2 Kings 18

Hezekiah Reigns over Judah

1Now it came about 1in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that 2Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king. 2He was 3twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 34He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. 45He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the 6Asherah. He also broke in pieces 7the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called 8Nehushtan. 59He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; 10so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. 6For he 11clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.

Hezekiah Victorious

712And the Lord was with him; wherever he went he prospered. And 13he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 814He 15defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from 16watchtower to fortified city.

9Now in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, 17Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it. 10At the end of three years they captured it; in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was 18the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was captured. 11Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and put them in 19Halah and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 12because they 20did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed His covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded; they would neither listen nor do it.

Invasion of Judah

1321Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 14Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “22I have done wrong. 23Withdraw from me; whatever you 24impose on me I will bear.” So the king of Assyria 25required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 1526Hezekiah gave him all the silver which was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king’s house. 16At that time Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the doorposts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

17Then the king of Assyria sent 27Tartan and Rab-saris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a large army to Jerusalem. So they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they went up, they came and stood by the 28conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway of the 29fuller’s field. 18When they called to the king, 30Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and 31Shebnah the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came out to them.

19Then Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, “32What is this confidence that you 33have? 20You say (but they are 34only empty words), ‘I have counsel and strength for the war.’ Now on whom do you rely, 35that you have rebelled against me? 21Now behold, you 3637rely on the staff of this crushed reed, even on Egypt; on which if a man leans, it will go into his 38hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him. 22But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and 39whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’? 23Now therefore, 40come, 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. 24How then can you 41repulse one 42official of the least of my master’s servants, and 43rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 25Have I now come up 44without the Lord’s approval against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”’”

26Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah and Joah, said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in Aramaic, for we 45understand it; and do not speak with us in 4647Judean in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 27But Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”

28Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in Judean, 48saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. 29Thus says the king, ‘49Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you from 50my hand; 30nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 31Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria, “51Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat 52each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern, 32until I come and take you away 53to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live and not die.” But do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you, saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” 3354Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 3455Where are the gods of Hamath and 56Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and 5758Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 35Who among all the gods of the lands 59have delivered their land from my hand, 60that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’”

36But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 37Then 61Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah 62with their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh.