2 Kings 18
1 Now it came to pass in the
third year of
Hoshea son of
Elah king of
Israel, that
Hezekiah the
son of
Ahaz king of
Judah began to
reign.
2 Twenty and
five years old was he when he began to
reign; and he
reigned twenty and
nine years in
Jerusalem. His
mother's name also was
Abi, the
daughter of
Zachariah. 3 And he
did that which was
right in the
sight of the
LORD, according to all that
David his
father did.
4 He
removed the high
places, and
brake the
images, and cut
down the
groves, and brake in
pieces the
brasen serpent that
Moses had
made: for unto those
days the
children of
Israel did burn
incense to it: and he
called it
Nehushtan. 5 He
trusted in the
LORD God of
Israel; so that
after him was none like him among all the
kings of
Judah, nor any that were
before him.
6 For he
clave to the
LORD, and
departed not from
following him, but
kept his
commandments, which the
LORD commanded Moses. 7 And the
LORD was with him; and he
prospered whithersoever he went
forth: and he
rebelled against the
king of
Assyria, and
served him not.
8 He
smote the
Philistines, even unto
Gaza, and the
borders thereof, from the
tower of the
watchmen to the
fenced city. 9 And it came to pass in the
fourth year of
king Hezekiah, which was the
seventh year of
Hoshea son of
Elah king of
Israel, that
Shalmaneser king of
Assyria came
up against
Samaria, and
besieged it.
10 And at the
end of
three years they
took it: even in the
sixth year of
Hezekiah, that is the
ninth year of
Hoshea king of
Israel, Samaria was
taken.
11 And the
king of
Assyria did carry
away Israel unto
Assyria, and
put them in
Halah and in
Habor by the
river of
Gozan, and in the
cities of the
Medes: 12 Because they
obeyed not the
voice of the
LORD their
God, but
transgressed his
covenant, and all that
Moses the
servant of the
LORD commanded, and would not
hear them, nor
do them.
13 Now in the
fourteenth year of
king Hezekiah did
Sennacherib king of
Assyria come
up against all the
fenced cities of
Judah, and
took them.
14 And
Hezekiah king of
Judah sent to the
king of
Assyria to
Lachish, saying, I have
offended;
return from me: that which thou
puttest on me will I
bear. And the
king of
Assyria appointed unto
Hezekiah king of
Judah three hundred talents of
silver and
thirty talents of
gold. 15 And
Hezekiah gave him all the
silver that was
found in the
house of the
LORD, and in the
treasures of the
king's house. 16 At that
time did
Hezekiah cut
off the gold from the
doors of the
temple of the
LORD, and from the
pillars which
Hezekiah king of
Judah had
overlaid, and
gave it to the
king of
Assyria. 17 And the
king of
Assyria sent Tartan and
Rabsaris and
Rabshakeh from
Lachish to
king Hezekiah with a
great host against
Jerusalem. And they went
up and
came to
Jerusalem. And when they were come
up, they
came and
stood by the
conduit of the
upper pool, which is in the
highway of the
fuller's field. 18 And when they had
called to the
king, there came
out to them
Eliakim the
son of
Hilkiah, which was over the
household, and
Shebna the
scribe, and
Joah the
son of
Asaph the
recorder.
19 And
Rabshakeh said unto them,
Speak ye now to
Hezekiah, Thus
saith the
great king, the
king of
Assyria, What
confidence is this wherein thou
trustest?
20 Thou
sayest, (but they are but
vain words,) I have
counsel and
strength for the
war. Now on whom dost thou
trust, that thou
rebellest against me?
21 Now, behold, thou
trustest upon the
staff of this
bruised reed, even upon
Egypt, on which if a
man lean, it will
go into his
hand, and
pierce it: so is
Pharaoh king of
Egypt unto all that
trust on him.
22 But if ye
say unto me, We
trust in the
LORD our
God: is not that he, whose high
places and whose
altars Hezekiah hath taken
away, and hath
said to
Judah and
Jerusalem, Ye shall
worship before this
altar in
Jerusalem? 23 Now therefore, I pray thee, give
pledges to my
lord the
king of
Assyria, and I will
deliver thee two
thousand horses, if thou be
able on thy part to
set riders upon them.
24 How then wilt thou turn
away the
face of
one captain of the
least of my
master's servants, and put thy
trust on
Egypt for
chariots and for
horsemen? 25 Am I now come
up without the
LORD against this
place to
destroy it? The
LORD said to me, Go
up against this
land, and
destroy it.
26 Then
said Eliakim the
son of
Hilkiah, and
Shebna, and
Joah, unto
Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy
servants in the Syrian
language; for we
understand it: and
talk not with us in the Jews'
language in the
ears of the
people that are on the
wall. 27 But
Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my
master sent me to thy
master, and to thee, to
speak these
words? hath he not sent me to the
men which
sit on the
wall, that they may
eat their own
dung, and
drink their own
piss with you?
28 Then
Rabshakeh stood and
cried with a
loud voice in the Jews'
language, and
spake,
saying,
Hear the
word of the
great king, the
king of
Assyria: 29 Thus
saith the
king, Let not
Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be
able to
deliver you out of his
hand: 30 Neither let
Hezekiah make you
trust in the
LORD, saying, The
LORD will
surely deliver us, and this
city shall not be
delivered into the
hand of the
king of
Assyria. 31 Hearken not to
Hezekiah: for thus
saith the
king of
Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a
present, and come
out to me, and then
eat ye every
man of his own
vine, and every
one of his fig
tree, and
drink ye every
one the
waters of his
cistern: 32 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 and of
honey, that ye may
live, and not
die: and
hearken not unto
Hezekiah, when he
persuadeth you,
saying, The
LORD will
deliver us.
33 Hath
any of the
gods of the
nations delivered at
all his
land out of the
hand of the
king of
Assyria? 34 Where are the
gods of
Hamath, and of
Arpad? where are the
gods of
Sepharvaim, Hena, and
Ivah? have they
delivered Samaria out of mine
hand? 35 Who are they among all the
gods of the
countries, that have
delivered their
country out of mine
hand, that the
LORD should
deliver Jerusalem out of mine
hand? 36 But the
people held their
peace, and
answered him not a
word: for the
king's commandment was,
saying,
Answer him not.
37 Then
came Eliakim the
son of
Hilkiah, which was over the
household, and
Shebna the
scribe, and
Joah the
son of
Asaph the
recorder, to
Hezekiah with their
clothes rent, and
told him the
words of
Rabshakeh.