¶ Now it came¹ to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib² king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.

And the king of Assyria sent³ Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit⁴ of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.

Then came forth unto him Eliakim⁵, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna⁶ the scribe⁷, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder.

And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith⁸ the great king, the king of Assyria⁹, What¹⁰ confidence is this wherein thou trustest?

I say, sayest thou, (but they are but vain words¹¹) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that¹² thou rebellest against me?

¹³Lo, 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 trust¹⁴ in the LORD our God: is it not¹⁵ 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 pledges¹⁶, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I¹⁷ 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 least¹⁸ of my master's servants, and put¹⁹ thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

¶²⁰And 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 Syrian²¹ 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 may²² eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?

Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried²³ with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear²⁴ ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.

²⁵Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.

²⁶Neither 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 present²⁷, and come out²⁸ to me: and eat ye²⁹ 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 come³⁰ and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn³¹ and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

Beware lest³² Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath³³ any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

Where are the gods of Hamath³⁴ and Arphad³⁵? where are the gods of Sepharvaim³⁷? and have³⁸ 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 LORD³⁹ should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

⁴⁰But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

Then came Eliakim⁴¹, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their⁴² clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.