²⁶ Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebnah, and Joah said to the royal spokesman, ‘Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,^(A) since we understand it. Don’t speak with us in Hebrew^[a] within earshot of the people on the wall.’

³⁷ Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the court secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian,^(A) came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn^(B) and reported to him the words of the royal spokesman.