Isaiah 36
1Now
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.
2And 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.
3Then
came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder.
4And 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?
5I 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?
6Lo, 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.
7But 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?
8Now 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.
9How 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?
10And 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.
11Then
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.
12But 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?
13Then 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.
14Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to
deliver you.
15Neither 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.
16Hearken 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;
17Until 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.
18Beware 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?
19Where are the gods of Hamath
and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
20Who 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?
21But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer
him not.
22Then 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.
