1. During Hezekiah's 14 year as king, Sennacherib king of Assyria went to fight against all the strong cities of Judah. Sennacherib defeated those cities.
2. He sent his commander with a large army to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. The commander and his army left Lachish and went to Jerusalem. They stopped near the aqueduct by the Upper Pool, on the street that leads up to Laundryman's Field.
3. Three men from Jerusalem went out to talk with the commander. These men were Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Joah son of Asaph, and Shebna. Eliakim was the palace manager, Joah was the record keeper, and Shebna was the royal secretary.
4. The commander told them, "Tell Hezekiah this is what the great king, the king of Assyria says: 'What are you trusting in to help you?
5. I tell you, if you are trusting in power and great battle plans, that is useless. Those are nothing but empty words. Now I ask you, who do you trust so much that you are willing to rebel against me?
6. Are you depending on Egypt to help you? Egypt is like a broken walking stick. If you lean on it for support, it will only stab you and hurt you. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, cannot be trusted by anyone who depends on him for help.
7. 'But maybe you will say, "We trust the Lord our God to help us." But I know that Hezekiah destroyed the altars and high places where people worshiped the Lord. Hezekiah told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship only at this one altar here in Jerusalem."
8. 'If you still want to fight, my master, the king of Assyria, will make this agreement with you. I promise that I will give you 2000 horses if you can find enough men to ride them into battle.
9. But even then, you couldn't beat even one of my master's lowest ranking officers. So why do you still depend on Egypt's chariots and horse soldiers?
10. 'Now, do you think I came to this country to destroy it without the Lord's help. No, the Lord said to me, "Go up against this country and destroy it!"'"
11. Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the commander, "Please, speak to us in Aramaic. We understand that language. Don't speak to us in the language of Judah. If you use our language, the people on the city walls will understand you."
12. But the commander said, "My master did not send me to speak only to you and your master. I was also sent to speak to those people sitting there on the wall. They will not have enough food or water either; they, too, will eat their own waste and drink their own urine like you! "
13. Then the commander shouted loudly in Hebrew,
14. "Hear this message from the great king, the king of Assyria: 'Don't let Hezekiah fool you. He cannot save you from my power.
15. Don't believe Hezekiah when he says, "Trust in the Lord! The Lord will save us. He will not let the king of Assyria defeat the city."
16. 'Don't listen to Hezekiah. Listen to the king of Assyria. The king of Assyria says, "Do this favor for me; come out to me, and then everyone will be free to have grapes from their own vines, figs from their own trees, and water from their own well.
17. You can do this until I come and take you away to a land like your own. In that new land, you will have good grain, new wine, bread, and vineyards. "
18. 'Don't let Hezekiah change your mind when he says, "The Lord will save us." Did any of the gods of other nations save their land from the king of Assyria?
19. Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Did they save Samaria from my power?
20. Did any of the gods in the other countries save their land from me? So why do you think the Lord will save Jerusalem from me?'"
21. But the people were silent. They did not say a word to the commander because King Hezekiah had given them a command. He said, "Don't say anything to him."
22. Then the palace manager (Eliakim son of Hilkiah), the royal secretary (Shebna), and the record keeper (Joah son of Asaph) went to Hezekiah. Their clothes were torn to show they were upset. They told Hezekiah everything the Assyrian commander had said.