“Please speak in Aramaic.” As Assyria tried to conquer Judah, they sent a delegation to Jerusalem to engage in “psychological warfare” (18:17–37). They made public proclamations intended to turn the Judeans against their king. The Judean officials begged the Assyrians to speak only in Aramaic (v. 26), which these officials would have understood but which the ordinary bystanders did not understand. But the Assyrians went on speaking in Hebrew, seeking to demoralize all those who were listening.