14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria at Lachish,(A) saying, “I have done wrong;(B) withdraw from me. Whatever you demand from me, I will pay.” The king of Assyria demanded 11 tons[a] of silver and one ton[b] of gold from King Hezekiah of Judah. 15 So Hezekiah gave him all the silver found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the king’s palace.

16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the Lord’s sanctuary and from the doorposts he had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria.(C)

17 Then the king of Assyria sent the Tartan,(D) the Rab-saris, and the Rabshakeh, along with a massive army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.(E) They advanced and came to Jerusalem, and[c] they took their position by the aqueduct of the upper pool, which is by the highway to the Fuller’s Field.(F) 18 Then they called for the king, but Eliakim(G) son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, Shebnah(H) the court secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian, came out to them.(I)

The Rabshakeh’s Speech

19 Then(J) the Rabshakeh said to them, “Tell Hezekiah this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: ‘What are you relying on?[d](K) 20 You think mere words are strategy and strength for war. What are you now relying on so that you have rebelled against me?(L) 21 Look, you are now trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff(M) that will enter and pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it.(N) This is how Pharaoh king of Egypt is to all who trust in him. 22 Suppose you say to me: We trust in the Lord our God. Isn’t He the One whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed,(O) saying to Judah and to Jerusalem: You must worship at this altar in Jerusalem?’

23 “So now make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria. I’ll give you 2,000 horses if you’re able to supply riders for them! 24 How then can you drive back a single officer(P) among the least of my master’s servants and trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 25 Have I attacked this place to destroy it without the Lord’s approval?(Q) The Lord said to me, ‘Attack this land and destroy it.’”

26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebnah, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,(R) since we understand it. Don’t speak with us in Hebrew[e] within earshot of the people on the wall.”

27 But the Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words? Hasn’t he also sent me to the men who sit on the wall, destined with you to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?”(S)

28 The Rabshakeh stood and called out loudly in Hebrew.[f] Then he spoke: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. 29 This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah deceive(T) you; he can’t deliver you from my hand.(U) 30 Don’t let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord by saying: Certainly the Lord will deliver us! This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.’(V)

31 “Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: ‘Make peace[g] with me and surrender to me. Then every one of you may eat from his own vine and his own fig tree,(W) and every one may drink water from his own cistern 32 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, a land of olive trees and honey(X)—so that you may live(Y) and not die. But don’t listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you, saying: The Lord will deliver us. 33 Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered(Z) his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?[h] Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?(AA) 35 Who among all the gods of the lands has delivered his land from my power? So will the Lord deliver Jerusalem?’”(AB)

36 But the people kept silent; they didn’t say anything, for the king’s command was, “Don’t answer him.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 18:14 Lit 300 talents
  2. 2 Kings 18:14 Lit 30 talents
  3. 2 Kings 18:17 LXX, Syr, Vg; MT reads and came and
  4. 2 Kings 18:19 Lit What is this trust which you trust
  5. 2 Kings 18:26 Lit Judahite
  6. 2 Kings 18:28 Lit Judahite
  7. 2 Kings 18:31 Lit a blessing
  8. 2 Kings 18:34 Some LXX mss, Old Lat read Sepharvaim? Where are the gods of the land of Samaria?

14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish:(A) “I have done wrong.(B) Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me.” The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents[a] of silver and thirty talents[b] of gold. 15 So Hezekiah gave(C) him all the silver that was found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace.

16 At this time Hezekiah king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doors(D) and doorposts of the temple of the Lord, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem(E)(F)

17 The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander,(G) his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool,(H) on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 18 They called for the king; and Eliakim(I) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna(J) the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them.

19 The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah:

“‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence(K) of yours? 20 You say you have the counsel and the might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? 21 Look, I know you are depending on Egypt,(L) that splintered reed of a staff,(M) which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. 22 But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem”?

23 “‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! 24 How can you repulse one officer(N) of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen[c]? 25 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the Lord?(O) The Lord himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.’”

26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,(P) since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

27 But the commander replied, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?”

28 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive(Q) you. He cannot deliver you from my hand. 30 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’

31 “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree(R) and drink water from your own cistern,(S) 32 until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life(T) and not death!

“Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ 33 Has the god(U) of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath(V) and Arpad?(W) Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 35 Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”(X)

36 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 18:14 That is, about 11 tons or about 10 metric tons
  2. 2 Kings 18:14 That is, about 1 ton or about 1 metric ton
  3. 2 Kings 18:24 Or charioteers

14 In the evening—sudden terror!
Before morning—it is gone!
This is the fate of those who plunder us
and the lot of those who ravage us.

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14 In the evening, sudden(A) terror!(B)
    Before the morning, they are gone!(C)
This is the portion of those who loot us,
    the lot of those who plunder us.

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A troubling vision is declared to me:
“The treacherous one acts treacherously,(A)
and the destroyer destroys.
Advance, Elam! Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all her groaning.”

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A dire(A) vision has been shown to me:
    The traitor betrays,(B) the looter takes loot.
Elam,(C) attack! Media,(D) lay siege!
    I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.

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