Isaiah 36

1 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.

Naʻe hoko ʻo pehē ʻi hono taʻu ʻe hongofulu ma fā ʻoe pule ʻa Hesekaia, naʻe haʻu ʻa Senakalipe ko e tuʻi ʻo ʻAsilia ki he ngaahi kolo kotoa pē ʻo Siuta naʻe teu ki he tau, pea ne lavaʻi ʻakinautolu.

2 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.

Pea naʻe fekau atu ʻe he tuʻi ʻo ʻAsilia ʻa Lapisake mei Lakisi ki Selūsalema kia Hesekaia mo e kongakau tokolahi mo ia. Pea naʻa ne tuʻu ʻi he veʻevai taupotu ki ʻolunga ʻi he hala lahi ʻoe ngoue ʻae tangata fakamaʻa kofu.

3 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.

Pea naʻe toki haʻu kiate ia ʻa Iliakimi, ko e foha ʻo Hilikia, ʻaia naʻe pule ʻi he fale, pea mo Sepina ko e tangata tohi, mo Soa, ko e foha ʻo ʻAsafi, ko e matāpule tohi.

4 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?

Pea pehē ʻe Lapisake kiate kinautolu, Mou pehē kia Hesekaia, “ʻOku pehē ʻe he tuʻi lahi, ko e tuʻi ʻo ʻAsilia, Ko e hā koā ʻae falalaʻanga ni ʻoku ke falala ki ai?”

5 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]?

Kuo ke pehē ʻe koe, (ka ko e lea taʻeʻaonga, ) “ʻOku ʻiate au ʻae fakakaukau mo e mālohi ki he tau: ka ʻoku ke falala kia hai, ke ke angatuʻu ai kiate au?

6 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].

Vakai, ʻoku ke faʻaki ki he tokoni ʻoe kaho mafesi ni, ko ʻIsipite; ʻaia ʻi he faʻaki ki ai ha tangata, ʻe ʻasi ia ki hono nima, pea ʻe lavea ia: ʻoku pehē ʻa Felo ko e tuʻi ʻo ʻIsipite kiate kinautolu kotoa pē ʻoku falala kiate ia.”

7 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]?’

Ka ʻi hoʻo pehē mai kiate au, “ʻOku mau falala kia Sihova ko homau ʻOtua: ʻikai kuo liʻaki ʻe Hesekaia hono ngaahi potu māʻolunga pea mo hono ngaahi feilaulauʻanga pea ne pehē ki Siuta, mo Selūsalema, ‘Te mou lotu ʻi he ʻao ʻoe feilaulauʻanga ni?’

8 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!

Ko ia ʻoku ou fekau kiate ko e ke ke ʻomi ʻae ngaahi meʻa fakamoʻoni, ki hoku ʻeiki ko e tuʻi ʻo ʻAsilia, pea te u foaki atu ʻae hoosi ʻe ua afe, ʻo kapau te ke faʻa fakaheka ʻe koe ha kau tangata ki ai.

9 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!

Pea ka kuo pehē, ʻe fēfē hoʻo fakafoki ʻae mata ʻo ha ʻeikitau ʻoku siʻi hifo ʻi he ngaahi tamaioʻeiki ʻo ʻeku ʻeiki, pea falala ki ʻIsipite ke maʻu mei ai ʻae ngaahi saliote mo e kau tangata heka hoosi?

10 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!”

Pea kuo u haʻu eni ki he fonua ni ke tauʻi pea fakaʻauha ia ka e taʻekau ki ai ʻa Sihova? Naʻe pehē mai ʻe Sihova kiate au, ‘ʻAlu hake ki he fonua ni, pea fakaʻauha ia.’”

11 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].”

Pea naʻe toki pehē ʻe Iliakimi mo Sepina pea mo Soa kia Lapisake, “ʻOku mau kole kiate koe, ke ke lea ki hoʻo kau tamaioʻeiki ʻi he lea fakaSilia; he ʻoku mau ʻilo ia: kaeʻoua ʻe lea kiate kimautolu ʻi he lea fakaSiu, ʻi he telinga ʻoe kakai ʻoku tuʻu ʻi he ʻā.

