Isaiah 37
Complete Jewish Bible
37 On hearing it, King Hizkiyahu tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of Adonai. 2 He sent Elyakim, who was in charge of the household, Shevnah the general secretary and the leading cohanim, covered with sackcloth, to Yesha‘yahu the prophet, the son of Amotz. 3 They said to him, “This is what Hizkiyahu says: ‘Today is a day of trouble, rebuke and disgrace. Children are ready to be born, but there is no strength to bring them to birth. 4 Maybe Adonai your God will hear the words of Rav-Shakeh, whom his master the king of Ashur has sent to taunt the living God, and will rebuke the message which Adonai your God has heard. So pray for the remnant that is left.’”
5 When King Hizkiyahu’s servants came to Yesha‘yahu, 6 he said to them, “Tell your master that this is what Adonai says: ‘Don’t be afraid of the words you heard the servants of the king of Ashur use to insult me. 7 I will put a spirit in him that will make him hear a rumor and return to his own land; then I will cause him to die by the sword in his own land.’”
8 Rav-Shakeh returned and, having heard that the king of Ashur had left Lakhish, found him making war with Livnah. 9 Then he heard it said that Tirhakah king of Ethiopia was on his way to fight him. On hearing this, the king of Ashur sent messengers to Hizkiyahu, after ordering them, 10 “This is what you are to say to Hizkiyahu king of Y’hudah: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, “Yerushalayim will not be handed over to the power of the king of Ashur.” 11 You have heard what the kings of Ashur have done to all lands — they have completely destroyed them. So how will you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them? No, my ancestors destroyed them — Gozan, Haran, Retzef and the people of ‘Eden who were in Tel’asar. 13 Where is the king of Hamat? the king of Arpad? the king of the city of S’farvayim, of Hena and ‘Ivah?’” 14 Hizkiyahu took the letter from the messengers’ hands and read it. Then Hizkiyahu went up to the house of Adonai and spread it out before Adonai. 15 This is the prayer that Hizkiyahu prayed to Adonai: 16 “Adonai-Tzva’ot, God of Isra’el, who dwells above the k’ruvim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms on earth. You made heaven and earth. 17 Turn your ear, Adonai, and hear! Open your eyes, Adonai, and see! Hear all the words that Sancheriv sent to taunt the living God. 18 It is true that the kings of Ashur have laid waste all the countries and their lands 19 and have thrown their gods into the fire. For those were non-gods, merely the products of people’s hands, wood and stone; this is why they could destroy them. 20 Now therefore, Adonai our God, save us from his power — so that all the kingdoms on earth will know that you are Adonai — you only.”
21 Then Yesha‘yahu the son of Amotz sent this message to Hizkiyahu: “Adonai the God of Isra’el says: ‘You prayed to me against Sancheriv king of Ashur.’ 22 Here is Adonai’s answer concerning him:
“ ‘The virgin daughter of Tziyon
despises you; she laughs you to scorn.
The daughter of Yerushalayim
shakes her head at you.
23 Whom have you taunted and insulted?
Against whom have you raised your voice
and haughtily lifted your eyes?
The Holy One of Isra’el!
24 “ ‘Through your servants you taunted Adonai.
You said, “With my many chariots
I have ascended the mountain heights
even in the far reaches of the L’vanon.
I cut down its tall cedars
and its best cypress trees.
I reached its remotest heights
and its best forests.
25 I dug [wells] and drank the water.
The soles of my [soldiers’] feet
dried up all the rivers of Egypt.”
26 “ ‘Haven’t you heard? Long ago I made it;
in antiquity I produced it;
and now I am making it happen:
you are turning fortified cities
into heaps of ruins,
27 while their inhabitants, shorn of power,
are disheartened and ashamed,
weak as grass, frail as plants,
like grass on the rooftops
or grain scorched by the east wind.
28 “ ‘But I know when you sit, when you leave,
when you enter — and when you rage against me.
29 And because of your rage against me,
because of your pride that has reached my ears,
I am putting my hook in your nose
and my bridle on your lips;
and I will make you return
by the way on which you came.
30 “ ‘This will be the sign for you [people of Isra’el]: this year, you will eat the grain that grows of itself; the second year, you will eat what grows from that; but in the third year, you will sow, reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
31 “ ‘Meanwhile, the remnant
of the house of Y’hudah that has escaped
will again take root downward
and bear fruit upward;
32 for a remnant will go out from Yerushalayim,
those escaping will go out from Mount Tziyon.
The zeal of Adonai-Tzva’ot
will accomplish this.’
