1
Now in the
fourteenth * year of
King Hezekiah,
Sennacherib king of
Assyria came up
against all the
fortified cities of
Judah and
seized them.
.Wh'Yiq.zix .$,l,M;l h'n'v her.f,[ [;B.r;a.B yih.y;w ? yer'[ -l'K l;[ r.WV;a -.k,l,m byirex.n;s h'l'[ ? ~ef.P.tiY;w tw{rUc.B;h h'd.Wh.y
2
And the
king of
Assyria sent Rabshakeh from
Lachish to
Jerusalem to
King Hezekiah with a
large army. And he
stood by the
conduit of the
upper pool on the
highway of the
fuller's field.
vyik'Lim heq'v -b;r -t,a r.WV;a -.k,l,m x;l.viY;w ? deb'K lyex.B .Wh'Yiq.zix .$,l,M;h -l,a h'm.;l'v.Wr.y ? t;Lis.miB h'nw{y.l,['h h'ker.B;h t;l'[.tiB d{m][;Y;w ? sebw{k hed.f
3
Then
Eliakim the
son of
Hilkiah,
who was
over the
household, and
Shebna the
scribe, and
Joah the
son of
Asaph, the
recorder,
came out to him.
r,v]a .Wh'Yiq.lix -n,B ~yiq'y.l,a wy'lea aeceY;w ? @'s'a -n,B x'aw{y.w rep{S;h a'n.b,v.w tIy'B;h -l;[ ? ryiK.z;M;h
4
Then
Rabshakeh said to them,
"Say now to
Hezekiah,
'Thus says the
great king, the
king of
Assyria,
"What is
this confidence that you
have?
.Wh'Yiq.zix -l,a a'n -.Wr.mia heq'v -b;r ~,hyel]a r,ma{Y;w ? h'm r.WV;a .$,l,m lw{d'G;h .$,l,M;h r;m'a -h{K ? 'T.x'j'B r,v]a h,Z;h !w{x'JiB;h
5
"I
say, 'Your
counsel and
strength for the
war are
only empty words.'
Now on
whom do you
rely, that you have
rebelled against me?
h'r.Wb.g.W h'ce[ ~Iy;t'p.f -r;b.D<01697)> -.k;a yiT.r;m'a ? 'T.d;r'm yiK 'T.x;j'b yim -l;[ h'T;[ h'm'x.liM;l ? yiB
6
"Behold, you
rely on the
staff of
this crushed reed, even on
Egypt, on
which if a
man leans, it will
go into his
hand and
pierce it.
So is
Pharaoh king of
Egypt to
all who
rely on him.
h,Z;h #.Wc'r'h h,n'Q;h t,n,[.vim -l;[ 'T.x;j'b heNih ? a'b.W wy'l'[ vyia .$em'SIy r,v]a ~Iy;r.cim -l;[ ? ~yix.j{B;h -l'k.l ~Iy;r.cim -.k,l,m h{[.r;P !eK H'b'q.n.W w{P;k.b ? wy'l'[
7
"But
if you
say to me, 'We
trust in the
LORD our
God,' is it not He
whose high places and whose
altars Hezekiah has
taken away and has
said to
Judah and to
Jerusalem, 'You shall
worship before this altar '?
.Wn.x'j'B .Wnyeh{l/a h'wh.y -l,a y;lea r;ma{t -yik.w ? wy't{m'B -t,a .Wh'Yiq.zix ryiseh r,v]a a.Wh -aw{l]h ? ~i;l'v.Wryil.w h'd.Whyil r,ma{Y;w wy't{x.B.zim -t,a.w ? .Ww]x;T.viT h,Z;h ;xeB.ziM;h yen.pil
8
"Now therefore,
come make a
bargain with my
master the
king of
Assyria, and I will
give you two
thousand horses,
if you are
able on your part to
set riders on them.
r.WV;a .$,l,M;h yin{d]a -t,a a'n b,r'[.tih h'T;[.w ? t,t'l l;k.WT -mia ~yis.Ws ~Iy;P.l;a '$.l h'n.T,a.w ? ~,hyel][ ~yib.k{r '$.l
9
"How then can you
repulse * one official of the
least of my
master's servants and
rely on
Egypt for
chariots and for
horsemen?
yin{d]a yed.b;[ d;x;a t;x;p yen.P tea byiv'T .$yea.w ? b,k,r.l ~Iy;r.cim -l;[ '$.l x;j.biT;w ~yiN;j.q;h ? ~yiv'r'p.l.W
10
"Have I
now come up
without the
LORD'S approval
against this land to
destroy it? The
LORD said to me,
'Go up
against this land and
destroy it.' ""'
#,r'a'h -l;[ yityil'[ h'wh.y yed][.l;Bim]h h'T;[.w ? #,r'a'h -l,a hel][ y;lea r;m'a h'wh.y H'tyix.v;h.l ta{Z;h ? H'tyix.v;h.w ta{Z;h
11
Then
Eliakim and
Shebna and
Joah said to
Rabshakeh,
"Speak now to your
servants in
Aramaic, for we
understand it; and do not
speak with us in
Judean in the
hearing of the
people who are on the
wall."
