Isaiah 36

 

וַיְהִי בְּאַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לַמֶּלֶךְ חִזְקִיָּהוּ עָלָה סַנְחֵרִיב מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר עַל כָּל־עָרֵי יְהוּדָה הַבְּצֻרֹות   36:1 וַיִּתְפְּשֵׂם׃

Isai. 36:1   Now it was in the fourteenth year for king Hezekiah; Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, rose up against all the Judean cities that were fortified, and he took them.

This chapter is a replay, although with some variations, of part of 2Kings Chapter 18.  I wonder, were the two accounts contemporaneous?  Probably.

וַיִּשְׁלַח מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר אֶת־רַב־שָׁקֵה מִלָּכִישׁ יְרוּשָׁלְַמָה אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ חִזְקִיָּהוּ בְּחֵיל כָּבֵד וַיַּעֲמֹד בִּתְעָלַת   36:2 הַבְּרֵכָה הָעֶלְיֹונָה בִּמְסִלַּת שְׂדֵה כֹובֵס׃

Isai. 36:2   And the king of Assyria sent Rab-shakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to king Hezekiah with a great army.  And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool by the highway of the washing ground.

ַיֵּצֵא אֵלָיו אֶלְיָקִים בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּהוּ אֲשֶׁר עַל־הַבָּיִת וְשֶׁבְנָא הַסֹּפֵר וְיֹואָח בֶּן־אָסָף הַמַּזְכִּיר׃   36:3

Isai. 36:3   And Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, came out to him with Shebna, the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder.

This is presumably the Eliakim we were introduced to first in 2Kings Chapter 18 (2Kin. 18:18) and then again in Isaiah Chapter 22 (Isai. 22:20).

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם רַב־שָׁקֵה אִמְרוּ־נָא אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ כֹּה־אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ הַגָּדֹול מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר מָה הַבִּטָּחֹון   36:4 הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר בָּטָחְת׃ָּ

Isai. 36:4   And Rab-shakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah:  ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria:  ‘What is this confidence that you trust?’

אָמַרְתִּי אַךְ־דְּבַר־שְׂפָתַיִם עֵצָה וּגְבוּרָה לַמִּלְחָמָה עַתָּה עַל־מִי בָטַחְתָּ כִּי מָרַדְתָּ בִּי׃   36:5

Isai. 36:5   ‘I say, ‘Only vain words!  Counsel and strength are for war.  Now on whom do you have confidence that you rebel against me?’

הִנֵּה בָטַחְתָּ עַל־מִשְׁעֶנֶת הַקָּנֶה הָרָצוּץ הַזֶּה עַל־מִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר יִסָּמֵךְ אִישׁ עָלָיו וּבָא בְכַפֹּו וּנְקָבָהּ כֵּן   36:6 פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם לְכָל־הַבֹּטְחִים עָלָיו׃

Isai. 36:6   ‘Behold, you trust on the staff of this splintered reed, on Egypt, which if a man leans on it, then it will go into his hand and pierce it.  So is Pharoah, king of Egypt, to all who trust on him.’

וְכִי־תֹאמַר אֵלַי אֶל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ בָּטָחְנוּ הֲלֹוא־הוּא אֲשֶׁר הֵסִיר חִזְקִיָּהוּ אֶת־בָּמֹתָיו וְאֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתָיו   36:7 וַיֹּאמֶר לִיהוּדָה וְלִירוּשָׁלִַם לִפְנֵי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ הַזֶּה תִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ׃

Isai. 36:7   ‘But when you say to me, ‘We give trust to the Lord, our God,’ is it not he, Hezekiah, who has removed His high places and His altars and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘Before this altar you shall worship?’

וְעַתָּה הִתְעָרֶב נָא אֶת־אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר וְאֶתְּנָה לְךָ אַלְפַּיִם סוּסִים אִם־תּוּכַל לָתֶת לְךָ רֹכְבִים   36:8 עֲלֵיהֶם׃

Isai. 36:8   ‘So now please make a pledge with my master, the king of Assyria, and I will give two thousand horses to you if you will be able to place riders for yourself on them.’

וְאֵיךְ תָּשִׁיב אֵת פְּנֵי פַחַת אַחַד עַבְדֵי אֲדֹנִי הַקְטַנִּים וַתִּבְטַח לְךָ עַל־מִצְרַיִם לְרֶכֶב וּלְפָרָשִׁים׃   36:9

Isai. 36:9   ‘So how can you turn away the face of a captain, one of the least servants of my master, and put your trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?’

וְעַתָּה הֲמִבַּלְעֲדֵי יְהוָה עָלִיתִי עַל־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת לְהַשְׁחִיתָהּ יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי עֲלֵה אֶל־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת   36:10 וְהַשְׁחִיתָהּ׃

Isai. 36:10   ‘And now have I come up against this land to destroy it without the Lord? The Lord has said to me, ‘Go up to this land and destroy it.’”

וַיֹּאמֶר אֶלְיָקִים וְשֶׁבְנָא וְיֹואָח אֶל־רַב־שָׁקֵה דַּבֶּר־נָא אֶל־עֲבָדֶיךָ אֲרָמִית כִּי שֹׁמְעִים אֲנָחְנוּ   36:11 וְאַל־תְּדַבֵּר אֵלֵינוּ יְהוּדִית בְּאָזְנֵי הָעָם אֲשֶׁר עַל־הַחֹומָה׃

Isai. 36:11   Then Eliakim said, with Shebna and Joah, to Rab-shakeh, “Please speak Aramaic to your servants, for we are understanding, and do not speak Judean to us in the ears of the people who are on the wall.”

