Isaiah Chapter 36
So, during the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, pulled up on all the fortified cities of Judah and snagged them.
Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, {that} Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.
The Assyrian king dispatched Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem, rolling up to King Hezekiah with a hefty squad. He was hanging out by the upper pool on the fuller’s field highway.
And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.
Then Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, who was managing the crib, along with Shebna the scribe and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder, pulled up.
Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder. {scribe: or, secretary}
Rabshakeh was like, "Ayo, tell Hezekiah this: What’s all this swagger about?"
And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence {is} this wherein thou trustest?
I mean, you’re throwing out big talk (but it’s all cap) like you’re ready for battle: who you tryna show up, defying me?
I say, {sayest thou}, (but {they are but} vain words) {I have} counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me? {vain...: Heb. a word of lips} {I have...: or, but counsel and strength are for the war}
Fr, you really putting your faith in Egypt, this broken reed; lean on that, and it’ll stab you—just like Pharaoh’s a joke to those who rely on him.
Lo, 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 you claim you trust in the Lord our God, isn’t He the one that Hezekiah just demolished all the high places and altars for, telling Judah and Jerusalem to worship here?
But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: {is it} not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?
So, for real, make some offers to my boss, the king of Assyria, and I’ll set you up with two thousand horses if you can find riders for them.
Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. {pledges: or, hostages}
How are you gonna turn down even one of my master’s low-key servants, putting your faith in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
Did I just roll up here without the Lord to trash this land? The Lord sent me to go against this land and wipe it out.
And 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 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah told Rabshakeh, "Speak to us in Syrian; we get that. Don’t talk to us in Hebrew where everyone can catch what you’re saying."
Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian 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 shot back, "Did my master send me to you and your boss just to say this? Nah, I’m here for those on the wall, so they can eat their own dung and drink their own pee with you."
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 may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?
Then Rabshakeh stood up and yelled in Hebrew, saying, "Listen closely to the words of the mighty king, the king of Assyria."
Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.
The king says, "Don’t let Hezekiah trick you; he can’t save you."
Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.
And don't let Hezekiah mislead you into thinking the Lord will rescue us, saying, "This city won’t fall to the Assyrian king."
Neither 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.
Ignore Hezekiah: the king of Assyria says, "Make a pact with me and come out; eat from your own vines and drink from your own cisterns."
Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make {an agreement} with me {by} a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern; {Make...: or, Seek my favour by a present: Heb. Make with me a blessing}
Until I roll up and take you to a land just like yours, a land of grain and wine, bread and vineyards.
Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
Watch out for Hezekiah trying to tell you that the Lord will come through for us. Did any gods from other nations save their lands from the Assyrian king?
{Beware} lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? Where the gods of Sepharvaim? Did they save Samaria from my grip?
Where {are} the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where {are} the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
Which of all these gods has rescued their land from my hand, that the Lord should save Jerusalem from my power?
Who {are they} among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?
But they just shut up and didn’t say a word, ‘cause the king said, "Don’t respond to him."
But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.
Then Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the household, plus Shebna the scribe and Joah, son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes ripped, telling him everything Rabshakeh said.
Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that {was} over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with {their} clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.