Yesaya 37
1 Esi fia Hezekia se nya siawo la, edze eƒe awuwo, eye wòta akpanya heyi Yehowa ƒe gbedoxɔ me.
When King Hezekiah heard what they reported, he tore his clothes and put on clothes made of rough sackcloth [because he was very distressed]. Then he went into the temple of Yahweh [and prayed].
2 Emegbe la, edɔ eƒe dɔnunɔla, Eliakim kple eƒe agbalẽŋlɔla Sebna kple nunɔla tsitsiwo dometɔ aɖewo, ame siwo katã hã ta akpanya, eye woyi ɖe Nyagblɔɖila Yesaya, Amoz ƒe vi la gbɔ.
Then he sent Eliakim, Shebna, and the (older/most important) priests, who were also wearing clothes made of rough sackcloth, to talk to me.
3 Wogblɔ nɛ be, Ale fia Hezekia gblɔe nye esi: “Egbee nye xaxa, mokaka kple vlodogbe. Enye ɣeyiɣi sesẽ abe nyɔnu si vi ɖo atame na be wòadzi, gake ŋusẽ mele eŋu be woasii adzi o la ene.
He said to them, “Tell this to Isaiah: ‘King Hezekiah says that this is a day when we are greatly distressed. Other nations are causing us to be insulted and disgraced. We are like [SIM] a woman who is about to give birth to a baby, but she does not have the strength that she needs to do it.
4 Ɖewohĩ Yehowa, wò Mawu la ase nya siwo aʋafia, si eƒe aƒetɔ Asiria fia dɔ la gblɔ. Ame si wòdɔ be woaɖe alɔme le Mawu gbagbe la ŋu, eye wòaka mo nɛ ɖe nya siwo Yehowa, wò Mawu la se ta. Eya ta do gbe ɖa ɖe ame mamlɛ siwo tsi agbe la ta.”
[But] perhaps Yahweh our God has heard what the official from Assyria said. Perhaps he knows that his boss, the King of Assyria, sent him to insult the all-powerful God, and that Yahweh will punish the King of Assyria for what he said. And the king requests that you pray for the few of us who are still alive [here in Jerusalem].’”
5 Esi fia Hezekia ƒe ame dɔdɔwo va Yesaya gbɔ la,
After those men gave me that message,
6 Yesaya gblɔ na wo be, “Migblɔ na miaƒe aƒetɔ be, ‘Nu si Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: migavɔ̃ nu si miese, busunya siwo Asiria fia teviwo gblɔ ɖe ŋutinye la o.
I replied, “Tell the King, ‘This is what Yahweh says: “Those messengers from the King of Assyria have said evil things about me. But do not be disturbed by what they said.
7 Ɖo to afii: mele gbɔgbɔ aɖe de ge eme, ale be ne nutsotso aɖewo va ɖo egbɔ la, atrɔ ayi ɖe eya ŋutɔ ƒe anyigba dzi, eye le afi ma, mana wòatsi yi nu.’”
Listen to this: I will cause Sennacherib to hear a rumor [that the armies of Babylon are about to attack his country], and that will worry him. So he will return to his own country, and there I will cause him to be assassinated by [men using] swords.”’”
8 Esi aʋafia la se be Asiria fia dzo le Lakis la, eya hã ho dzo, eye wòke ɖe fia la ŋu wònɔ aʋa wɔm kple Libna.
The official from Assyria found out that the King of Assyria [and his army] had captured Lachish [city] and that they were attacking Libnah, [which is a nearby city]. So the official left Jerusalem and went to Libnah [to report to the king what had happened in Jerusalem].
9 Azɔ gbe va na Senakerib be, Tirhaka, Kus fia, si le Egipte ƒe dzigbeme lɔƒo la ho aʋa gbɔna edzi dze ge. Esi wòse nya sia la, edɔ amewo ɖo ɖe fia Hezekia gbɔ be woagblɔ nɛ be,
Soon after that, King [Sennacherib] received a report that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was leading his army to attack them. So before King Sennacherib left Libnah [with his army to fight against the army from Ethiopia], he sent other messengers to Hezekiah in Jerusalem with a letter. [In the letter he wrote this] to Hezekiah:
10 “Migblɔ na Hezekia, Yuda fia be, ‘Mègana mawu si ŋu nèle ŋu ɖom ɖo la nable wò o,’ esi wògblɔ be, ‘Womatsɔ Yerusalem ade asi na Asiria fia o.’
