Yeşaya 36

¹Ve Hizkiya’nın krallığının on dördüncü yılında, Asurluların Kralı Sanherib Yahuda’nın surlarla korunan kentlerine karşı sefere çıkıp onları ele geçirdi.

²Asurluların kralı, Rabşake’yi büyük bir askeri güçle Lakiş’ten Yeruşalim’e, Kral Hizkiya’ya gönderdi; o da çırpıcının tarlasına giden yoldaki yukarı havuzun su kanalının yanında durdu.

³Hilkiya’nın oğlu saray kahyası Elyakim, yazıcı Şevna ve Asaf’ın oğlu kayıt yöneticisi Yoah onunla görüşmek üzere dışarı çıktılar.

⁴Rabşake onlara şöyle dedi: “Hizkiya’ya söyleyin: Büyük kral, Asurluların kralı şöyle diyor: Bu sarsılmaz güveninin kaynağı nedir?

⁵Savaş, sadece bir planlama veya boş dudak sözleriyle mi kazanılır? Şimdi kime güvendin de bana karşı geliyorsun?

⁶İşte sen, üzerine yaslanıldığında adamın eline batıp onu delecek olan bu kırık kamış değneğe, yani Mısır’a güveniyorsun; Mısır Kralı Firavun ve ona güvenenlerin hepsi tam olarak böyledir.

⁷Yoksa bana, ‘Biz Tanrımız Rab’be güveniyoruz’ mu diyorsunuz?

⁸Şimdi gelin, efendim Asurluların kralıyla bir anlaşma yapın; eğer üzerlerine binecek biniciler sağlayabilirseniz, size iki bin at vereceğim.

⁹Atlar ve biniciler için Mısırlılara bel bağlayan birer köleyken, en küçük bölge yöneticilerinden birinin bile talebini nasıl geri çevirebilirsiniz?

¹⁰Hem ben bu ülkeye karşı savaşmak ve onu yok etmek için Rab’bin izni olmadan mı çıktım? Rab bana, ‘Bu ülkeye karşı yürü ve onu yerle bir et’ dedi.”

¹¹Bunun üzerine Elyakim, Şevna ve Yoah ona şöyle dediler: “Lütfen hizmetçilerinle Aramice konuş, çünkü biz bu dili anlarız; bizimle Yahudi dilinde konuşma. Surların üzerindeki halkın kulakları önünde neden konuşuyorsun?”

¹²Rabşake onlara şöyle dedi: “Efendim beni bu sözleri söylemem için sadece sizin efendinize ve size mi gönderdi? Sizinle birlikte kendi dışkılarını yesinler ve idrarlarını içsinler diye surların üzerinde oturan adamlara da göndermedi mi?”

¹³Rabşake ayağa kalktı ve Yahudi dilinde yüksek sesle haykırarak şöyle dedi: “Büyük kralın, Asurluların kralının sözlerini dinleyin!

¹⁴Kral şöyle diyor: ‘Hizkiya sizi, sizi kurtarmaya gücü yetmeyecek boş sözlerle aldatmasın.

¹⁵Hizkiya’nın, “Tanrı bizi kesinlikle kurtaracak, bu kent Asur kralının eline asla teslim edilmeyecektir” diyerek size boş bir güven vermesine izin vermeyin.’

¹⁶Hizkiya’yı dinlemeyin! Asurluların kralı şöyle diyor: ‘Eğer esenlik ve kutsanma istiyorsanız, teslim olup yanıma gelin; böylece her biriniz kendi asmasından ve incir ağacından yiyecek, kendi sarnıcından su içecek,

¹⁷ta ki ben gelip sizi kendi ülkeniz gibi bir ülkeye; tahıl, yeni şarap, ekmek ve bağlar ülkesine götürene dek.’

¹⁸Hizkiya’nın, ‘Tanrınız sizi kurtaracaktır’ diyerek sizi aldatmasına izin vermeyin. Ulusların ilahlarından herhangi biri kendi ülkesini Asur kralının elinden kurtarabildi mi?

¹⁹Hani nerede Hamat’ın ve Arpad’ın ilahı? Nerede Sefarvayim kentinin ilahı? Samiriye’yi benim elimden kurtarabildiler mi?

²⁰Bu ulusların bütün ilahları arasından hangisi kendi ülkesini benim elimden kurtardı ki, Tanrı Yeruşalim’i benim elimden kurtarabilsin?”

²¹Ama sustular ve ona tek bir sözle bile karşılık vermediler; çünkü kral, “Ona yanıt vermeyin” diye buyurmuştu.

²²Hilkiya’nın oğlu saray kahyası Elyakim, ordu yazıcısı Şevna ve Asaf’ın oğlu kayıt yöneticisi Yoah, giysilerini yırtmış halde Hizkiya’nın yanına gelerek Rabşake’nin sözlerini ona bildirdiler.

