²¹ But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”^(A)

⁶ “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Psalm 39^[a]

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

³⁷ Then Eliakim^(A) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,^(B) and told him what the field commander had said.

²⁶ Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,^(A) since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”