2 Kings 18

1 And it was in year three of Hoshea [the] son of Elah [the] king of Israel he became king Hezekiah [the] son of Ahaz [the] king of Judah.

After King Hoshea had been ruling Israel for almost three years, Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, began to rule Judah.

2 A son of twenty and five year[s] he was when became king he and twenty and nine year[s] he reigned in Jerusalem and [the] name of mother his [was] Abi [the] daughter of Zechariah.

He was 25 years old when he became the king [of Judah] and he ruled from Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of [a man whose name was] Zechariah.

3 And he did the right in [the] eyes of Yahweh according to all that he had done David ancestor his.

Hezekiah did things that Yahweh considered to be right, like his ancestor King David had done.

4 He - he removed the high places and he broke the sacred pillars and he cut down the Asherah pole and he crushed to pieces [the] snake of bronze which he had made Moses for until the days those they were [the] people of Israel making smoke to it and someone had called it Nehushtan.

He destroyed the places where people worshiped Yahweh on the tops of hills, and he broke into pieces the stone pillars [for worshiping the goddess Asherah]. He also broke into pieces the bronze [replica/statue of a] snake that Moses had made. He did that because the people had named it Nehushtan, and they were burning incense in front of it to honor it.

5 In Yahweh [the] God of Israel he trusted and after him not anyone was like him among all [the] kings of Judah and [those] who they were before him.

Hezekiah trusted in Yahweh, the God whom the Israelis [worshiped.] There was no king who ruled Judah before him or after him who was as [devoted to Yahweh as] he was.

6 And he clung to Yahweh not he turned aside from after him and he kept commandments his which he had commanded Yahweh Moses.

He remained loyal to Yahweh and never disobeyed him. He carefully obeyed all the commandments that Yahweh had given to Moses.

7 And he was Yahweh with him in all that he went out he prospered and he rebelled against [the] king of Assyria and not he served him.

Yahweh always (helped/was with) him. He was successful in everything that he did. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to (pay taxes to him/do what the king of Assyria wanted him to do).

8 He he struck down [the] Philistines to Gaza and territories its from a tower of watchmen unto a city of fortification.

His army defeated [the soldiers of] Philistia as far [south] as Gaza [city] and the nearby villages. They conquered the entire area, from the smallest watchtower to the largest cities surrounded by walls.

9 And it was in the year fourth of the king Hezekiah it [was] the year seventh of Hoshea [the] son of Elah [the] king of Israel he came up Shalmaneser [the] king of Assyria on Samaria and he laid siege on it.

After King Hezekiah had been ruling Judah for almost four years, and when King Hoshea had been ruling Israel for almost seven years, [the army of] King Shalmaneser of Assyria invaded Israel and surrounded Samaria [city].

10 And they captured it from [the] end of three years in year six of Hezekiah it [was] year nine of Hoshea [the] king of Israel it was captured Samaria.

In the third year they captured the city. That was when Hezekiah has been ruling Judah for almost six years, and when Hoshea had been ruling Israel for almost nine years.

11 And he took into exile [the] king of Assyria Israel Assyria towards and he led them in Halah and on [the] Habor [the] river of Gozan and [the] cities of Media.

The king of Assyria commanded that the people of Israel be taken to Assyria. Some of them were taken to Halah [town], some were taken to a place near the Habor [River] in [the] Gozan [region], and some were taken to cities where the Mede people-group live.

12 On - that not they had listened to [the] voice of Yahweh God their and they had transgressed covenant his all that he had commanded Moses [the] servant of Yahweh and not they listened and not they did.

That happened because the Israelis did not obey Yahweh their God. They disobeyed the agreement that Yahweh had made with their ancestors, and all the laws that Moses, the man who served Yahweh [very well], had told them to obey. They would not obey those laws; they would not even listen to them.

13 And in four-teen year of the king Hezekiah he came up Sennacherib [the] king of Assyria on all [the] cities of Judah fortified and he seized them.

After King Hezekiah had been ruling Judah for almost 14 years, [the army of] King Sennacherib of Assyria attacked all the cities in Judah that had walls around them. They [did not capture Jerusalem, but they] captured all the other cities.

14 And he sent Hezekiah [the] king of Judah to [the] king of Assyria - Lachish towards - saying - I have sinned turn back from on me [that] which you will put on me I will bear and he imposed [the] king of Assyria on Hezekiah [the] king of Judah three hundred talent[s] of silver and thirty talent[s] of gold.

