aNow in the fourteenth year
of King
Hezekiah
, bSennacherib
king
of Assyria
came
up against
all
the fortified
cities
of Judah
and seized
them.
And the aking of Assyria
sent
Rabshakeh
from Lachish
to Jerusalem
to King
Hezekiah
with a large
army
. And he stood
by the bconduit
of the upper
pool
on the highway
of the 1fuller's
field
.
Then aEliakim the son
of Hilkiah
, who
was over
the household
, and bShebna
the scribe
, and Joah
the son
of Asaph
, the recorder
, came
out to him.
Then aRabshakeh said
to them, "Say
now
to Hezekiah
, `Thus
says
the great
king
, the king
of Assyria
, "What
is this
confidence
that you 1have
?
"I say, `Your counsel
and strength
for the war
are only
1empty
words
.' Now
on whom
do you rely
, that ayou have rebelled
against me?
"Behold, you rely
on the astaff
of this
crushed
reed
, even on Egypt
, on which
if a man
leans
, it will go
into his 1hand
and pierce
it. bSo
is Pharaoh
king
of Egypt
to all
who rely
on him.
"But if you say
to me, `We trust
in the LORD
our God
,' is it not He awhose
high
places
and whose altars
Hezekiah
has taken
away
and has said
to Judah
and to Jerusalem
, `You shall worship
before
this
altar
'?
"Now therefore, 1come
make
a bargain
with my master
the king
of Assyria
, and I will give
you two thousand
horses
, if
you are able
on your part to set
riders
on them.
"How then can you 1repulse
one
2official
of the least
of my master's
servants
and 3 arely
on Egypt
for chariots
and for horsemen
?
"Have I now come
up 1without
the LORD'S
approval against
this
land
to destroy
it? aThe LORD
said
to me, `Go
up against
this
land
and destroy
it.' ""'
Then Eliakim and Shebna
and Joah
said
to Rabshakeh
, "Speak
now
to your servants
in aAramaic
, for we 1understand
it; and do not speak
with us in 2 bJudean
in the hearing
of the people
who
are on the wall
."
But Rabshakeh said
, "Has my master
sent
me only to your master
and to you to speak
these
words
, and not to the men
who sit
on the wall
, doomed to eat
their own dung
and drink
their own urine
with you?"
Then Rabshakeh stood
and acried
with a loud
voice
in Judean
and said
, "Hear
the words
of the great
king
, the king
of Assyria
.
"Thus says
the king
, `Do not let Hezekiah
adeceive
you, for he will not be able
to deliver
you;
nor let Hezekiah
make you atrust
in the LORD
, saying
, "The LORD
will surely
deliver
us, this
city
will not be given
into the hand
of the king
of Assyria
."
`Do not listen to Hezekiah
,' for thus
says
the king
of Assyria
, ` 1Make
your peace
with me and come
out to me, and eat
each
of his avine
and each
of his fig
tree
and drink
each
of the bwaters
of his own cistern
,
until I come
and take
you away to a land
like your own land
, a land
of grain
and new
wine
, a land
of bread
and vineyards
.
`Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead
you, saying
, " aThe LORD
will deliver
us." Has any
one
of the gods
of the nations
delivered
his land
from the hand
of the king
of Assyria
?
`Where are the gods
of aHamath
and Arpad
? Where
are the gods
of aSepharvaim
? And when
have they bdelivered
Samaria
from my hand
?
`Who among all
the agods
of these
lands
have delivered
their land
from my hand
, that the bLORD
would deliver
Jerusalem
from my hand
?' "
But they were silent and aanswered
him not a word
; for the king's
commandment
was, "Do not answer
him."
Then aEliakim the son
of Hilkiah
, who
was over
the household
, and bShebna
the scribe
and Joah
the son
of Asaph
, the recorder
, came
to Hezekiah
with their clothes
torn
and told
him the words
of Rabshakeh
.