33 “Therefore this is what Adonai says concerning the king of Ashur:
“ ‘He will not come to this city
or even shoot an arrow there;
he will not confront it with a shield
or erect earthworks against it.
34 “ ‘By the way he came he will return;
he will not come to this city,’
says Adonai. 35 ‘For I will defend this city and save it, both for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake.’ ”
36 Then the angel of Adonai went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of Ashur. Early the next morning, there they were, all of them, corpses — dead. 37 So Sancheriv king of Ashur left, went and returned to live in Ninveh.
38 One day, as he was worshipping in the temple of Nisrokh his god, his sons Adramelekh and Shar’etzer struck him with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. So his son Esar-Hadon took his place as king.
Ésaïe 37
La Bible du Semeur
Confiance
(2 R 19.1-7)
37 Lorsque le roi Ezéchias eut entendu leur rapport, il déchira ses vêtements, se couvrit d’un vêtement d’étoffe grossière et se rendit au temple de l’Eternel. 2 En même temps, il envoya Eliaqim, qui avait la charge du palais, Shebna le secrétaire et les plus anciens des prêtres, tous vêtus de vêtements d’étoffe grossière, chez le prophète Esaïe, fils d’Amots, 3 avec ce message : « Voici ce que te fait dire Ezéchias : Ce jour est un jour de détresse, de châtiment et de honte. Nous sommes comme des femmes sur le point d’accoucher qui n’auraient pas la force de mettre leur enfant au monde. 4 Peut-être l’Eternel, ton Dieu, prêtera-t-il attention à ces paroles que l’aide de camp du roi d’Assyrie a prononcées de la part de son maître, pour insulter le Dieu vivant. Peut-être l’Eternel, ton Dieu, le punira-t-il à cause des paroles qu’il a entendues. Intercède donc en faveur du reste de ce peuple qui subsiste encore. »
5 Les ministres du roi Ezéchias se rendirent donc auprès d’Esaïe, 6 qui leur dit : Voici ce que vous direz à votre souverain : « Ainsi parle l’Eternel : Ne te laisse pas effrayer par les paroles que tu as entendues et par lesquelles les officiers du roi d’Assyrie m’ont outragé. 7 Ce roi va recevoir une certaine nouvelle ; là-dessus, je lui ferai prendre la décision de retourner dans son pays, où je le ferai mourir assassiné. »
Menaces
(2 R 19.8-13)
8 L’aide de camp apprit que le roi d’Assyrie était parti de Lakish et qu’il était en train d’attaquer Libna[a]. Il s’en retourna donc pour le rejoindre. 9 Peu après, le roi d’Assyrie reçut la nouvelle que Tirhaqa, le roi d’Ethiopie[b], s’était mis en campagne pour l’attaquer. A cette nouvelle, il envoya des messagers à Ezéchias avec ces instructions : 10 Vous direz à Ezéchias, roi de Juda : « Ne te laisse pas tromper par ton Dieu en qui tu te confies s’il te dit que Jérusalem ne tombera pas aux mains du roi d’Assyrie. 11 Tu as toi-même appris comment les rois d’Assyrie ont traité tous les pays, comment ils les ont voués à la destruction complète. Crois-tu que toi seul tu y échapperais ? 12 Mes ancêtres ont détruit les villes de Gozân, Harân et Retseph[c], ils ont exterminé les descendants d’Eden qui vivaient à Telassar[d]. Les dieux de ces pays ont-ils délivré ces gens ? 13 Que sont devenus les rois de Hamath, d’Arpad, de la ville de Sepharvaïm[e], de Héna et de Ivva ? »
Prière
(2 R 19.14-19)
14 Ezéchias prit la lettre de la main des messagers ; il la lut et se rendit au temple de l’Eternel. Il la déroula devant l’Eternel 15 et il pria : 16 Eternel, Seigneur des armées célestes, Dieu d’Israël qui sièges au-dessus des chérubins[f], c’est toi qui es le seul Dieu pour tous les royaumes de la terre, c’est toi qui as fait le ciel et la terre. 17 Eternel, prête l’oreille et écoute ! Eternel, ouvre les yeux et regarde ! Entends toutes les paroles que Sennachérib a envoyé dire pour insulter le Dieu vivant. 18 Il est vrai, ô Eternel, que les rois d’Assyrie ont massacré tous ces peuples et ravagé leurs pays, 19 et qu’ils ont jeté au feu leurs dieux, parce que ce n’étaient pas des dieux. Ils ont pu les détruire parce que ce n’étaient que des objets en bois ou en pierre fabriqués par des hommes. 20 Mais toi, Eternel, notre Dieu, délivre-nous maintenant de Sennachérib, pour que tous les royaumes de la terre sachent que toi seul, tu es l’Eternel[g].
