rescue you!
15 Hezekiah te na pangtung uh mahpawh. BOEIPA ming neh, 'BOEIPA loh mamih n'huul rhoe n'huul ni, khopuei he Assyria manghai kut ah pha mahpawh,’ a ti te.
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 Hezekiah ol te hnatun uh boeh. Te dongah ni Assyria manghai loh, 'Kamah neh yoethennah saii sih. Kai taengah ha mop uh lamtah a misur neh a thaibu khaw rhip ca uh. A tuito tui khaw rhip o uh.
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 Kamah ka pawk vetih nangmih te namamih kah khohmuen bang cangpai hmuen, buh neh misur khohmuen kah misur thai kho la kan loh hlan ah,’ a ti.
[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 “BOEIPA loh mamih n'huul bitni,” a ti mai neh Hezekiah loh nangmih m'vuet ve. Namtom pathen pakhat long khaw a khohmuen te Assyria manghai kut lamloh a huul noek a?
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 Khamath neh Arpad pathen te ta? Sepharvaim pathen ta? Samaria te ka kut lamloh a huul noek a?
Why were the gods of Hamath and Arpad [cities], and the gods of Sepharvaim unable to rescue Samaria from my power [MTY]?
20 He diklai pathen boeih soah aka om te unim? Ka kut dong lamloh a khohmuen aka huul te unim? Jerusalem te Yahovah loh ka kut lamkah a huul tang aya te?” a ti,” a ti nah.
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 Tedae hil a phah uh tih anih te ol kamat khaw doo uh pawh. Te vaengah, “Manghai kah olpaek dongah he anih doo uh boeh,” a ti nah.
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 Te phoeiah imkhui kah Hilkiah capa Eliakim, cadaek Shebna, hnokhoem Asaph capa Joah tah himbai aka phen Hezekiah taengla ha pawk tih khotawt Rabshakeh ol te a taegah a puen pauh.
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.
