Isaïe 36
1 Et la quatorzième année du règne d'Ézéchias, Sennachérib, roi des Assyriens, vint assiéger les villes de la Judée; et il s'en rendit maître.
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 Et le roi des Assyriens envoya de Lachis, au roi Ézéchias, Rabsacès avec une armée nombreuse; celui-ci s'arrêta vers l'aqueduc de la piscine d'en haut, sur le chemin du champ du Foulon.
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 Et Éliacim, fils d'Helcias l'économe, et Somna le scribe, et Joach fils d'Asaph l'archiviste, sortirent, et vinrent le trouver.
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 Et Rabsacès leur dit: Dites à Ézéchias: Voici ce que dit le grand roi des Assyriens: D'où te vient ta confiance?
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 Livre-t-on bataille avec le conseil ou les paroles des lèvres? Maintenant donc, en qui t'es-tu confié, pour te révolter contre moi?
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 Voilà que tu te fies à ce roseau brisé qu'on appelle l'Égypte; il entrera dans la main de quiconque s'appuiera sur lui, et il la percera; ainsi en est- il du Pharaon d'Égypte et de tous ceux qui ont confiance en lui.
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 Et si vous dites Nous nous confions dans le Seigneur notre Dieu;
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 Eh bien, combattez aujourd'hui mon maître, le roi des Assyriens, et je vous donnerai deux mille chevaux, si vous pouvez leur donner deux mille hommes pour les monter.
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 Et comment pourrez-vous seulement résister en face à l'un de nos chefs? Il n'y a que des esclaves qui ont mis leur confiance dans les Égyptiens, dans leurs chevaux et leurs cavaliers.
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 Mais est-ce que nous sommes venus combattre cette terre sans le Seigneur? Le Seigneur m'a dit: Marche sur cette terre, et détruis-la.
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 Et Éliacim et Somna, et Joach lui dirent: Parle syrien à tes serviteurs, car nous le comprenons; mais ne nous parle pas en langue judaïque. Pourquoi parles-tu? pour être ouï du peuple qui se tient sur les remparts?
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 Mais Rabsacès leur répondit: Est-ce que mon maître ne m'a envoyé dire ces paroles qu'à votre maître et à vous? Ne sont-elles pas pour les hommes qui se tiennent sur le rempart, et qui seront réduits, comme vous, à manger leurs excréments et à boire leur urine?
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 Et Rabsacès se redressa, il éleva la voix et dit en langue judaïque: Écoutez les paroles du grand roi des Assyriens.
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 Voici ce que dit le roi: Qu'Ézéchias ne vous trompe point par des discours, car il ne pourra vous sauver.
He says, ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you! He will not be able to rescue you!
15 Qu'Ézéchias ne vous dise pas que Dieu vous protègera et qu'il ne livrera point cette ville aux mains du roi des Assyriens.
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 N'écoutez pas Ézéchias, car voici ce que dit le roi des Assyriens: Si vous voulez être bénis, venez à moi, chacun mangera le fruit de sa vigne et ses figues, et vous boirez l'eau de vos citernes,
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 Jusqu'à ce que je revienne pour vous transporter en une terre comme votre terre, pleine de pain et de vin, de vignes et de froment.
[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 Qu'Ézéchias ne vous trompe pas, disant: Dieu vous délivrera; les dieux des nations qui tour à tour sont tombées dans la main du roi les ont-ils délivrées?
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 Où est le dieu d'Émath et d'Arphath? Où est le dieu de la ville d'Éppharvaïm? Est-ce qu'ils ont eu le pouvoir de délivrer Samarie de mes mains?
Why were the gods of Hamath and Arpad [cities], and the gods of Sepharvaim unable to rescue Samaria from my power [MTY]?
20 Quel est celui des dieux de toutes ces nations qui ait délivré sa terre de mes mains? Dieu délivrera-t-il Jérusalem de mes mains?
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 Et le peuple resta muet, et personne ne répondit à ce discours; car le roi avait ordonné de ne rien répondre.
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 Et l'économe Éliacim, fils de Chelcias, et le scribe de l'armée Somna, et l'archiviste Joach, fils d'Asaph, rentrèrent auprès d'Ézéchias, et, ayant déchiré leurs tuniques, ils lui rapportèrent les paroles de Rabsacès.
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.
