Isaiah 36:8

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

Now, therefore, pledge thyself I pray thee with my lord, the king of Assyria, - That I supply thee with two thousand horses, If thou on thy part be able to set riders upon them;

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Nowe therefore giue hostages to my lorde the King of Asshur, and I wil giue thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders vpon them.

Christian Standard Bible®
“Now make a deal with my master, the king of Assyria. I’ll give you two thousand horses if you’re able to supply riders for them!

Hebrew Names Version
Now therefore, please give pledges to my master the king of Ashshur, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.

Darby Translation
And now engage, I pray thee, with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

Easy-to-Read Version
"‘If you still want to fight, my master, the king of Assyria, will make this agreement with you. I promise that I will give you 2000 horses if you can find enough men to ride them into battle.

Amplified Bible
"So now, exchange pledges with my master the king of Assyria and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to put riders on them.

American Standard Version
Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

Contemporary English Version
The king of Assyria wants to make a bet with you people! He will give you two thousand horses, if you have enough troops to ride them.

Complete Jewish Bible
All right, then, make a wager with my lord the king of Ashur: I will give you two thousand horses if you can find enough riders for them.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now therefore, I pray thee, make a wager with my master, the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

King James Version (1611)
Now therefore giue pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will giue thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders vpon them.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
yet now make an agreement with my lord the king of the Assyrians, and I will give you two thousand horses, if ye shall be able to set riders upon them.

English Revised Version
Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

Berean Standard Bible
Now therefore, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses-if you can put riders on them!

Lexham English Bible
And now please make a wager with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, that is, if you are able put riders for yourself on them!

Literal Translation
Now, then, please exchange pledges with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to set riders on them for you.

New Century Version
"‘Now make an agreement with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses if you can find enough men to ride them.

New English Translation
Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them.

New King James Version
Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses--if you are able on your part to put riders on them!

New Living Translation
"I'll tell you what! Strike a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses if you can find that many men to ride on them!

New Life Bible
So now come and make an agreement with my leader, the king of Assyria. And I will give you 2,000 horses, if you are able to put horsemen on them.

New Revised Standard
Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And now deliver thyself up to my lord the king of the Assyrians, and I will give thee two thousand horses, and thou wilt not be able on thy part to find riders for them.

George Lamsa Translation
Now therefore make an alliance with my lord, king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you have riders to set upon them.

Good News Translation
I will make a bargain with you in the name of the emperor. I will give you two thousand horses if you can find that many riders.

New American Standard Bible
"Now then, come make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to put riders on them!

King James Version
Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

Webster's Bible Translation
Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou canst on thy part set riders upon them.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Nowe therfore deliuer hostages that thou rebell no more agaynst my Lorde the kyng of the Assyrians, and I wyll geue thee two thousande horses yf thou be able to set men vpon them.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And now bitake thee to my lord, the kyng of Assiriens, and Y schal yyue to thee twei thousynde of horsis, and thou maist not yyue of thee stieris of tho horsis.

Young's Literal Translation
`And now, negotiate, I pray thee, with my lord the king of Asshur, and I give to thee two thousand horses, if thou art able to put for thee riders on them.

World English Bible
Now therefore, please give pledges to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.

Revised Standard Version
Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders upon them.

Update Bible Version
Now therefore, I pray you, give pledges to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.

Bible in Basic English
And now, take a chance with my master, the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to put horsemen on them.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Abyde the, thou hast made a condicion with my lorde the kinge of the Assirias, that he shulde geue the two thousande horses: Art thou able to set me there vp?

THE MESSAGE
"‘Be reasonable. Face the facts: My master the king of Assyria will give you two thousand horses if you can put riders on them. You can't do it, can you? So how do you think, depending on flimsy Egypt's chariots and riders, you can stand up against even the lowest-ranking captain in my master's army?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Now therefore, come make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.

Legacy Standard Bible
So now, come make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to give riders for them.

Contextual Overview

¹ Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up, against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. ² Then did the king of Assyria send Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto King Hezekiah with a heavy force, - and he took his stand by the upper channel of the pool, in the highway of the fullers field. ³ And there went out to him - Eliakim son of Hilkiah who was over the household, - and Shebna, the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder. ⁴ And Rabshakeh said unto them, Pray you say unto Hezekiah, - Thus, saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What is this trust, wherewith then dost trust? ⁵ I have said sayest thou - they are only words of the lips - Counsel and might have I for the war, - Now, upon whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against me? ⁶ Lo! thou dost trust on the support of this bruised cane, on Egypt, whereon if a man lean it will enter his hand and lay it open, - So, is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust upon him. ⁷ But, if thou shouldst say unto me, In Yahweh our God, do we trust, Then is that not he whose high places and whose altars, Hezekiah hath removed, and said unto Judah and unto Jerusalem, Before this altar, shall ye bow yourselves down? ⁸ Now, therefore, pledge thyself I pray thee with my lord, the king of Assyria, - That I supply thee with two thousand horses, If thou on thy part be able to set riders upon them; ⁹ How then wilt thou turn away the face of one pasha of the least of my lords servants? Or hast thou on thy part trusted upon Egypt, for chariots and for horsemen? ¹⁰ But, now, is it, without Yahweh, that I have come up against this land to destroy it? Yahweh himself, said unto me, Go thou up against this land and destroy it!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