La délivrance miraculeuse
(2 R 19.20-34)
21 Alors Esaïe, fils d’Amots, envoya le message suivant à Ezéchias : Voici ce que déclare l’Eternel, le Dieu d’Israël, que tu as prié au sujet de Sennachérib, roi d’Assyrie. 22 Voici la parole que l’Eternel prononce contre lui :
Dame Sion
n’a que mépris pour toi ╵et se moque de toi.
Dame Jérusalem
hoche la tête à ton sujet.
23 Qui as-tu insulté ?
Qui as-tu outragé ╵de ta voix arrogante,
de ton regard hautain ?
Moi, le Saint d’Israël !
24 Car par tes serviteurs
tu as insulté le Seigneur
et tu as dit :
« Grâce à mes nombreux chars,
moi, j’ai gravi ╵les sommets des montagnes,
j’ai pénétré ╵jusqu’au cœur du Liban
pour y couper ╵les cèdres les plus hauts
et les plus beaux cyprès,
et parvenir ╵jusqu’au dernier sommet,
dans sa forêt la plus touffue.
25 J’ai fait creuser des puits ╵et j’ai bu de leur eau[h],
j’ai asséché ╵sur mon passage
tout le delta du Nil. »
26 Mais ne sais-tu donc pas ╵que moi j’ai décidé ╵depuis longtemps ╵tous ces événements
et que, depuis les temps anciens, ╵j’en ai formé le plan ?
Et à présent je les fais survenir,
en sorte que tu réduises en tas de ruines ╵des villes fortifiées.
27 Leurs habitants sont impuissants,
terrifiés, ils ont honte,
ils sont comme l’herbe des champs, ╵comme la verdure des prés
et l’herbe sur les toits,
flétrie[i] avant d’avoir poussé.
28 Mais moi je sais quand tu t’assieds[j],
quand tu sors, quand tu rentres,
quand tu t’emportes contre moi.
29 Oui, tu t’emportes contre moi !
Tes discours arrogants ╵sont parvenus à mes oreilles ;
c’est pourquoi je te passerai ╵mon anneau dans le nez[k]
et je te riverai ╵mon mors entre les lèvres,
puis je te ferai retourner ╵par où tu es venu.
30 Quant à toi, Ezéchias, ╵ceci te servira de signe :
Cette année-ci, on mangera ╵ce qu’a produit le grain tombé,
l’année prochaine, ╵ce qui aura poussé tout seul,
mais la troisième année,
vous sèmerez, vous ferez des récoltes,
vous planterez des vignes, ╵et vous en mangerez les fruits.
31 Alors les survivants, ╵ceux qui seront restés ╵du peuple de Juda,
seront de nouveau comme un arbre ╵qui plonge dans le sol ╵de nouvelles racines
et qui porte des fruits.
32 Oui, à Jérusalem, ╵un reste surgira,
sur le mont de Sion, ╵se lèveront des rescapés.
Voilà ce que fera ╵le Seigneur des armées célestes ╵dans son ardent amour pour vous.
33 C’est pourquoi, voici ce que l’Eternel déclare au sujet du roi d’Assyrie :
Il n’entrera pas dans la ville,
aucun de ses archers ╵n’y lancera de flèches,
il ne s’en approchera pas ╵à l’abri de ses boucliers,
et il ne dressera ╵aucun terrassement contre elle.
34 Il s’en retournera ╵par où il est venu
sans entrer dans la ville,
l’Eternel le déclare.
35 Je protégerai cette ville, ╵je la délivrerai
par égard pour moi-même ╵et pour mon serviteur David.
36 L’ange de l’Eternel intervint dans le camp assyrien et y fit périr cent quatre-vingt-cinq mille hommes. Le matin, au réveil, le camp était rempli de tous ces cadavres. 37 Alors Sennachérib, roi d’Assyrie, leva le camp et repartit pour Ninive, où il resta.
38 Un jour, pendant qu’il se prosternait dans le temple de son dieu Nisrok, ses fils Adrammélek et Sarétser l’assassinèrent de leur épée, puis s’enfuirent dans le pays d’Ararat. Un autre de ses fils, Esar-Haddôn, lui succéda sur le trône.
Footnotes
- 37.8 Située près de Lakish, vers la frontière de la Philistie.
