Βασιλειῶν Δʹ 19
1 καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἤκουσεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Εζεκιας καὶ διέρρηξεν τὰ ἱμάτια ἑαυτοῦ καὶ περιεβάλετο σάκκον καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς οἶκον κυρίου
When Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went into the Lord's Temple.
2 καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Ελιακιμ τὸν οἰκονόμον καὶ Σομναν τὸν γραμματέα καὶ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῶν ἱερέων περιβεβλημένους σάκκους πρὸς Ησαιαν τὸν προφήτην υἱὸν Αμως
He sent Eliakim the palace manager, Shebna, the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to see the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz.
3 καὶ εἶπον πρὸς αὐτόν τάδε λέγει Εζεκιας ἡμέρα θλίψεως καὶ ἐλεγμοῦ καὶ παροργισμοῦ ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη ὅτι ἦλθον υἱοὶ ἕως ὠδίνων καὶ ἰσχὺς οὐκ ἔστιν τῇ τικτούσῃ
They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of trouble, punishment. It's like when babies arrive at the entrance to the birth canal but there's no strength to deliver them.
4 εἴ πως εἰσακούσεται κύριος ὁ θεός σου πάντας τοὺς λόγους Ραψακου ὃν ἀπέστειλεν αὐτὸν βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ ὀνειδίζειν θεὸν ζῶντα καὶ βλασφημεῖν ἐν λόγοις οἷς ἤκουσεν κύριος ὁ θεός σου καὶ λήμψῃ προσευχὴν περὶ τοῦ λείμματος τοῦ εὑρισκομένου
Maybe the Lord your God, hearing the message the army commander delivered on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria—a message sent to insult the living God—will punish him for his words. Please say a prayer for the remnant of us who still survive.”
5 καὶ ἦλθον οἱ παῖδες τοῦ βασιλέως Εζεκιου πρὸς Ησαιαν
After Hezekiah's officials delivered his message to Isaiah,
6 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ησαιας τάδε ἐρεῖτε πρὸς τὸν κύριον ὑμῶν τάδε λέγει κύριος μὴ φοβηθῇς ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων ὧν ἤκουσας ὧν ἐβλασφήμησαν τὰ παιδάρια βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων
Isaiah replied to them, “Tell your master, This is what the Lord says: Don't be frightened by the words that you have heard, the words used by the servants of the king of Assyria to blaspheme me.
7 ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ δίδωμι ἐν αὐτῷ πνεῦμα καὶ ἀκούσεται ἀγγελίαν καὶ ἀποστραφήσεται εἰς τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ καὶ καταβαλῶ αὐτὸν ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ ἐν τῇ γῇ αὐτοῦ
Look, I'm going to scare him—he'll hear a rumor, and he'll have to return to his own country. When he's there I'll have him killed by the sword.”
8 καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν Ραψακης καὶ εὗρεν τὸν βασιλέα Ἀσσυρίων πολεμοῦντα ἐπὶ Λομνα ὅτι ἤκουσεν ὅτι ἀπῆρεν ἀπὸ Λαχις
The Assyrian army commander left and went back to join the king of Assyria, having heard the king had left Lachish and was attacking Libnah.
9 καὶ ἤκουσεν περὶ Θαρακα βασιλέως Αἰθιόπων λέγων ἰδοὺ ἐξῆλθεν πολεμεῖν μετὰ σοῦ καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ἀγγέλους πρὸς Εζεκιαν λέγων
Sennacherib had received a message about Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, that said, “Watch out! He has set out to attack you.” So Sennacherib sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying,
10 μὴ ἐπαιρέτω σε ὁ θεός σου ἐφ’ ᾧ σὺ πέποιθας ἐπ’ αὐτῷ λέγων οὐ μὴ παραδοθῇ Ιερουσαλημ εἰς χεῖρας βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων
“Tell Hezekiah, king of Judah: ‘Don't let your God, the one you're trusting in, fool you by saying that Jerusalem won't fall into the hands of the king of Assyria.
11 ἰδοὺ σὺ ἤκουσας πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησαν βασιλεῖς Ἀσσυρίων πάσαις ταῖς γαῖς τοῦ ἀναθεματίσαι αὐτάς καὶ σὺ ῥυσθήσῃ
Look! You've heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries they've invaded— they destroyed them completely! Do you really think you'll be saved?
12 μὴ ἐξείλαντο αὐτοὺς οἱ θεοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν οὓς διέφθειραν οἱ πατέρες μου τήν τε Γωζαν καὶ τὴν Χαρραν καὶ Ραφες καὶ υἱοὺς Εδεμ τοὺς ἐν Θαεσθεν
Did the gods of the nations my forefathers destroyed save them—the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who lived in Telassar?
