26. Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said, “Sir, we don't want the people listening from the city wall to understand what you are saying. So please speak to us in Aramaic instead of Hebrew.”
27. The Assyrian army commander answered, “My king sent me to speak to everyone, not just to you leaders. These people will soon have to eat their own body waste and drink their own urine! And so will the three of you.”
28. Then, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he shouted in Hebrew:Listen to what the great king of Assyria says!
29. Don't be fooled by Hezekiah. He can't save you.
30. Don't trust him when he tells you that the Lord will protect you from the king of Assyria.
31. Stop listening to Hezekiah! Pay attention to my king. Surrender to him. He will let you keep your own vineyards, fig trees, and cisterns
32. for a while. Then he will come and take you away to a country just like yours, where you can plant vineyards, raise your own grain, and have plenty of olive oil and honey. Believe me, you won't starve there.Hezekiah claims the Lord will save you. But don't be fooled by him.
33. Were any other gods able to defend their land against the king of Assyria?
34. What happened to the gods of Hamath and Arpad? What about the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Were the gods of Samaria able to protect their land against the Assyrian forces?
35. None of these gods kept their people safe from the king of Assyria. Do you think the Lord your God can do any better?
36-37. Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah had been warned by King Hezekiah not to answer the Assyrian commander. So they tore their clothes in sorrow and reported to Hezekiah everything the commander had said.