poetry in 2 Kings 19:25-28

The Hebrew poetry in 2 Kings 19:25-28 is translated by the German Gute Nachricht Bibel (last rev. 2018) in poetic form:

So prahlst du. Hör zu jetzt und lass es dir sagen:
Ich hab’s so beschlossen seit uralten Tagen;
ich hab es geplant, was jetzt ist geschehen,
drum mussten die Städte zugrunde gehen.
Nichts ist davon übrig als Trümmer nur,
von ihren Bewohnern blieb keine Spur.
Der Mut, sich zu wehren, war ihnen entfallen,
verschwunden die Kraft, drum erging’s ihnen allen
wie Gras an einem trocknen Ort;
es sprießt – und schon ist es verdorrt.
Ich hab auch dich ganz fest in der Hand,
was immer du tust, ist mir vorher bekannt,
ob du stehst, liegst, kommst, gehst – alles sehe ich,
ich weiß genau, wie du tobst gegen mich.
Weil mir dein Geschwätz in die Ohren dringt,
schmück ich dir die Nase mit einem eisernen Ring,
ich lege dir meinen Zaum in das Maul
und zwing dich wie einen störrischen Gaul.
Den Weg, den du Prahlhans gekommen bist,
den bring ich zurück dich in kürzester Frist!

Literal translation:
“This is how you brag. Now listen and let me tell you:
I have decided this way since ancient times;
I planned for what happened now
therefore the cities had to perish.
Nothing is left of it but rubble,
no trace of its inhabitants remained.
They had lost the courage to defend themselves,
the strength disappeared, and that’s what happened to them all
like grass in a dry place;
it sprouts -– and then it withers.
I also have you firmly in my hand,
whatever you do is known to me beforehand,
whether you stand, lie, come, go — I see everything,
I know exactly how you rage against me.
Because your chatter gets into my ears,
I’ll decorate your nose with an iron ring,
I’ll put my bridle in your mouth
and force yourself like a stubborn horse.
The way you came as a braggard
is the way I’ll take you back as soon as possible!”

While the syllable count of the lines varies, the rhyming pattern is AA-BB-AA-BB (except for the first line).

Source: Zetzsche

Translation commentary on 2 Kings 19:27

But: The common Hebrew conjunction here is not rendered in Revised English Bible and New American Bible, but most English versions have a contrasting conjunction since there is a transition here from speaking about the defeated people in the previous verse to addressing Sennacherib himself in this verse.

Your sitting down: The Qumran text of the parallel passage in Isa 37.28 has “your rising up and your sitting down,” and this reading is followed here in 2 Kings by Revised English Bible, New American Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible. This is a more balanced and logical reading (compare Lam 3.63), and the textual experts have decided that it represents the original text. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {C} degree of certainty to the longer reading in this case, assuming that the Hebrew word translated “your rising up” was accidentally omitted because of similar spelling to the previous word in the text. The longer text is an all-inclusive statement very similar to the one that follows. The first two lines in this verse point out that God knows everything that Sennacherib does. “Your rising up and your sitting down” may be rendered “where you live” (NET Bible).

Your going out and coming in: In Hebrew the expression “go out and come in” usually signifies the general daily activity of a person although it is sometimes used as a military expression to describe going to battle and returning home after the completion of a battle (see Josh 14.11; 1 Sam 18.13, 16; 29.6; 2 Sam 3.25; Psa 121.8). Here the idea seems to be “everything that you do” or “Every move you make” (Moffatt).

Your raging against me: In addition to knowing all about the Assyrian king in general, Yahweh also assures him that he knows quite specifically how he has raved against him. The Hebrew verb used here is translated in other contexts as “quarrel” (Gen 45.24) and “tremble” (Deut 2.25). But here the idea is that of an excited or violent demonstration of opposition to Yahweh. In some languages the idea of raging may have to be translated as “angry talk” or “boastful frenzy.”

Some versions (Revised English Bible, New American Bible, American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible) omit this last line since it is not found in a couple of Hebrew manuscripts. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensiasuggests that this clause should perhaps be considered an accidental repetition of the beginning of verse 28 and should, therefore, be omitted. However, Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, which gives an {A} rating to the Masoretic Text, argues that these words are original but were accidentally omitted in a few manuscripts.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .