2 Kings 18:1–19:37
18 Now it came to pass in the third year of aHoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that bHezekiah 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 name was cAbi 1the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.
4 dHe removed the 2high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the 3wooden image and broke in pieces the ebronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it 4Nehushtan. 5 He ftrusted in the Lord God of Israel, gso that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. 6 For he hheld fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. 7 The Lord iwas with him; he jprospered wherever he went. And he krebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 lHe 5subdued the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory, mfrom watchtower to fortified city.
9 Now nit came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea the 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. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is, othe ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. 11 pThen the king of Assyria carried Israel away captive to Assyria, and put them qin Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 12 because they rdid not obey the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed His covenant and all that Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded; and they would neither hear nor do them.
13 And sin 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 tgave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house. 16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave 6it to the king of Assyria.
Sennacherib Boasts Against the Lord
17 Then the king of Assyria sent the 7Tartan, the 8Rabsaris, and the 9Rabshakeh 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 uaqueduct from the upper pool, vwhich was on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. 18 And when they had called to the king, wEliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the 1scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them. 19 Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: x“What confidence is this in which you trust? 20 You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are 2mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? 21 yNow 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. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 22 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He zwhose 3high 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 the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’ ”
26 aThen Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in bAramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in 4Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”
27 But the Rabshakeh 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 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in 5Hebrew, and spoke, saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 Thus says the king: c‘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 the Lord, saying, “The Lord will 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: ‘Make peace with me 6by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own dvine 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, ea 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, “The Lord will deliver us.” 33 fHas any of the gods of the nations at all delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of gHamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim and Hena and hIvah? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, ithat the Lord should 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, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah jwith their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.
19 And aso it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with bsackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to 1bring them forth. 4 cIt may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to dreproach the living God, and will erebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’ ”
5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 fAnd Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Do not be gafraid of the words which you have heard, with which the hservants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 Surely I will send ia spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” ’ ”
Sennacherib’s Threat and Hezekiah’s Prayer
8 Then the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed jfrom Lachish. 9 And kthe king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “Look, he has come out to make war with you.” So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God lin whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? 12 mHave the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of nEden who were in Telassar? 13 oWhere is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’ ”
14 pAnd Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15 Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord God of Israel, the One qwho dwells between the cherubim, rYou are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 sIncline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; topen Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, uwhich he has sent to reproach the living God. 17 Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were vnot gods, but wthe work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 19 Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, xthat all the kingdoms of the earth may yknow that You are the Lord God, You alone.”
The Word of the Lord Concerning Sennacherib
20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: z‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, aI have heard.’ 21 This is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning him:
‘The virgin, bthe daughter of Zion,
Has despised you, laughed you to scorn;
The daughter of Jerusalem
cHas shaken her head behind your back!
22 ‘Whom have you reproached and blasphemed?
Against whom have you raised your voice,
And lifted up your eyes on high?
Against dthe Holy One of Israel.
23 eBy your messengers you have reproached the Lord,
And said: f