Hezekiah Becomes King of Judah

18:1 In the third year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea son of Elah, Ahaz’s son Hezekiah became king over Judah. 18:2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem.1 His mother2 was Abi,3 the daughter of Zechariah. 18:3 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done.4 18:4 He eliminated the high places, smashed the sacred pillars to bits, and cut down the Asherah pole.5 He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for up to that time6 the Israelites had been offering incense to it; it was called Nehushtan.7 18:5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; in this regard there was none like him among the kings of Judah either before or after.8 18:6 He was loyal to9 the Lord and did not abandon him.10 He obeyed the commandments which the Lord had given to11 Moses. 18:7 The Lord was with him; he succeeded in all his endeavors.12 He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to submit to him.13 18:8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from the watchtower to the city fortress.14

18:9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah’s reign (it was the seventh year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea, son of Elah), King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched15 up against Samaria16 and besieged it. 18:10 After three years he captured it (in the sixth year of Hezekiah’s reign); in the ninth year of King Hoshea’s reign over Israel Samaria was captured. 18:11 The king of Assyria deported the people of Israel17 to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes. 18:12 This happened because they did not obey18 the Lord their God and broke his agreement with them.19 They did not pay attention to and obey all that Moses, the Lord’s servant, had commanded.20