pledges: or, hostages, 2 Kings 14:14

and I: Isaiah 10:13, Isaiah 10:14, 1 Samuel 17:40-43, 1 Kings 20:10, 1 Kings 20:18, 2 Kings 18:23, Nehemiah 4:2-5, Psalms 20:7, Psalms 20:8, Psalms 123:3, Psalms 123:4

Reciprocal: Genesis 49:18 - General Deuteronomy 17:16 - multiply horses Judges 9:29 - Increase thine army 1 Samuel 17:36 - seeing 2 Kings 13:7 - fifty horsemen Psalms 80:6 - our enemies Isaiah 10:8 - General Jeremiah 9:23 - neither Hosea 14:3 - we will not

Cross-References

Genesis 14:6
and the Horites in their Mount Seir, - as far as El-paran, which is by the desert.

Genesis 32:3
Then did Jacob send messengers before him unto Esau his brother, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom.

Genesis 36:1
Now these, are the generations of Esau the same, is Edom.

Genesis 36:2
Esau, took his wives of the daughters of Canaan, - Even Adah, daughter of Elon, the Hittite, And Oholibamah daughter of Anah, son of Zibeon, the Hivite;

Genesis 36:7
For their substance had become too great for them to dwell together, - neither could the land of their sojournings sustain them, because of their herds,

Genesis 36:19
These, are the sons of Esau, and, these, their chiefs - the same, is Edom.

Genesis 36:20
These, are the sons of Seir, the Horite, who were dwelling in the land, - Lotan and Shobal and Zibeon and Anah;

Deuteronomy 2:5
do not engage in strife with them, for I will not give you of their land, so much as place for the tread of a foot-sole, - for as a possession to Esau, have I given Mount Seir.

Joshua 24:4
and gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau, - and gave unto Esau, Mount Seir, to possess it, but, Jacob and his sons, went down into Egypt.

1 Chronicles 4:42
And, some of them, of the sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir, five hundred men, - with Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, sons of Ishi, at their head;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now therefore give pledges to my master the king of Assyria,.... Or; "hostages" h; that thou wilt not rebel against him, but be faithful to him, and he will withdraw his army; or give security for the horses after promised: "or mingle thyself with him"; agree the matter with him, give pledges for future fidelity; or join in battle with him, come out and fight him, if able:

and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders on them; thus scoffing at him, as if he had not so many soldiers to bring out against him; or so many men in his kingdom as had skill enough to ride a horse; in his bravado he signifies, that if he would come out and fight him, he would lend him so many horses, if he could put men upon them, to assist him; this he said as boasting of his master's strength and power, and in scorn and derision at Hezekiah's weakness.

h התערב "da obsides", Vatablus; "paciscere cum domino meo, Gataker; "misceto, quaeso, [bellum] cum domino meo", Junius & Tremellius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Now, therefore, give pledges - Margin, ‘Hostages.’ The Hebrew verb (ערב ‛ârab) means properly to mix or mingle; then, to exchange commodities by barter or traffic; then, to become surety for anyone, to exchange with him, to stand in his place; then, to pledge, to pledge one’s life, or to give security of any kind. Here it is used in a spirit of taunting or derision, and is equivalent to what would be said among us, ‘I will bet you, or I will lay a wager, that if we should give you only two thousand horses, you could not find men enough to ride them, or men that had knowledge of horsemanship enough to guide them.’ There was much severity in this taunt. The Jews hoped to defend themselves. Yet here was an immense army coming up to lay siege against them. What hope had they of defense? So weak and feeble were they, that Rabshakeh said they could not furnish even two thousand horsemen to resist all the host of the Assyrians. There was also, doubtless, much truth in this taunt. It was not permitted by the law of Moses for the Jews to keep cavalry, nor for their kings to multiply horses. The reason of this may be seen in the notes at Isaiah 2:7. Though some of the kings, and especially Solomon, had disregarded this law of Moses, yet Hezekiah had endeavored to restore the observance of the law, and it is probable that he find no cavalry, and that the art of horsemanship was little known in Jerusalem. As the Assyrians prided themselves on their cavalry, they consequently looked with contempt on a people who were destitute of this means of defense.