1 I n the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the strong cities of Judah and took them.

Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.

2 T he king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem with a large army. And he stood by the ditch of the upper pool on the road of the Fuller’s Field.

Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field.

3 T hen Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was the head of the house, and Shebna the writer, and Joah the son of Asaph, who wrote down the things that happened, came out to him.

And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him.

4 R abshakeh said to them, “Tell Hezekiah, ‘The great king, the king of Syria, says, “What is the reason for this hope you have?

Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: “What confidence is this in which you trust?

5 D o you think that empty words are plans and strength for war? In whom do you trust, that you have turned against me?

I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?

6 S ee, you are trusting in Egypt, whose power is like a broken piece of grass. If a man rests against it, it will cut into his hand. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

7 B ut if you tell me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and altars Hezekiah has taken away, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar’?

“But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’?”’

8 S o now come and make an agreement with my leader, the king of Assyria. And I will give you 2, 000 horses, if you are able to put horsemen on them.

Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on your part to put riders on them!

9 H ow then can you turn away from one captain of the least of my king’s servants, and trust in Egypt for war-wagons and horsemen?

How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

10 H ave I now come up to destroy the land against the Lord’s will? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’”’”

Have I now come up without the Lord against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’”

11 T hen Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Speak to your servants in the Aramaic language, for we understand it. Do not speak with us in the language of Judah so the people who are on the wall will hear.”

Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”

12 B ut Rabshakeh said, “Has my king sent me only to speak to your leader and to you, and not to the men who sit on the wall? They will have to eat and drink their own body waste with you.”

But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?”

13 T hen Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in the language of Judah, and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.

Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!

14 T he king says, ‘Do not let Hezekiah lie to you. For he will not be able to bring you out of your trouble.

Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you;

15 A nd do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, “For sure the Lord will bring us out of our trouble. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”

nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, “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 the king of Assyria says, ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me. Each one of you should eat of his own vine and fig tree, and drink the water of his own well,

Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make peace with me by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern;

17 u ntil I come and take you away to a land like your own land. It is a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and grape-fields.

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.

18 B e careful not to let Hezekiah lead you the wrong way, saying, “The Lord will bring us out of our trouble.” Has any of the gods of the nations saved his land from the power of the king of Assyria?

Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

19 W here are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? When have they taken Samaria out of my hand?

Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand?

20 W ho among all the gods of these lands have taken their land out of my hand? So why should the Lord save Jerusalem from my hand?’”

Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’”

21 B ut they were quiet and did not answer him. For the king had told them, “Do not answer him.”

But they held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.”

22 T hen Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was the head of the house, and Shebna the writer, and Joah the son of Asaph, who wrote down the things that happened, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn. They told him the words of Rabshakeh.

Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.