heq'v -b;r -l,a x'aw{y.w a'n.b,v.w ~yiq'y.l,a r,ma{Y;w ? ~yi[.m{v yiK tyim'r]a '$y,d'b][ -l,a a'n -r,B;D ? yen.z'a.B tyid.Wh.y .Wnyelea reB;d.T -l;a.w .Wn.x'n]a ? h'mw{x;h -l;[ r,v]a ~'['h
12
But
Rabshakeh said, "Has my
master sent me only to your
master and to you to
speak these words, and not to the
men who
sit on the
wall, doomed to
eat their own
dung and
drink their own
urine with you?"
yin;x'l.v '$y,lea.w '$y,n{d]a l,a;h heq'v -b;r r,ma{Y;w ? ~yiv'n]a'h -l;[ a{l]h h,Lea'h ~yir'b.D;h -t,a reB;d.l yin{d]a ? ~,hyea.r;x -t,a l{k/a,l h'mw{x;h -l;[ ~yib.v{Y;h ? ~,k'Mi[ ~,hyenyev -t,a tw{T.vil.w
13
Then
Rabshakeh stood and
cried with a
loud voice in
Judean and
said,
"Hear the
words of the
great king, the
king of
Assyria.
lw{d'G -lw{q.b a'r.qiY;w heq'v -b;r d{m][;Y;w ? .$,l,M;h yer.biD -t,a .W[.miv r,ma{Y;w tyid.Wh.y ? r.WV;a .$,l,m lw{d'G;h
14
"Thus says the
king, 'Do not let
Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be
able to
deliver you;
.Wh'Yiq.zix ~,k'l aiV;y -l;a .$,l,M;h r;m'a h{K ? ~,k.t,a lyiC;h.l l;k.Wy -a{l yiK
15
nor let
Hezekiah make you
trust in the
LORD,
saying, "The
LORD will
surely deliver us,
this city will not be
given into the
hand of the
king of
Assyria."
h'wh.y -l,a .Wh'Yiq.zix ~,k.t,a x;j.b;y -l;a.w ? ryi['h !et'Nit a{l h'wh.y .WnelyiC;y leC;h r{mael ? r.WV;a .$,l,m d;y.B ta{Z;h
16
'Do not
listen to
Hezekiah,' for
thus says the
king of
Assyria,
'Make your
peace with me and
come out to me, and
eat each of his
vine and
each of his
fig tree and
drink each of the
waters of his own
cistern,
r;m'a h{k yiK .Wh'Yiq.zix -l,a .W[.m.viT -l;a ? y;lea .Wa.c.W h'k'r.b yiTia -.Wf][ r.WV;a .$,l,M;h ? .Wt.v.W w{t'nea.T vyia.w w{n.p;G -vyia .Wl.kia.w ? w{rw{b -yem vyia
17
until I
come and
take you away to a
land like your own
land, a
land of
grain and
new wine, a
land of
bread and
vineyards.
~,k.c.r;a.K #,r,a -l,a ~,k.t,a yiT.x;q'l.w yia{B -d;[ ? ~yim'r.k.W ~,x,l #,r,a vw{ryit.w !'g'D #,r,a
18
'Beware that
Hezekiah does not
mislead you,
saying, "The
LORD will
deliver us." Has
any one of the
gods of the
nations delivered his
land from the
hand of the
king of
Assyria?
h'wh.y r{mael .Wh'Yiq.zix ~,k.t,a tyiS;y -n,P ? w{c.r;a -t,a vyia ~Iyw{G;h yeh{l/a .WlyiCih;h .WnelyiC;y ? r.WV;a .$,l,m d;Yim
19
'Where are the
gods of
Hamath and
Arpad?
Where are the
gods of
Sepharvaim? And
when have they
delivered Samaria from my
hand?
~Iy'w.r;p.s yeh{l/a heY;a d'P.r;a.w t'm]x yeh{l/a heY;a ? yid'Yim !w{r.m{v -t,a .WlyiCih -yik.w
20
'Who among
all the
gods of
these lands have
delivered their
land from my
hand, that the
LORD would
deliver Jerusalem from my
hand?' "
.WlyiCih -r,v]a h,Lea'h tw{c'r]a'h yeh{l/a -l'k.B yim ? ~i;l'v.Wr.y -t,a h'wh.y lyiC;y -yiK yid'Yim ~'c.r;a -t,a ? yid'Yim
21
But they were
silent and
answered him not a
word; for the
king's commandment was, "Do not
answer him."
t;w.cim -yiK r'b'D w{t{a .Wn'[ -a{l.w .Wvyir]x;Y;w ? .WhUn][;t a{l r{mael ayih .$,l,M;h
22
Then
Eliakim the
son of
Hilkiah,
who was
over the
household, and
Shebna the
scribe and
Joah the
son of
Asaph, the
recorder,
came to
Hezekiah with their
clothes torn and
told him the
words of
Rabshakeh.
tIy;B;h -l;[ -r,v]a .Wh'Yiq.lix -n,B ~yiq'y.l,a a{b'Y;w ? ryiK.z;M;h @'s'a -n,B x'aw{y.w repw{S;h a'n.b,v.w ? w{l .WdyiG;Y;w ~yid'g.b ye[.Wr.q .Wh'Yiq.zix -l,a ? heq'v -b;r yer.biD tea