1In the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, came Sennaherib king of the Assyrians down, to lay siege unto all the strong cities of Judah.
2And the king of the Assyrians sent Rabsakeh from Lachis toward Jerusalem, against king Hezekiah, with a grievous Host, which set him by the conduit of the over pool, in the way that goeth thorow the fuller's land.
3And so there came forth unto him Eliakim, Helkiah's son, the President, Sobna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son the Secretary.
4And Rabsakeh said unto them: Tell Hezekiah, that the great king of Assyria sayeth thus unto him: What presumption is this, that thou trustest unto?
5Thou thinkest (peradventure) that thou hast counsel and power enough to maintain this war: or else where to trustest thou, that thou castest thy self off from me?
6Lo, thou puttest thy trust in a broken staff of reed (I mean Egypt) which he that leaneth upon, it goeth into his hand and shooteth him thorow. Even so is Pharaoh the king of Egypt, unto all them that trust in him.
7But if thou wouldest say unto me: We trust in the LORD our God: A goodly God in deed: whose High places and altars Hezekiah took down, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, to worship only before the altar.
8Abide thee, thou hast made a condition with my lord the king of the Assyrians, that he should give thee two thousand horses: art thou able to set men there up?
9Seeing now that thou canst not resist the power of the smallest prince that my Lord(LORDE) hath, how darest thou trust in the chariots and horsemen of Egypt?
10Moreover, thinkest thou that I am come down hither, to destroy this land without the LORD's will? The LORD said unto me, go down into the land, that thou mayest destroy it.
11Then said Eliakim, Sobna and Joah unto Rabsakeh: Speak to us thy servants (we pray thee) in the Syrians language, for we understand it well: And speak not to us in the Jews' Tongue, lest the folk hear, which lieth upon the wall.
12Then answered Rabsakeh: Think ye, that the king sent me to speak this only unto you? Hath he not sent me to them also, that lie upon the wall? that they be not compelled to eat their own dung, and drink their own stale with you?
13And Rabsakeh stood stiff, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' tongue, and said: Now take heed, how the great king of the Assyrians giveth you warning.
14Thus sayeth the king: Let not Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not be able to deliver you.
15Moreover, let not Hezekiah comfort you in the LORD, when he sayeth: The LORD with out doubt shall defend us, and shall not give over this city into the hands of the king of the Assyrians, believe him not.
16But thus sayeth the king of Assyria: obtain my favour, incline to me: so may every man enjoy his vineyards and fig trees, and drink the water of his cistern:
17Unto the time that I come myself, and bring you into a land, that is like your own: wherein is wheat and wine, which is both sown with seed, and planted with vineyards.
18Let not Hezekiah deceive you, when he sayeth unto you: The LORD shall deliver us. Might the gods of the Gentiles keep every man's land, from the power of the king of the Assyrians?
19Where is the God of hemath and Arphad? Where is the God of Sepharuaim? And who was able to defend Samaria out of my hand?
20Or which of all the Gods of the lands, hath delivered their country out of my power, so that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?
21Unto this Hezekiahs messengers held their tongues, and answered not one word: for the king had charged them, that they should give him none answer.
22So came Eliakim, Helkiah's son the President, Sobna the Scribe, and Joah Asaph's son the Secretary, unto Hezekiah with rent clothes, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.