King Hezekiah sent a message to Sennacherib, while Sennacherib was in Lachish, saying “What I have done was wrong. Please [tell your soldiers to] stop attacking us. If you do that, I will pay you whatever you tell me to.” So the king of Assyria said that Hezekiah must pay to him (ten tons/9,000 kg.) of silver and (one ton/900 kg.) of gold.

15 And he gave Hezekiah all the silver which was found [the] house of Yahweh and in [the] treasuries of [the] house of the king.

So Hezekiah gave to him all the silver that was in the temple and that was stored in the king’s palace.

16 At the time that he cut off Hezekiah [the] doors of [the] temple of Yahweh and the door-posts which he had overlaid Hezekiah [the] king of Judah and he gave them to [the] king of Assyria.

Hezekiah’s men also stripped the gold from the doors of the temple and the gold that he himself had put on the doorposts, and he sent all that gold to the king of Assyria.

17 And he sent [the] king of Assyria [the] commander in chief and [the] chief court-official - and [the] chief commander from Lachish to the king Hezekiah with an army massive Jerusalem and they went up and they came Jerusalem and they went up and they came and they stood at [the] conduit of the pool upper which [is] on [the] highway of [the] field of [the] washer.

But the king of Assyria sent a large army with some of his important officials from Lachish [city] to [persuade] King Hezekiah [to surrender]. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they stood alongside the aqueduct/channel in which water flows from the upper pool into Jerusalem, near the road to the field where the women wash clothes.

18 And they called out to the king and he went out to them Eliakim [the] son of Hilkiah who [was] over the house and Shebna the scribe and Joah [the] son of Asaph the recorder.

They sent a message requesting King Hezekiah to come to them, but the king sent three of his officials [to talk to them]. He sent Hilkiah’s son Eliakim, who supervised the palace; Shebna, the official secretary; and Asaph’s son Joah, who communicated the king’s messages to the people.

19 And he said to them [the] chief commander say please to Hezekiah thus he says the king great [the] king of Assyria what? [is] the trust this which you trust.

One of Sennacherib’s important officials told them to take this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the king of Assyria, the great king, says: ‘What are you trusting in [to rescue you] [RHQ]?

20 You have said only a word of lips counsel and strength for war now on whom? do you rely that you have rebelled against me.

You say that you have weapons to fight us, and some country promises [to help you], [and that will enable you to defeat us, ] but that is only talk [RHQ]. Who do you think will help you to rebel against my [soldiers from Assyria]?

21 Now there! you rely yourself on [the] staff of reed crushed this on Egypt which he will support himself anyone on it and it will go in palm his and it will pierce it [is] thus Pharaoh [the] king of Egypt to all those [who] rely on him.

Listen to me! You are relying on [the army of] Egypt. But that is like [MET] using a broken reed for a walking stick on which you could lean. But it would pierce the hand of anyone who would lean on it! That is what the king of Egypt would be like for anyone who relied on him [for help].

22 And if you will say! to me to Yahweh God our we trust ¿ not [is] he [the one] whom he has removed Hezekiah high places his and altars his and he has said to Judah and to Jerusalem before the altar this you will bow down in Jerusalem.

But perhaps you will say to me, “No, we are (relying on/trusting in) Yahweh our God [to help us].” [I would reply, ] “Is he not the one whom you [insulted by] tearing down his shrines and altars and forcing everyone in Jerusalem and [other places in] Judah to worship only in front of the altar [in Jerusalem]?”’

23 And therefore make a wager please with master my with [the] king of Assyria and let me give to you two thousand horses if you will be able to put yourself riders on them.

So I suggest that you make a deal between you and my master/boss, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses, but [I do not think that] you are able to find 2,000 of your men who can ride on them!

24 And how? will you turn back [the] face of [the] governor one of [the] servants of master my small and you have been relying yourself on Egypt for chariotry and for horsemen.

You are expecting the king of Egypt to send chariots and men riding horses [to assist you]. But they certainly would not [RHQ] be able to resist/defeat even the most insignificant/unimportant official in the army of Assyria!

25 Now ¿ from without Yahweh have I come up on the place this to destroy it Yahweh he said to me go up on the land this and destroy it.

