2 Kings 18:1-20

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. 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.

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?