See the earlier occurrence of the word translated by me as Judean and my remarks there at 2Kin. 18:26.

וַיֹּאמֶר רַב־שָׁקֵה הַאֶל אֲדֹנֶיךָ וְאֵלֶיךָ שְׁלָחַנִי אֲדֹנִי לְדַבֵּר אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה הֲלֹא עַל־הָאֲנָשִׁים   36:12 הַיֹּשְׁבִים עַל־הַחֹומָה לֶאֱכֹל אֶת־(חַרְאֵיהֶם) [צֹואָתָם] וְלִשְׁתֹּות אֶת־(שֵׁינֵיהֶם) [מֵימֵי] [רַגְלֵיהֶם] עִםָּכֶם׃

Isai. 36:12   But Rab-shakeh said, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men sitting on the wall eating their own dung and drinking their own urine with you?”

For my views on the two alleged errors in this verse, see my remarks on 2Kin. 18:27.  The same “errors” occur there.

וַיַּעֲמֹד רַב־שָׁקֵה וַיִּקְרָא בְקֹול־גָּדֹול יְהוּדִית וַיֹּאמֶר שִׁמְעוּ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ הַגָּדֹול מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר׃   36:13

Isai. 36:13   Then Rab-shakeh stood and called in a loud Judean voice and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!”

כֹּה אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ אַל־יַשִּׁא לָכֶם חִזְקִיָּהוּ כִּי לֹא־יוּכַל לְהַצִּיל אֶתְכֶם׃   36:14

Isai. 36:14   “Thus the king has said:  “Let not Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you.”

וְאַל־יַבְטַח אֶתְכֶם חִזְקִיָּהוּ אֶל־יְהוָה לֵאמֹר הַצֵּל יַצִּילֵנוּ יְהוָה לֹא תִנָּתֵן הָעִיר הַזֹּאת בְּיַד מֶלֶךְ   36:15 אַשּׁוּר׃

Isai. 36:15   “And do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord saying, “Surely the Lord will deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”

אַל־תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ ס כִּי כֹה אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר עֲשׂוּ־אִתִּי בְרָכָה וּצְאוּ אֵלַי וְאִכְלוּ אִישׁ־גַּפְנֹו   36:16 וְאִישׁ תְּאֵנָתֹו וּשְׁתוּ אִישׁ מֵי־בֹורֹו׃

Isai. 36:16   “You should not listen to Hezekiah, for thus the king of Assyria has said:  “Make a blessing with me and come forth to me and eat each from his own vine and each of his own fig tree and drink each from his own cistern

עַד־בֹּאִי וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם אֶל־אֶרֶץ כְּאַרְצְכֶם אֶרֶץ דָּגָן וְתִירֹושׁ אֶרֶץ לֶחֶם וּכְרָמִים׃   36:17

Isai. 36:17   until my arrival, when I will take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.”

פֶּן־יַסִּית אֶתְכֶם חִזְקִיָּהוּ לֵאמֹר יְהוָה יַצִּילֵנוּ הַהִצִּילוּ אֱלֹהֵי הַגֹּויִם אִישׁ אֶת־אַרְצֹו מִיַּד מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר׃   36:18

Isai. 36:18   “Lest Hezekiah will persuade you saying, ‘The Lord will deliver us,’ have the gods of the nations delivered any one his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?”

אַיֵּה אֱלֹהֵי חֲמָת וְאַרְפָּד אַיֵּה אֱלֹהֵי סְפַרְוָיִם וְכִי־הִצִּילוּ אֶת־שֹׁמְרֹון מִיָּדִי׃   36:19

Isai. 36:19   “Where were the gods of Hamath and Arpad?  Where were the gods of Sepharvaim?  And when did they deliver Samaria from my hand?”

מִי בְּכָל־אֱלֹהֵי הָאֲרָצֹות הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר־הִצִּילוּ אֶת־אַרְצָם מִיָּדִי כִּי־יַצִּיל יְהוָה אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם מִיָּדִי׃   36:20

Isai. 36:20   “Who were among all the gods of these lands that delivered their lands from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”

וַיַּחֲרִישׁוּ וְלֹא־עָנוּ אֹתֹו דָּבָר כִּי־מִצְוַת הַמֶּלֶךְ הִיא לֵאמֹר לֹא תַעֲנֻהוּ׃   36:21

Isai. 36:21   But they kept silent and did not answer him a word, for it was the commandment of the king saying, “You shall not answer him.”

וַיָּבֹא אֶלְיָקִים בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּהוּ אֲשֶׁר־עַל־הַבַּיִת וְשֶׁבְנָא הַסֹּופֵר וְיֹואָח בֶּן־אָסָף הַמַּזְכִּיר אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ   36:22 קְרוּעֵי בְגָדִים וַיַּגִּידוּ לֹו אֵת דִּבְרֵי רַב־שָׁקֵה׃

Isai. 36:22   Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, came with Shebna, the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah, rent of clothes, and related to him the words of Rab-shakeh.

 

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