¹ΚΑΙ ἐγένετο τοῦ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτου ἔτους, βασιλεύοντος ᾿Εζεκίου, ἀνέβη Σενναχηρεὶμ βασιλεὺς ᾿Ασσυρίων ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις τῆς ᾿Ιουδαίας τὰς ὀχυρὰς καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτάς.

²καὶ ἀπέστειλε βασιλεὺς ᾿Ασσυρίων τὸν Ῥαψάκην ἐκ Λαχεὶς εἰς ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ᾿Εζεκίαν μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆς, καὶ ἔστη ἐν τῷ ὑδραγωγῷ τῆς κολυμβήθρας τῆς ἄνω ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ ἀγροῦ τοῦ γναφέως.

³καὶ ἐξῆλθε πρὸς αὐτὸν ῾Ελιακεὶμ ὁ τοῦ Χελκίου ὁ οἰκονόμος καὶ Σομνᾶς ὁ γραμματεὺς καὶ ᾿Ιωὰχ ὁ τοῦ ᾿Ασὰφ ὁ ὑπομνηματογράφος.

⁴καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ῥαψάκης· εἴπατε ᾿Εζεκίᾳ· τάδε λέγει ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ μέγας, βασιλεὺς ᾿Ασσυρίων· τί πεποιθὼς εἶ;

⁵μὴ ἐν βουλῇ ἢ λόγοις χειλέων παράταξις γίνεται; καὶ νῦν ἐπὶ τίνα πέποιθας, ὅτι ἀπειθεῖς μοι;

⁶ἰδοὺ πεποιθὼς εἶ ἐπὶ τὴν ῥάβδον τὴν καλαμίνην τὴν τεθλασμένην ταύτην, ἐπ᾿ Αἴγυπτον· ὡς ἂν ἐπιστηριχθῇ ἀνὴρ ἐπ᾿ αὐτήν, εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τρήσει αὐτήν· οὕτως ἐστὶ Φαραὼ βασιλεὺς Αἰγύπτου καὶ πάντες οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ.

⁷εἰ δὲ λέγετε· ἐπὶ Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν πεποίθαμεν,

⁸νῦν μείχθητε τῷ κυρίῳ μου τῷ βασιλεῖ ᾿Ασσυρίων, καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν δισχιλίαν ἵππον, εἰ δυνήσεσθε δοῦναι ἀναβάτας ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς.

⁹καὶ πῶς δύνασθε ἀποστρέψαι εἰς πρόσωπον τῶν τοπαρχῶν; οἰκέται εἰσὶν οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπ᾿ Αἰγυπτίοις εἰς ἵππον καὶ ἀναβάτην.

¹⁰καὶ νῦν μὴ ἄνευ Κυρίου ἀνέβημεν ἐπὶ τὴν χώραν ταύτην πολεμῆσαι αὐτήν; Κύριος εἶπε πρός με· ἀνάβηθι ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ταύτην, καὶ διάφθειρον αὐτήν.

¹¹καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὸν ῾Ελιακεὶμ καὶ Σομνᾶς καὶ ᾿Ιωάχ· λάλησον πρὸς τοὺς παῖδάς σου Συριστί, ἀκούομεν γὰρ ἡμεῖς, καὶ μὴ λάλει πρὸς ἡμᾶς ᾿Ιουδαϊστί· καὶ ἱνατί λαλεῖς εἰς τὰ ὦτα τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῶν ἐπὶ τῷ τείχει;

¹²καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτοὺς Ῥαψάκης· μὴ πρὸς τὸν Κύριον ὑμῶν ἢ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀπέσταλκέ με ὁ κύριός μου λαλῆσαι τοὺς λόγους τούτους; οὐχὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς καθημένους ἐπὶ τῷ τείχει, ἵνα φάγωσι κόπρον καὶ πίωσιν οὖρον μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν ἅμα;

¹³καὶ ἔστη Ῥαψάκης καὶ ἀνεβόησε φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ᾿Ιουδαϊστὶ καὶ εἶπεν· ἀκούσατε τοὺς λόγους τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ μεγάλου, βασιλέως ᾿Ασσυρίων.

¹⁴τάδε λέγει ὁ βασιλεύς· μὴ ἀπατάτω ὑμᾶς ᾿Εζεκίας λόγοις, οἳ οὐ δυνήσονται ρύσασθαι ὑμᾶς·

¹⁵καὶ μὴ λεγέτω ὑμῖν ᾿Εζεκίας, ὅτι ρύσεται ὑμᾶς ὁ Θεός, καὶ οὐ μὴ παραδοθῇ ἡ πόλις αὕτη ἐν χειρὶ βασιλέως ᾿Ασσυρίων·

¹⁶μὴ ἀκούετε ᾿Εζεκίου. τάδε λέγει ὁ βασιλεὺς ᾿Ασσυρίων· εἰ βούλεσθε εὐλογηθῆναι, ἐκπορεύεσθε πρός με καὶ φάγεσθε ἕκαστος τὴν ἄμπελον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς συκᾶς καὶ πίεσθε ὕδωρ ἐκ τοῦ λάκκου ὑμῶν,

¹⁷ἕως ἂν ἔλθω καὶ λάβω ὑμᾶς εἰς γῆν, ὡς ἡ γῆ ὑμῶν, γῆ σίτου καὶ οἴνου καὶ ἄρτων καὶ ἀμπελώνων.

