1   And it came to passe ^note in the fourtenth yeare of king Ezechias, Sennacherib king of the Assyrians came vp agaynst al the fensed cities of Iuda, and tooke them.

2   And the king of the Assyrians sent Rabsaces from Lachis to Ierusalem, to king Ezechias with a great armie, and he stood by the water conduite of the vpper poole in the way of the fullers filde.

3   And there came out to him Eliacim the sonne of Helcias, who was ouer the house, and Sobna the scribe, and Ioahe the sonne of Asaph the commenter.

4   And Rabsaces sayd to them: Tel Ezechias: Thus sayth the great king, the king of the Assyrians: What is this confidence, wherevpon thou dost trust?

5   or by what counsel or force art thou disposed to rebel? vpon whom hast thou confidence, that thou

art reuolted from me?

6   Loe thou dost trust vpon this broken staffe of reede, vpon Aegypt: vpon which if a man leane, it wil enter into his hand, and pearce it: so is Pharao the king of Ægypt to al that trust in him.

7   But if thou wilt answer me: We trust in our Lord God: is it not he ^note whose excelses and altars Ezechias hath taken away, and he sayd to Iuda and Ierusalem: Before this altar shal you adore?

8   And now deliuer thyself to my lord the king of the Assyrians, & I wil geue thee two thousand horses, neither shalt thou be able of thyself to geue riders for them.

9   And how wilt thou abide the face of the iudge of one place, of the lesser seruants of my Lord? But if thou trust in Ægypt, in chariotes and in horsemen:

10   and now am I come vp without the Lord vnto this land to destroy it? The Lord sayd to me: Goe vp agaynst this land, & destroy it.

11   And Eliacim, and Sobna, and Ioahe sayd to Rabsaces: Speake to thy seruants in the Syrian tongue: for we vnderstand it: speake not to vs in the Iewes language in the eares of the people, that is vpon the wal.

12   And Rabsaces sayd to them: Why, did my lord send me to thy lord and to thee, to speake al these wordes; and not rather to the men, that sitte on the wal; that they may eate their owne dung, and drinke the vrine of their feete with you?

13   And Rabsaces stood, & cried with a loude voice in the Iewes language, and sayd: Heare ye the wordes of the great king, the king of Assyrians.

14   Thus sayth the king: Let not Ezechias seduce you, for he shal not be able to deliuer you.

15   And let not Ezechias geue you confidence vpon the Lord, saying: Our Lord deliuering wil deliuer vs, this citie shal not be geuen into the hand of the king of Assyrians.

16   Heare not Ezechias: for thus sayth the king of Assyrians, doe ^note a blessing with me, and come forth to me, and eate ye euerie man of his owne wineyard, and euerie man of his owne figtree, and drinke ye euerie man the water of his owne cesterne,

17   til I come and take you away to a land, that is as your owne, a land of corne and of wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

18   Neither let Ezechias truble you, saying: Our Lord wil deliuer vs. Why, haue the goddes of the nations deliuered euerie one their land out of the hand of the king of Assyrians?

19   Where is the god of Emath, and Arphad? where is the god of Sepharuaim? haue they deliuered ^note Samaria out of my hand?

20   Who is there of al the goddes of these landes, which hath deliuered their land out of my hand, that the

Lord can deliuer Ierusalem out of my hand?

21   And they held their peace, and answered him not a word. For the king had commanded, saying: Answer him not.

22   And Eliacim the sonne of Helcias, that was ouer the house, and Sobna the scribe, and Ioahe the sonne of Asaph the commenter, went in to Ezechias their garments rent, and told him the wordes of Rabsaces.

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