1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.
2 Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,
3 Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to him.
4 The field commander said to them, ‘Tell Hezekiah:‘ “This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: on what are you basing this confidence of yours?
5 You say you have counsel and might for war – but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me?