Isaiæ 37
1 Et factum est, cum audisset rex Ezechias, scidit vestimenta sua, et obvolutus est sacco, et intravit in domum Domini.
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 Et misit Eliacim, qui erat super domum, et Sobnam scribam, et seniores de sacerdotibus opertos saccis ad Isaiam filium Amos prophetam,
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 et dixerunt ad eum: Hæc dicit Ezechias: Dies tribulationis, et correptionis, et blasphemiæ dies hæc: quia venerunt filii usque ad partum, et virtus non est pariendi.
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 Si quo modo audiat Dominus Deus tuus verba Rabsacis, quem misit rex Assyriorum dominus suus ad blasphemandum Deum viventem, et exprobrandum sermonibus, quos audivit Dominus Deus tuus: leva ergo orationem pro reliquiis, quæ repertæ sunt.
[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 Et venerunt servi regis Ezechiæ ad Isaiam.
After those men gave me that message,
6 et dixit ad eos Isaias: Hæc dicetis domino vestro: Hæc dicit Dominus: Ne timeas a facie verborum, quæ audisti, quibus blasphemaverunt pueri regis Assyriorum me.
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 Ecce ego dabo ei spiritum, et audiet nuncium, et revertetur ad terram suam, et corruere eum faciam gladio in terra sua.
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 Reversus est autem Rabsaces, et invenit regem Assyriorum præliantem adversus Lobnam. Audierat enim quia profectus esset de Lachis,
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 et audivit de Tharaca rege Æthiopiæ, dicentes: Egressus est ut pugnet contra te. Quod cum audisset, misit nuncios ad Ezechiam, dicens:
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 Hæc dicetis Ezechiæ regi Iudæ, loquentes: Non te decipiat Deus tuus, in quo tu confidis, dicens: Non dabitur Ierusalem in manu regis Assyriorum.
“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 Ecce tu audisti omnia, quæ fecerunt reges Assyriorum omnibus terris, quas subverterunt, et tu poteris liberari?
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 Numquid eruerunt eos dii Gentium, quos subverterunt patres mei Gozam, et Haram, et Reseph, et filios Eden, qui erant in Thalassar?
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 Ubi est rex Emath, et rex Arphad, et rex urbis Sepharvaim, Ana, et Ava?
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 Et tulit Ezechias libros de manu nunciorum, et legit eos, et ascendit in domum Domini, et expandit eos Ezechias coram Domino.
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 Et oravit Ezechias ad Dominum, dicens:
And [then] Hezekiah prayed this:
16 Domine exercituum Deus Israel, qui sedes super cherubim: tu es Deus solus omnium regnorum terræ, tu fecisti cælum et terram.
“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 Inclina Domine aurem tuam, et audi: aperi Domine oculos tuos, et vide, et audi omnia verba Sennacherib, quæ misit ad blasphemandum Deum viventem.
[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 Vere enim Domine desertas fecerunt reges Assyriorum terras, et regiones earum.
Yahweh, it is true that [the armies of] the kings of Assyria have completely destroyed many nations and ruined their land.
19 Et dederunt deos earum igni: non enim erant dii, sed opera manuum hominum, lignum et lapis: et comminuerunt eos.
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 Et nunc Domine Deus noster salva nos de manu eius: et cognoscant omnia regna terræ, quia tu es Dominus solus.
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 Et misit Isaias filius Amos ad Ezechiam, dicens: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus Israel: Pro quibus rogasti me de Sennacherib rege Assyriorum:
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 hoc est verbum, quod locutus est Dominus super eum: Despexit te, et subsannavit te virgo filia Sion: post te caput movit filia Ierusalem.
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 Cui exprobrasti, et quem blasphemasti, et super quem exaltasti vocem, et levasti altitudinem oculorum tuorum? Ad Sanctum Israel.
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 In manu servorum tuorum exprobrasti Domino: et dixisti: In multitudine quadrigarum mearum ego ascendi altitudinem montium, iuga Libani: et succidam excelsa cedrorum eius, et electas abietes illius, et introibo altitudinem summitatis eius, saltum Carmeli eius.
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 Ego fodi, et bibi aquam, et exiccavi vestigio pedis mei omnes rivos aggerum.
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 Numquid non audisti, quæ olim fecerim ei? ex diebus antiquis ego plasmavi illud: et nunc adduxi: et factum est in eradicationem collium compugnantium, et civitatum munitarum.
[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 Habitatores earum breviata manu contremuerunt, et confusi sunt: facti sunt sicut fœnum agri, et gramen pascuæ, et herba tectorum, quæ exaruit antequam maturesceret.
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 Habitationem tuam, et egressum tuum, et introitum tuum cognovi, et insaniam tuam contra me.
[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 Cum fureres adversum me, superbia tua ascendit in aures meas: ponam ergo circulum in naribus tuis, et frenum in labiis tuis, et reducam te in viam, per quem venisti.
[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 Tibi autem hoc erit signum: Comede hoc anno quæ sponte nascuntur, et in anno secundo pomis vescere: in anno autem tertio seminate, et metite, et plantate vineas, et comedite fructum earum.
[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 Et mittet id, quod salvatum fuerit de domo Iuda, et quod reliquum est, radicem deorsum, et faciet fructum sursum:
And [you] people who are still [here] in Judah, will be strong and prosper again [MET].
32 quia de Ierusalem exibunt reliquiæ, et salvatio de monte Sion: zelus Domini exercituum faciet istud.
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 Propterea hæc dicit Dominus de rege Assyriorum: Non intrabit civitatem hanc, et non iaciet ibi sagittam, et non occupabit eam clypeus, et non mittet in circuitu eius aggerem.
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 In via, qua venit, per eam revertetur, et civitatem hanc non ingredietur, dicit Dominus:
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 et protegam civitatem istam, ut salvem eam propter me, et propter David servum meum.
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 Egressus est autem Angelus Domini, et percussit in castris Assyriorum centum octoginta quinque millia. Et surrexerunt mane, et ecce omnes, cadavera mortuorum.
[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 Et egressus est, et abiit, et reversus est Sennacherib rex Assyriorum, et habitavit in Ninive.
Then King Sennacherib left and returned home to Nineveh [in Assyria], and stayed there.
38 Et factum est, cum adoraret in templo Nesroch deum suum, Adramelech, et Sarasar filii eius percusserunt eum gladio: fugeruntque in Terram Ararat, et regnavit Asarhaddon filius eius pro eo.
[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.