- 37.9 Tirhaqa: frère du nouveau pharaon Shebitkou. Il fut envoyé par son frère pour aider Ezéchias contre les Assyriens. Il devint roi en 690. A cette époque, l’Egypte était gouvernée par une dynastie originaire d’Ethiopie.
- 37.12 Gozân: ville située dans le nord de la Mésopotamie ; des Israélites y avaient été déportés par les Assyriens (2 R 17.6). Harân: à l’ouest de Gozân. Retseph était situé entre Harân et l’Euphrate.
- 37.12 L’Etat d’Eden (Bit Adini) se trouvait sur les rives de l’Euphrate, au sud de Harân. Il fut incorporé à l’Empire assyrien par Salmanasar III en 855 (voir Ez 27.23 ; Am 1.5).
- 37.13 Voir note 36.19. Toute cette région avait été soumise à l’Assyrie dès 717 av. J.-C.
- 37.16 Voir Ex 25.22.
- 37.20 Le texte hébreu de Qumrân et 2 R 19.19 ont : toi seul, Eternel, tu es Dieu.
- 37.25 Le texte hébreu de Qumrân et 2 R 19.24 ont : l’eau de pays étrangers.
- 37.27 flétrie: d’après le texte hébreu de Qumrân, certains manuscrits du texte hébreu traditionnel, l’ancienne version grecque et 2 R 19.26. La plupart des manuscrits du texte hébreu traditionnel ont : et des campagnes.
- 37.28 Le principal texte hébreu de Qumrân a : quand tu te lèves, et quand tu t’assieds.
- 37.29 De la façon dont les Assyriens traitaient leurs prisonniers de guerre.
Isaiah 37
New King James Version
Isaiah Assures Deliverance(A)
37 And (B)so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day of (C)trouble and rebuke and [a]blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to (D)reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’ ”
5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” ’ ”
Sennacherib’s Threat and Hezekiah’s Prayer(E)
8 Then the Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish. 9 And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “He has come out to make war with you.” So when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? 12 Have the (F)gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of (G)Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’ ”
14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15 Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying: 16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You (H)alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 (I)Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and (J)hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 18 Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their (K)lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were (L)not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 20 Now therefore, O Lord our God, (M)save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may (N)know that You are the Lord, You alone.”
The Word of the Lord Concerning Sennacherib(O)
21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning him:
“The virgin, the daughter of Zion,
Has despised you, laughed you to scorn;
The daughter of Jerusalem
Has shaken her head behind your back!
23 “Whom have you reproached and blasphemed?
Against whom have you raised your voice,
And lifted up your eyes on high?
Against the Holy One of Israel.
24 By your servants you have reproached the Lord,
And said, ‘By the multitude of my chariots
I have come up to the height of the mountains,
To the limits of Lebanon;
I will cut down its tall cedars
And its choice cypress trees;
I will enter its farthest height,
To its fruitful forest.
25 I have dug and drunk water,
And with the soles of my feet I have dried up
All the brooks of [b]defense.’
26 “Did you not hear (P)long ago
How I made it,
From ancient times that I formed it?
Now I have brought it to pass,
That you should be
For crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins.
27 Therefore their inhabitants had little power;
They were dismayed and confounded;
They were as the grass of the field
And the green herb,
As the grass on the housetops
And grain blighted before it is grown.
28 “But I know your dwelling place,
Your going out and your coming in,
And your rage against Me.
29 Because your rage against Me and your tumult
Have come up to My ears,
Therefore (Q)I will put My hook in your nose
And My bridle in your lips,
And I will (R)turn you back
By the way which you came.” ’
30 “This shall be a sign to you:
You shall eat this year such as grows of itself,
And the second year what springs from the same;
Also in the third year sow and reap,
Plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.
31 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah
Shall again take root downward,
And bear fruit upward.
32 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant,
And those who escape from Mount Zion.
The (S)zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
33 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria:
‘He shall not come into this city,
Nor shoot an arrow there,
Nor come before it with shield,
Nor build a siege mound against it.
34 By the way that he came,
By the same shall he return;
And he shall not come into this city,’
Says the Lord.
35 ‘For I will (T)defend this city, to save it
For My own sake and for My servant (U)David’s sake.’ ”
Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death(V)
36 Then the (W)angel[c] of the Lord went out, and [d]killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 38 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then (X)Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 37:3 contempt
- Isaiah 37:25 Or perhaps Egypt
- Isaiah 37:36 Or Angel
- Isaiah 37:36 Lit. struck
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
La Bible Du Semeur (The Bible of the Sower) Copyright © 1992, 1999 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
