Ihaia 36
1 Na no te tekau ma wha o nga tau o Kingi Hetekia ka whakaekea mai nga pa taiepa katoa o Hura e Henakeripi kingi o Ahiria, a riro ana i a ia.
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 Na ka tonoa mai e te kingi o Ahiria a Rapahake i Rakihi ki a Kingi Hetekia, ki Hiruharama; he nui te ope. Na tu ana ia ki te awakeri o to runga puna wai, ki te ara i te mara o te kaihoroi kakahu.
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 Na ka puta atu ki a ia a Eriakimi, tama a Hirikia, rangatira o te whare, ratou ko Hepena, kaituhituhi, ko Ioaha, tama a Ahapa, kaiwhakamahara.
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 Na ka mea a Rapahake ki a ratou, Tena, mea atu ki a Hetekia, ko te kupu tenei a te kingi nui, a te kingi o Ahiria, He aha tenei whakawhirinaki e whakawhirinaki na koe?
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 Ki taku, ko tau ngarahu, me tou kaha mo te whawhai he kupu noa iho. Ko wai tou whakawhirinakitanga, i whakakeke ai koe ki ahau?
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 Na e whakawhirinaki na koe ki tena kakaho whati hei tokotoko, ki Ihipa; ki te whakahinga atu te tangata ki reira, ka ngoto ki tona ringa, na kua tu. Ka pera ano a Parao kingi o Ihipa ki te hunga katoa e okioki ana ki a ia.
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 Na ki te mea koe ki ahau, ko Ihowa, ko to matou Atua ta matou e whakawhirinaki nei: he teka ianei nana nga wahi tiketike, me nga aata e whakakahoretia na e Hetekia, i mea na ki a Hura raua ko Hiruharama, Hei mua i tenei aata koutou koropiko ai?
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 Na, tena ra, homai aianei he utu pupuri ki toku ariki, ki te kingi o Ahiria, a ka hoatu e ahau etahi hoiho ki a koe, kia rua mano, ki te taea e koe te whakanoho he kaieke ki runga ki a ratou.
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 A me pehea e hoki ai i a koe te kanohi o tetahi rangatira o nga mea ririki rawa o nga pononga a toku ariki; i a koe ka whakawhirinaki ki Ihipa ki te hariata, ki te kaieke hoiho mau?
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 I ngaro ranei a Ihowa i toku haerenga mai ki te huna i tenei whenua? I mea mai a Ihowa ki ahau, Haere ki tera whenua huna ai.
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 Na ka mea a Eriakimi ratou ko Hepena, ko Ioaha, ki a Rapahake, Tena, korero Hiriani mai ki au pononga; e mohiotia ana hoki tena reo e matou, kaua hoki e korero reo Hurai mai ki a matou, i te mea e whakarongo ana te iwi nei i runga i te taiepa.
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 Ano ra ko Rapahake, I tonoa mai ranei ahau e toku ariki ki tou ariki, ki a koe ranei, hei korero i enei kupu? he teka ianei ki nga tangata e noho ana i runga i te taiepa, kia kainga e ratou to ratou paru, kia inumia ano to ratou mimi, ara e kout ou tahi?
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 Na tu ana a Rapahake, a nui atu tona reo ki te karanga i te reo o nga Hurai; ka mea, Whakarongo ki nga kupu a te kingi nui, a te kingi o Ahiria.
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 Ko te kupu tenei a te kingi, Kei tinihangatia koutou e Hetekia; e kore hoki koutou e taea e ia te whakaora.
He says, ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you! He will not be able to rescue you!
15 Kei meinga koutou e Hetekia kia whakawhirinaki ki a Ihowa, i a ia e ki na, Tera tatou ka whakaorangia e Ihowa; e kore tenei pa e tukua ki te ringa o te kingi o Ahiria.
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 Kaua e rongo ki a Hetekia; ko te kupu hoki tenei a te kingi o Ahiria, Houhia tau rongo ki ahau, haere mai hoki ki waho, ki ahau; ka kai ai koutou i nga hua o tana waina, o tana waina, o tana piki, o tana piki, ka inu ano i te wai o tana puna, o tana puna:
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 Kia tae atu ra ano ahau ki te tiki atu i a koutou ki te whenua e penei ana me to koutou nei whenua, ki te whenua witi, waina, ki te whenua taro, mara waina.
[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 Kei whakapatia koutou e Hetekia, ki te mea ia, Ma Ihowa tatou e whakaora. I whakaorangia ranei e tetahi o nga atua o nga tauiwi tona whenua i te ringa o te kingi o Ahiria?
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 Kei hea nga atua o Hamata, o Arapara? kei hea nga atua o Heparawaima? i whakaorangia ranei e ratou a Hamaria i toku ringa?
Why were the gods of Hamath and Arpad [cities], and the gods of Sepharvaim unable to rescue Samaria from my power [MTY]?
20 Na wai o nga atua katoa o enei whenua i whakaora to ratou whenua i toku ringa, e whakaorangia ai e Ihowa a Hiruharama i toku ringa?
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 Heoi whakarongo kau ana ratou, kihai i utua tana; ko ta te kingi hoki tena i ako ai; i ki ia, Kaua e utua tana.
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 Na haere ana e Eriakimi, tama a Hirikia, rangatira o te whare ratou ko Hepena kaituhituhi, ko Ioaha, tama a Ahapa, kaiwhakamahara, ki a Hetekia, he mea haehae o ratou kakahu, a korerotia ana e ratou ki a ia nga kupu a Rapahake.
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.
