2 Kings 18

1 And it came to pass, in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

In the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah, the king of Israel: Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, reigned as king of Judah.

2 Twenty-five years old, was he when he began to reign, and, twenty-nine years, reigned he in Jerusalem, —and, his mother’s name, was Abi, daughter of Zachariah.

He was twenty-five years old when he had begun to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah.

3 And he did that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh, —according to all that, David his father, did.

And he did what was good before the Lord, in accord with all that his father David had done.

4 He, removed the high places, and brake in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Sacred Stem, —and beat in pieces the serpent of bronze that, Moses, had made, because, until those days, had the sons of Israel been burning incense thereunto, so he called it Nehushtan.

He destroyed the high places, and he crushed the statues, and he cut down the sacred groves. And he broke apart the bronze serpent, which Moses had made. For even until that time, the sons of Israel were burning incense to it. And he called its name Nehushtan.

5 In Yahweh, God of Israel, did he trust, —so that, after him, was none like him, among all the kings of Judah, nor that were before him;

He hoped in the Lord, the God of Israel. And after him, there was no one similar to him, among all the kings of Judah, nor even among any of those who were before him.

6 and he did cleave unto Yahweh, he turned not away from following him, —but kept his commandments, which, Yahweh, commanded, Moses.

And he clung to the Lord, and he did not withdraw from his footsteps, and he carried out his commandments, which the Lord had instructed to Moses.

7 So Yahweh was with him, whithersoever he went forth, he prospered, —and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.

Therefore, the Lord was also with him. And he conducted himself wisely in all the things to which he went forth. Also, he rebelled against the king of the Assyrians, and he did not serve him.

8 He, smote the Philistines, as far as Gazah, and her boundaries, —from the watchmen’s tower even to the fortified city.

He struck the Philistines as far as Gaza, and in all their borders, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city.

9 And it came to pass, in the fourth year of King Hezekiah—the same, was the seventh year of Hosea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and laid siege against it;

In the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea, the son of Elah, the king of Israel: Shalmaneser, the king of the Assyrians, ascended to Samaria, and he fought against it,

10 and he captured it at the end of three years, in the sixth year of Hezekiah, —the same, is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, was Samaria captured.

and he seized it. For after three years, in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is, in the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Israel, Samaria was captured.

11 So the king of Assyria drave away Israel to Assyria, —and settled them in Halah, and in Habor, by the river of Gozan, and the mountains of Media:

And the king of the Assyrians took away Israel into Assyria. And he located them in Halah and in Habor, at the rivers of Gozan, in the cities of the Medes.

12 because they hearkened not unto the voice of Yahweh their God, but transgressed his covenant, all that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded, —they neither hearkened nor performed.

For they did not listen to the voice of the Lord, their God. Instead, they transgressed his covenant. All that Moses, the servant of the Lord, had instructed, they would neither hear, nor do.

13 And, in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, came up Sennacherib king of Assyria, against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them.

In the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, Sennacherib, the king of the Assyrians, went up to all the fortified cities of Judah, and he captured them.

14 Then sent Hezekiah king of Judah unto the king of Assyria, to Lachish, saying—I have sinned, Return from me, What thou shalt lay upon me, I will bear. So the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah, three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold.

Then Hezekiah, the king of Judah, sent messengers to the king of the Assyrians at Lachish, saying: “I have offended. Withdraw from me, and all that you will impose upon me, I will bear.” And so the king of the Assyrians levied a tax upon Hezekiah, the king of Judah, of three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

15 And Hezekiah delivered up all the silver that was found in the house of Yahweh, and in the treasuries of the house of the king.

And Hezekiah gave all the silver that had been found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king.

16 At that time, Hezekiah cut off the doors of the temple of Yahweh, and the columns, which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, —and gave them unto the king of Assyria.

At that time, Hezekiah broke apart the doors of the temple of the Lord, with the plates of gold which he had affixed to them. And he gave these to the king of the Assyrians.

17 And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rab-saris and Rab-shakeh, from Lachish unto King Hezekiah, with a heavy force to Jerusalem, —so they came up and drew near to Jerusalem, and took their stand by the upper channel of the pool, which is in the highway of the fuller’s field.

Then the king of the Assyrians sent Tartan, and Rabsaris, and Rabshakeh, from Lachish, to king Hezekiah, with a powerful hand, to Jerusalem. And when they had ascended, they arrived in Jerusalem, and they stood beside the aqueduct of the upper pool, which is along the way of the fuller’s field.

18 Then called they for the king, and there went out unto them Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, —and Shebnah, the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder.

And they called for the king. But there went out to them Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, the first ruler of the house, and Shebnah, the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the keeper of records.

19 And Rab-shakeh said unto them—Pray you, say unto Hezekiah, —Thus, saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What trust is this wherewith thou dost trust?

And Rabshakeh said to them: “Speak to Hezekiah: Thus says the great king, the king of the Assyrians: What is this faith, in which you strive?

20 Thou hast said—they are only words of the lips!—Counsel and might [have I] for the war. Now, in whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against me?

Perhaps, you have taken counsel, so that you would prepare yourself for battle. In whom do you trust, so that you would dare to rebel?

