MLV(i)
1 Now it happened 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 And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the launder's field.
3 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah came out to him, who was over the household and Shebna the scribe and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder.
4 And Rabshakeh said to them, Say you* now to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: What confidence is this in which you trust? 5 I say, your counsel and strength for the war are but vain words. Now on whom do you trust that you have rebelled against me? 6 Behold, you trust upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon 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 on him.
7 But if you say to me, We trust in Jehovah our God. Is that not he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, You* will worship before this altar?
8 Now therefore, I beseech you, give pledges to my master the king of Assyria and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders upon them. 9 How then can you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants and put your trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
10 And have I now come up without Jehovah against this land to destroy it? Jehovah said to me, Go up against this land and destroy it.
11 Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, I beseech you, speak, to your servants in the Syrian language, for we understand it. And do not speak to us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people who are on the wall.
12 But Rabshakeh said, Has my master sent me to your master and to you, to speak these words, and not to the men who sit upon the wall, to eat their own manure and to drink their own urine with you*?
13 Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language and said, Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 14 Thus says the king, Do not let Hezekiah deceive you*, for he will not be able to deliver you*. 15 Neither let Hezekiah make you* trust in Jehovah, saying, Jehovah will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
16 Listen not to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria, Make your* peace with me and come out to me and eat you* everyone of his vine and everyone of his fig tree and drink you* everyone the waters of his own cistern, 17 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 Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you*, saying, Jehovah will deliver us. Has 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 Arpad? 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 countries that have delivered their country out of my hand, that Jehovah 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 Eliakim the son of Hilkiah came, who was over the household and Shebna the scribe and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
3 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah came out to him, who was over the household and Shebna the scribe and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder.
4 And Rabshakeh said to them, Say you* now to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: What confidence is this in which you trust? 5 I say, your counsel and strength for the war are but vain words. Now on whom do you trust that you have rebelled against me? 6 Behold, you trust upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon 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 on him.
7 But if you say to me, We trust in Jehovah our God. Is that not he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, You* will worship before this altar?
8 Now therefore, I beseech you, give pledges to my master the king of Assyria and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders upon them. 9 How then can you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants and put your trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
10 And have I now come up without Jehovah against this land to destroy it? Jehovah said to me, Go up against this land and destroy it.
11 Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, I beseech you, speak, to your servants in the Syrian language, for we understand it. And do not speak to us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people who are on the wall.
12 But Rabshakeh said, Has my master sent me to your master and to you, to speak these words, and not to the men who sit upon the wall, to eat their own manure and to drink their own urine with you*?
13 Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language and said, Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 14 Thus says the king, Do not let Hezekiah deceive you*, for he will not be able to deliver you*. 15 Neither let Hezekiah make you* trust in Jehovah, saying, Jehovah will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
16 Listen not to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria, Make your* peace with me and come out to me and eat you* everyone of his vine and everyone of his fig tree and drink you* everyone the waters of his own cistern, 17 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 Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you*, saying, Jehovah will deliver us. Has 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 Arpad? 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 countries that have delivered their country out of my hand, that Jehovah 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 Eliakim the son of Hilkiah came, who was over the household and Shebna the scribe and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh.