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?"
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. Thus saith the king, 'Let [{273}] not Hezekiah deceive you; for he shall not be able to deliver you: neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us; this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.' Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, 'Make your peace with me, and come out to me; and eat ye every one of his vine, and everyone of his fig tree, and drink ye everyone the waters of his own cistern: 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. 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? Who are they among all the gods of these countries, that have delivered their country out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?'"
But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, "Answer him not."
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.
And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. And they said unto him, "Thus saith Hezekiah, 'This day is a day of trouble, [{274}] and of rebuke, and of confusion. It may be the Lord thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.'"
So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said unto them, "Thus shall ye say to your master, 'Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return unto his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.'"
So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. And he heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, "He is come out to fight against thee." And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, "Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, 'Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered?'"
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying, "O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, that sittest upon the cherubim, thou art [{275}] the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear; open thine eyes, O Lord, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to defy the living God. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries and their land, and have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord, even thou only."
Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, "Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word which the Lord hath spoken concerning him: The daughter of Zion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. Whom hast thou defied and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel. By thy servants hast thou defied the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into his farthest height, the forest of his fruitful field. Hast thou not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it of ancient times? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest lay waste fortified cities into ruinous heaps. Therefore their [{276}] inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, and as a field of corn before it be grown up. But I know thy sitting down, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy raging against me. Because of thy raging against me, and because thine arrogancy is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.'"
"Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, 'He shall not come unto this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast up siege works against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith the Lord. For I will defend this city to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.'"