Isaías 36
1 En el año catorce del rey Ezequías, Senaquerib, rey de Asiria, atacó todas las ciudades fortificadas de Judá y las capturó.
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 El rey de Asiria envió a Rabsaces desde Laquis a Jerusalén al rey Ezequías con un gran ejército. Se paró junto al acueducto del estanque superior en la carretera del campo del batán.
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 Entonces salieron hacia él Eliaquim, hijo de Hilcías, que estaba al frente de la casa, y Sebna, el escriba, y Joah, hijo de Asaf, el registrador.
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 Rabsaces les dijo: “Ahora dile a Ezequías: “El gran rey, el rey de Asiria, dice: “¿Qué confianza es ésta en la que confías?
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 Yo digo que tu consejo y tu fuerza para la guerra son sólo palabras vanas. ¿En quién confías ahora que te has rebelado contra mí?
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 He aquí que tú confías en el bastón de esta caña cascada, en Egipto, que si un hombre se apoya en él, se le mete en la mano y lo atraviesa. Así es el Faraón, rey de Egipto, para todos los que confían en él.
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 Pero si me dicen: ‘Confiamos en Yahvé, nuestro Dios’, ¿no es aquel cuyos lugares altos y cuyos altares ha quitado Ezequías, y ha dicho a Judá y a Jerusalén: ‘Ante este altar adoraréis’?”
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 Ahora, pues, hazle una promesa a mi amo el rey de Asiria, y yo te daré dos mil caballos, si eres capaz de poner jinetes en ellos.
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 ¿Cómo, pues, puedes rechazar el rostro de un capitán del más pequeño de los siervos de mi amo, y poner tu confianza en Egipto para carros y jinetes?
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 ¿Acaso he subido ahora sin Yahvé contra esta tierra para destruirla? Yahvé me dijo: “Sube contra esta tierra y destrúyela””.
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 Entonces Eliaquim, Sebna y Joa dijeron a Rabsaces: “Por favor, habla a tus siervos en arameo, porque lo entendemos. No nos hables en la lengua de los judíos a oídos del pueblo que está en el muro”.
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 Pero Rabsaces dijo: “¿Acaso mi amo me ha enviado sólo a tu amo y a ti para decir estas palabras, y no a los hombres que se sientan en el muro, que comerán su propio estiércol y beberán su propia orina contigo?”
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 Entonces Rabsaces se puso de pie y gritó en voz alta en el idioma de los judíos y dijo: “¡Oigan las palabras del gran rey, el rey de Asiria!
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 El rey dice: ‘No se dejen engañar por Ezequías, porque no podrá liberarlos.
He says, ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you! He will not be able to rescue you!
15 No dejes que Ezequías te haga confiar en Yahvé, diciendo: “Yahvé seguramente nos librará. Esta ciudad no será entregada a la mano del rey de Asiria”.
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 No escuchen a Ezequías, porque el rey de Asiria dice: “Hagan las paces conmigo y salgan a mi encuentro; y cada uno de ustedes coma de su vid, y cada uno de su higuera, y cada uno de ustedes beba las aguas de su cisterna;
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 hasta que yo venga y los lleve a una tierra como la suya, una tierra de grano y de vino nuevo, una tierra de pan y de viñedos.
[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 Cuídense de que Ezequías no los persuada diciendo: “Yahvé nos librará”. ¿Acaso alguno de los dioses de las naciones ha librado sus tierras de la mano del rey de Asiria?
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 ¿Dónde están los dioses de Hamat y de Arpad? ¿Dónde están los dioses de Sefarvaim? ¿Han librado a Samaria de mi mano?
Why were the gods of Hamath and Arpad [cities], and the gods of Sepharvaim unable to rescue Samaria from my power [MTY]?
20 ¿Quiénes son, entre todos los dioses de estas naciones, los que han librado su país de mi mano, para que Yahvé libere a Jerusalén de mi mano?”
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 Pero ellos permanecieron en silencio y no dijeron nada en respuesta, porque la orden del rey era: “No le respondan”.
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 Entonces Eliaquim, hijo de Jilquías, que estaba al frente de la casa, y Sebna, el escriba, y Joah, hijo de Asaf, el registrador, vinieron a Ezequías con las ropas rasgadas y le contaron las palabras de Rabsaces.
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.
