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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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?

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

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 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 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 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.

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 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;

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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 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 [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 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 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.