2. He sent Eliakim, the master of the palace, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to tell the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz,
3. “Thus says Hezekiah:A day of distress and rebuke,a day of disgrace is this day!Children are due to come forth,but the strength to give birth is lacking.
4. Perhaps the Lord, your God, will hear the words of the commander, whom his lord, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God, and will rebuke him for the words which the Lord, your God, has heard. So lift up a prayer for the remnant that is here.”
5. When the servants of King Hezekiah had come to Isaiah,
6. he said to them: “Tell this to your lord: Thus says the Lord: Do not be frightened by the words you have heard, by which the deputies of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
7. I am putting in him such a spiritthat when he hears a reporthe will return to his land.I will make him fall by the sword in his land.”
8. When the commander, on his return, heard that the king of Assyria had withdrawn from Lachish, he found him besieging Libnah.
9. The king of Assyria heard a report: “Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, has come out to fight against you.” Again he sent messengers to Hezekiah to say:
10. “Thus shall you say to Hezekiah, king of Judah: Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, ‘Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.’