Isaiah 36

1 In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah.

2 And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh, with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stopped by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.

3 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, went out to him.

4 The Rabshakeh said to them, “Tell Hezekiah that this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: What is the basis of this confidence of yours?

5 You claim to have a strategy and strength for war, but these are empty words. In whom are you now trusting, that you have rebelled against me?

6 Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

7 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is He not the One whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before this altar’?

8 Now, therefore, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them!

9 For how can you repel a single officer among the least of my master’s servants when you depend on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

10 So now, was it apart from the LORD that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD Himself said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”

11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

12 But the Rabshakeh replied, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to you and your master, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are destined with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”

13 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out loudly in Hebrew: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!

14 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he cannot deliver you.

15 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’

16 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and his own fig tree, and drink water from his own cistern,

17 until I come and take you away to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

18 Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?

20 Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered his land from my hand? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”

21 But the people remained silent and did not answer a word, for Hezekiah had commanded, “Do not answer him.”

22 Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.

1 ¶ Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, [that] Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.

2 And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.

3 Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder.

4 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence [is] this wherein thou trustest?

5 I say, [sayest thou], (but [they are but] vain words) [I have] counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?

6 Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so [is] Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.

7 But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: [is it] not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?

8 Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

9 How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

10 And am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

11 ¶ Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand [it]: and speak not to us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that [are] on the wall.

12 But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? [hath he] not [sent me] to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?

13 Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.

14 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.

15 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

16 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make [an agreement] with me [by] a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;

17 Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

18 [Beware] lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

19 Where [are] the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where [are] the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?

20 Who [are they] among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

21 But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

22 Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that [was] over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with [their] clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

1 And it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sanherib king of Assyria went up against all the strong cities of Judah, and took them.

2 And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh of Lachish unto Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with great power. And he stood by the waters of the upper pool by the way of the dyer's field.

3 And there came out unto him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah the chamberlain, and Sebena the chancellor, and Joah the son of Asaph the scribe.

4 And the archbishop said unto them, Say ye unto Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria: What defiance is this, in which thou trustest?

5 I suppose thou wilt be persuaded, that thou wilt yet know counsel and might to fight. In whom then wilt thou trust, that thou hast been displeasing to me?

6 Dost thou trust in the broken reed of Egypt, which, if any man lean upon it, it entereth into his hand, and pierceth it? Thus doeth Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all them that rely upon him.

7 But wilt thou say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God? Is not this he, whose high places and altars Hezekiah hath abolished, and hath said unto Judah and Jerusalem, Before this altar shall ye worship?

8 Now therefore, I pray thee, take it up with my lord the king of Assyria. I will give thee two thousand horses, and let thee see if thou canst raise up them that ride thereon.

9 How then wilt thou abide before a captain, the least of the servants of one my lord? And thou trustedst in Egypt for chariots and horsemen.

10 And thou thinkest that I went up into this land without the LORD, to destroy it? Yea, the LORD said unto me, Go up into this land, and destroy it.

11 And Eliakim, and Sebena, and Joah, said unto the prince, Speak unto thy servants in Syrian, for we understand it: speak not unto us in the Jews' language in the ears of the people that are upon the wall.

12 Then said the archbishop, Thinkest thou that my lord hath sent me unto thy lord, or unto thee, to speak such words, and not rather unto the men that sit upon the wall, to eat their own dung with you, and to drink their own urine?

13 And the archbishop stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews, saying, Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.

14 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he cannot deliver you.

15 And let not Hezekiah put you off unto the LORD, saying, The LORD will deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

16 Hearken not unto Hezekiah. For thus saith the king to Assyria: Give me thanks, and come out unto me; and ye shall eat every man of his vine, and of his fig tree, and drink of his well,

17 Till I come and take you into a land like your land, a land where corn and wine are within, a land where bread and vineyards are within.

18 Let not Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Have any of the gods of the heathen delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they also delivered Samaria out of my hand?

20 Which of all the gods of these countries hath delivered his land out of mine hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?

21 And they held their peace, and answered him nothing: for the king had commanded, saying, Answer him nothing.

22 And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah the chamberlain, and Sebena the chancellor, and Joah the son of Asaph the scribe, came with their clothes rent, and shewed him the words of the archbishop.