Isaiæ 36

1 Et factum est in quartodecimo anno regis Ezechiæ, ascendit Sennacherib, rex Assyriorum, super omnes civitates Juda munitas, et cepit eas.

Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all of the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.

2 Et misit rex Assyriorum Rabsacen de Lachis in Jerusalem, ad regem Ezechiam in manu gravi: et stetit in aquæductu piscinæ superioris in via Agri fullonis.

The king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. He stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool in the fuller’s field highway.

3 Et egressus est ad eum Eliacim, filius Helciæ, qui erat super domum, et Sobna scriba, et Joahe filius Asaph, a commentariis.

Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph the recorder came out to him.

4 Et dixit ad eos Rabsaces: Dicite Ezechiæ: Hæc dicit rex magnus, rex Assyriorum: Quæ est ista fiducia qua confidis?

Rabshakeh said to them, “Now tell Hezekiah, ‘The great king, the king of Assyria, says, “What confidence is this in which you trust?

5 aut quo consilio vel fortitudine rebellare disponis? super quem habes fiduciam, quia recessisti a me?

I say that your counsel and strength for the war are only vain words. Now in whom do you trust, that you have rebelled against me?

6 Ecce confidis super baculum arundineum confractum istum, super Ægyptum; cui si innixus fuerit homo, intrabit in manum ejus, et perforabit eam: sic Pharao, rex Ægypti, omnibus qui confidunt in eo.

Behold, you trust in the staff of this bruised reed, even in Egypt, which if a man leans on it, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

7 Quod si responderis mihi: In Domino Deo nostro confidimus; nonne ipse est cujus abstulit Ezechias excelsa et altaria, et dixit Judæ et Jerusalem: Coram altari isto adorabitis?

But if you tell me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ isn’t that he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’?”

8 Et nunc trade te domino meo, regi Assyriorum, et dabo tibi duo millia equorum, nec poteris ex te præbere ascensores eorum:

Now therefore, please make a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.

9 et quomodo sustinebis faciem judicis unius loci ex servis domini mei minoribus? Quod si confidis in Ægypto, in quadrigis et in equitibus,

How then can you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

10 et nunc numquid sine Domino ascendi ad terram istam, ut disperderem eam? Dominus dixit ad me: Ascende super terram istam, et disperde eam.

Have I come up now without the LORD against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, “Go up against this land, and destroy it.”’”

11 Et dixit Eliacim, et Sobna, et Joahe, ad Rabsacen: Loquere ad servos tuos syra lingua; intelligimus enim; ne loquaris ad nos judaice in auribus populi qui est super murum.

Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Don’t speak to us in the Jews’ language in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”

12 Et dixit ad eos Rabsaces: Numquid ad dominum tuum et ad te misit me dominus meus, ut loquerer omnia verba ista? et non potius ad viros qui sedent in muro, ut comedant stercora sua, et bibant urinam pedum suorum vobiscum?

But Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you, to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”

13 Et stetit Rabsaces, et clamavit voce magna judaice, et dixit: Audite verba regis magni, regis Assyriorum!

Then Rabshakeh stood, and called out with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!

14 Hæc dicit rex: Non seducat vos Ezechias, quia non poterit eruere vos.

The king says, ‘Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you; for he will not be able to deliver you.

15 Et non vobis tribuat fiduciam Ezechias super Domino, dicens: Eruens liberabit nos Dominus: non dabitur civitas ista in manu regis Assyriorum.

Don’t let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us. This city won’t be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”’

16 Nolite audire Ezechiam; hæc enim dicit rex Assyriorum: Facite mecum benedictionem, et egredimini ad me, et comedite unusquisque vineam suam, et unusquisque ficum suam, et bibite unusquisque aquam cisternæ suæ,

Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for the king of Assyria says, ‘Make your peace with me, and come out to me; and each of you eat from his vine, and each one from his fig tree, and each one of you drink the waters of his own cistern;

17 donec veniam, et tollam vos ad terram quæ est ut terra vestra, terram frumenti et vini, terram panum et vinearum.

until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

18 Nec conturbet vos Ezechias, dicens: Dominus liberabit nos. Numquid liberaverunt dii gentium unusquisque terram suam de manu regis Assyriorum?

Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” Have any of the gods of the nations delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria?

19 Ubi est deus Emath et Arphad? ubi est deus Sepharvaim? numquid liberaverunt Samariam de manu mea?

Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?

20 Quis est ex omnibus diis terrarum istarum qui eruerit terram suam de manu mea, ut eruat Dominus Jerusalem de manu mea?

Who are they among all the gods of these countries that have delivered their country out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”

21 Et siluerunt, et non responderunt ei verbum. Mandaverat enim rex, dicens: Ne respondeatis ei.

But they remained silent, and said nothing in reply, for the king’s commandment was, “Don’t answer him.”

22 Et ingressus est Eliacim, filius Helciæ, qui erat super domum, et Sobna scriba, et Joahe filius Asaph, a commentariis, ad Ezechiam, scissis vestibus, et nuntiaverunt ei verba Rabsacis.

Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.