2 Kings 18:17-36

17And the king of Assyria sent the aTartan, the Rab-saris, and the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they arrived, they came and stood by bthe conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the Washer’s Field. 18And when they called for the king, there came out to them cEliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and dShebnah the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder.

19And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? 20Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me? 21Behold, you are trusting now in Egypt, that broken reed of ea staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 22But if you say to me, “We trust in the Lord our God,” is it not he fwhose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem”? 23Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. 24How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 25Moreover, is it without the Lord that I have come up against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, "Go up against this land, and destroy it."’”

26Then gEliakim the son of Hilkiah, and hShebnah, and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in iAramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 27But the Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and to drink their own urine?”

28Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my
Hebrew his
hand.
30Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ 31Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me
Hebrew  Make a blessing with me
and come out to me. Then leach one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern,
32until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, ma land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and nhoney, that you may live, and not die. And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” 33 oHas any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 pWhere are the gods of qHamath and rArpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and sIvvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 35Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, tthat the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”

36But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.”
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