Isaiah 37

37 ¹Wen King Hezekiah hear am, e tear im cloth, e wear mourning cloth, and e enter di house of our Papa. ²E send Eliakim wey be di palace administrator, Shebna di scribe, and di senior priests dem, wey wear sackcloth, go meet di prophet Isaiah wey be Amoz pikin. ³Dem tell am say, "Hezekiah talk say: Today na day of wahala, of insult, and of shame. Pikin don ready to comot for belle, but power no dey to born dem. ⁴Maybe your Papa go hear di words of di Rabshakeh, wey im oga, di king of Assyria, send make e mock di Papa wey dey alive, and E go rebuke di words wey E hear. So make you lift up prayer for di small remnant wey still remain." ^a a v4 Rabshakeh na title — di Assyrian king im chief military officer — no be personal name.

⁵Wen di servants of King Hezekiah come meet Isaiah,

⁶Isaiah tell dem say, "Tell una oga say: our Papa talk say: No fear di words wey you hear, wey di servants of di king of Assyria take insult me. ⁷See, I go put spirit inside am, so e go hear one report, e go go back to im own land, and for there I go make am fall by sword."

⁸Di Rabshakeh go back and e meet di Assyrian king dey fight Libnah, because e don hear say di king don comot from Lachish. ⁹Di king hear about Tirhakah king of Cush: "E don comot to come fight you." Wen e hear dis one, e send messengers go meet Hezekiah: ¹⁰"Tell Hezekiah king of Judah: No make di God wey you trust deceive you, wey e dey talk say, 'Jerusalem no go fall to di king of Assyria.' ¹¹You don hear wetin di kings of Assyria do to all di lands, dem destroy dem finish. And you—you go escape? ¹²Di gods of di nations save dem wey my fathers destroy: Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and di people of Eden wey dey Telassar? ¹³Where di king of Hamath dey, di king of Arpad, di king of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?"

Spread Am Out for Papa Front

¹⁴Hezekiah collect di letter from di messengers, e read am, e go up to di house of our Papa, and e spread am out for front of our Papa. ¹⁵And Hezekiah pray to our Papa, e talk say: ¹⁶"Papa of heaven army, di Papa of Israel, wey dey sidon for throne on top di cherubim—na you alone be our Papa over all di kingdoms of di earth; na you make di heavens and di earth. ¹⁷Bend down, our Papa, and hear; open your eyes, our Papa, and see; hear all di words of Sennacherib wey e send to mock di Papa wey dey alive. ¹⁸Na true, our Papa, di kings of Assyria don destroy all di nations and dem lands, ¹⁹and dem throw dem gods inside fire—dem no be gods but na work of human hand, na wood and stone; so dem destroy dem. ²⁰Now, our Papa, save us from im hand, so all di kingdoms of di earth go know say na you alone be our Papa."

Di Papa Answer

²¹Den Isaiah wey be Amoz pikin send message to Hezekiah: Na dis di Papa of Israel talk: Because you pray to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria,

²²na dis be di word wey our Papa don talk against am: "She despise you, she scorn you—di virgin daughter of Zion; for your back she shake im head—di daughter of Jerusalem. ²³Na who you mock and insult? Na who you raise your voice against and lift your eyes for pride? Na against di Holy One of Israel! ²⁴Through your servants you don mock di Sovereign Papa, and you don talk say, 'With my plenty chariots I don climb go di top of di mountains, go di far part of Lebanon. I cut down im tallest cedars, im finest cypresses; I reach im farthest height, im thickest forest. ²⁵I dig wells and I drink water; with di sole of my foot I dry up all di streams of Egypt.' ²⁶You never hear? Long time ago I do am; from di old days I plan am. Now I don make am happen, so dat you go turn strong cities into heap of rubble. ²⁷Di people wey dey inside dem, wey no get power again, dem lose heart and dem shame; dem be like plant of di field, like tender grass, like grass wey dey on top roof, wey dry before e fit grow. ²⁸But I know wen you sidon, wen you comot, and wen you enter, and wen you dey vex against me. ²⁹Because you dey vex against me, and your pride don reach my ear, I go put my hook for your nose and my bridle for your mouth, and I go turn you back for di road wey you take come.

³⁰"Na dis be your sign: dis year you go chop wetin grow by imsef, di second year wetin spring from dat one, di third year una go plant and reap, una go plant vineyard and chop dem fruit. ³¹And di small remnant wey still remain of di house of Judah go take root down again and bear fruit up. ³²Because from Jerusalem remnant go comot, and from Mount Zion one band of survivors. Di zeal of di Papa of heaven army go do dis one.

³³So our Papa talk about di king of Assyria: E no go enter dis city or shoot arrow for here, or face am with shield, or build siege ramp against am. ³⁴E go go back for di road wey e take come; e no go enter dis city, na so our Papa talk. ³⁵Because I go defend dis city to save am, for my own sake and for di sake of David my servant."

³⁶Den di messenger of our Papa comot and e strike down 185,000 for di Assyrian camp; wen people wake up early for morning, dead body full everywhere. ³⁷So Sennacherib king of Assyria pack im camp and e go home, and e stay for Nineveh. ³⁸As e dey worship inside di temple of im god Nisroch, im sons Adrammelech and Sharezer strike am with sword and dem run go Ararat. Im son Esarhaddon rule for im place.