Isaiah 36

1 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them.

And it came about in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up against all the walled towns 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 fuller's field.

And the king of Assyria sent the Rab-shakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a strong force, and he took up his position by the stream of the higher pool, by the highway of the washerman's

3 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah came forth to him, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder.

And there came out to him Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder.

4 And Rabshakeh said to them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: What confidence is this in which thou trust?

And the Rab-shakeh said to them, Say now to Hezekiah, These are the words of the great king, the king of Assyria: In what are you placing your hope?

5 I say, thy counsel and strength for the war are but vain words. Now on whom do thou trust that thou have rebelled against me?

You say you have a design and strength for war, but these are only words: now to whom are you looking for support, that you have gone against my authority?

6 Behold, thou 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.

See, you are basing your hope on that broken rod of Egypt, which will go into a man's hand if he makes use of it for a support; for so is Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to all who put their faith in him.

7 But if thou 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, Ye shall worship before this altar?

And if you say to me, Our hope is in the Lord our God; is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has taken away, saying to Judah and Jerusalem that worship may only be given before this altar?

8 Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges 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.

And now, take a chance with my master, the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to put horsemen on them.

9 How then can 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?

How then may you put to shame the least of my master's servants? and you have put your hope in Egypt for war-carriages and 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.

And have I now come to send destruction on this land without the Lord's authority? It was the Lord himself who said to me, Go up against this land and make it waste.

11 Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to 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 who are on the wall.

Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to the Rab-shakeh, Please make use of the Aramaean language in talking to your servants, for we are used to it, and do not make use of the Jews' language in the hearing of the people on the wall.

12 But Rabshakeh said, Has my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words, and not to the men who sit upon the wall, to eat their own dung, and to drink their own urine with you?

But the Rab-shakeh said, Is it to your master or to you that my master has sent me to say these words? has he not sent me to the men seated on the wall? for they are the people who will be short of food with you when the town is shut in.

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.

Then the Rab-shakeh got up and said with a loud voice in the Jews' language, Give ear to the words of the great king, the king of Assyria:

14 Thus says the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you.

This is what the king says: Do not be tricked by Hezekiah, for there is no salvation for you in him.

15 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in Jehovah, saying, Jehovah will surely deliver us. This city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.

And do not let Hezekiah make you put your faith in the Lord, saying, The Lord will certainly keep us safe, and this town will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.

16 Hearken not to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria, Make your peace with me, and come out to me, and eat ye everyone of his vine, and everyone of his fig tree, and drink ye everyone the waters of his own cistern,

Do not give ear to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says, Make peace with me, and come out to me; and everyone will be free to take the fruit of his vine and of his fig-tree, and the water of his spring;

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.

Till I come and take you away to a land like yours, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vine-gardens.

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?

Give no attention to Hezekiah when he says to you, The Lord will keep us safe. Has any one of the gods of the nations kept his land from falling into the hands 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?

Where are the gods of Hamath and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? where are the gods of Samaria? and have they kept 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?

Who among all the gods of these countries have kept their country from falling into my hand, to give cause for the thought that the Lord will keep Jerusalem from falling into my hand?

21 But they held their peace, and answered him not a word. For the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

But they kept quiet and gave him no answer: for the king's order was, Give him no answer.

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.

Then Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothing parted as a sign of grief, and gave him an account of what the Rab-shakeh had said.