Isaiah 36
The Invasion of
Sennacherib |
2 Kgs. 18.13-37 · 2 Chr.
32.1-19 |
1 |
Now it came to pass in the fourteenth
year of king Hezeki'ah, that Sennach'erib king of Assyria
came up against all the defensed cities of Judah, and took
them.
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2 |
And the king of Assyria sent Rab-sha'keh
from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezeki'ah 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 Eli'akim,
Hilki'ah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and
Jo'ah, Asaph's son, the recorder.
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4 |
And Rab-sha'keh said unto them, Say ye
now to Hezeki'ah, 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 Hezeki'ah 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 Eli'akim and Shebna and Jo'ah
unto Rab-sha'keh, 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 Rab-sha'keh 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 Rab-sha'keh 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 Hezeki'ah
deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.
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15 |
Neither let Hezeki'ah 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 Hezeki'ah: 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 Hezeki'ah 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 Sepharva'im? 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 Eli'akim, the son of Hilki'ah,
that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and
Jo'ah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezeki'ah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of
Rab-sha'keh.
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