Isaiah
36:1 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.
36:2 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.
36:3 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.
36:4 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?
36:5 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?
36:6 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.
36:7 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?
36:8 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.
36:9 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?
36:10 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.
36:11 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.
36:12 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?
36:13 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.
36:14 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be
able to deliver you.
36:15 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.
36:16 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;
36:17 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.
36:18 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?
36:19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of
Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
36:20 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?
36:21 But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's
commandment was, saying, Answer him not.
36:22 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.