“Do not allow your god, on whom you are relying, to deceive you by promising you that Jerusalem will not be captured by my army.
11 Meka ɖe edzi be, èse nu siwo Asiria fiawo tu kple dukɔwo katã, eye wotsrɔ̃ wo gbidigbidi. Ke woaɖe wò ya?
You have certainly heard what the armies of the kings of Assyria have done to all the other countries; our armies have destroyed them completely. So, (do you think that you will escape?/do not think that your god will save you!) [RHQ]
12 Ɖe dukɔ siwo mía fofowo tsrɔ̃ va yi la ƒe mawuwo te ŋu ɖe woa? Ɖe Gozan, Haran, Rezef kple Edentɔ siwo le Tel Asar la ƒe mawuwo ɖe woa?
Did the gods of the nations that were about to be destroyed by the armies of the previous kings of Assyria rescue them? Did those gods rescue Gozan [region], and Haran and Rezeph [cities in northern Syria], and the people of Eden [region] who were forced to go to Tel-Assar [city]?
13 Afi ka Hamat fia le, afi ka Arpad fia le, afi ka Sefarvaim dua ƒe fia le, eye afi ka Hena kple Iva ƒe fiawo le?”
What happened to the King of Hamath and the King of Arpad? What happened to the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah [cities]? [Did their gods rescue them] [RHQ]?”
14 Hezekia xɔ agbalẽ la le ame dɔdɔawo si hexlẽe. Etso heyi ɖe Yehowa ƒe gbedoxɔ me, eye wòkeke agbalẽ la ɖe Yehowa ŋkume.
Hezekiah received the letter that the messengers gave him, and he read it. Then he went up to the temple and spread out the letter in front of Yahweh.
15 Emegbe la, edo gbe ɖa na Yehowa be:
And [then] Hezekiah prayed this:
16 “O! Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ, Israel ƒe Mawu, ame si nɔ kerubiwo dome, wò koe nye Mawu ɖe anyigbadzifiaɖuƒewo katã dzi. Wòe wɔ dziƒo kple anyigba.
“O Yahweh, Commander of the armies of angels, the God to whom [we] Israelis belong, you are seated on your throne above the statues of the creatures with wings, [above the Sacred Chest]. Only you are [truly] God. You rule all the kingdoms on this earth. You are the one who created everything on the earth and in the sky.
17 O! Yehowa, ƒu to anyi, eye nàse nu. Ʋu wò ŋkuwo, eye nàkpɔ nu. Se nya siwo katã Senakerib tsɔ do vlo Mawu gbagbe lae ɖa.
[So], Yahweh, [please] listen to what I am saying, and look at [what is happening]! And listen to what Sennacherib has said to insult you, the all-powerful God!
18 “O! Yehowa, enye nyateƒe be Asiria fiawo na be ame siawo kple woƒe anyigbawo zu gbegbe.
Yahweh, it is true that [the armies of] the kings of Assyria have completely destroyed many nations and ruined their land.
19 Wotsɔ woƒe mawuwo ƒu gbe ɖe dzo me hetsrɔ̃ wo, elabena menye mawuwo wonye o, ke boŋ ati kple kpe wonye, amegbetɔ ƒe asinudɔwɔwɔwoe.
And they have thrown all the idols of those nations into fires and burned them. But they were not [really] gods. They were only idols made of wood and stone, [and that is why they were destroyed easily].
20 Ke azɔ, O! Yehowa, mía Mawu, ɖe mí tso eƒe asi me be fiaɖuƒe siwo katã le anyigba dzi la nanya be wò koe nye Yehowa.”
So now, Yahweh our God, [please] rescue us from the power [MTY] of [the King of Assyria], in order that [the people in] all the kingdoms of the world will know that you, Yahweh, are the only one who is [truly] God.”
