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.

And it cometh to pass, in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, come up hath Sennacherib king of Asshur against all the fenced cities of Judah, and seizeth 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.

And the king of Asshur sendeth Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem, unto the king Hezekiah, with a heavy force, and he standeth by the conduit of the upper pool, in the highway of 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 go forth unto him doth Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the remembrancer.

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?

And Rabshakeh saith unto them, `Say ye, I pray you, unto Hezekiah, `Thus said the great king, the king of Asshur, What this confidence in which thou hast confided?

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 have said: Only, a word of the lips! counsel and might for battle: now, on whom hast thou trusted, that thou hast rebelled 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.

`Lo, thou hast trusted on the staff of this broken reed -- on Egypt -- which a man leaneth on, and it hath gone into his hand, and pierced it -- so Pharaoh king of Egypt to all those trusting on 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’?

`And dost thou say unto me, Unto Jehovah our God we have trusted? is it not He, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath turned aside, and saith to Judah and to Jerusalem, Before this altar ye do bow yourselves?

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.

`And now, negotiate, I pray thee, with my lord the king of Asshur, and I give to thee two thousand horses, if thou art able to put for thee 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?

And how dost thou turn back the face of one captain of the least of the servants of my lord, and dost trust for thee on Egypt, for chariot and for 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.’”’”

And now, without Jehovah have I come up against this land to destroy it? Jehovah said unto me, Go up unto this land, and thou hast destroyed 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.”

And Eliakim saith -- and Shebna and Joah -- unto Rabshakeh, `Speak, we pray thee, unto thy servants Aramaean, for we are understanding; and do not speak unto us Jewish, in the ears of the people who 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.”

And Rabshakeh saith, `Unto thy lord, and unto thee, hath my lord sent me to speak these words? is it not for the men -- those sitting on the wall to eat their own dung and to drink their own water 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.

And Rabshakeh standeth and calleth with a great voice Jewish, and saith, `Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Asshur:

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 said the king, Let not Hezekiah lift you up, for he is not 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.”

and let not Hezekiah make you trust unto Jehovah, saying, Jehovah doth certainly deliver us, this city is not given into the hand of the king of Asshur.

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 hearken unto Hezekiah, for thus said the king of Asshur, Make ye with me a blessing, and come out unto me, and eat ye each of his vine, and each of his fig-tree, and drink ye each the waters of his own well,

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.

till my coming in, and I have taken you unto a land like your own land, a land of corn and 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?

lest Hezekiah doth persuade you, saying, Jehovah doth deliver us. `Have the gods of the nations delivered each his land out of the hand of the king of Asshur?

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 the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where the gods of Sepharvaim, that they have delivered Samaria out of 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 they who have delivered their land out of my hand, that Jehovah doth deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?'

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

And they keep silent, and have not answered him a word, for a command of the king is, saying, `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.

And Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who over the house, cometh in, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the remembrancer, unto Hezekiah with rent garments, and they declare to him the words of Rabshakeh.