Isaiah

Isaiah 36 ©

1 Sennacherib invadeth Judah. 2 He sendeth Rabshakeh, who insulteth Hezekiah, 13 and in a blasphemous speech soliciteth the people to revolt.

1

NOW ait came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria bcame up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.

2

And cthe king of Assyria sent Rab-shakeh from dLachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the e*conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the *fuller's field.

c To ch. 37.38, 2Ch. 32.9-20. 2Ki. 18.17-19.37. ch. 22.6,7.
3

Then came forth unto him fEliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and gShebna the 1scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder.

g Not ch. 22.15.
4

¶And Rab-shakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, hThus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What iconfidence is this wherein thou trustest?

5

I say, sayest thou, (but they are but 2vain words) 3I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest jagainst me?

6

Lo, thou trustest in the kstaff 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, lWe trust in the LORD our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah mhath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?

8

Now therefore give 4pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and nI 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 oone captain of the least of my master's servants, and pput 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? qthe LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

11

¶Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rab-shakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the rSyrian language; for we understand it : and speak not to us in the sJews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.

12

¶But Rab-shakeh said, tHath 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 uthey may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?

13

Then Rab-shakeh stood, and vcried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the wgreat king, the king of Assyria.

14

Thus saith the king, xLet not Hezekiah deceive you: yfor 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, 5Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye zevery one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;

17

Until aI come and take you away to a land like your own land, ba land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

18

cBeware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. dHath 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 eHamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered fSamaria out of my hand?

f ch. 7.9.
20

Who gare they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, hthat the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

21

But ithey held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

22

¶Then came jEliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah kwith their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rab-shakeh.