18And they called for the king, when there came out to them Elyakim the son of Chilkiyahu, who was superintendent over the house, and Shebnah the scribe, and Yoach the son of Assaph the recorder.
19And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus hath said the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherewith thou hast trusted?
20Thou saidst, but it was only a word uttered with the lips, I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom didst thou trust, that thou rebelledst against me?
21Now, behold, thou trustedst thee upon yon cracked reed-staff, upon Egypt, which, if a man lean on it, will enter into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh the king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.
22But if ye should say unto me, In the Lord our God have we trusted: is he not the one whose high-places and whose altars Hezekiah hath removed, when he said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Before this altar shall ye prostrate yourselves in Jerusalem?
23And now, I pray thee, enter into a contest with 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.
24How then wilt thou turn back the face of a single chieftain among the least of my master's servants, while thou hast put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen!
25Now am I come up without the Lord 's will against this place to destroy it? The Lord hath said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.
26Then said Elyakim the son of Chilkiyahu, and Shebnah, and Yoach, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, we pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not with us in the Jewish language before the ears of the people that are on the wall.
27But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master then sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? is it not rather to the men who sit on the wall, that they may eat their own excrement, and drink their own urine with you?
28Then stood Rabshakeh up and called out with a loud voice in the Jewish language, and spoke, and said, Hear ye the word of the great king, the king of Assyria:
29Thus hath said the king. Let not Hezekiah deceive you; for he will not be able to deliver you out of his hand;
30Neither let Hezekiah induce you to trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given up into the hand of the king of Assyria:
31Hearken not to Hezekiah; for thus hath said the king of Assyria, Make a treaty of peace with me, and come out to me, and eat ye every man of his own vine, and every man of his fig-tree, and drink ye every man the waters of his cistern;
32Until 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, a land of oil-olive trees, and of honey, that ye may live, and not die; and hearken not unto Hezekiah; for he will mislead you, saying, The Lord will deliver us.
33Have the gods of the nations delivered in anywise each his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
34Where are the gods of Chamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvayim, Hena', and 'Ivvah? have they then delivered Samaria out of my hand?
35Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?
36But the people remained silent, and answered him not a word; for it was the king's command, saying, Ye shall not answer him.
2 Kings 18
2 Kings 18:18-36