Dual Panel1Now in the fourteenth<702><6240> year<8141> of King<4428> Hezekiah<2396>, Sennacherib<5576> king<4428> of Assyria<804> came<5927> up against<5921> all<3605> the fortified<1219> cities<5892> of Judah<3063> and seized<8610> them.
2And the king<4428> of Assyria<804> sent<7971> Rabshakeh<7262> from Lachish<3923> to Jerusalem<3389> to King<4428> Hezekiah<2396> with a large<3515> army<2428>. And he stood<5975> by the conduit<8585> of the upper<5945> pool<1295> on the highway<4546> of the fuller's<3526> field<7704>.
3Then Eliakim<471> the son<1121> of Hilkiah<2518>, who<834> was over<5921> the household<1004>, and Shebna<7644> the scribe<5613>, and Joah<3098> the son<1121> of Asaph<623>, the recorder<2142>, came<3318> out to him.
4Then Rabshakeh<7262> said<559> to them, "Say<559> now<4994> to Hezekiah<2396>, 'Thus<3541> says<559> the great<1419> king<4428>, the king<4428> of Assyria<804>, "What<4100> is this<2088> confidence<986> that you have<982>?
5"I say<559>, 'Your counsel<6098> and strength<1369> for the war<4421> are only<389> empty<8193> words<1697>.' Now<6258> on whom<4310> do you rely<982>, that you have rebelled<4775> against me?
6"Behold<2009>, you rely<982> on the staff<4938> of this<2088> crushed<7533> reed<7070>, even on Egypt<4714>, on which<834> if a man<376> leans<5564>, it will go<935> into his hand<3709> and pierce<5344> it. So<3651> is Pharaoh<6547> king<4428> of Egypt<4714> to all<3605> who rely<982> on him.
7"But if<3588> you say<559> to me, 'We trust<982> in the LORD<3068> our God<430>,' is it not He whose<834> high<1116> places<1116> and whose altars<4196> Hezekiah<2396> has taken<5493> away<5493> and has said<559> to Judah<3063> and to Jerusalem<3389>, 'You shall worship<7812> before<6440> this<2088> altar<4196>'?
8"Now<6258> therefore, come<4994> make<6148> a bargain<6148> with my master<113> the king<4428> of Assyria<804>, and I will give<5414> you two thousand<505> horses<5483>, if<518> you are able<3201> on your part to set<5414> riders<7392> on them.
9"How<349> then can you repulse<7725><6440> one<259> official<6346> of the least<6996> of my master's<113> servants<5650> and rely<982> on Egypt<4714> for chariots<7393> and for horsemen<6571>?
10"Have I now<6258> come<5927> up without<1107> the LORD'S<3068> approval against<5921> this<384> land<776> to destroy<7843> it? The LORD<3068> said<559> to me, 'Go<5927> up against<413> this<384> land<776> and destroy<7843> it.'"'"
11Then Eliakim<471> and Shebna<7644> and Joah<3098> said<559> to Rabshakeh<7262>, "Speak<1696> now<4994> to your servants<5650> in Aramaic<762>, for we understand<8085> it; and do not speak<1696> with us in Judean<3066> in the hearing<241> of the people<5971> who<834> are on the wall<2346>."
12But Rabshakeh<7262> said<559>, "Has my master<113> sent<7971> me only to your master<113> and to you to speak<1696> these<428> words<1697>, and not to the men<376> who sit<3427> on the wall<2346>, doomed to eat<398> their own dung<2716> and drink<8354> their own urine<7890> with you?"
13Then Rabshakeh<7262> stood<5975> and cried<7121> with a loud<1419> voice<6963> in Judean<3066> and said<559>, "Hear<8085> the words<1697> of the great<1419> king<4428>, the king<4428> of Assyria<804>.
14"Thus<3541> says<559> the king<4428>, 'Do not let Hezekiah<2396> deceive<5378> you, for he will not be able<3201> to deliver<5337> you;
15nor<408> let Hezekiah<2396> make you trust<982> in the LORD<3068>, saying<559>, "The LORD<3068> will surely<5337> deliver<5337> us, this<384> city<5892> will not be given<5414> into the hand<3027> of the king<4428> of Assyria<804>."
16'Do not listen<8085> to Hezekiah<2396>,' for thus<3541> says<559> the king<4428> of Assyria<804>, 'Make<6213> your peace<1293> with me and come<3318> out to me, and eat<398> each<376> of his vine<1612> and each<376> of his fig<8384> tree<8384> and drink<8354> each<376> of the waters<4325> of his own cistern<953>,
17until<5704> I come<935> and take<3947> you away to a land<776> like your own land<776>, a land<776> of grain<1715> and new<8492> wine<8492>, a land<776> of bread<3899> and vineyards<3754>.
18'Beware that Hezekiah<2396> does not mislead<5496> you, saying<559>, "The LORD<3068> will deliver<5337> us." Has any<376> one<376> of the gods<430> of the nations<1471> delivered<5337> his land<776> from the hand<3027> of the king<4428> of Assyria<804>?
19'Where<346> are the gods<430> of Hamath<2574> and Arpad<774>? Where<346> are the gods<430> of Sepharvaim<5617>? And when<3588> have they delivered<5337> Samaria<8111> from my hand<3027>?
20'Who<4310> among all<3605> the gods<430> of these<428> lands<776> have delivered<5337> their land<776> from my hand<3027>, that the LORD<3068> would deliver<5337> Jerusalem<3389> from my hand<3027>?'"
21But they were silent<2790> and answered<6030> him not a word<1697>; for the king's<4428> commandment<4687> was, "Do not answer<6030> him."
22Then Eliakim<471> the son<1121> of Hilkiah<2518>, who<834> was over<5921> the household<1004>, and Shebna<7644> the scribe<5613> and Joah<3098> the son<1121> of Asaph<623>, the recorder<2142>, came<935> to Hezekiah<2396> with their clothes<899> torn<7167> and told<5046> him the words<1697> of Rabshakeh<7262>.