Esaias 37
1 Da kong Esekias hørte det, sønderrev han sine klær og klædde sig i sekk og gikk inn i Herrens hus.
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 Og han sendte slottshøvdingen Eljakim og statsskriveren Sebna og de eldste blandt prestene, klædd i sekk, til profeten Esaias, Amos' sønn.
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 Og de sa til ham: Så sier Esekias: En nødens og tuktelsens og vanærens dag er denne dag; barnet er kommet til modermunnen, men det er ingen kraft til å føde.
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 Kanskje Herren din Gud vil høre det Rabsake har sagt, han som hans herre, kongen i Assyria, har sendt for å håne den levende Gud, så at han straffer ham for de ord Herren din Gud har hørt. Opsend da en bønn for den levning som ennu er igjen!
[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 Da kong Esekias' tjenere kom til Esaias,
After those men gave me that message,
6 sa Esaias til dem: Så skal I si til eders herre: Så sier Herren: Frykt ikke for de ord du hørte, de som assyrerkongens tjenere hånte mig med!
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 Se, jeg vil inngi ham et sådant sinn at han for et rykte han får høre, vender tilbake til sitt land; og jeg vil la ham falle for sverdet i sitt land.
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 Da Rabsake vendte tilbake, fant han assyrerkongen i ferd med å stride mot Libna; for han hadde hørt at han hadde brutt op fra Lakis.
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 Da hørte kongen si om Tirhaka, kongen i Etiopia, at han hadde draget ut for å stride mot ham. Og da han hørte det, sendte han bud til Esekias og sa:
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 Så skal I si til Judas konge Esekias: La ikke din Gud, som du setter din lit til, få narret dig, så du tenker som så: Jerusalem skal ikke gis i assyrerkongens hånd.
“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 Du har hørt hvad kongene i Assyria har gjort med alle landene, at de har ødelagt dem, og du skulde bli reddet?
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 Har vel folkenes guder frelst dem som mine fedre ødela, Gosan og Karan og Resef og Edens barn i Telassar?
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 Hvor er nu Hamats konge og Arpads konge og byen Sefarva'ims konge, Henas og Ivvas konger?
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 Da Esekias hadde mottatt brevet av sendebudene og lest det, gikk han op til Herrens hus, og der bredte Esekias det ut for Herrens åsyn.
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 Og Esekias bad til Herren og sa:
And [then] Hezekiah prayed this:
16 Herre, hærskarenes Gud, Israels Gud, du som troner på kjerubene! Du alene er Gud for alle jordens. riker, du har gjort himmelen og jorden.
“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 Herre, bøi ditt øre til og hør! Herre, oplat dine øine og se! Hør alle de ord som Sankerib har sendt for å håne den levende Gud!
[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 Det er sant, Herre, at kongene i Assyria har ødelagt alle folkene og deres land,
Yahweh, it is true that [the armies of] the kings of Assyria have completely destroyed many nations and ruined their land.
19 og de har kastet deres guder i ilden; for de er ikke guder, men et verk av menneskehender, tre og sten, og derfor kunde de gjøre dem til intet.
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 Men frels oss nu, Herre vår Gud, av hans hånd, så alle jordens riker må kjenne at du alene er Herren!
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 Da sendte Esaias, Amos' sønn, bud til Esekias og lot si: Så sier Herren, Israels Gud: Vedkommende det du har bedt mig om mot kongen i Assyria Sankerib,
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 da lyder det ord Herren har talt om ham således: Jomfruen, Sions datter, forakter dig, spotter dig; Jerusalems datter ryster på hodet efter dig.
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 Hvem har du hånet og spottet, og mot hvem har du løftet din røst? Du har løftet dine øine til det høie, mot Israels Hellige.
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 Ved dine tjenere har du hånet Herren og sagt: Med mine mange vogner drog jeg op på fjellenes tinder, til Libanons øverste topper, og jeg hugger ned dets høieste sedrer, dets herlige cypresser, og jeg trenger frem til dets øverste høide, dets frodige skog;
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 jeg gravde brønner og drakk av dem, og jeg tørker ut alle Egyptens strømmer med mine fotsåler.
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 Har du ikke hørt det? Fra fjerne tider har jeg gjort det, fra fordums dager har jeg laget det så. Nu har jeg latt det komme, så du har fatt makt til å ødelegge faste byer og gjøre dem til øde grushauger.
[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 Og deres innbyggere blev maktløse; de blev forferdet og skamfulle; de blev som gresset på marken og som de grønne urter, som gresset på takene og som korn som er ødelagt av brand før det er fullvokset.
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 Enten du sitter eller du går ut og inn, så vet jeg det, og jeg vet at du raser mot mig.
[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 Fordi du raser mot mig, og din overmodige trygghet har nådd op til mine ører, så vil jeg legge min ring i din nese og mitt bissel mellem dine leber og føre dig tilbake den vei du kom.
[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 Og dette skal du ha til tegn: Iår skal I ete det korn som vokser av sig selv, og næste år det som skyter op fra roten; men i det tredje år skal I så og høste og plante vingårder og ete deres frukt.
[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 Og den rest som har sloppet unda av Judas hus, skal skyte dypere rot nedentil og bære frukt oventil.
And [you] people who are still [here] in Judah, will be strong and prosper again [MET].
32 For fra Jerusalem skal utgå en levning og fra Sions berg en rest som har sloppet unda; Herrens, hærskarenes Guds nidkjærhet skal gjøre dette.
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 Derfor sier Herren så om kongen i Assyria: Han skal ikke komme inn i denne by og ikke skyte en pil inn i den, og han skal ikke rykke frem mot den med skjold og ikke opkaste voll mot den.
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 Den vei han kom, skal han vende tilbake, og inn i denne by skal han ikke komme, sier Herren.
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 Og jeg vil verne denne by og frelse den, for min skyld og for min tjener Davids skyld.
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 Og Herrens engel gikk ut og slo hundre og fem og åtti tusen mann i assyrernes leir; og da folk stod op om morgenen, fikk de se dem alle ligge der som døde kropper.
[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 Da brøt kongen i Assyria Sankerib op og drog bort og vendte tilbake, og siden holdt han sig i ro i Ninive.
Then King Sennacherib left and returned home to Nineveh [in Assyria], and stayed there.
38 Men da han engang tilbad i sin gud Nisroks hus, slo hans sønner Adrammelek og Sareser ham ihjel med sverd. De kom sig unda og flyktet til Ararats land, og hans sønn Asarhaddon blev konge i hans sted.
[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.
