Isaia 36
1 Mwaka wa ikũmi na ĩna wa wathani wa Mũthamaki Hezekia, Senakeribu mũthamaki wa Ashuri nĩatharĩkĩire matũũra manene mothe marĩa mairigĩirwo na thingo cia hinya ma Juda, na akĩmatunyana.
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 Ningĩ mũthamaki wa Ashuri agĩtũma mũnene wa mbũtũ ciake cia ita, kuuma Lakishi, arĩ na mbũtũ nene ya ita athiĩ kũrĩ Mũthamaki Hezekia kũu Jerusalemu. Rĩrĩa mũnene ũcio wa mbũtũ ya ita aarũgamire mũtaro-inĩ wa Karia-ka-Rũgongo, njĩra-inĩ ya gũthiĩ Mũgũnda-wa-Mũthambia-Nguo,
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 Eliakimu mũrũ wa Hilikia ũrĩa warĩ mũrori wa nyũmba ya ũthamaki, na Shebina ũrĩa mwandĩki-marũa, na Joa mũrũ wa Asafu ũrĩa mwandĩki wa maũndũ ma ihinda rĩu, makiumagara magĩthiĩ kũrĩ we.
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 Nake mũnene ũcio wa mbũtũ ya ita akĩmeera atĩrĩ, “Ĩrai Hezekia atĩrĩ, “‘Mũthamaki ũrĩa mũnene o we mũthamaki wa Ashuri, ekũũria atĩrĩ: Ũrutĩte ũũmĩrĩru ũcio ũrĩ naguo kũ?
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 Wee uugaga nĩ ũũĩ kũrũa na ũrĩ na hinya wa mbũtũ cia ita, no waragia o ciugo cia tũhũ. Nũũ ũcio wĩhokete nĩguo ũnemere?
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 Atĩrĩrĩ, wee wĩhokete andũ a Misiri, acio mahaana ta kamũrangi koinĩkangu, karĩa gatheecaga mũndũ guoko, gakamũguraria etiirania nako! Ũguo nĩguo Firaũni mũthamaki wa Misiri ahaana kũrĩ arĩa othe mamwĩhokaga.
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 O na ũngĩnjĩĩra atĩrĩ, “Ithuĩ twĩhokete Jehova Ngai witũ,” githĩ ũcio tiwe Hezekia aatharĩirie igongona na kũndũ kũrĩa gũtũũgĩru, na akĩĩra andũ a Juda na a Jerusalemu atĩrĩ, “No nginya mũhooyagĩre kĩgongona-inĩ gĩkĩ”?
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 “‘Rĩu-rĩ, ũka ũkeiguithanie na mwathi wakwa, mũthamaki wa Ashuri: Nĩngũkũhe mbarathi ngiri igĩrĩ, angĩkorwo ũrĩ na andũ a gũthiĩ macihaicĩte!
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 Wakĩhota atĩa gũtooria o na mũnene ũrĩa mũnini mũno thĩinĩ wa anene a mwathi wakwa, o na gũtuĩka wĩhokete ngaari cia ita na andũ arĩa mathiiaga mahaicĩte mbarathi a Misiri?
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 Na ningĩ-rĩ, njũkĩte gũtharĩkĩra na kwananga bũrũri ũyũ iterĩĩtwo nĩ Jehova? Jehova we mwene nĩwe wanjĩĩrire njũke hũũre bũrũri ũyũ na ndĩwanange.’”
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 Nao Eliakimu, na Shebina, na Joa makĩĩra mũnene ũcio wa mbũtũ cia ita atĩrĩ, “Twagũthaitha arĩria ndungata ciaku na rũthiomi rwa Asuriata, tondũ nĩtũrũũĩ. Tiga gũtwarĩria na rũthiomi rwa Kĩhibirania andũ aya marĩ rũthingo-inĩ makĩiguaga.”
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 No mũnene ũcio wa mbũtũ cia ita agĩcookia atĩrĩ, “Kaĩ ndatũmirwo nĩ mwathi wakwa kũrĩ o mwathi wanyu na kũrĩ o inyuĩ, ndĩmwĩre maũndũ maya, na ti kũrĩ andũ aya maikarĩte rũthingo igũrũ, o aya makaarĩa kĩoro kĩao na manyue mathugumo mao o ene o ta ũrĩa inyuĩ mũgeeka?”
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 Ningĩ mũnene ũcio wa mbũtũ cia ita akĩrũgama akĩanĩrĩra na Kĩhibirania, akiuga atĩrĩ, “Thikĩrĩriai ndũmĩrĩri ya mũthamaki ũrĩa mũnene, mũthamaki wa Ashuri!
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 Mũthamaki ekuuga ũũ: Mũtigetĩkĩre Hezekia amũheenie. Ndangĩhota kũmũhonokia!
He says, ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you! He will not be able to rescue you!
15 Mũtigetĩkĩre Hezekia amũringĩrĩrie kwĩhoka Jehova hĩndĩ ĩrĩa ekuuga atĩrĩ, ‘Ti-itherũ Jehova nĩegũtũhonokia; itũũra rĩĩrĩ inene rĩtikaaneanwo guoko-inĩ kwa mũthamaki wa Ashuri.’
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 “Mũtigathikĩrĩrie Hezekia. Mũthamaki wa Ashuri ekuuga atĩrĩ: Rekei tũiguane na mũũke kũrĩ niĩ. Mweka ũguo, o ũmwe wanyu nĩakarĩĩaga maciaro ma mũtĩ wake wa mũthabibũ na wa mũkũyũ na anyuuage maaĩ ma gĩthima gĩake,
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 o nginya rĩrĩa ngooka ndĩmũtware bũrũri ũhaana ta wanyu, bũrũri ũrĩ ngano na ndibei ya mũhihano, bũrũri ũrĩ irio na mĩgũnda ya mĩthabibũ.
[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 “Mũtigetĩkĩre Hezekia amũhĩtithie, rĩrĩa ekuuga atĩrĩ, ‘Jehova nĩegũtũhonokia.’ Nĩ kũrĩ ngai ya rũrĩrĩ o na rũrĩkũ ĩrĩ yahonokia bũrũri wayo kuuma guoko-inĩ kwa mũthamaki wa Ashuri?
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 Ngai cia Hamathu na Aripadi irĩ kũ? Ngai cia Sefarivaimu irĩ kũ? Nĩihonoketie Samaria kuuma guoko-inĩ gwakwa?
Why were the gods of Hamath and Arpad [cities], and the gods of Sepharvaim unable to rescue Samaria from my power [MTY]?
20 Nĩ ngai ĩrĩkũ harĩ ngai ciothe cia mabũrũri macio yanahonokia bũrũri wayo kuuma kũrĩ niĩ? Gwakĩhoteka atĩa Jehova ahonokie Jerusalemu kuuma guoko-inĩ gwakwa?”
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 No rĩrĩ, andũ acio magĩkira ki na matirĩ ũndũ maamũcookeirie, tondũ mũthamaki nĩamathĩte, akameera atĩrĩ, “Mũtikamũcookerie ũndũ.”
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 Hĩndĩ ĩyo Eliakimu mũrũ wa Hilikia ũrĩa mũrori wa maũndũ ma nyũmba ya ũthamaki, na Shebina ũrĩa mwandĩki-marũa, na Joa mũrũ wa Asafu ũrĩa mwandĩki wa maũndũ ma ihinda rĩu, magĩthiĩ kũrĩ Hezekia, matembũrangĩte nguo ciao, makĩmwĩra ũrĩa mũnene ũcio wa mbũtũ cia ita oigĩte.
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.