21 Yesaya, Amoz ƒe vi, ɖo gbedeasi sia ɖe Hezekia be, “Ale Yehowa, Israel ƒe Mawu la gblɔe nye esi, ‘Esi nèdo gbe ɖa nam tso Senakerib, Asiria fia ŋuti ta la,
Then I sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what Yahweh, the God to whom [we] Israelis belong, says: Because you prayed about what King Sennacherib of Assyria [said],
22 esia nye nya si Yehowa gblɔ ɖe eŋuti.’ “Zion vinyɔnu si menya ŋutsu o la gbe nu le gbɔwò, eye wòɖu fewu le ŋuwò. Yerusalem vinyɔnu ɖo hehe ɖe tawò esi nèlé du tsɔ.
this is what I say to him: ‘The people of Jerusalem despise you and make fun of you. They will wag/shake their heads to mock you while you flee from here.
23 Ame ka nèdzu hegblɔ busunyawo ɖe eŋuti? Ame ka ta nèle ɣli dom ɖo, eye ame ka nètre ŋku kpɔe dadatɔe? Israel ƒe Kɔkɔetɔ la ŋutie!
Whom do you think you have been despising and ridiculing? Whom do you think you were shouting at? Whom do you think you were looking at [very] proudly/arrogantly? [It was I], the Holy One whom the Israelis worship!
24 To wò ame dɔdɔwo dzi nèɖe alɔme le Aƒetɔ la ŋu hegblɔ be, ‘Metsɔ nye tasiaɖamwo, lia yi towo tame ke, yi keke Lebanon tame ke. Melã eƒe sedati kɔkɔwo kple eƒe avemeti nyuitɔwo, meyi eƒe teƒe kɔkɔtɔ kekeake afi si eƒe ave dodowo le.
The messengers whom you sent made fun of me. You said, “With my many chariots I have gone to the highest mountains, [even] to the highest mountains in Lebanon. We have cut down its tallest cedar [trees] and its nicest pine/cypress [trees]. We have been to the most distant/remote peaks and to its densest forests.
25 Meɖe vudo ɖe dzronyigbawo dzi, eye meno wo me tsi le afi ma. Mena Egipte tɔʋuwo mie le nye afɔ te.’
We have dug wells [in many countries] and drunk water [from them]. And by marching through [MTY] the streams of Egypt, we dried them all up [HYP]!”
26 “Mèsee do ŋgɔ oa? Megblɔ nu sia da ɖi tso blema ke. Mewɔ ɖoɖo ɖe eŋu tso gbe aɖe gbe ʋĩi; ke azɔ la, mena wòva eme be, du siwo ŋu woɖo gli sesẽwo ɖo la zu anyiglago.
[But I, Yahweh, reply], “Have you never heard that long ago I determined [those things]; I planned them long ago, and now I have been causing those things to occur. I planned that your army would destroy cities and cause them to become piles of rubble.
27 Èxɔ ŋusẽ le dua me nɔlawo si. Woƒe mo wɔ yaa, eye ŋu kpe wo. Wole abe nukuwo le agble dzi ene, nu miemie fɛ̃wo le bo dzi kple gbe siwo mie ɖe xɔ tame la ene. Ŋdɔ sesẽ ɖu wo, eye woyrɔ le esime wometsi o.
The people in those cities have no power, and as a result they are dismayed and discouraged. They are [as frail as] [MET] grass and plants in the fields, as frail as grass that grows on the roofs of houses and is scorched by the hot east wind.
28 “Ke menya afi si nèle. Menya ɣeyiɣi si nèdona gagbɔna, eye menya ale si nèdo dɔmedzoe ɖe ŋunye.
[But] I know [everything about you]; I know when you are [in your house and] when you go outside; I also know that you are (raging/speaking very angrily) against me.
29 Esi nèdo dɔmedzoe ɖe ŋutinye, eye wò amemabumabu va ɖo nye to me ta la, matsɔ nye lãɖeƒu ade ŋɔti me na wò, made numega nu me na wò, eye mana mɔ si nèto va la nàgato eya ke dzi adzo.