¹⁸μὴ ἀπατάτω ὑμᾶς ᾿Εζεκίας λέγων· ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν ρύσεται ὑμᾶς. μὴ ἐρρύσαντο οἱ θεοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ χώραν ἐκ χειρὸς βασιλέως ᾿Ασσυρίων;

¹⁹ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς Αἰμὰθ καὶ ᾿Αρφάθ; καὶ ποῦ ὁ θεὸς τῆς πόλεως Σεπφαρείμ; μὴ ἐδύναντο ρύσασθαι Σαμάρειαν ἐκ χειρός μου;

²⁰τίς τῶν θεῶν πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν τούτων, ὅστις ἐρρύσατο τὴ γῆν αὐτοῦ ἐκ χειρός μου, ὅτι ρύσεται ὁ Θεὸς ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ ἐκ χειρός μου;

²¹καὶ ἐσιώπησαν, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ λόγον, διὰ τὸ προστάξαι τὸν βασιλέα μηδένα ἀποκριθῆναι.

²²Καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ῾Ελιακεὶμ ὁ τοῦ Χελκίου οἰκονόμος καὶ Σομνᾶς ὁ γραμματεὺς τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ ᾿Ιωὰχ ὁ τοῦ ᾿Ασὰφ ὁ ὑπομνηματογράφος πρὸς ᾿Εζεκίαν ἐσχισμένοι τοὺς χιτῶνας καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν αὐτῷ τοὺς λόγους Ῥαψάκου.

¹Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of the reign of Ezekias, [that] Sennacherim, king of the Assyrians, came up against the strong cities of Judea, and took them.

²And the king of the Assyrians sent Rabsaces out of Laches to Jerusalem to king Ezekias with a large force: and he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the way of the fuller’s field.

³And there went forth to him Heliakim the steward, the [son] of Chelcias, and Somnas the scribe, and Joach the [son] of Asaph, the recorder.

⁴And Rabsaces said to them, Say to Ezekias, Thus says the great king, the king of the Assyrians, Why art thou secure?

⁵Is war carried on with counsel and [mere] words of the lips? and now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?

⁶Behold, thou trustest on this bruised staff of reed, on Egypt: [as soon] as a man leans upon it, it shall go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharao king of Egypt and all that trust in him.

⁷But if ye say, We trust in the Lord our God;

⁸yet now make an agreement with my lord the king of the Assyrians, and I will give you two thousand horses, if ye shall be able to set riders upon them.

⁹And how can ye [then] turn to the face of the satraps? They that trust on the Egyptians for horse and rider, are [our] servants.

¹⁰And now, Have we come up against this land to fight against it without the Lord? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

¹¹Then Eliakim and Somnas and Joach said to him, Speak to thy servants in the Syrian tongue; for we understand [it]: and speak not to us in the Jewish tongue: and wherefore speakest thou in the ears of the men on the wall?

¹²And Rabsaces said to them, Has my lord sent me to your lord or to you, to speak these words? [has he] not [sent] me to the men that sit on the wall, that they may eat dung, and drink [their] water together with you?

¹³And Rabsaces stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jewish language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of the Assyrians:

¹⁴thus says the king, Let not Ezekias deceive you with words: he will not be able to deliver you.

¹⁵And let not Ezekias say to you, That God will deliver you, and this city will not at all be delivered into the hand of the king of the Assyrians.

¹⁶Hearken not to Ezekias: thus says the king of the Assyrians, If ye wish to be blessed, come out to me: and ye shall eat every one [of] his vine and his fig-trees, and ye shall drink water out of your own cisterns:

¹⁷until I come and take you to a land, like your own land, a land of corn and wine, and bread, and vineyards.

¹⁸Let not Ezekias deceive you, saying, God will deliver you. Have the gods of the nations delivered each one his own land out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians?

¹⁹Where is the god of Emath, and Arphath? and where is the god of the city of Seppharim? have they been able to deliver Samaria out of my hand?

²⁰Which is the god of all these nations, that has delivered his land out of my hand, that God should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

²¹And they were silent, and none answered him a word; because the king had commanded that none should answer.

²²And Heliakim the [son] of Chelcias, the steward, and Somnas the military scribe, and Joach the [son] of Asaph, the recorder, came in to Ezekias, having their garments rent, and they reported to him the words of Rabsaces.