1: 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. |
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2: 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. |
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3:
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. |
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4: 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? |
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5: 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? |
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6: 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. |
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7: 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?
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8: 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. |
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9: 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? |
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10: 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. |
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11: 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. |
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12: 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? |
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13: 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. |
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14: Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he
shall not be able to deliver you. |
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15: 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. |
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16: 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; |
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17: 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. |
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18: 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? |
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19: Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods
of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? |
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20: 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? |
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21: But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for
the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not. |
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22: 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. |