New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Isaiah 36
1
Sennacherib attacked and captured all of the cities of Judah that had high walls around them. It was in the 14th year of the rule of Hezekiah. Sennacherib was king of Assyria.
Reference
2
He sent his field commander from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. He sent him along with a large army. The commander stopped at the channel that brings water from the Upper Pool. It was on the road to the Washerman's Field.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 7:3
3
Eliakim, Shebna and Joah went out to him. Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, was in charge of the palace. Shebna was the secretary. Joah, the son of Asaph, kept the records.
4
The field commander said to them, "Give Hezekiah this message. Tell him, " 'Sennacherib is the great king of Assyria. He says, "Why are you putting your faith in what your king says?
5
You say you have a military plan. You say you have a strong army. But your words don't mean anything. Who are you depending on? Why don't you want to stay under my control?
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Kings 18:7
6
" ' "You are depending on Egypt. Why are you doing that? Egypt is nothing but a broken papyrus stem. Try leaning on it. It will only cut your hand. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is just like that to everyone who depends on him.
Reference
7
" ' "Suppose you say to me, 'We are depending on the Lord our God.' Didn't Hezekiah remove your god's high places and altars? Didn't Hezekiah say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, 'You must worship at the altar in Jerusalem'?
Reference
8
" ' "Come on. Make a deal with my master, the king of Assyria. I'll give you 2,000 horses. But only if you can put riders on them!
9
You are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen. You can't drive away even the least important officer among my master's officials.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 10:8
10
" ' "Besides, do you think I've come without being sent by the Lord? Have I come to attack and destroy this land without receiving a message from him? The Lord himself told me to march out against your country. He told me to destroy it." ' "
Reference
11
Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah spoke to the field commander. They said, "Please speak to us in the Aramaic language. We understand it. Don't speak to us in Hebrew. If you do, the people who are on the wall will be able to understand you."
Reference
12
But the commander replied, "My master sent me to say these things. Are these words only for your master and you to hear? Aren't they also for the men who are sitting on the wall? They are going to suffer just like you. They'll have to eat their own waste. They'll have to drink their own urine."
Reference
Word
2 Kings 18:27
13
Then the commander stood up and spoke in the Hebrew language. He called out, "Pay attention to what the great king of Assyria is telling you.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Chronicles 32:18
14
He says, 'Don't let Hezekiah trick you. He can't save you!
15
Don't let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord. Don't believe him when he says, "You can be sure that the Lord will save us. This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria." '
16
"Don't listen to Hezekiah. The king of Assyria says, 'Make a peace treaty with me. Come over to my side. Then every one of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree. Every one of you will drink water from your own well.
Reference
17
You will do that until I come back. Then I'll take you to a land that is just like yours. It's a land that has a lot of grain and fresh wine. It has plenty of bread and vineyards.
18
" 'Don't let Hezekiah fool you. He's telling you a lie when he says, "The Lord will save us." Has the god of any nation ever saved his land from the powerful hand of the king of Assyria?
Reference
Kingdom
Isaiah 36:15
19
Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they saved Samaria from my power?
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 49:23
20
Which one of all of the gods of those countries has been able to save his land from me? So how can the Lord save Jerusalem from my power?' "
Reference
References God
2 Chronicles 32:19
21
But the people remained silent. They didn't say anything. That's because King Hezekiah had commanded, "Don't answer him."
Reference
Parallel theme
Proverbs 26:4
Summary of Isaiah 36
Isaiah 36 begins the historical account of the Assyrian crisis of 701 BC, when King Sennacherib invaded Judah during the reign of Hezekiah.
Assyria had already conquered many fortified cities, and Jerusalem was now facing the possibility of destruction.
Sennacherib sends the Rabshakeh, a senior official, to Jerusalem with a large army.
His mission is not simply military.
He uses psychological warfare, attempting to convince the people that resistance is hopeless before Jerusalem even has to fight.
The Rabshakeh attacks every possible source of Judah's confidence.
He mocks their military strength, ridicules their dependence on Egypt, questions Hezekiah's leadership, and even claims that the Lord cannot save Jerusalem.
His argument is built around Assyria's impressive record of conquest.
He lists defeated nations and their gods, essentially saying that if those gods could not protect their people, the God of Judah will not be able to protect Jerusalem either.
The Assyrian official also offers a seemingly attractive alternative: surrender and accept deportation.
This was consistent with Assyrian imperial policy during the 8th and 7th centuries BC, when conquered populations were frequently relocated to weaken resistance and integrate territories into the empire.
However, the central issue of the chapter is trust.
Will Judah trust its military strength, Egypt, Hezekiah, or the Lord?
The Rabshakeh deliberately speaks in Hebrew so ordinary people on Jerusalem's walls can hear him, attempting to create fear and undermine the confidence of the population.
Hezekiah's officials do not answer him.
Instead, they return to the king in mourning, recognizing the seriousness of the situation.
The chapter ends without resolving the crisis, creating a dramatic transition into the following chapters where Hezekiah responds to the Assyrian threat.
The central message is that when an apparently unstoppable empire confronts God's people, it often attacks their confidence before attacking their city; the Assyrians possess overwhelming military power and persuasive arguments, but the chapter leaves the decisive question unanswered: whether Jerusalem will believe the voice of the empire or continue trusting in the Lord.
Assyria had already conquered many fortified cities, and Jerusalem was now facing the possibility of destruction.
Sennacherib sends the Rabshakeh, a senior official, to Jerusalem with a large army.
His mission is not simply military.
He uses psychological warfare, attempting to convince the people that resistance is hopeless before Jerusalem even has to fight.
The Rabshakeh attacks every possible source of Judah's confidence.
He mocks their military strength, ridicules their dependence on Egypt, questions Hezekiah's leadership, and even claims that the Lord cannot save Jerusalem.
His argument is built around Assyria's impressive record of conquest.
He lists defeated nations and their gods, essentially saying that if those gods could not protect their people, the God of Judah will not be able to protect Jerusalem either.
The Assyrian official also offers a seemingly attractive alternative: surrender and accept deportation.
This was consistent with Assyrian imperial policy during the 8th and 7th centuries BC, when conquered populations were frequently relocated to weaken resistance and integrate territories into the empire.
However, the central issue of the chapter is trust.
Will Judah trust its military strength, Egypt, Hezekiah, or the Lord?
The Rabshakeh deliberately speaks in Hebrew so ordinary people on Jerusalem's walls can hear him, attempting to create fear and undermine the confidence of the population.
Hezekiah's officials do not answer him.
Instead, they return to the king in mourning, recognizing the seriousness of the situation.
The chapter ends without resolving the crisis, creating a dramatic transition into the following chapters where Hezekiah responds to the Assyrian threat.
The central message is that when an apparently unstoppable empire confronts God's people, it often attacks their confidence before attacking their city; the Assyrians possess overwhelming military power and persuasive arguments, but the chapter leaves the decisive question unanswered: whether Jerusalem will believe the voice of the empire or continue trusting in the Lord.