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.
02 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.
03 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.
04 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?
05 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?
06 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.
07 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?
08 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.
09 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.
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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.
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