2 GLT Then the king of Assyria sent the chief commander from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway of the Field of the Fuller. BSB BSB: And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh, with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stopped by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.
3 GLT And Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who{ was} over the court, and Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to him. BSB BSB: Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, went out to him.
4 GLT And the chief commander said to them,“Please say to Hezekiah,‘thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, What{ is} this confidence in which you trust? BSB BSB: The Rabshakeh said to them, “Tell Hezekiah that this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: What is the basis of this confidence of yours?
5 GLT You said mere words of lips{ are} counsel and strength for war. Now in whom are you trusting that you rebel against me? BSB BSB: You claim to have a strategy and strength for war, but these are empty words. In whom are you now trusting, that you have rebelled against me?
6 GLT Behold, you are trusting in the staff of this splintered reed, in Egypt, which, when a man leans on it, then it will go into his palm and pierce it. Thus{ is} Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. BSB BSB: Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
7 GLT But if you say to me,“We are trusting in Yahweh our God,”{ is} it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has taken away and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem,“You must worship before the face of this altar”? BSB BSB: But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is He not the One whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before this altar’?
8 GLT So now, wager, please,{ with} my lord the king of Assyria. And I will give to you 2000 horses, if you are able to set for yourselves riders on them. BSB BSB: Now, therefore, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them!
9 GLT And how could you drive back the face of one captain of the humblest servants of my lord? But you yourself have trusted in Egypt for chariots and horsemen! BSB BSB: For how can you repel a single officer among the least of my master’s servants when you depend on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
10 GLT And now, have I come up without Yahweh to this land to destroy it? Yahweh said to me,“Go up to this land and destroy it.”’” BSB BSB: So now, was it apart from the LORD that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD Himself said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”
11 GLT Then Eliakim and Shebnah and Joah said to the chief commander,“Please speak Aramaic to your servants, for we understand{ it}. And do not speak with us Judean in the ears of the people who{ are} on the wall.” BSB BSB: Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”
12 GLT But the chief commander said,“Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words? Is it not to the men who sit on the wall, eating their dung and drinking their urine with you?” BSB BSB: But the Rabshakeh replied, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to you and your master, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are destined with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”
13 GLT Then the chief commander stood and called out in a loud voice{ in} Judean and said,“Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. BSB BSB: Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out loudly in Hebrew: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!
14 GLT Thus says the king,‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to rescue you. BSB BSB: This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he cannot deliver you.
15 GLT And do not let Hezekiah make you trust in Yahweh, saying,“Yahweh will surely rescue us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”’ BSB BSB: Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’
16 GLT Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria:‘Make terms with me and come out to me. Then{ every} man will eat of his vine and{ every} man his fig tree, and{ every} man will drink the water of his cistern BSB BSB: Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and his own fig tree, and drink water from his own cistern,
17 GLT until I come and take you away to a land like your land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.’ BSB BSB: until I come and take you away to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
18 GLT Lest Hezekiah mislead you, saying,‘Yahweh will rescue us.’ Did the gods of the peoples rescue{ every} man of his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? BSB BSB: Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?
19 GLT Where{ are} the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where{ are} the gods of Sepharvaim? And have they rescued Samaria from my hand? BSB BSB: Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?
20 GLT Who among all the gods of these lands, who has rescued his land from my hand, as if Yahweh could save Jerusalem from my hand?” BSB BSB: Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered his land from my hand? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”
21 GLT But they were silent and did not respond{ to} him a word, for the command of the king was, saying,“Do not answer him.” BSB BSB: But the people remained silent and did not answer a word, for Hezekiah had commanded, “Do not answer him.”
22 GLT Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who{ was} over the court, and Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph the recorder came to Hezekiah{ with} clothes torn and reported to him the words of the chief commander. BSB BSB: Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.