Furthermore, (do you think that we have come to destroy Jerusalem without Yahweh’s help?/do not think that we have come to Jerusalem without Yahweh’s help.) [RHQ] It is Yahweh himself who told us to come here and destroy this land!”

26 And he said Eliakim [the] son of Hilkiah and Shebna and Joah to [the] chief commander speak please to servants your Aramaic for [are] understanding we and may not you speak with us [in] Judean in [the] ears of the people which [is] on the wall.

Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the official from Assyria, “Sir, please speak to us in your Aramaic language, because we understand it. Do not speak to us in our Hebrew language, because the people who are standing on the wall will understand it [and be frightened].”

27 And he said to them [the] chief commander ¿ to master your and to you has he sent me master my to speak the words these ¿ not to the men who are sitting on the wall to eat (own excrement their *Q(K)*) and to drink ([the] water of feet their *Q(K)*) with you.

But the official replied, “Do you think [RHQ] that my master sent me to say these things only to you and not to the people who are standing on the wall? [If you reject this message, ] the [people in this city] will soon need to eat their own dung and drink their own urine, just like you will, [because there will be nothing more for you to eat or drink].”

28 And he stood [the] chief commander and he called out with a voice great [in] Judean and he spoke and he said hear [the] word of the king great [the] king of Assyria.

Then the official stood up and shouted in the Hebrew language [to the people sitting on the wall]. He said, “Listen to this message from the great king, the king of Assyria. He says,

29 Thus he says the king may not he deceive you Hezekiah for not he will be able to deliver you from hand his.

‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you. He will not be able to rescue you from my power [MTY].

30 And may not he make trust you Hezekiah to Yahweh saying certainly he will deliver us Yahweh and not it will be given the city this in [the] hand of [the] king of Assyria.

Do not allow him to persuade you to rely on Yahweh, saying that Yahweh will rescue you, and that the army of Assyria will never capture this city!’

31 May not you listen to Hezekiah for thus he says [the] king of Assyria make with me a blessing and come out to me and eat everyone own vine his and everyone own fig tree his and drink everyone [the] water of own cistern his.

“Do not pay attention to what Hezekiah says! This is what the king of Assyria says: ‘Come out of the city and surrender to me. If you do that, I will arrange for each of you to drink the juice from your own grapevines, and to eat figs from your own trees, and to drink water from your own wells.

32 Until come I and I will take you to a land like own land your a land of grain and new wine a land of bread and vineyards a land of olive tree of fresh oil and honey and live and not you will die and may not you listen to Hezekiah for he misleads you saying Yahweh he will deliver us.

You will be able to do that until we come and take you to a land that is like your land—a land where there is grain to make bread and vineyards to [produce grapes for making] wine. It will be a land that has plenty of olive trees and honey. If you do what the king of Assyria commands, you will not die. You will continue to live. ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to persuade you to trust in Yahweh saying that he will rescue you!

33 ¿ Really have they delivered [the] gods of the nations anyone land its from [the] hand of [the] king of Assyria.

The gods that people of other nations worship have never rescued them from the power [MTY] of the king of Assyria [RHQ]!

34 Where? [were] [the] gods of Hamath and Arpad where? [were] [the] gods of Sepharvaim Hena and Ivvah that they have delivered Samaria from hand my.

Why were the gods of Hamath and Arpad [cities] unable to rescue their people from the king of Assyria [RHQ]? What happened to the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah, [towns that we completely destroyed and their gods disappeared] [RHQ]? Did any god rescue Samaria from my power?

35 Who? among all [the] gods of the lands [are those] which they have delivered land their from hand my that he will deliver Yahweh Jerusalem from hand my.

No, none of the gods of the countries [that my army attacked] rescued their people [RHQ] from me! So why do you think that Yahweh will rescue you people of Jerusalem from my power [MTY]?’”

36 And they kept silent the people and not they answered him anything for [was] [the] command of the king it saying not you must answer him.

But the people [who were listening] stayed silent. No one said anything, because King Hezekiah had told them, “[When the official from Assyria talks to you, ] do not answer him.”

37 And he went Eliakim [the] son of Hilkiah who [was] over the house and Shebna the scribe and Joah [the] son of Asaph the recorder to Hezekiah torn of clothes and they told to him [the] words of [the] chief commander.

Then Eliakim the palace administrator and Shebna the court secretary and Joah the royal historian went back to Hezekiah with their clothes torn [because they were extremely distressed], and they told him what the official from Assyria had said.