12 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].”

Ka naʻe pehē ʻe Lapisake, “Kuo fekau au ʻe heʻeku ʻeiki ki ho ʻeiki pea mo koe ke lea ʻaki ʻae ngaahi lea ni? ʻIkai kuo ne fekau au ki he kau tangata ʻoku nofo ʻi he ʻā, ke nau kai honau kinohaʻa, pea inu honau tuʻutata, fakataha mo kimoutolu?

13 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!

Pea naʻe toki tuʻu hake ʻa Lapisake, pea kalanga ia ʻi he leʻo lahi ʻi he lea fakaSiu, ʻo pehē, Mou fanongo ki he lea ʻae tuʻi lahi, ʻae tuʻi lahi ʻo ʻAsilia.

14 He says, ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you! He will not be able to rescue you!

‌ʻOku pehē ʻe he tuʻi, ʻoua naʻa tuku ʻa Hesekaia ke kākaaʻi ʻakimoutolu; koeʻuhi ʻe ʻikai te ne faʻa fakamoʻui ʻakimoutolu.

15 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!’

Pea ʻoua naʻa tuku ʻa Hesekaia ke ne fakalotoʻi ʻakimoutolu ke mou falala kia Sihova, ʻo pehē, ‘Ko e moʻoni ʻe fakamoʻui ʻakitautolu ʻe Sihova:’ ʻe ʻikai tukuange ʻae kolo ni ki he nima ʻoe tuʻi ʻo ʻAsilia.

16 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.

‌ʻOua naʻa fanongo kia Hesekaia: he ʻoku pehē ʻe he tuʻi ʻo ʻAsilia, Mou fakalelei mo au ʻaki ha foaki, pea haʻu kituaʻā kiate au: pea kai taki taha ʻi heʻene vaine, pea taki taha ʻi heʻene ʻakau ko e fiki, pea taki taha inu ʻae vai ʻo ʻene puha vai.

17 [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.’

Kae ʻoua ke u haʻu ʻo ʻave ʻakimoutolu ki ha fonua ʻoku hangē ko homou fonua, ko e fonua ʻoe uite mo e uaine, ko e fonua ʻoe mā mo e ngoue vaine.

18 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!

Vakai telia naʻa fakalotoʻi ʻakimoutolu ʻe Hesekaia, ʻo pehē, ‘ʻE fakamoʻui ʻakitautolu ʻe Sihova.’ ʻOku ai ha ʻotua ʻoe ngaahi puleʻanga kuo ne fakamoʻui hono fonua mei he nima ʻoe tuʻi ʻo ʻAsilia?

19 Why were the gods of Hamath and Arpad [cities], and the gods of Sepharvaim unable to rescue Samaria from my power [MTY]?

‌ʻOku ʻi fē ʻae ngaahi ʻotua ʻo Hamati mo ʻAapati? ʻOku ʻi fē ʻae ngaahi ʻotua ʻo Sifaveimi? Pea kuo nau fakamoʻui ʻa Samēlia mei hoku nima?

20 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]?’”

Ko hai ʻi he ngaahi ʻotua kotoa pē ʻoe ngaahi fonua ni, kuo fakamoʻui honau fonua mei hoku nima, koeʻuhi ke fakamoʻui ʻe Sihova ʻa Selūsalema mei hoku nima?”

21 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.”

Ka naʻa nau fakalongo pe, pea ʻikai ha lea siʻi kiate ia: he naʻe pehē ʻae fekau ʻae tuʻi, “ʻOua naʻa talia ia.”

22 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.

Pea naʻe toki haʻu kia Hesekaia ʻa Iliakimi, ko e foha ʻo Hilikia, ʻaia naʻe pule ʻi he fale, mo Sepina ko e tangata tohi, mo Soa, ko e foha ʻo ʻAsafi, ko e matāpule tohi, kuo mahae honau kofu, pea naʻe tala kiate ia ʻae ngaahi lea ʻa Lapisake.