2 Kings 18

1 and to be in/on/with year three to/for Hoshea son: child Elah king Israel to reign Hezekiah son: child Ahaz king Judah

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

2 son: aged twenty and five year to be in/on/with to reign he and twenty and nine year to reign in/on/with Jerusalem and name mother his Abi daughter 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 to make: do [the] upright in/on/with eye: appearance LORD like/as all which to make: do David father his

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

4 he/she/it to turn aside: remove [obj] [the] high place and to break [obj] [the] pillar and to cut: cut [obj] [the] Asherah and to crush serpent [the] bronze which to make Moses for till [the] day [the] they(masc.) to be son: descendant/people Israel to offer: offer to/for him and to call: call by to/for him 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/on/with LORD God Israel to trust and after him not to be like him in/on/with all king Judah and which to be to/for face: before his

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 to cleave in/on/with LORD not to turn aside: depart from after him and to keep: obey commandment his which to command LORD [obj] Moses

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

7 and to be LORD with him in/on/with all which to come out: come be prudent and to rebel in/on/with king Assyria and not to serve 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/she/it to smite [obj] Philistine till Gaza and [obj] border: area her from tower to watch till city 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 to be in/on/with year [the] fourth to/for king Hezekiah he/she/it [the] year [the] seventh to/for Hoshea son: child Elah king Israel to ascend: rise Shalmaneser king Assyria upon Samaria and to confine upon her

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 to capture her from end three year in/on/with year six to/for Hezekiah he/she/it year nine to/for Hoshea king Israel to capture 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 to reveal: remove king Assyria [obj] Israel Assyria [to] and to lead them in/on/with Halah and in/on/with Habor river Gozan and city Mede

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 upon which not to hear: obey in/on/with voice LORD God their and to pass: trespass [obj] covenant his [obj] all which to command Moses servant/slave LORD and not to hear: hear and not to make: do

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/on/with four ten year to/for king Hezekiah to ascend: rise Sennacherib king Assyria upon all city Judah [the] to gather/restrain/fortify and to capture 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 to send: depart Hezekiah king Judah to(wards) king Assyria Lachish [to] to/for to say to sin to return: turn back from upon me [obj] which to give: pay upon me to lift: guilt and to set: take king Assyria upon Hezekiah king Judah three hundred talent silver: money and thirty talent 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 to give: give Hezekiah [obj] all [the] silver: money [the] to find house: temple LORD and in/on/with treasure house: home [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 in/on/with time [the] he/she/it to cut Hezekiah [obj] door temple LORD and [obj] [the] pillar which to overlay Hezekiah king Judah and to give: give them to/for king 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 to send: depart king Assyria [obj] Tartan and [obj] Rab-saris Rab-saris and [obj] Rabshakeh Rabshakeh from Lachish to(wards) [the] king Hezekiah in/on/with strength: soldiers heavy Jerusalem and to ascend: rise and to come (in): come Jerusalem and to ascend: rise and to come (in): come and to stand: stand in/on/with conduit [the] pool [the] high which in/on/with highway Field (of the Launderer) Washer's

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 to call: call to to(wards) [the] king and to come out: come to(wards) them Eliakim son: child Hilkiah which upon [the] house: temple and Shebna [the] secretary and Joah son: child Asaph [the] to remember

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 to say to(wards) them Rabshakeh Rabshakeh to say please to(wards) Hezekiah thus to say [the] king [the] great: large king Assyria what? [the] trust [the] this which to 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 to say surely word lip: words counsel and might to/for battle now upon who? to trust for to rebel in/on/with 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 behold to trust to/for you upon staff [the] branch: stem [the] to crush [the] this upon Egypt which to support man: anyone upon him and to come (in): come in/on/with palm his and to pierce her so Pharaoh king Egypt to/for all [the] to trust upon 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 for to say [emph?] to(wards) me to(wards) LORD God our to trust not he/she/it which to turn aside: remove Hezekiah [obj] high place his and [obj] altar his and to say to/for Judah and to/for Jerusalem to/for face: before [the] altar [the] this to bow in/on/with 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 now to pledge please with lord my with king Assyria and to give: give to/for you thousand horse if be able to/for to give: put to/for you to ride upon 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? to return: turn back [obj] face governor one servant/slave lord my [the] small and to trust to/for you upon Egypt to/for chariot and to/for horseman

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 beside LORD to ascend: rise upon [the] place [the] this to/for to ruin him LORD to say to(wards) me to ascend: rise upon [the] land: country/planet [the] this and to ruin her

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 to say Eliakim son: child Hilkiah and Shebna and Joah to(wards) Rabshakeh Rabshakeh to speak: speak please to(wards) servant/slave your Aramaic for to hear: understand we and not to speak: speak with us Judahite in/on/with ear: hearing [the] people which upon [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 to say to(wards) them Rabshakeh Rabshakeh upon lord your and to(wards) you to send: depart me lord my to/for to speak: speak [obj] [the] word [the] these not upon [the] human [the] to dwell upon [the] wall to/for to eat [obj] (filth their *Q(K)*) and to/for to drink [obj] (water foot 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 to stand: stand Rabshakeh Rabshakeh and to call: call out in/on/with voice great: large Judahite and to speak: speak and to say to hear: hear word [the] king [the] great: large king 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 to say [the] king not to deceive to/for you Hezekiah for not be able to/for to rescue [obj] you from hand: power his

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

30 and not to trust [obj] you Hezekiah to(wards) LORD to/for to say to rescue to rescue us LORD and not to give: give [obj] [the] city [the] this in/on/with hand: power king 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 not to hear: hear to(wards) Hezekiah for thus to say king Assyria to make with me blessing and to come out: come to(wards) me and to eat man: anyone vine his and man: anyone fig his and to drink man: anyone water pit 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 till to come (in): come I and to take: take [obj] you to(wards) land: country/planet like/as land: country/planet your land: country/planet grain and new wine land: country/planet food: bread and vineyard land: country/planet olive oil and honey and to live and not to die and not to hear: hear to(wards) Hezekiah for to incite [obj] you to/for to say LORD to rescue 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 to rescue to rescue God [the] nation man: anyone [obj] land: country/planet his from hand: power king 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? God Hamath and Arpad where? God Sepharvaim Hena and Ivvah for to rescue [obj] Samaria from hand: power 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? in/on/with all God [the] land: country/planet which to rescue [obj] land: country/planet their from hand: power my for to rescue LORD [obj] Jerusalem from hand: power 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 be quiet [the] people and not to answer [obj] him word for commandment [the] king he/she/it to/for to say not to 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 to come (in): come Eliakim son: child Hilkiah which upon [the] house: temple and Shebna [the] secretary and Joah son: child Asaph [the] to remember to(wards) Hezekiah to tear garment and to tell to/for him word Rabshakeh Rabshakeh

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.