2 Kings 18

New King James Version

Hezekiah Reigns in Judah^(A)

18 Now it came to pass in the third year of^(B)Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel,that^(C)Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.² He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s namewas^(D)Abi^[a]the daughter of Zechariah.³ And he didwhat wasright in the sight of theLord, according to all that his father David had done.

^4 (E)He removed the^[b]high places and broke thesacredpillars, cut down the^[c]wooden image and broke in pieces the^(F)bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it^[d]Nehushtan.⁵ He^(G)trusted in theLordGod of Israel,^(H)so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.⁶ For he^(I)held fast to theLord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which theLordhad commanded Moses.⁷ TheLord^(J)was with him; he^(K)prospered wherever he went. And he^(L)rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.^8 (M)He^[e]subdued the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory,^(N)from watchtower to fortified city.

⁹ Now^(O)it came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, whichwasthe seventh year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel,thatShalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it.¹⁰ And at the end of three years they took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, thatis,^(P)the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.^11 (Q)Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away captive to Assyria, and put them^(R)in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,¹² because they^(S)did not obey the voice of theLordtheir God, but transgressed His covenantandall that Moses the servant of theLordhad commanded; and they would neither hear nor dothem.

¹³ And^(T)in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.¹⁴ Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose on me I will pay.” And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.¹⁵ So Hezekiah^(U)gavehimall the silver that was found in the house of theLordand in the treasuries of the king’s house.¹⁶ At that time Hezekiah strippedthe gold fromthe doors of the temple of theLord, andfromthe pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave^[f]it to the king of Assyria.

Sennacherib Boasts Against theLord^(V)

¹⁷ Then the king of Assyria sentthe^[g]Tartan,the^[h]Rabsaris,and the^[i]Rabshakeh from Lachish, with a great army against Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they had come up, they went and stood by the^(W)aqueduct from the upper pool,^(X)whichwason the highway to the Fuller’s Field.¹⁸ And when they had called to the king,^(Y)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, whowasover the household, Shebna the^[j]scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them.¹⁹ ThentheRabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria:^(Z)“What confidenceisthis in which you trust?²⁰ You speak ofhavingplans and power for war; butthey are^[k]mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?^21 (AA)Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. SoisPharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.²² But if you say to me, ‘We trust in theLordour God,’isit not He^(AB)whose^[l]high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?” ’²³ Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on your part to put riders on them!²⁴ How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?²⁵ Have I now come up without theLordagainst this place to destroy it? TheLordsaid to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’ ”

^26 (AC)Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said totheRabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in^(AD)Aramaic, for we understandit;and do not speak to us in^[m]Hebrew in the hearing of the people whoareon the wall.”

²⁷ ButtheRabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?”

²⁸ ThentheRabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in^[n]Hebrew, and spoke, saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!²⁹ Thus says the king:^(AE)‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not be able to deliver you from his hand;³⁰ nor let Hezekiah make you trust in theLord, saying, “TheLordwill surely deliver us; this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ’³¹ Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Makepeacewith me^[o]by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own^(AF)vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern;³² until I come and take you away to a land like your own land,^(AG)a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive groves and honey, that you may live and not die. But do not listen to Hezekiah, lest he persuade you, saying, “TheLordwill deliver us.”^33 (AH)Has any of the gods of the nations at all delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria?³⁴ Wherearethe gods of^(AI)Hamath and Arpad? Wherearethe gods of Sepharvaim and Hena and^(AJ)Ivah? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand?³⁵ Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand,^(AK)that theLordshould deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’ ”

³⁶ But the people held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.”³⁷ Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, whowasover the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah^(AL)withtheirclothes torn, and told him the words oftheRabshakeh.