13 ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ βασιλεὺς Αιμαθ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Αρφαδ καὶ ποῦ ἐστιν Σεπφαρουαιν Ανα καὶ Αυα
Where today is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?”
14 καὶ ἔλαβεν Εζεκιας τὰ βιβλία ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀνέγνω αὐτά καὶ ἀνέβη εἰς οἶκον κυρίου καὶ ἀνέπτυξεν αὐτὰ Εζεκιας ἐναντίον κυρίου
Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the Lord's Temple and opened it out before the Lord.
15 καὶ εἶπεν κύριε ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβιν σὺ εἶ ὁ θεὸς μόνος ἐν πάσαις ταῖς βασιλείαις τῆς γῆς σὺ ἐποίησας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν
Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying, “Lord, God of Israel, you who live above the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth, you are Creator of heaven and earth.
16 κλῖνον κύριε τὸ οὖς σου καὶ ἄκουσον ἄνοιξον κύριε τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου καὶ ἰδὲ καὶ ἄκουσον τοὺς λόγους Σενναχηριμ οὓς ἀπέστειλεν ὀνειδίζειν θεὸν ζῶντα
Please listen with your ears, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see. Listen to the message that Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.
17 ὅτι ἀληθείᾳ κύριε ἠρήμωσαν βασιλεῖς Ἀσσυρίων τὰ ἔθνη
Yes, it's true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have destroyed these nations and their lands.
18 καὶ ἔδωκαν τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ πῦρ ὅτι οὐ θεοί εἰσιν ἀλλ’ ἢ ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων ξύλα καὶ λίθοι καὶ ἀπώλεσαν αὐτούς
They have thrown their gods into the fire because they are not really gods—they are just the work of human hands, made of wood and stone so they could destroy them.
19 καὶ νῦν κύριε ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν σῶσον ἡμᾶς ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ γνώσονται πᾶσαι αἱ βασιλεῖαι τῆς γῆς ὅτι σὺ κύριος ὁ θεὸς μόνος
Now, Lord our God, please save us from him, in order that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that only you, Lord, are God.”
20 καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Ησαιας υἱὸς Αμως πρὸς Εζεκιαν λέγων τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ ἃ προσηύξω πρός με περὶ Σενναχηριμ βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων ἤκουσα
Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent a message to Hezekiah, saying, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer about Sennacherib, king of Assyria.
21 οὗτος ὁ λόγος ὃν ἐλάλησεν κύριος ἐπ’ αὐτόν ἐξουδένησέν σε καὶ ἐμυκτήρισέν σε παρθένος θυγάτηρ Σιων ἐπὶ σοὶ κεφαλὴν αὐτῆς ἐκίνησεν θυγάτηρ Ιερουσαλημ
This is the word the Lord condemning him: The virgin daughter of Zion scorns you and mocks you; the daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head as you run away.
22 τίνα ὠνείδισας καὶ ἐβλασφήμησας καὶ ἐπὶ τίνα ὕψωσας φωνήν καὶ ἦρας εἰς ὕψος τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου εἰς τὸν ἅγιον τοῦ Ισραηλ
Who have you been insulting and ridiculing? Who did you raise your voice against? Who did you look at with so proud eyes? It was against the Holy One of Israel!
23 ἐν χειρὶ ἀγγέλων σου ὠνείδισας κύριον καὶ εἶπας ἐν τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἁρμάτων μου ἐγὼ ἀναβήσομαι εἰς ὕψος ὀρέων μηροὺς τοῦ Λιβάνου καὶ ἔκοψα τὸ μέγεθος τῆς κέδρου αὐτοῦ τὰ ἐκλεκτὰ κυπαρίσσων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἦλθον εἰς μελον τέλους αὐτοῦ δρυμοῦ Καρμήλου αὐτοῦ
By your servants you have mocked the Lord. You said: ‘With my many chariots I have ascended to the high mountains, to the farthest peaks of Lebanon. I have chopped down its tallest cedars, the best of its cypress trees. I have reached its most distant outposts, its deepest forests.
24 ἐγὼ ἔψυξα καὶ ἔπιον ὕδατα ἀλλότρια καὶ ἐξηρήμωσα τῷ ἴχνει τοῦ ποδός μου πάντας ποταμοὺς περιοχῆς
I have dug wells and drunk water in foreign lands. With the soles of my feet I dried up all the rivers in Egypt.’”
25 ἔπλασα αὐτήν νῦν ἤγαγον αὐτήν καὶ ἐγενήθη εἰς ἐπάρσεις ἀποικεσιῶν μαχίμων πόλεις ὀχυράς
The Lord replies, “Haven't you heard? I decided it long ago; I planned it in the olden days. Now I am making sure it happens—that you are to knock down fortified towns into piles of rubble.
