Study Desk

And Rab-shakeh said unto them - Pray you, say unto Hezekiah, - Thus, saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What trust is this wherewith thou dost trust?

Thou hast said - they are only words of the lips! - Counsel and might have I for the war. Now, in whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against me?

Now, lo! thou dost trust thyself on the support of this bruised cane, on Egypt, whereon, if a man lean, it will enter his hand and lay it open, - so, is Pharaoh king of Egypt, to all who trust upon him.

But, if ye should say unto me, In Yahweh our God, do we trust, Then is that not he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath removed, and said unto Judah, and unto Jerusalem - Before this altar, shall ye bow down, in Jerusalem?

Now, therefore, pledge thyself, I pray thee, with my lord, the king of Assyria, - that I supply thee with two thousand horses, if thou, on thy part, be able to set riders upon them.

How then wilt thou turn back the face of one pasha of the least of my lord's servants? Or hast thou, on thy part, trusted to Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

Now, is it, without Yahweh, that I have come up against this place, to destroy it? Yahweh himself, said unto me, Go thou up against this land, and destroy it.

Then said Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah, unto Rab-shakeh: Speak, we pray thee, unto thy servants in the, Syrian, language, for, we, can, understand, it, - and do not speak with us in, the Jews', language, in the ears of the people who are upon the wall.

But Rab-shakeh said unto them - Is it, concerning thy lord, and concerning thee, that my lord hath sent me to speak these things? Is it not concerning the men who are tarrying upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung and drink their own water with you?

So then Rab-shakeh took his stand, and cried out with a loud voice, in, the Jews', language, - and spake, and said, Hear ye the message of the great king, the king of Assyria: -

Thus, saith the king: Let not Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not he able to deliver you out of his hand;

Neither let Hezekiah cause you to trust in Yahweh, saying, Yahweh, will, certainly deliver, us, - this city, therefore, shall not be given over into the hand of the king of Assyria.

Do not hearken unto Hezekiah, - for, thus, saith the king of Assyria, Deal with me thankfully, and come out unto me, then shall ye eat - every one of his own vine, and every one of his own fig-tree, and drink every one the waters of his own cistern;

Until I come and take you, into a land like your own land - A land of corn and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and honey, so shall ye live, and not die, - But do not hearken unto Hezekiah, for he would persuade you, saying, Yahweh, will deliver us!

Have, the gods of the nations, at all delivered, any one of them, his country, out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

Where are the gods of Hamath, and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Yea, did they deliver Samaria out of my hand?

Who are they, among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country, out of my hand, - that, Yahweh, should deliver, Jerusalem, out of my hand?

But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word, - for, the command of the king, it was, saying - Ye must not answer him.

Then came in Eliakim son of Hilkiah who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, unto Hezekiah, with rent clothes, - and they told him the words of Rab-shakeh.