- 1Now 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.
- 2And 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.
- 3Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah’s son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph’s son, the recorder.
- 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?
- 5I 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?
- 6Lo, 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.
- 7But 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?
- 8Now 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.
- 9How 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?
- 10And 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.
- 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.
- 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?
- 13Then 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.
- 14Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.
- 15Neither 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.
- 16Hearken 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;
- 17Until 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.
- 18Beware 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?
- 19Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
- 20Who 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?
- 21But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer him not.
- 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.
KING JAMES VERSION
ISAIAH 36
Read the chapter, follow a linked verse, and continue into related Watchman 33 teaching.
CHAPTER VISUAL
Isaiah 36 — Assyria’s envoy mocks Hezekiah’s trust and tries to terrify Jerusalem, but the people obey the king and answer him not a word.
About this illustration
The confrontation is set at the conduit named in the chapter. The promised deliverance and Assyrian defeat are withheld for Isaiah 37.
Scripture basis: Isaiah 36:1–22King James Version · Standardized 1769 text with Strong’s numbering · Public domain outside the United Kingdom
EXPLORE THE MESSAGE
Related Watchman 33 Resources
Archaeological Evidence
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEInscription
Campaign of 701 BC; artifacts circa 691–689 BC
Sennacherib's Campaign Against Judah
Assyrian annals, palace reliefs, and destruction evidence document Sennacherib's 701 BC invasion of Judah from the conqueror's side, naming Hezekiah, depicting Lachish's fall, and describing Jerusalem blockaded but not captured.
2 Kings 18:13–17 · 2 Kings 19:32–37 · 2 Chronicles 32:1–23
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArtifact
Iron Age II, approximately 700 BC
Hezekiah's Tunnel and the Siloam Inscription
A 533-meter water tunnel beneath ancient Jerusalem and a Hebrew inscription describing its breakthrough illuminate the extraordinary engineering behind the city's Iron Age water supply. Scientific dating fits Hezekiah's era, while the anonymous text prevents naming the king with absolute certainty.
2 Kings 20:20 · 2 Chronicles 32:2–5 · 2 Chronicles 32:30
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArtifact
Late eighth century BC
Hezekiah Royal Bulla
A tiny clay document-seal impression from a controlled Ophel excavation reads 'Belonging to Hezekiah son of Ahaz, king of Judah,' directly attesting the king's name, father, title, and Jerusalem administration.
2 Kings 18:1–3 · 2 Chronicles 29:1–2 · Isaiah 36:1–2
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArtifact
Late eighth–early seventh century BC
LMLK Royal Storage Jar Handles
Thousands of late-eighth-century Judahite storage-jar handles stamped lmlk, ‘belonging to the king,’ reveal a standardized royal collection and distribution system whose largest sealed deposits cluster around the Assyrian crisis of 701 BC.
2 Kings 18:13–17 · 2 Chronicles 32:1–8 · Isaiah 36:1–2
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArchaeological site
Iron Age II, especially ninth to late eighth century BC
Tell Halif: Judahite Households beneath a Late Eighth-Century Destruction
Excavated houses, installations, and destruction deposits at Tell Halif preserve household life on Judah's southern edge near the time of Sennacherib's 701 BC campaign.
2 Kings 18:13 · 2 Chronicles 32:1 · Isaiah 36:1