2 Chronicles 32 9-2 Chronicles 32 23
After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem,( now he was before Lachish, and all his power with him), to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were at Jerusalem, saying,Sennacherib king of Assyria says,“ In whom do you trust, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem?Doesn’t Hezekiah persuade you, to give you over to die by famine and by thirst, saying,‘ Yahweh our God will deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria?’Hasn’t the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying,‘ You shall worship before one altar, and you shall burn incense on it?’Don’t you know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands in any way able to deliver their land out of my hand?Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of my hand?Now therefore don’t let Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you in this way. Don’t believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of my hand, and out of the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand?”His servants spoke yet more against Yahweh God, and against his servant Hezekiah.He also wrote letters insulting Yahweh, the God of Israel, and speaking against him, saying,“ As the gods of the nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall the God of Hezekiah not deliver his people out of my hand.”They called out with a loud voice in the Jews’ language to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city.They spoke of the God of Jerusalem as of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men’s hands.Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, prayed because of this, and cried to heaven.Yahweh sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains, in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. When he had come into the house of his god, those who came out of his own body killed him there with the sword.Thus Yahweh saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side.Many brought gifts to Yahweh to Jerusalem, and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah; so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from then on.
2 Kings 18 17-2 Kings 18 37
The king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great army to Jerusalem. They went up and came to Jerusalem. When they had come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller’s field.When they had called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder came out to them.Rabshakeh said to them,“ Say now to Hezekiah,‘ The great king, the king of Assyria, says,“ What confidence is this in which you trust?You say( but they are but vain words),‘ There is counsel and strength for war.’ Now on whom do you trust, that you have rebelled against me?Now, behold, you trust in the staff of this bruised reed, even in Egypt. If a man leans on it, it will go into his hand, and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust on him.But if you tell me,‘ We trust in Yahweh our God;’ isn’t that 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 in Jerusalem?’Now therefore, please give pledges to 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.How then can you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?Have I now come up without Yahweh against this place to destroy it? Yahweh said to me,‘ Go up against this land, and destroy it.’”’”Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebnah, and Joah, said to Rabshakeh,“ Please speak to your servants in the Syrian language, for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Jews’ language, in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”But Rabshakeh said to them,“ Has my master sent me to your master and to you, to speak these words? Hasn’t he sent me to the men who sit on the wall, to eat their own dung, and to drink their own urine with you?”Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and spoke, saying,“ Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.The king says,‘ Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you; for he will not be able to deliver you out of his hand.Don’t let Hezekiah make you trust in Yahweh, saying,“ Yahweh will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”Don’t listen to Hezekiah.’ For the king of Assyria says,‘ Make your peace with me, and come out to me; and everyone of you eat from his own vine, and everyone from his own fig tree, and everyone drink water from his own cistern;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, a land of olive trees and of honey, that you may live, and not die. Don’t listen to Hezekiah, when he persuades you, saying,“ Yahweh will deliver us.”Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of my hand, that Yahweh should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”But the people stayed quiet, and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was,“ Don’t answer him.”Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, came with Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him Rabshakeh’s words.