Isaiah 36

1 In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s [a king who served Jehovah] reign, Sennacherib [an Assyrian king, son of Sargon] king of Assyria [a powerful and dominant empire] attacked [came up against, to ascend] and captured [seized, took control of] all [every, the entire] the fortified [strong, fenced] cities [towns, places of gathering] of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, a region]. word study 2 And the king [ruler, monarch] of Assyria [Asshur, a powerful nation] sent [dispatched, commissioned] the Rabshakeh [a high-ranking official, chief cupbearer], with a great [large, mighty] army, from Lachish [a city in Palestine, south of Jerusalem] to King Hezekiah [a king of Judah, a servant of Jehovah] at Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital of Palestine]. And he stopped [stood, took his position] by the aqueduct [conduit, channel] of the upper [high, elevated] pool, on the road [highway, public road] to the Launderer’s [fuller’s, washer’s] Field [a flat area of land, a place of cultivation]. word study 3 Then Eliakim [son of the high priest, Hilkiah’s descendant] son of Hilkiah [a significant Israelite, high priest during Josiah’s reign] the palace administrator [over the household, in charge of the royal court], Shebna [a high-ranking official, the king’s secretary] the scribe [who records or inscribes information], and Joah [Jehovah is brother, a chronicler] son of Asaph [a Levite, gatherer] the recorder [who marks or recalls events], went out [to come out, to leave a place] to him. word study 4 The Rabshakeh [a high-ranking official, chief cupbearer] said to them, “Tell Hezekiah [the king of Judah, a servant of Jehovah] that this is what the great [powerful, mighty] king, the king of Assyria [a powerful nation, descended from Asshur], says: What is the basis [foundation, reason] of this confidence [trust, faith] of yours [in which you trust, that gives you hope]? word study 5 You claim to have a strategy [counsel and advice] and strength [might and power] for war, but these are empty [vain and meaningless] words. In whom [who is it that you trust] are you now trusting [having confidence and faith], that you have rebelled [resisted and defied authority] against me? word study 6 Look now [behold, see], you are trusting [having faith, relying] in Egypt [the land of the Egyptians], that splintered [broken, shattered] reed of a staff [a support, a walking stick] that will pierce [wound, hurt] the hand of anyone who leans [rests, depends] on it [for support, for help]. Such is [like, comparable to] Pharaoh king of Egypt [a powerful ruler] to all who trust [have confidence, rely] in him [for deliverance, for salvation]. word study 7 But if you say to me, ‘We [place our confidence] trust in the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] our God [Elohim, the supreme Creator],’ is He not the One [the only true God] whose high places [cultic platforms, idolatrous shrines] and altars [places of sacrifice, worship] Hezekiah has removed [taken away, destroyed], saying to Judah [the southern kingdom, God’s chosen people] and Jerusalem [the city of peace, God’s dwelling place], ‘You must worship [bow down, offer sacrifices] before this altar’? word study 8 Now [at this time, in this moment], therefore, make a bargain [pledge, give security] with my master [lord, ruler], the king [royal person, monarch] of Assyria [Asshur, the ancestor of the Assyrians]. I will give [bestow, provide] you two thousand [a large number, a multitude] horses [chariot horses, steeds]—if you can [are able, have power] put [set, place] riders [horsemen, charioteers] on them [upon the horses, as their masters]! word study 9 For how [in what way, by what means] can you repel [turn away, defeat] a single [one, unique] officer [governor, leader] among the least [smallest, most insignificant] of my master’s [lord, ruler] servants [attendants, subjects] when you depend [put your trust, rely] on Egypt [the land of the Nile] for chariots [vehicles, cavalry] and horsemen [cavalry, riders]? word study 10 So now [at this time, in this moment], was it apart from [without, except] the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] that I have come up [ascended, risen] against this land [country, territory] to destroy [ruin, corrupt] it? The LORD [the supreme God] Himself said to me, ‘Go up [ascend, rise] against this land [region, area] and destroy [lay waste, devastate] it.’” word study 11 Then Eliakim [a king of Judah], Shebna [a high-ranking official], and Joah [meaning Jehovah is brother] said to the Rabshakeh [a chief cupbearer, a high-ranking official], “Please [a polite request] speak to your servants [those who serve, attend] in Aramaic [the Syrian