²² Then Eliakim^(A) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder^(B) went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,^(C) and told him what the field commander had said.

³ Eliakim^(A) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator,^(B) Shebna^(C) the secretary,^(D) and Joah^(E) son of Asaph the recorder^(F) went out to him.

⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his clothes^(A) and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.

Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold^(A)

37 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes^(B) and put on sackcloth^(C) and went into the temple^(D) of the Lord. ² He sent Eliakim^(E) the palace administrator, Shebna^(F) the secretary, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.^(G)

¹¹ Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah^(A) said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,^(B) since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

³ When I heard this, I tore^(A) my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled.^(B)

⁷ As soon as the king of Israel read the letter,^(A) he tore his robes and said, “Am I God?^(B) Can I kill and bring back to life?^(C) Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel^(D) with me!”