“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. 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. 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. 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? 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? 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. 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? 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. 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? 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. 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.” (Isaiah
36:1-22 AV)