21 Now, lo! thou dost trust thyself on the support of this bruised cane, on Egypt, whereon, if a man lean, it will enter his hand and lay it open, —so, is Pharaoh king of Egypt, to all who trust upon him.

Do you hope in Egypt, that staff of a broken reed, which, if a man would lean upon it, breaking, it would pierce his hand? Such is Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to all who would trust in him.

22 But, if ye should say unto me, In Yahweh our God, do we trust, Then is that not he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath removed, and said unto Judah, and unto Jerusalem—Before this altar, shall ye bow down, in Jerusalem?

But if you say to me: ‘We have faith in the Lord, our God.’ Is it not he, whose high places and altars Hezekiah has taken away? And did he not instruct Judah and Jerusalem: ‘You shall adore before this altar in Jerusalem?’

23 Now, therefore, pledge thyself, I pray thee, with my lord, the king of Assyria, —that I supply thee with two thousand horses, if thou, on thy part, be able to set riders upon them.

Now therefore, cross over to my lord, the king of the Assyrians, and I will give to you two thousand horses, and we will see if you even have enough riders for them.

24 How then wilt thou turn back the face of one pasha of the least of my lord’s servants? Or hast thou, on thy part, trusted to Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

So how can you resist one prince from the least of my lord’s servants? Do you have faith in Egypt because of the chariots and horsemen?

25 Now, is it, without Yahweh, that I have come up against this place, to destroy it? Yahweh himself, said unto me, Go thou up against this land, and destroy it.

Is it not by the will of the Lord that I have chosen to ascend to this place, so that I may destroy it? The Lord said to me: ‘Ascend to this land, and destroy it.’”

26 Then said Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah, unto Rab-shakeh: Speak, we pray thee, unto thy servants in the, Syrian, language, for, we, can, understand, it, —and do not speak with us in, the Jews’, language, in the ears of the people who are upon the wall.

Then Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah, said to Rabshakeh: “We beseech you, that you may speak to us, your servants, in Syriac. For we understand that language to some extent. And do not speak to us in the Jews’ language, in the hearing of the people, who are upon the wall.”

27 But Rab-shakeh said unto them—Is it, concerning thy lord, and concerning thee, that my lord hath sent me to speak these things? Is it not concerning the men who are tarrying upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung and drink their own water with you?

And Rabshakeh responded to them, saying: “Has my lord sent me to your lord and to you, so that I may speak these words, and not instead to the men who are sitting upon the wall, so that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own urine with you?”

28 So then Rab-shakeh took his stand, and cried out with a loud voice, in, the Jews’, language, —and spake, and said, Hear ye the message of the great king, the king of Assyria: —

And so, Rabshakeh stood up, and he exclaimed in a great voice, in the Jews’ language, and he said: “Listen to the words of the great king, the king of the Assyrians.

29 Thus, saith the king: Let not Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not he able to deliver you out of his hand;

Thus says the king: Let not Hezekiah lead you astray. For he will not be able to rescue you from my hand.

30 Neither let Hezekiah cause you to trust in Yahweh, saying, Yahweh, will, certainly deliver, us, —this city, therefore, shall not be given over into the hand of the king of Assyria.

And do not let him give you faith in the Lord, saying: ‘The Lord will rescue and free us, and this city will not be delivered into the hand of the king of the Assyrians.’

31 Do not hearken unto Hezekiah, —for, thus, saith the king of Assyria, Deal with me thankfully, and come out unto me, then shall ye eat—every one of his own vine, and every one of his own fig-tree, and drink every one the waters of his own cistern;

Do not choose to listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of the Assyrians: Do with me what is for your own good, and come out to me. And each one of you will eat from his own vine, and from his own fig tree. And you shall drink water from your own wells,

32 Until I come and take you, into a land like your own land—A land of corn and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and honey, so shall ye live, and not die, —But do not hearken unto Hezekiah, for he would persuade you, saying, Yahweh, will deliver us!

until I arrive and transfer you into a land, similar to your own land, a fruitful and fertile land of wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olives and oil and honey. And you will live, and not die. Do not choose to listen to Hezekiah, who deceives you, saying: ‘The Lord will free us.’

33 Have, the gods of the nations, at all delivered, any one of them, his country, out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

Have any of the gods of the nations freed their land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

34 Where are the gods of Hamath, and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Yea, did they deliver Samaria out of my hand?

Where is the god of Hamath, and of Arpad? Where is the god of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and of Avva? Have they freed Samaria from my hand?

35 Who are they, among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country, out of my hand, —that, Yahweh, should deliver, Jerusalem, out of my hand?

Which ones among all the gods of the lands have rescued their region from my hand, so that the Lord would be able to rescue Jerusalem from my hand?”

36 But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word, —for, the command of the king, it was, saying—Ye must not answer him.

But the people were silent, and they did not respond at all to him. For indeed, they had received an instruction from the king that they should not respond to him.

37 Then came in Eliakim son of Hilkiah who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, unto Hezekiah, with rent clothes, —and they told him the words of Rab-shakeh.

And Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, the first ruler of the house, and Shebnah, the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the keeper of records, went to Hezekiah with their garments torn. And they reported to him the words of Rabshakeh.