Isaiah 36

36 ¹For di fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria come attack all di strong-wall cities of Judah, come capture dem. ²Di king of Assyria come send di Rabshakeh with plenty army from Lachish go Jerusalem, go meet King Hezekiah. E come stand for di place wey di water dey pass comot for di upper pool, for di road wey dey go di Field wey dem dey wash cloth. ^a a v2 Di Rabshakeh na senior Assyrian military title, e be like field commander or chief of staff. ³Eliakim pikin of Hilkiah, wey dey manage di palace, Shebna di scribe, and Joah pikin of Asaph di recorder come comot go meet am.

⁴Di Rabshakeh tell dem, “Tell Hezekiah: Di great king, di king of Assyria, talk dis one: Wetin be dis confidence wey you dey put your trust for?

⁵You dey talk say you get plan and power for war—but na mouth talk just be dat. So now, na who you dey trust, wey make you rebel against me? ⁶Look, na dis reed staff wey don break—Egypt—you dey trust; if person lean on am, e go pierce im hand go pass am. Na so Pharaoh king of Egypt be to everybody wey dey trust am. ⁷If you tell me, ‘Na Oga our God we dey trust’—no be im be di one wey Hezekiah comot im high places and im altars, come tell Judah and Jerusalem, ‘Na for front of dis altar una must worship’? ^b b v7 Di Rabshakeh dey call di name of Oga to deceive, no be to worship. FHB keep ‘Oga’ instead of ‘our Papa’ wen pagan people wey dey mock dey use di name without knowing di Papa wey dem dey name. ⁸So make bet with my oga, di king of Assyria: I go give you 2,000 horses—if you fit find riders put on top dem. ⁹So how you fit turn back even one officer, even di smallest of my oga servants, wen you dey trust Egypt for chariots and horse-riders? ¹⁰And now, abi na without Oga I come up against dis land to destroy am? Na Oga tell me: Go up against dis land and destroy am.”

¹¹Den Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah tell di Rabshakeh, “Abeg, speak Aramaic to your servants, since we understand am. No speak Judean give us for di ear-shot of di people wey dey for di wall.” ^c c v11 ‘Judean’ for here mean di Hebrew language — di everyday talk of di people of Judah.

¹²Di Rabshakeh answer, “Abi na to your oga and to you my oga send me come talk dis one, no be to di men wey siddon for di wall, wey go chop dem own shit and drink dem own urine together with you?” ¹³Den di Rabshakeh stand up come shout with loud voice for Judean, “Hear di words of di great king, di king of Assyria! ¹⁴Di king talk say: No make Hezekiah deceive una; e no fit rescue una. ¹⁵No make Hezekiah make una trust for Oga, wen e dey talk say, ‘Oga go surely rescue us; dis city no go fall to di hand of di king of Assyria.’ ¹⁶No listen to Hezekiah. Na dis di king of Assyria talk: Make peace with me and comot come meet me. Every one of una go chop from im own vine and im own fig tree, and every one of una go drink water from im own well, ¹⁷until I come carry una go one land wey be like una land, land of grain and new wine, land of bread and vineyards. ¹⁸No make Hezekiah deceive una wen e talk say, ‘Oga go rescue us.’ Any god of any nation don rescue im land from di hand of di king of Assyria? ¹⁹Where di gods of Hamath and Arpad dey? Where di gods of Sepharvaim dey? Dem don rescue Samaria from my hand? ²⁰Which one among all di gods of dis lands don rescue dem land from my hand, wey make Oga go rescue Jerusalem from my hand?”

²¹Dem keep quiet, dem no answer am even one word—because di king command dem say, “No answer am.”

²²Den Eliakim pikin of Hilkiah, wey dey manage di palace, Shebna di scribe, and Joah pikin of Asaph, di recorder, come meet Hezekiah with dem cloth wey dem don tear, come report di words of di Rabshakeh.