| 1 καὶ ἐγένετο τοῦ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτου ἔτους βασιλεύοντος Εζεκιου ἀνέβη Σενναχηριμ βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις τῆς Ιουδαίας τὰς ὀχυρὰς καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτάς 2 καὶ ἀπέστειλεν βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων Ραψακην ἐκ Λαχις εἰς Ιερουσαλημ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Εζεκιαν μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆς καὶ ἔστη ἐν τῷ ὑδραγωγῷ τῆς κολυμβήθρας τῆς ἄνω ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ ἀγροῦ τοῦ γναφέως 3 καὶ ἐξῆλθεν πρὸς αὐτὸν Ελιακιμ ὁ τοῦ Χελκιου ὁ οἰκονόμος καὶ Σομνας ὁ γραμματεὺς καὶ Ιωαχ ὁ τοῦ Ασαφ ὁ ὑπομνηματογράφος 4 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ραψακης εἴπατε Εζεκια τάδε λέγει ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ μέγας βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων τί πεποιθὼς εἶ 5 μὴ ἐν βουλῇ ἢ λόγοις χειλέων παράταξις γίνεται καὶ νῦν ἐπὶ τίνι πέποιθας ὅτι ἀπειθεῖς μοι 6 ἰδοὺ πεποιθὼς εἶ ἐπὶ τὴν ῥάβδον τὴν καλαμίνην τὴν τεθλασμένην ταύτην ἐ{P'} Αἴγυπτον ὃς ἂν ἐ{P'} αὐτὴν ἐπιστηρισθῇ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ οὕτως ἐστὶν Φαραω βασιλεὺς Αἰγύπτου καὶ πάντες οἱ πεποιθότες ἐ{P'} αὐτῷ 7 εἰ δὲ λέγετε ἐπὶ κύριον τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν πεποίθαμεν 8 νῦν μείχθητε τῷ κυρίῳ μου τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἀσσυρίων καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν δισχιλίαν ἵππον εἰ δυνήσεσθε δοῦναι ἀναβάτας ἐ{P'} αὐτούς 9 καὶ πῶς δύνασθε ἀποστρέψαι εἰς πρόσωπον τοπάρχου ἑνός οἰκέται εἰσὶν οἱ πεποιθότες ἐ{P'} Αἰγυπτίοις εἰς ἵππον καὶ ἀναβάτην 10 καὶ νῦν μὴ ἄνευ κυρίου ἀνέβημεν ἐπὶ τὴν χώραν ταύτην πολεμῆσαι αὐτήν |
1 It was in the fourteenth year of Ezechias’ reign that Sennacherib, king of Assyria, marched on the fortified cities of Juda, and took them.[1] 2 And the king of Assyria, who was then at Lachis, sent Rabsaces at the head of a strong force to Jerusalem, where king Ezechias was. This Rabsaces took up his stand on the aqueduct that fed the upper pool, on the way that brings you to the Fuller’s Field, 3 and there he was met by Eliacim, son of Helcias, the controller of the royal household, and Sobna, the scribe, and Joahe, son of Asaph, the recorder. 4 So he bade them tell Ezechias, Here is a message to thee from the great king, the king of Assyria. What confidence is this that makes thee so bold? 5 By what cunning or what force dost thou hope to meet me in arms? On whose help dost thou rely, that thou wouldst throw off my allegiance? 6 What, wilt thou rely on Egypt? That is to support thyself on a broken staff of cane, that will run into a man’s hand, if he presses on it, and pierce him through; such does Pharao, king of Egypt, prove himself to all those who rely on him. 7 Or wilt thou answer, We trust, I and my people, in the Lord our God? Tell me, who is he? Is he not the God whose hill-shrines and altars their king, Ezechias, has cleared away, bidding Juda and Jerusalem worship at one altar here? 8 Come now, if thou wert to make terms with my master, the king of Assyria, by which I must hand over to thee two thousand horses, wouldst thou be able to do thy part by putting riders on them? 9 Why, thou art no match even for a city prefect, the least of my master’s servants. Trust if thou wilt in Egypt, its chariots and its horsemen; 10 but dost thou doubt that I have the Lord’s warrant to come and subdue this land? It was the Lord himself who sent word to me, Make war on this land, and subdue it. |
1 Et factum est in quartodecimo anno regis Ezechiæ, ascendit Sennacherib, rex Assyriorum, super omnes civitates Juda munitas, et cepit eas. 2 Et misit rex Assyriorum Rabsacen de Lachis in Jerusalem, ad regem Ezechiam in manu gravi: et stetit in aquæductu piscinæ superioris in via Agri fullonis. 3 Et egressus est ad eum Eliacim, filius Helciæ, qui erat super domum, et Sobna scriba, et Joahe filius Asaph, a commentariis. 4 Et dixit ad eos Rabsaces: Dicite Ezechiæ: Hæc dicit rex magnus, rex Assyriorum: Quæ est ista fiducia qua confidis? 5 aut quo consilio vel fortitudine rebellare disponis? super quem habes fiduciam, quia recessisti a me? 6 Ecce confidis super baculum arundineum confractum istum, super Ægyptum; cui si innixus fuerit homo, intrabit in manum ejus, et perforabit eam: sic Pharao, rex Ægypti, omnibus qui confidunt in eo. 7 Quod si responderis mihi: In Domino Deo nostro confidimus; nonne ipse est cujus abstulit Ezechias excelsa et altaria, et dixit Judæ et Jerusalem: Coram altari isto adorabitis? 8 Et nunc trade te domino meo, regi Assyriorum, et dabo tibi duo millia equorum, nec poteris ex te præbere ascensores eorum: 9 et quomodo sustinebis faciem judicis unius loci ex servis domini mei minoribus? Quod si confidis in Ægypto, in quadrigis et in equitibus, 10 et nunc numquid sine Domino ascendi ad terram istam, ut disperderem eam? Dominus dixit ad me: Ascende super terram istam, et disperde eam. |