Isaiah 36

1 And it was don in the fourtenthe yeer of kyng Ezechie, Sennacherib, the kyng of Assiriens, stiede on alle the stronge citees of Juda, and took tho.

In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah.

2 And the kyng of Assiriens sente Rapsases fro Lachis to Jerusalem, to kyng Ezechie, with greet power; and he stood at the watir cundit of the hiyere sisterne, in the weie of the feeld of a fullere.

And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh, with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stopped by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.

3 And Eliachym, the sone of Elchie, that was on the hous, yede out to hym, and Sobna, the scryuen, and Joae, the sone of Asaph, the chaunceler.

Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, went out to him.

4 And Rapsases seide to hem, Seie ye to Ezechie, The greet king, the king of Assiriens, seith these thingis, What is the trist, in which thou tristist?

The Rabshakeh said to them, “Tell Hezekiah that this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: What is the basis of this confidence of yours?

5 ethir bi what councele ether strengthe disposist thou for to rebelle? on whom hast thou trist, for thou hast go awei fro me?

You claim to have a strategy and strength for war, but these are empty words. In whom are you now trusting, that you have rebelled against me?

6 Lo! thou tristist on this brokun staf of rehed, on Egipt, on which if a man restith, it schal entre in to his hoond, and schal perse it; so doith Farao, the kyng of Egipt, to alle men that tristen in hym.

Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

7 That if thou answerist to me, We tristen in oure Lord God; whether it is not he, whose hiye places and auteris Esechie dide awei, and he seide to Juda and to Jerusalem, Ye schulen worschipe bifore this auter?

But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is He not the One whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before this altar’?

8 And now bitake thee to my lord, the kyng of Assiriens, and Y schal yyue to thee twei thousynde of horsis, and thou maist not yyue of thee stieris of tho horsis.

Now, therefore, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them!

9 And hou schalt thou abide the face of the iuge of o place of the lesse seruauntis of my lord? That if thou tristist in Egipt, and in cartis, and in knyytis;

For how can you repel a single officer among the least of my master’s servants when you depend on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

10 and now whethir Y stiede to this lond with out the Lord, that Y schulde distrie it? The Lord seide to me, Stie thou on this lond, and distrie thou it.

So now, was it apart from the LORD that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD Himself said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”

11 And Eliachym, and Sobna, and Joae, seiden to Rapsaces, Speke thou to thi seruauntis bi the langage of Sirie, for we vndurstonden; speke thou not to vs bi the langage of Jewis in the eeris of the puple, which is on the wal.

Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

12 And Rapsaces seide to hem, Whether mi lord sente me to thi lord, and to thee, that Y schulde speke alle these wordis, and not rathere to the men that sitten on the wal, that thei ete her toordis, and drynke the pisse of her feet with you?

But the Rabshakeh replied, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to you and your master, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are destined with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”

13 And Rapsaces stood, and criede with greet vois in the langage of Jewis, and seide, Here ye the wordis of the greet kyng, the kyng of Assiriens.

Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out loudly in Hebrew: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!

14 The kyng seith these thingis, Esechie disseyue not you, for he may not delyuere you;

This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he cannot deliver you.

15 and Ezechie yyue not to you trist on the Lord, and seie, The Lord delyuerynge schal delyuere vs; this citee schal not be youun in to the hoond of the kyng of Assiriens.

Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’

16 Nyle ye here Ezechie. For whi the kyng of Assiriens seith these thingis, Make ye blessyng with me, and go ye out to me; and ete ye ech man his vyner, and ech man his fige tre, and drynke ye ech man the water of his cisterne,

Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and his own fig tree, and drink water from his own cistern,

17 til Y come, and take awei you to a lond which is as youre lond; to a lond of whete and of wyn, to a lond of looues and of vyneris.

until I come and take you away to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

18 Ezechie disturble not you, and seie, The Lord schal delyuere vs. Whether the goddis of folkis delyuereden ech his lond fro the hond of the kyng of Assiriens?

Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

19 Where is the god of Emath, and of Arphat? Where is the god of Sepharuaym? Whethir thei delyueriden Samarie fro myn hond?

Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?

20 Who is of alle goddis of these londis, that delyueride his lond fro myn hond, that the Lord delyuere Jerusalem fro myn hond?

Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered his land from my hand? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”

21 And thei weren stille, and answeriden not to hym a word. For whi the kyng comaundide to hem, and seide, Answere ye not to him.

But the people remained silent and did not answer a word, for Hezekiah had commanded, “Do not answer him.”

22 And Eliachym, the sone of Elchie, that was on the hous, and Sobna, the scryueyn, and Joae, the sone of Asaph, chaunceler, entriden with to-rent clothis to Ezechie, and telde to hym the wordis of Rapsaces.

Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.