Isaiah 36:9

Contemporary English Version

How could you even defeat our lowest ranking officer, when you have to depend on Egypt for chariots and cavalry?

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
How 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?

Hebrew Names Version
How then can you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust on Mitzrayim for chariots and for horsemen?

King James Version
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?

English Standard Version
How 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?

New American Standard Bible
"How then can you drive back even one official of the least of my master's servants and rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

New Century Version
You cannot defeat one of my master's least important officers, so why do you depend on Egypt to give you chariots and horsemen?

Amplified Bible
"How then can you repulse [the attack of] a single commander of the least of my master's servants, and rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

World English Bible
How then can you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

Geneva Bible (1587)
For howe canst thou despise any captaine of the least of my lordes seruants? and put thy trust on Egypt for charets and for horsemen?

Legacy Standard Bible
How then can you turn away one official of the least of my master's servants and trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

Berean Standard Bible
For how can you repel a single officer among the weakest of my master's servants when you depend on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

Complete Jewish Bible
How then can you repulse even one of my master's lowest-ranked army officers? Yet you are relying on Egypt for chariots and riders!

Darby Translation
How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants? And thou reliest upon Egypt for chariots and for horsemen!

Easy-to-Read Version
But even then, you couldn't beat even one of my master's lowest ranking officers. So why do you still depend on Egypt's chariots and horse soldiers?

George Lamsa Translation
How then can you turn away the face of one of the least of my masters servants, and put your trust in the Egyptian to give you chariots and horsemen?

Good News Translation
You are no match for even the lowest ranking Assyrian official, and yet you expect the Egyptians to send you chariots and horsemen.

Lexham English Bible
But how can you drive back one governor among the least of my master's servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

Literal Translation
How then will you turn away the face of one commander of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariotry and horsemen?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Seinge now that thou canst not resist the power of the smallest prynce that my LORDE hath, how darrest thou trust in yt charettes and horse men of Egipte?

American Standard Version
How then canst 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?

Bible in Basic English
How then may you put to shame the least of my master's servants? and you have put your hope in Egypt for war-carriages and horsemen:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
How then canst thou turn away the face of one captain, even of the least of my master's servants? yet thou puttest thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen!

King James Version (1611)
How then wilt thou turne away the face of one captaine of the least of my masters seruants: and put thy trust on Egypt for charets and for horsemen?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Howe darest thou resist the power of the smallest prince that my Lorde hath? howe darest thou trust in the charrets and horsemen of Egypt?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And how can ye then turn to the face of the satraps? They that trust on the Egyptians for horse and rider, are our servants.

English Revised Version
How then canst 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?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And hou schalt thou abide the face of the iuge of o place of the lesse seruauntis of my lord? That if thou tristist in Egipt, and in cartis, and in knyytis;

Update Bible Version
How then can you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's slaves, and put your trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

Webster's Bible Translation
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?

New English Translation
Certainly you will not refuse one of my master's minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen.

New King James Version
How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

New Living Translation
With your tiny army, how can you think of challenging even the weakest contingent of my master's troops, even with the help of Egypt's chariots and charioteers?

New Life Bible
How then can you turn away from one captain of the least of my king's servants, and trust in Egypt for war-wagons and horsemen?

New Revised Standard
How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master's servants, when you rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
How then wilt thou turn away the face of one pasha of the least of my lords servants? Or hast thou on thy part trusted upon Egypt, for chariots and for horsemen?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And 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:

Revised Standard Version
How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master's servants, when you rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

Young's Literal Translation
And how dost thou turn back the face of one captain of the least of the servants of my lord, and dost trust for thee on Egypt, for chariot and for horsemen?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"How then can you repulse one official of the least of my master's servants and rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

Contextual Overview

¹ Hezekiah had been king of Judah for fourteen years when King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded the country and captured every walled city ² except Jerusalem. The Assyrian king ordered his army commander to leave the city of Lachish and to take a large army to Jerusalem. The commander went there and stood on the road near the cloth makers' shops along the canal from the upper pool. ³ Three of the king's highest officials came out of Jerusalem to meet him. One of them was Hilkiah's son Eliakim, who was the prime minister. The other two were Shebna, assistant to the prime minister, and Joah son of Asaph, keeper of the government records. ⁴ The Assyrian commander told them: I have a message for Hezekiah from the great king of Assyria. Ask Hezekiah why he feels so sure of himself. ⁵ Does he think he can plan and win a war with nothing but words? Who is going to help him, now that he has turned against the king of Assyria? ⁶ Is he depending on Egypt and its king? That's the same as leaning on a broken stick, and it will go right through his hand. ⁷ Is Hezekiah now depending on the Lord , your God? Didn't Hezekiah tear down all except one of the Lord 's altars and places of worship? Didn't he tell the people of Jerusalem and Judah to worship at that one place? ⁸ The king of Assyria wants to make a bet with you people! He will give you two thousand horses, if you have enough troops to ride them. ⁹ How could you even defeat our lowest ranking officer, when you have to depend on Egypt for chariots and cavalry? ¹⁰ Don't forget that it was the Lord who sent me here with orders to destroy your nation!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the least: Isaiah 10:8, 2 Kings 18:24

and put: Isaiah 36:6, Isaiah 30:16, Isaiah 30:17, Deuteronomy 17:16, Proverbs 21:31, Jeremiah 2:36

Reciprocal: Judges 9:29 - Increase thine army 1 Kings 10:28 - horses brought 2 Kings 7:6 - the kings of the Egyptians 2 Kings 18:23 - I will deliver 2 Chronicles 32:21 - the leaders 2 Chronicles 33:11 - the captains Isaiah 23:8 - merchants Isaiah 31:1 - stay on horses Isaiah 37:24 - By the Jeremiah 9:23 - neither

Cross-References

Genesis 19:37
The older daughter named her son Moab, and he is the ancestor of the Moabites.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants,.... Be able to resist him; or be a match for him; or cause him to flee; the least captain or general in the army having, as Kimchi says, two thousand men under him; and therefore, if Hezekiah could not produce two thousand men, to sit upon so many horses offered, he could not be a match for, or hope to conquer, or cause to flee, the least officer in the army, who had the fewest men under him, and much less conquer, or cause to flee, the whole Assyrian army. Some think Rabshakeh means himself, but that does not seem likely, that Sennacherib should send an inferior officer, or a person of a low character, and in a low station, or that such an one should be the principal speaker; nor does it suit with the imperious and haughty disposition of Rabshakeh to speak in such a manner of himself:

and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots, and for horsemen? for to what purpose was it to seek and send to Egypt for chariots and horses, since he had not a sufficient number of men to put upon them, but must be obliged to have men, as well as horses and chariots; and which, as before observed, it was a vain thing to trust to, and was quite needless, when he might have enough from his master, the Assyrian king, would he agree with him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

How then wilt thou turn away the face - The most unimportant captain in the army of Assyria commands more horsemen than this, and how can you expect to oppose even him, much more how can you be able to resist all the mighty army of the Assyrians?

One captain of the least - The word ‘captain’ here (פחת pachat, construct state from פחה pechâh) denotes a prefect or governor of a province less than a satrap, an officer who was under the satrap, and subject to him. It is applied to an officer in the Assyrian empire 2 Kings 18:24; in the Chaldean empire Jeremiah 51:23; the Persian Esther 8:9; Esther 9:3; and to the prefects of Judea in the time of Solomon 1 Kings 10:15. The word is of foreign origin.