2 Kings 18

1 Now in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz, king of Judah began to reign.

And it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea' the son of Elah the king of Israel, that Hezekiah, the son of Achaz the king of Judah, became king.

2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah; she was the daughter of Zechariah.

Twenty and five years old was he when he became king, and twenty and nine years did he reign in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah.

3 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, following the example of all that David, his ancestor, had done.

And he did what is right in the eyes of the Lord, in accordance with all that David his father had done.

4 He removed the high places, destroyed the stone pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke to pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because in those days the people of Israel were burning incense to it; it was called “Nehushtan.”

He it was that removed the high-places, and broke the statues, and cut down the groves, and stamped in pieces the copper serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days were the children of Israel burning incense to it; and he called it Nechushtan.

5 Hezekiah trusted in Yahweh, the God of Israel, so that after him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among the kings who were before him.

In the Lord the God of Israel did he trust; and after him there was not his like among all the kings of Judah, nor among those that were before him.

6 For he held on to Yahweh. He did not stop following him but kept his commandments, which Yahweh commanded Moses.

And he adhered to the Lord, and turned not away from following him; but he kept his commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.

7 So Yahweh was with Hezekiah, and wherever he went he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

And the Lord was with him; whithersoever he went forth he prospered: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.

8 He attacked the Philistines to Gaza and the borders around, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city.

He it was that smote the Philistines, as far as Gazzah, and its territory, from the tower of the watchmen up to the fortified city.

9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it.

And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea' the son of Elah the king of Israel, that Shalmanesser the king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.

10 At the end of three years they took it, in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel; in this way Samaria was captured.

And they captured it at the end of three years, —in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea' the king of Israel, was Samaria captured.

11 So the king of Assyria carried Israel away to Assyria and put them in Halah, and at the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

And the king of Assyria led away Israel as exiles unto Assyria, and transported them to Chalach and to Chabor, by the river of Gozan, and to the cities of Media;

12 He did this because they did not obey the voice of Yahweh their God, but they violated the terms of his covenant, all that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded. They refused to listen to it or do it.

Because they had not obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, but had transgressed his covenant, all that Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded; and had not obeyed, nor done accordingly.

13 Then in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.

And in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib the king of Assyria come up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and seized on them.

14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria, who was at Lachish, saying, “I have offended you. Withdraw from me. Whatever you put on me I will bear.” The king of Assyria required Hezekiah king of Judah to pay three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

And Hezekiah the king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have sinned; retire from me: what thou wilt impose on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah the king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

15 So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of Yahweh and in the treasuries of the king's palace.

And Hezekiah gave up all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house.

16 Then Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of Yahweh and from the pillars that he had overlaid; he gave the gold to the king of Assyria.

At that time did Hezekiah cut off [the gold from] the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the door-sills which Hezekiah the king of Judah had overlaid, and gave the same to the king of Assyria.

17 But the king of Assyria mobilized his great army, sending Tartan and Rabsaris and the chief commander from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They traveled up the roads and arrived outside Jerusalem. They approached the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the launderers' field, and stood by it.

And the king of Assyria sent Tharthan and Rub-sariss and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a strong army against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem; and when they were come up, they came and halted by the aqueduct of the upper pool, which is on the highway of the washer's field.

18 When they had called to King Hezekiah, Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, went out to meet them.

And they called for the king, when there came out to them Elyakim the son of Chilkiyahu, who was superintendent over the house, and Shebnah the scribe, and Yoach the son of Assaph the recorder.

19 So the chief commander said to them to tell Hezekiah what the great king, the king of Assyria, said: “What is the source of your confidence?

And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus hath said the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherewith thou hast trusted?

20 You speak only useless words, saying there are allies and strength for war. In whom are you trusting, that you should rebel against me?

Thou saidst, but it was only a word uttered with the lips, [I have] counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom didst thou trust, that thou rebelledst against me?

21 Look, you trust in the walking stick of this bruised reed of Egypt, but if a man leans on it, it will stick into his hand and pierce it. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt is to anyone who trusts in him.

Now, behold, thou trustedst thee upon yon cracked reed-staff, upon Egypt, which, if a man lean on it, will enter into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh the king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.

22 But if you say to me, 'We are trusting in Yahweh our God,' is not he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, 'You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem'?

But if ye should say unto me, In the Lord our God have we trusted: is he not the one whose high-places and whose altars Hezekiah hath removed, when he said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Before this altar shall ye prostrate yourselves in Jerusalem?

23 Now therefore, I want to make you a good offer from my master the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to find riders for them.

And now, I pray thee, enter into a contest with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

24 How could you resist even one captain of the least of my master's servants? You have put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen!

How then wilt thou turn back the face of a single chieftain among the least of my master's servants, while thou hast put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen!

25 Have I traveled up here without Yahweh to fight against this place and destroy it? Yahweh said to me, 'Attack this land and destroy it.'”

Now am I come up without the Lord ['s will] against this place to destroy it? The Lord hath said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah said to the chief commander, “Please speak to your servants in the Aramaic language, for we understand it. Do not speak with us in the language of Judah in the ears of the people who are on the wall.”

Then said Elyakim the son of Chilkiyahu, and Shebnah, and Yoach, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, we pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not with us in the Jewish language before the ears of the people that are on the wall.

27 But the chief commander said to them, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words? Has he not sent me to the men who sit on the wall, who will have to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”

But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master then sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? is it not rather to the men who sit on the wall, that they may eat their own excrement, and drink their own urine with you?

28 Then the chief commander stood and shouted in a loud voice in the Jews' language, saying, “Listen to the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.

Then stood Rabshakeh up and called out with a loud voice in the Jewish language, and spoke, and said, Hear ye the word of the great king, the king of Assyria:

29 The king says, 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to rescue you from my power.

Thus hath said the king. Let not Hezekiah deceive you; for he will not be able to deliver you out of his hand;

30 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in Yahweh, saying, “Yahweh will surely rescue us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”'

Neither let Hezekiah induce you to trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given up into the hand of the king of Assyria:

31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: 'Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and from his own fig tree, and drink from the water in his own cistern.

Hearken not to Hezekiah; for thus hath said the king of Assyria, Make a treaty of peace with me, and come out to me, and eat ye every man of his own vine, and every man of his fig-tree, and drink ye every man the waters of his cistern;

32 You will do this until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, so that you may live and not die.' Do not listen to Hezekiah when he tries to persuade you, saying, 'Yahweh will rescue us.'

Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil-olive trees, and of honey, that ye may live, and not die; and hearken not unto Hezekiah; for he will mislead you, saying, The Lord will deliver us.

33 Has any of the gods of the peoples rescued them out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

Have the gods of the nations delivered in anywise each his land out of 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? Have they rescued Samaria out of my hand?

Where are the gods of Chamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvayim, Hena', and 'Ivvah? have they then delivered Samaria out of my hand?

35 Among all the gods of the lands, is there any god who has rescued his land from my power? How could Yahweh save Jerusalem from my might?”

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

36 But the people remained silent and did not respond, for the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”

But the people remained silent, and answered him not a word; for it was the king's command, saying, Ye shall not answer him.

37 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household; Shebna the scribe; and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and reported to him the words of the chief commander.

Then came Elyakim the son of Chilkiyah, who was superintendent over the house, and Shebnah the scribe, and Yoach the son of Assaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent; and they told unto him the words of Rabshakeh.