Esajas 36

1 I Kong Ezekias's fjortende Regeringsaar drog Assyrerkongen Sankerib op mod alle Judas befæstede Byer og indtog dem.

Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of the reign of Ezekias, [that] Sennacherim, king of the Assyrians, came up against the strong cities of Judea, and took them.

2 Assyrerkongen sendte saa Rabsjake med en anselig Styrke fra Lakisj til Kong Ezekias i Jerusalem, og han gjorde Holdt ved Øvredammens Vandledning, ved Vejen til Blegepladsen.

And the king of the Assyrians sent Rabsaces out of Laches to Jerusalem to king Ezekias with a large force: and he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the way of the fuller's field.

3 Da gik Paladsøversten Eljakim, Hilkijas Søn, Statsskriveren Sjebna og Kansleren Joa, Asafs Søn, ud til ham.

And there went forth to him Heliakim the steward, the [son] of Chelcias, and Somnas the scribe, and Joach the [son] of Asaph, the recorder.

4 Rabsjake sagde til dem: »Sig til Ezekias: Saaledes siger Storkongen, Assyrerkongen: Hvad er det for en Fortrøstning, du hengiver dig til?

And Rabsaces said to them, Say to Ezekias, Thus says the great king, the king of the Assyrians, Why are you secure?

5 Du mener vel, at et blot og bart Ord er det samme som Plan og Styrke i Krig? Og til hvem sætter du egentlig din Lid, siden du gør Oprør imod mig?

Is war carried on with counsel and [mere] words of the lips? and now on whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?

6 Se, du sætter din Lid til Ægypten, denne brudte Rørkæp, som river Saar i Haanden paa den, der støtter sig til den! Thi saaledes gaar det alle dem, der sætter deres Lid til Farao, Ægyptens Konge.

Behold, you trust on this bruised staff of reed, on Egypt: [as soon] as a man leans upon it, it shall go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharao king of Egypt and all that trust in him.

7 Men vil du sige til mig: Det er HERREN vor Gud, vi sætter vor Lid til! er det saa ikke ham, hvis Offerhøje og Altre Ezekias skaffede bort, da han sagde til Juda og Jerusalem: Foran dette Alter skal I tilbede!

But if you say, We trust in the Lord our God;

8 Og nu, indgaa et Væddemaal med min Herre, Assyrerkongen: Jeg giver dig to Gange tusinde Heste, hvis du kan stille Ryttere til dem!

yet now make an agreement with my lord the king of the Assyrians, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you shall be able to set riders upon them.

9 Hvorledes vil du afslaa et Angreb af en eneste Statholder, en af min Herres ringeste Tjenere? Og du sætter din Lid til Ægypten, til Vogne og Heste?

And how can you [then] turn to the face of the satraps? They that trust on the Egyptians for horse and rider, are [our] servants.

10 Mon det desuden er uden HERRENS Vilje, at jeg er draget op mod dette Land for at ødelægge det? Det var HERREN selv, der sagde til mig: Drag op mod dette Land og ødelæg det!«

And now, Have we come up against this land to fight against it without the Lord? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

11 Men Eljakim, Sjebna og Joa sagde til Rabsjake: »Tal dog Aramaisk til dine Trælle, det forstaar vi godt; tal ikke Judæisk til os, medens Folkene paa Muren hører paa det!«

Then Eliakim and Somnas and Joach said to him, Speak to your servants in the Syrian tongue; for we understand [it]: and speak not to us in the Jewish tongue: and therefore speak you in the ears of the men on the wall?

12 Men Rabsjake svarede dem: »Er det til din Herre og dig, min Herre har sendt mig med disse Ord? Er det ikke til de Mænd, der sidder paa Muren hos eder og æder deres eget Skarn og drikker deres eget Vand?«

And Rabsaces said to them, Has my lord sent me to your lord or to you, to speak these words? [has he] not [sent] me to the men that sit on the wall, that they may eat dung, and drink [their] water together with you?

13 Og Rabsjake traadte hen og raabte med høj Røst paa Judæisk: »Hør Storkongens, Assyrerkongens, Ord!

And Rabsaces stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jewish language, and said, Hear you the words of the great king, the king of the Assyrians:

14 Saaledes siger Kongen: Lad ikke Ezekias vildlede eder, thi han er ikke i Stand til at frelse eder!

thus says the king, Let not Ezekias deceive you with words: he will not be able to deliver you.

15 Og lad ikke Ezekias forlede eder til at sætte eders Lid til HERREN, naar han siger: HERREN skal sikkert frelse os, og denne By skal ikke overgives i Assyrerkongens Haand!

And let not Ezekias say to you, That God will deliver you, and this city will not at all be delivered into the hand of the king of the Assyrians.

16 Hør ikke paa Ezekias, thi saaledes siger Assyrerkongen: Vil I slutte Fred med mig og overgive eder til mig, saa skal enhver af eder spise af sin Vinstok og sit Figentræ og drikke af sin Brønd,

Listen not to Ezekias: thus says the king of the Assyrians, If you wish to be blessed, come out to me: and you shall eat every one [of] his vine and his fig-trees, and you shall drink water out of your own cisterns:

17 indtil jeg kommer og tager eder med til et Land, der ligner eders, et Land med Korn og Most, et Land med Brød og Vingaarde.

until I come and take you to a land, like your own land, a land of corn and wine, and bread, and vineyards.

18 Lad ikke Ezekias forføre eder med at sige: HERREN vil frelse os! Mon nogen af Folkenes Guder har kunnet frelse sit Land af Assyrerkongens Haand?

Let not Ezekias deceive you, saying, God will deliver you. Have the gods of the nations delivered each one his own land out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians?

19 Hvor er Hamats og Arpads Guder, hvor er Sefarvajims Guder, hvor er Landet Samarias Guder? Mon de frelste Samaria af min Haand?

Where is the god of Emath, and Arphath? and where is the god of Eppharuaim? have they been able to deliver Samaria out of my hand?

20 Hvor er der blandt alle disse Landes Guder nogen, der har frelst sit Land af min Haand? Mon da HERREN skulde kunne frelse Jerusalem?«

Which is the god of all these nations, that has delivered his land out of my hand, that God should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

21 Men de tav og svarede ham ikke et Ord, thi Kongens Bud lød paa, at de ikke maatte svare ham.

And they were silent, and none answered him a word; because the king had commanded that none should answer.

22 Derpaa gik Paladsøversten Eljakim, Hilkijas Søn, Statsskriveren Sjebna og Kansleren Joa, Asafs Søn, med sønderrevne Klæder til Ezekias og meddelte ham, hvad Rabsjake havde sagt.

And Heliakim the [son] of Chelcias, the steward, and Somnas the military scribe, and Joach the [son] of Asaph, the recorder, came in to Ezekias, having their garments tore, and they reported to him the words of Rabsaces.