Isaiah 36

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Isaiah 36:1-22 (KJV)

 1 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, [that] Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them. 

After 14 years of being king, Hezekiah was threatened by King Sennacherib who destroyed many countries and bragged of how many people he destroyed.

2 And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field. 

The king sent his representative to speak and use his threats of attacking Judah.

3 Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder. 

Hezekiah sent his representatives to represent him to hear the message to the Assyrian king.

4 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence [is] this wherein thou trustest? 

The enemy of Judah gave a message to have sent to Hezekiah.  He asked Hezekiah about his confidence in God.

5 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? 

He bragged of how strong his army was and spoke of the confidence of Hezekiah as vain trust.

6 Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so [is] Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him. 

Somehow he knew Judah wanted aid from Egypt and he told them, to have confidence in Egypt was like having confidence against them the mighty ones,  was useless.

7 But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: [is it] not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar? 

He now speaks against God.  When he spoke against God's people he was speaking against God.  He studied what was going on in Judah and he knew that Hezekiah had broken the false places of worship and told the people they would worship in one place; he said this to insult Judah.

8 Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. 

Give money to my king and in return I will give you horses to ride upon and you have anyone that can ride a horse.  Again he said this to insult the people of God.

9 How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 

Why would you go to Egypt and I am standing here to help you?

10 And am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it. 

I do not have God on my side but God told me to come up here and destroy you.  He boast of his power without God.

11 Then said Eliakim 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.

The representatives of Hezekiah asked him not to speak in the Hebrew language so the people would not be afraid of his threats.  They understood his language and wanted them to leave the people out of the conversation. 

12 But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent 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? 

He further insulted them and continued to speak so that all the people understood his threats.

13 Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 

Then he began to speak louder to be heard by all the Jewish people.

14 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.

He told the people don't let Hezekiah fool them. 

15 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. 

He then said don't let your leader Hezekiag make you trust in the Lord.  Don't believe Hezekiah when he said the Lord will deliver us into your hands.

16 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make [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; 

Do as I have spoken by the words of my king and we will do you well.

17 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. 

The land I am taking you to is like the land you are accustomed to.

18 [Beware] lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 

Beware Hezekiah is lying to you.  We have a record of all the nations we have already destroyed.

19 Where [are] the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where [are] the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?

Look at the other places we destroyed.  We even took down your brother Israel.  Where was your God when we took slaughtered them?

 20 Who [are they] among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? 

The God you serve will not deliver you just as the god they served did not deliver them out of our hands.

21 But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

But the people of God held their peace.  Hold your peace. Have your peace in your hands.  These were the instructions given by a righteous king. 

22 Then came Eliakim, 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] clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

The representative did not say a word to their enemies but told all the spoken words to Hezekiah about their threats against God.