Isaiah 36 — King James Version

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.● 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.● 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. {scribe: or, secretary}● 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?● 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? {vain...: Heb. a word of lips} {I have...: or, but counsel and strength are for the war}● 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.● 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?● 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. {pledges: or, hostages}● 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 without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.● 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.● 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?● 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.● 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, The 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 {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; {Make...: or, Seek my favour by a present: Heb. Make with me a blessing}● 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.● {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 Hamath and Arphad? where {are} the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria 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 they 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 with {their} clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.●