Isaías 36
1 Aconteció en el año catorce del rey Ezequías, que Senaquerib, rey de Asiria, subió contra todas las ciudades fuertes de Judá y las tomó.
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 Y el rey de Asiria envió a Rabsaces con grande ejército desde Laquis a Jerusalem al rey Ezequías. Y asentó el campo a los caños de la pesquera de arriba, en el camino de la heredad del batanero.
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 Y salió a él Eliacim, hijo de Helcías, mayordomo, y Sobna escriba, y Joá, hijo de Asaf, canciller.
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 A los cuales dijo Rabsaces: Ahora pues diréis a Ezequías: El gran rey, el rey de Asiria, dice así: ¿Qué confianza es esta en 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 dije ciertamente, palabras de labios, consejo, y fortaleza es menester para la guerra. Ahora pues, ¿en qué confías, que te rebelas 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 confías sobre este bordón de caña frágil, sobre Egipto: sobre el cual si alguien se recostare, entrarsele ha por la mano, y horadársela ha. Tal es Faraón, rey de Egipto, para con todos los que en él confían.
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 Y si me dijeres: En Jehová nuestro Dios confiamos: ¿No es este aquel cuyos excelsos y altares hizo quitar Ezequías; y dijo a Judá y a Jerusalem: Delante de 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 yo te ruego que des rehenes al rey de Asiria mi señor; y yo te daré dos mil caballos, si pudieres tú dar caballeros que cabalguen sobre 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 harás volver el rostro de un capitán de los más pequeños siervos de mi señor, aunque estés confiado en Egipto por sus carros y hombres de a caballo?
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 ¿Y por ventura vine yo ahora a esta tierra para destruirla sin Jehová? Jehová me dijo: Sube a esta tierra para destruirla.
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 Y dijo Eliacim, y Sobna, y Joá a Rabsaces: Rogámoste que hables a tus siervos en lengua de Siria, porque nosotros la entendemos; y no hables con nosotros en lengua Judaica, oyéndolo el pueblo que está sobre 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 Y dijo Rabsaces: ¿Envióme mi señor a ti y a tu señor, a que dijese estas palabras, o a los hombres que están sobre el muro, para comer su estiércol, y beber su orina con vosotros?
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 Y paróse Rabsaces, y gritó a grande voz en lengua Judaica, diciendo: Oíd 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 así: No os engañe Ezequías; porque no os podrá librar.
He says, ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you! He will not be able to rescue you!
15 Ni os haga Ezequías confiar en Jehová, diciendo: Ciertamente Jehová nos librará: no será entregada esta ciudad en 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 escuchéis a Ezequías; porque el rey de Asiria dice así: Hacéd conmigo bendición, y salíd a mí, y coma cada uno de su viña, y cada uno de su higuera, y beba cada uno las aguas de su pozo;
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 traspasaros he a una tierra como la vuestra, tierra de grano y de vino, tierra de pan y de viñas.
[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 Mirád no os engañe Ezequías, diciendo: Jehová nos librará: ¿Libraron los dioses de las naciones de la mano del rey de Asiria cada uno a su tierra?
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 está el dios de Emat, y de Arfad? ¿Dónde está el dios de Sefarvaim? ¿Libraron 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 ¿Qué dios hay entre todos los dioses de estas tierras, que haya librado su tierra de mi mano, para que libre Jehová a Jerusalem 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 Callaron, y no le respondieron palabra, porque el rey se lo había mandado así, diciendo: No le respondáis.
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 Vinieron pues Eliacim, hijo de Helcías, mayordomo, y Sobna escriba, y Joá, hijo de Asaf, canciller, a Ezequías, rotos sus vestidos, y contáronle 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.