language, a tongue of the people from Aram], since we understand [are able to hear and obey] it. Do not [in no way] speak to us in Hebrew [the Jews’ language, the tongue of the Israelites] in the hearing [the ears, the ability to listen] of the people [a nation, a group of individuals] on the wall [a barrier, a means of protection].” word study 12 But the Rabshakeh [a high-ranking official, chief cupbearer] replied, “Has my master [lord, ruler] sent me to speak [to communicate, to declare] these words only to you and your master, and not to the men [people, individuals] sitting on the wall [a barrier, a fence], who are destined [appointed, ordained] with you to eat [to consume, to devour] their own dung [excrement, filth] and drink [to swallow, to ingest] their own urine [waste, impurity]?” word study 13 Then the Rabshakeh [a high-ranking official, chief cupbearer] stood [in a strong sense] and called out [cried with a loud voice] loudly in [the Jewish language] Hebrew: “Hear [listen and obey] the words [things, matters] of the great [powerful, mighty] king, the king [ruler, monarch] of Assyria [Asshur, the ancestor of the Assyrians]! word study 14 This is what [thus, in this manner] the king [royal person, ruler] says: Do not let [refrain from] Hezekiah [a king of Judah] deceive [lead astray, mislead] you, for [because, since] he cannot [is not able, lacks power] deliver [rescue, save] you. word study 15 Do not let Hezekiah [the king of Judah, a righteous leader] persuade you to trust [have faith, rely on] in the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] when he says, ‘The LORD [the sovereign God, Yehovah] will surely deliver [rescue, save] us; this city [the capital of Judah, Jerusalem] will not be given [handed over, surrendered] into the hand [power, control] of the king of Assyria [a powerful enemy nation, Asshur].’ word study 16 Do not [refuse to] listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king [ruler, monarch] of Assyria [Asshur, a powerful nation] says: Make [establish, form] peace [a covenant, agreement] with me and come out [surrender, yield] to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own [personal, individual] vine [a grapevine] and his own fig tree [a source of nourishment], and drink water [be refreshed] from his own cistern [a private well], word study 17 until I come [to approach, to enter] and take you away [to capture, to remove] to a land [a country, a territory] like your own [similar to your native land]—a land [a region, a territory] of grain [wheat, corn] and new wine [freshly squeezed, fermented], a land [a country, a nation] of bread [food, sustenance] and vineyards [gardens for growing vines, a place of abundance]. word study 18 Do not let Hezekiah [deceive] mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] will deliver [rescue, snatch away] us.’ Has the god [Elohim, the supreme God] of any nation [Gentile, non-Hebrew] ever delivered [saved, preserved] his land [country, territory] from the hand [power, direction] of the king [royal person, ruler] of Assyria [Asshur, the ancestor of the Assyrians]? word study 19 Where [in what place or location] are the gods [divine beings, deities] of Hamath [an ancient city in Syria] and Arpad [a city in northern Syria]? Where [in what place or location] are the gods [Elohim, supreme rulers] of Sepharvaim [a city near the Euphrates River]? Have they [been able to, with power to] delivered [rescued, saved] Samaria [the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel] from my [outstretched, powerful] hand [an open hand; strength, a side or share]? word study 20 Who [which deity, what power] among all the gods [divine beings, rulers] of these lands [countries, territories] has delivered [rescued, saved] his land [territory, nation] from my hand [power, control]? How then can the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] deliver [rescue, preserve] Jerusalem [the city of peace, the holy city] from my hand [dominion, authority]?” word study 21 But the people [held their peace] remained silent and did not answer [respond, give an answer] a word [thing, matter], for Hezekiah [the king] had commanded [given a commandment, instructed], “Do not [refrain from] answer [respond, reply] him [the messenger].” word study 22 Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim [over the household] the palace administrator, Shebna [secretary] the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah [remembrancer] the recorder came to Hezekiah [the king of Judah] with their clothes [garments, robes] torn [rent, as a sign of grief], and they relayed [told, declared] to him the words [message, declaration] of the Rabshakeh [the chief cupbearer, high-ranking official]. word study