² Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests,^[a] clothed in sackcloth, sent this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: ³ “This is what Hezekiah says:^[b] ‘This is a day of distress, insults,^[c] and humiliation,^[d] as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through.^{[e] 4} Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God.^[f] When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said.^[g] So pray for this remnant that remains.’”^[h]