1. Hezekiah had been king of Judah for fourteen years when King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded the country and captured every walled city
2. except Jerusalem. The Assyrian king ordered his army commander to leave the city of Lachish and to take a large army to Jerusalem.The commander went there and stood on the road near the cloth makers' shops along the canal from the upper pool.
3. Three of the king's highest officials came out of Jerusalem to meet him. One of them was Hilkiah's son Eliakim, who was the prime minister. The other two were Shebna, assistant to the prime minister, and Joah son of Asaph, keeper of the government records.
4. The Assyrian commander told them:I have a message for Hezekiah from the great king of Assyria. Ask Hezekiah why he feels so sure of himself.
5. Does he think he can plan and win a war with nothing but words? Who is going to help him, now that he has turned against the king of Assyria?
6. Is he depending on Egypt and its king? That's the same as leaning on a broken stick, and it will go right through his hand.
7. Is Hezekiah now depending on the Lord, your God? Didn't Hezekiah tear down all except one of the Lord's altars and places of worship? Didn't he tell the people of Jerusalem and Judah to worship at that one place?
8. The king of Assyria wants to make a bet with you people! He will give you two thousand horses, if you have enough troops to ride them.
9. How could you defeat even our lowest ranking officer, when you have to depend on Egypt for chariots and cavalry?
10. Don't forget that it was the Lord who sent me here with orders to destroy your nation!
11. 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.”