14
Then Hezekiah, king of Judah, sent messengers to the king of Assyrians into Lachish, and said, I have sinned (I have done wrong); go away from me, and I shall bear all things, that thou shalt put to me. Therefore the king of Assyrians putted on Hezekiah, king of Judah, (a fine of) three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold.
15
And Hezekiah gave all the silver, that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the king's treasures, to the king of Assyrians. (And Hezekiah gave all the silver, that was found in the House of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the palace, to the king of Assyria.)
16
In that time Hezekiah (also) brake (up) the gates of the temple of the Lord, and the plates of gold, which he had fastened (to them), and he gave those to the king of Assyrians. (And at that time Hezekiah also broke apart the gates of the Temple of the Lord; and he gave the gold plates, which he had fastened to the gates, to the king of Assyria.)
17
Forsooth the king of Assyrians sent Tartan (and Rabsaris) and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah, with strong hand to Jerusalem; and when they had gone up, they came to Jerusalem, and stood beside the water conduit of the higher cistern, which is in the way of the fuller, or of (the) tucker. (And the king of Assyria sent Tartan, and Rabsaris, and Rabshakeh, from Lachish to King Hezekiah, with a strong army against Jerusalem; and when they had gone up, they came to Jerusalem, and stood beside the water conduit of the higher cistern, which is on the way to the fullers, or to the tuckers.)
18
And they called (for) the king; soothly Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, the sovereign of the house, and Shebna, the scribe, and Joah, (the) chancellor, the son of Asaph, went out to them.
19
And Rabshakeh said to them, Speak ye to Hezekiah, (and say,) The great king, the king of Assyrians, saith these things, What is this trust, in which thou endeavourest thee?
20
In hap thou hast taken counsel, that thou wouldest make thee ready to battle. In whom trustest thou, that thou be (so) (fool-)hardy to rebel against Sennacherib?
21
Whether thou hopest in a staff of (a) reed and broken, (that is, upon) Egypt (Hopest thou in the staff of a broken reed, that is, upon Egypt), on which, if a man leaneth, it shall be broken, and shall enter into his hand, and shall pierce it. So is Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to all men that trust in him.
22
That if thou sayest to me, We have trust in the Lord our God; whether this is not he, whose high things and altars Hezekiah took away, and commanded to Judah and to Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? (But if thou sayest to me, We have trust in the Lord our God; is this not he, whose hill shrines and altars Hezekiah took away, and commanded to Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship only before this altar in Jerusalem?)
23
Now therefore, give ye pledges to my lord, the king of Assyrians, and I shall give to you two thousand of horses, and see ye, whether ye be able to have riders of them? (And so now, give ye pledges to my lord, the king of Assyria, and I shall give you two thousand horses, and see ye, if ye be able to have enough riders for them.)
24
And how may ye withstand before one prince of the least servants of my lord? Whether thou hast trust in Egypt, for chariots and knights thereof?