Isaias (Isaiah) 36
36
1AND it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Ezechias, that Sennacherib, king of the Assyrians, came up against all the fenced cities of Juda and took them.
2And the king of the Assyrians sent Rabsaces from Lachis to Jerusalem, to king Ezechias with a great army: and he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the way of the fuller's field.
3And there went out to him Eliacim the son of Helcias, who was over the house, and Sobna the scribe, and Joahe the son of Asaph, the recorder.
4And Rabsaces said to them: Tell Ezechias: Thus saith the great king, the king of the Assyrians: What is this confidence wherein thou trustest?
5Or with what counsel or strength dost thou prepare for war? On whom dost thou trust, that thou art revolted from me?
6Lo, thou trustest upon this broken staff of a reed, upon Egypt: upon which if a man lean, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharao king or Egypt to all that trust in him.
7But if thou wilt answer me: We trust in the Lord our God; Is it not he whose high places and altars Ezechias hath taken away, and hath said to Juda, and Jerusalem: You shall worship before this altar?
8And now deliver thyself up to my lord the king of the Assyrians, and I will give thee two thousand horses: and thou wilt not be able on thy part to find riders for them.
9And how wilt thou stand against the face of the judge of one place, of the least of my master's servants? But if thou trust in Egypt, in chariots and in horsemen:
10And am I now come up without the Lord against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me: Go up against this land and destroy it.
11And Eliacim and Sobna and Joahe said to Rabsaces: Speak to thy servants in the Syrian tongue, for we understand it. Speak not to us in the Jews' language in the hearing of the people that are upon the wall.
12And Rabsaces said to them: Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee, to speak all these words; and not rather to the men that sit on the wall: that they may eat their own dung and drink their urine with you?
13Then Rabsaces stood, and cried out with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said: Hear the words of the great king, the king of the Assyrians.
14Thus saith the king: Let not Ezechias deceive you, for he shall not be able to deliver you.
15And let not Ezechias make you trust in the Lord, saying: The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be given into the hands of the king of the Assyrians.
16Do not hearken to Ezechias, for thus said the king of the Assyrians: Do with me that which is for your advantage, 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 water of his cistern,
17Till I come and take you away to a land, like to your own, a land of corn and of wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
18Neither let Ezechias trouble you, saying: The Lord will deliver us. Have any of the gods of the nations delivered their land out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians?
19Where is the god of Emath and of Arphad? Where is the god of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
20Who is there among all the gods of these lands that hath delivered his country out of my hand, that the Lord may deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?
21And they held their peace, and answered him not a word. For the king had commanded, saying: answer him not.
22And Eliacim the son of Helcias, that was over the house, and Sobna the scribe, and Joahe the son of Asaph the recorder, went in to Ezechias, with their garments rent, and told him the words of Rabsaces.
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Isaias (Isaiah) 36: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Isaiah 36
36
Sennacherib’s Invasion
1In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah,#2Kg 18:13,17–37; 2Ch 32:1–16,18 King Sennacherib of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 2Then the king of Assyria sent his royal spokesman, along with a massive army, from Lachish#Jos 15:20,39 to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. The Assyrian stood near the conduit of the upper pool, by the road to Launderer’s Field.#Is 7:3 3Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the court secretary,#Is 22:15,20–21 and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian, came out to him.
4The royal spokesman said to them, “Tell Hezekiah:
The great king, the king of Assyria, says this: What are you relying on? 5You#36:5 Many Hb mss, DSS, 2Kg 18:20; MT reads I think mere words are strategy and strength for war. Who are you now relying on that you have rebelled against me?#2Kg 18:7 6Look, you are relying on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff#Ezk 29:6–7 that will pierce the hand of anyone who grabs it and leans on it. This is how Pharaoh king of Egypt is to all who rely on him.#Is 30:3–7 7Suppose you say to me, ‘We rely on the Lord our God.’ Isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You are to worship at this altar’?#Dt 12:2–5; 2Kg 18:4–5
8“Now make a deal with my master, the king of Assyria. I’ll give you two thousand horses if you’re able to supply riders for them! 9How then can you drive back a single officer among the least of my master’s servants? How can you rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?#Is 20:5; 30:2–5,7; 31:3 10Have I attacked this land to destroy it without the Lord’s approval? The Lord said to me, ‘Attack this land and destroy it.’”
11Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the royal spokesman, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,#Ezr 4:7; Dn 2:4 since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew#36:11 Lit Judahite, also in v. 13 within earshot of the people who are on the wall.”
12But the royal spokesman replied, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men who are sitting on the wall, who are destined with you to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?”
13Then the royal spokesman stood and called out loudly in Hebrew:
Listen to the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! 14This is what the king says: “Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you,#Is 37:10 for he cannot rescue you. 15Don’t let Hezekiah persuade you to rely on the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord will certainly rescue us! This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.’”
16Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: “Make peace#36:16 Lit a blessing with me and surrender to me. Then every one of you may eat from his own vine and his own fig tree#1Kg 4:25; Mc 4:4; Zch 3:10 and drink water from his own cistern 17until 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. 18Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you by saying, ‘The Lord will rescue us.’#Is 37:10 Has any one of the gods of the nations#1Ch 5:25; Is 37:12 rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 19Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad?#Is 10:9–11; 37:11–13; Jr 49:23 Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my power?#2Kg 17:6 20Who among all the gods of these lands ever rescued his land from my power? So will the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?”
21But they kept silent; they didn’t say anything, for the king’s command was, “Don’t answer him.”#Pr 26:4 22Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the court secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and reported to him the words of the royal spokesman.
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