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.
