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 for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 34He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father David had done. 45He removed the high places and smashed the memorial stones to pieces, and cut down the 6Asherah. He also crushed to pieces 7the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel had been burning incense to it; and it was called 8Nehushtan. 59He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; and 10after him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who came before him. 6For he 11clung to the Lord; he did not desist 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 was successful. And 13he revolted 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 marched against Samaria and besieged it. 10And at 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 led Israel into exile to Assyria, and put them in 19Halah and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 12This happened because they 20did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, but violated His covenant, all that Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded; they would neither listen nor do it.

Invasion of Judah

1321Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria marched against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 14Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent messengers to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “22I have done wrong. 23Withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will endure.” So the king of Assyria imposed on Hezekiah king of Judah the payment of three hundred 24talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 1525Hezekiah then gave him all the silver that 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 he gave it to the king of Assyria.

17Then the king of Assyria sent 26Tartan, 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 27conduit of the upper pool, which is on the road of the 28fuller’s field. 18Then they called to the king, and 29Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the household, 30Shebnah the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the secretary, went out to them.

19And Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria says: “31What is this confidence that you 32have? 20You say--but they are only 33empty words-I have a plan and strength for the war.’ Now on whom have you relied, 34that you have revolted against me? 21Now behold, you have 3536relied on the 37support of this broken reed, on Egypt; on which if a man leans, it will go into his 38hand and pierce it. That is how Pharaoh king of Egypt is to all who rely on him. 22However, if you say to me, ‘We have trusted in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and 39whose altars Hezekiah has removed, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’? 23Now then, 40come make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to put riders on them! 24How then can you drive back even 41one 42official of the least of my master’s servants, and 43rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 25Have I now come up without 44the 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, Shebnah, and Joah, said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in Aramaic, because we 45understand it; and do not speak with us in 4647Judean 48so that the people who are on the wall hear you.” 27But Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words? Has he not also sent me to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”

28Then Rabshakeh stood up and shouted with a loud voice in Judean, 49saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29This is what the king says: ‘50Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to save you from 51my hand. 30And do not let Hezekiah lead you to trust in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will certainly save us, and this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 31Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: “Make 52your peace with me and come out to me, and eat, 53each one, from his vine and each from his fig tree, and drink, each one, the waters of his own cistern, 32until I come and take you 54to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees producing oil, and of honey, so that you will live and not die.” But do not listen to Hezekiah, because he misleads you by saying, “The Lord will save us.” 3355Has any of the gods of the nations actually saved his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 3456Where are the gods of Hamath and 57Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and 5859Ivvah? Have they saved Samaria from my hand? 35Who among all the gods of the lands are there who have saved their land from my hand, 60that the Lord would save Jerusalem from my hand?’”

36But the people were silent and did not answer him with even a word, because it was the king’s 61command: “Do not answer him.” 37Then 62Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the secretary, came to Hezekiah 63with their clothes torn, and they reported to him the words of Rabshakeh.