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Now it came to pass in the fourteenth*year of kingHezekiah, that Sennacheribking of Assyria came up against all the defencedcities of Judah, and took them.
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And the king of AssyriasentRabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto kingHezekiah with a greatarmy. And he stood by the conduit of the upperpool in the highway of the fuller'sfield.
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Then came forth unto him Eliakim,Hilkiah'sson, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe,[a] and Joah,Asaph'sson, the recorder.
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And Rabshakehsaid unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the greatking, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
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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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Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this brokenreed, on Egypt; whereon if a manlean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaohking of Egypt to all that trust in him.
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But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altarsHezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worshipbefore this altar?
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Now therefore give pledges,[b] I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousandhorses, if thou be able on thy part to setriders upon them.
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How then wilt thou turn away the face of onecaptain of the least of my master'sservants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
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And am I now come upwithout the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORDsaid unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.
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Then saidEliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh,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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But Rabshakehsaid, Hath my mastersent 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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Then Rabshakehstood, and cried with a loudvoice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the greatking, the king of Assyria.
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Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiahdeceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.
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Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD,saying, The LORD will surelydeliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
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Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria,Make[c] 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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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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Beware lest Hezekiahpersuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nationsdelivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
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Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they deliveredSamaria out of my hand?
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Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliverJerusalem out of my hand?
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But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king'scommandment was, saying, Answer him not.
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Then cameEliakim, 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 clothesrent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.