[So], because you have raged against me and because I have heard you speak very proudly/arrogantly, [it will be as though] I will put a hook in your nose and I will put an iron (bit/metal bar) in your mouth [in order that I can lead you where I want you to go], and I will force you to return [to your own country], on the same road on which you came [here, without conquering Jerusalem].”’
30 “O! Hezekia, esia anye dzesi na wò: “Ƒe sia me la, àɖu nuku si mie le eya ŋutɔ ɖokui si, eye le ƒe evelia me la, àɖu nu si mie tso gbãtɔ me. Ke le ƒe etɔ̃lia me la, àƒã nu, eye àxa nu. Àde waingble eye àɖu eƒe tsetsea
[Then I said to Hezekiah], ‘This will prove to you [that what I said will happen]: “This year, you(pl) will eat [only the crops] that grow by themselves, and next year the same thing will happen. But in the third year you will plant [crops] and harvest them; you will take care of your vineyards and eat the grapes.
31 Ava eme be ame siwo susɔ na Yuda ƒe aƒe la woato ke, eye woatse ku,
And [you] people who are still [here] in Judah, will be strong and prosper again [MET].
32 elabena ame aɖewo asusɔ tso Yerusalem nɔlawo dome, eye ame siwo tsi agbe la ado tso Zion to la dzi, Yehowa Ŋusẽkatãtɔ ƒe didi vevie ana esia nava eme.
A small number of my people will survive, and they will spread out from Jerusalem [DOU].” That will happen because [I], the Commander of the armies of angels, am desiring very much to accomplish it.’
33 “Eya ta ale Yehowa gblɔ ɖe Asiria fia ŋue nye esi, “Mage ɖe du sia me alo ada aŋutrɔ ɖeka pɛ le afi sia o. Mava afi sia kple akpoxɔnu alo aƒu kpo ɖe du sia ŋuti o.
And this is what [I], Yahweh, say about the King of Assyria: ‘His [armies] will not enter Jerusalem; they will not [even] shoot arrows into it. His soldiers will not [march outside] the city gates holding their shields, and they will not build high mounds of dirt against the walls of the city [to enable them to attack the city].
34 Mɔ si wòto va la, eya ke dzie wòato adzo. Mage ɖe du sia me akpɔ gbeɖe o.” Yehowae gblɔe.
And their king will return [to his own country] on the same road on which he came [here]. He will not enter this city!’ [That will happen because I], Yahweh, have said it!
35 “Maʋli du sia ta aɖee le nye ŋutɔ kple David, nye dɔla ta!”
For the sake of my own reputation and because of what I promised King David, who served me [well], I will defend this city and prevent it from being destroyed.”
36 Emegbe la, Yehowa ƒe dɔla yi ɖe Asiriatɔwo ƒe aʋasaɖa la me hewu ame akpe alafa ɖeka kple blaenyi-vɔ-atɔ̃. Esi amewo fɔ ŋdi la, kpɔ ɖa, ame kukuwo sɔŋ ko wokpɔ.
[That night], an angel from Yahweh went out to where the army of Assyria had set up their tents and killed 185,000 of their soldiers. When [the rest of the soldiers] woke up the next morning, they saw that there were corpses everywhere.
37 Ale Asiria fia, Senakerib kaka asaɖa la, eye wòho dzo. Etrɔ yi Ninive, eye wònɔ afi ma.
Then King Sennacherib left and returned home to Nineveh [in Assyria], and stayed there.
38 Gbe ɖeka esi wònɔ gbe dom ɖa le eƒe mawu, Nisrɔk ƒe gbedoxɔ me la, via ŋutsu eve, Adramelek kple Sarezer, wowui kple yi hesi yi Ararat eye via Esarhadon ɖu fia ɖe eteƒe.
[One day], when he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his two sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords. Then they escaped and went to the Ararat [region northwest of Nineveh]. And another of Sennacherib’s sons, Esarhaddon, became the King of Assyria.
