THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
ISAIAH
Isaiah 36 ©
Sennacherib invades Judah, v. 1. He sends Rabshakeh, who seeks to draw Hezekiah and the people by blasphemous speeches to despair and distrust God, and to revolt to Sennacherib, 2, etc. Compare 2 Kings 18, from the 13thth verse to the end, and 2 Chron. 32:1, etc.
NOW1 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 2took them.
And the king of Assyria sent Rab-shakeh from 3Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood 4by the conduit of the upper pool 5in the highway of the fuller's field.
Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna 6the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder.
¶And Rab-shakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
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?
Lo, 7thou trustest in the staff of this brokena 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.
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 8to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall 9worship before this altar?
Now therefore 10give 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.
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?
And am I now come up 11without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD 12said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.
¶Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rab-shakeh, 13Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for 14we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.
¶But Rab-shakeh 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, 15that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?
Then Rab-shakeh stood, and cried 16with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.
Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.
Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, 17The LORD will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me 18by a present, 19and 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;
Until I come and 20take you away to a land 21like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
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?
Where are the gods of 22Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered 23Samaria out of my hand?
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?
But 24they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.
¶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 25with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rab-shakeh.