Old Testament · Prophets

Isaiah chapter 36

In the fourteenth year of King ’s reign, King of marched against all the of Judah and captured them.Then the king of Assyria sent his from to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem with a massive army. He took his position near the , on the road to the Washerman’s Field.Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who , came out to meet him, along with Shebna the and Joah son of Asaph, the .The chief officer said to them, “Deliver this message to Hezekiah: ‘This is what , the king of Assyria, says: What exactly are you in?You say you have and military strength — but those are just empty words. So who are you really counting on, that you would dare to against me?Look, you’re leaning on Egypt — a ! If anyone leans on it, it stabs right through their hand. That’s exactly what Pharaoh king of Egypt is to everyone who relies on him.And if you tell me, ‘We’re trusting in our God’ — isn’t he the one whose and Hezekiah tore down, telling Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar only’?So here’s a challenge — with my master, the king of Assyria: I’ll give you two thousand horses, if you can even find enough riders to put on them!How could you possibly turn back even the among my master’s servants? And yet you’re counting on Egypt for chariots and horsemen!And besides — do you think I marched against this land to destroy it without Yahweh’s backing? , ‘March against this land and destroy it.’”Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief officer, “Please — speak to us in . We understand it. Don’t speak to us in where the people on the wall can hear you.”But the chief officer replied, “Do you think my master sent me to deliver this message just to your master and to you? No — I was sent to the men sitting on that wall, who are going to end up right alongside you!”Then the chief officer stood up and shouted in Hebrew at the top of his voice: “Listen to the message from the great king, the king of Assyria!This is what the king says: Don’t let Hezekiah fool you — he can’t you.And don’t let Hezekiah convince you to in Yahweh by saying, ‘Yahweh will definitely rescue us — this city won’t be handed over to the king of Assyria.’Don’t listen to Hezekiah! Because this is what the king of Assyria says: and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from your own vine and your own fig tree and drink water from your own well,until I come and — a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you by saying, ‘Yahweh will rescue us.’ Has any ever rescued their land from the king of Assyria’s grip?Where are the gods of ? Where are the gods of ? And did any of them rescue from my power?Which of all the gods of these nations has ever rescued their country from my grip? So what makes you think Yahweh can rescue Jerusalem from me?”But the people and didn’t say a single word back to him, because the king had ordered, “Don’t answer him.”Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the household manager, Shebna the court secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the royal recorder, went back to Hezekiah with their and reported everything the chief officer had said.