26 καὶ οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐν αὐταῖς ἠσθένησαν τῇ χειρί ἔπτηξαν καὶ κατῃσχύνθησαν ἐγένοντο χόρτος ἀγροῦ ἢ χλωρὰ βοτάνη χλόη δωμάτων καὶ πάτημα ἀπέναντι ἑστηκότος
Their people, powerless, are terrified and humiliated. They're like plants in a field, like soft green shoots, like grass that sprouts on rooftop—scorched before it can even grow.
27 καὶ τὴν καθέδραν σου καὶ τὴν ἔξοδόν σου καὶ τὴν εἴσοδόν σου ἔγνων καὶ τὸν θυμόν σου ἐπ’ ἐμέ
But I know you very well—where you live, when you come in, when you leave, and your furious anger against me.
28 διὰ τὸ ὀργισθῆναί σε ἐπ’ ἐμὲ καὶ τὸ στρῆνός σου ἀνέβη ἐν τοῖς ὠσίν μου καὶ θήσω τὰ ἄγκιστρά μου ἐν τοῖς μυκτῆρσίν σου καὶ χαλινὸν ἐν τοῖς χείλεσίν σου καὶ ἀποστρέψω σε ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ᾗ ἦλθες ἐν αὐτῇ
Because of your furious anger against me, and because I know how you disrespect me, I'm going to put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will force you to return the same way you came.”
29 καὶ τοῦτό σοι τὸ σημεῖον φάγῃ τοῦτον τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν αὐτόματα καὶ τῷ ἔτει τῷ δευτέρῳ τὰ ἀνατέλλοντα καὶ ἔτι τρίτῳ σπορὰ καὶ ἄμητος καὶ φυτεία ἀμπελώνων καὶ φάγεσθε τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῶν
“Hezekiah, this will be a sign to prove this is true: This year you'll eat what grows by itself. The second year you'll eat what grows from that. But in the third year you'll sow and reap, you'll plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
30 καὶ προσθήσει τὸ διασεσῳσμένον οἴκου Ιουδα τὸ ὑπολειφθὲν ῥίζαν κάτω καὶ ποιήσει καρπὸν ἄνω
The remnant that's left of Judah will revive again, sending roots below and bearing fruit above.
31 ὅτι ἐξ Ιερουσαλημ ἐξελεύσεται κατάλειμμα καὶ ἀνασῳζόμενος ἐξ ὄρους Σιων ὁ ζῆλος κυρίου τῶν δυνάμεων ποιήσει τοῦτο
For a remnant will come out of Jerusalem, and survivors will come from Mount Zion. The intense determination of the Lord will make sure this happens.
32 οὐχ οὕτως τάδε λέγει κύριος πρὸς βασιλέα Ἀσσυρίων οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν πόλιν ταύτην καὶ οὐ τοξεύσει ἐκεῖ βέλος καὶ οὐ προφθάσει αὐτὴν θυρεός καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐκχέῃ πρὸς αὐτὴν πρόσχωμα
This is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: He shall not enter this city or shoot an arrow at it. He shall not advance towards it with a shield, or build a siege ramp against it.
33 τῇ ὁδῷ ᾗ ἦλθεν ἐν αὐτῇ ἀποστραφήσεται καὶ εἰς τὴν πόλιν ταύτην οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται λέγει κύριος
He shall return the same way he came, and he shall not enter this city, says the Lord.
34 καὶ ὑπερασπιῶ ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως ταύτης δῑ ἐμὲ καὶ διὰ Δαυιδ τὸν δοῦλόν μου
I will defend this city and save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”
35 καὶ ἐγένετο ἕως νυκτὸς καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἄγγελος κυρίου καὶ ἐπάταξεν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα πέντε χιλιάδας καὶ ὤρθρισαν τὸ πρωί καὶ ἰδοὺ πάντες σώματα νεκρά
That night the angel of the Lord went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000. When the survivors woke up in the morning, they were surrounded by dead bodies.
36 καὶ ἀπῆρεν καὶ ἐπορεύθη καὶ ἀπέστρεψεν Σενναχηριμ βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων καὶ ᾤκησεν ἐν Νινευη
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, gave up and left. He returned home to Nineveh and stayed there.
37 καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτοῦ προσκυνοῦντος ἐν οἴκῳ Νεσεραχ θεοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ Αδραμελεχ καὶ Σαρασαρ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπάταξαν αὐτὸν ἐν μαχαίρᾳ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐσώθησαν εἰς γῆν Αραρατ καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν Ασορδαν ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἀντ’ αὐτοῦ
While he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword and then ran away to the land of Ararat. His son Esar-haddon succeeded him as king.
