2 Kings 18 Now in the third year of Osea son of Ela king of Israel, Ezekias son of Achaz king of Juda acted as king.

Thomson⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Now in the third year of Osea son of Ela king of Israel, Ezekias son of Achaz king of Juda acted as king. ² He was twenty five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty nine years in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Abu, a daughter of Zacharias. ³ He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. ⁴ He removed the high places and broke in pieces the pillars and destroyed the bowers and the brasen serpent which Moses made. Because in those days the Israelites were burning incense to it, therefore he called it Neesthan. ⁵ He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that there was not after him one like him among the kings of Juda, nor among those who were before him. ⁶ For he cleaved to the Lord and departed not from following him, and kept all his commandments which he had given in charge to Moses. ⁷ And the Lord was with him and assisted him in all that he did. And he revolted from the king of Assyria and would not serve him. ⁸ He smote the Philistines even to Gaza and the border thereof, from the watch tower to the fenced city. ⁹ Now in the fourth year of Ezekias which was the seventh year of Osea son of Ela king of Israel, Salamanasser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it, ¹⁰ and took it at the end of three years. In the sixth year of Ezekias, which was the ninth of Osea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. ¹¹ And the king of Assyria removed the Samaritans to Assyria, and placed them along the Alae and the Abor, a river of Gozan, and on the mountains of the Medes, ¹² because they had not hearkened to the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed his covenant; and, with regard to all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, had neither hearkened to them nor done them. ¹³ And in the fourteenth of king Ezekias, Sennacherim the king of the Assyrians came up against the fortified cities of Juda, and when he had taken some of them, ¹⁴ Ezekias king of Juda sent messengers to the king of Assyria at Lachis, saying, I have done wrong. Depart from me. Whatever thou imposest on me I will bear. Thereupon the king of Assyria imposed on Ezekias king of Juda, three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. ¹⁵ And Ezekias gave him all the silver which was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasury of the king's house. ¹⁶ At that time Ezekias cut up the doors of the temple, and the braces which he, Ezekias king of Juda, had overlaid with gold, and gave them to the king of Assyria. ¹⁷ Nevertheless the king of Assyria sent Tharthan and Raphis, and Rapsakes of Lachis, to king Ezekias with a great army against Jerusalem. And when they had marched up and arrived at Jerusalem they halted at the conduit of the upper pool, which is by the high way to the fuller's field, ¹⁸ and cried to Ezekias. And there went out to him Eliakim son of Chelkias, the steward, and Somnas the secretary, and Joas son of Saphat, the recorder. ¹⁹ And Rapsakes said to them, Say, I pray you, to Ezekias, Thus saith the king, the great king of the Assyrians, Of what avail is that confidence on which thou hast relied? ²⁰ Thou saidst; but they were vain words; I have counsel and strength for war. ²¹ Now therefore on whom dost thou rely that thou shouldst rebel against me? Perhaps thou leanest on that staff; that broken reed; on Egypt; on which if any one lean, it will enter his hand and pierce it. ²² Such is Pharao king of Egypt to all who trust in him. As to thy telling me, We have relied on the Lord God; Is not this he, whose high places and whose altars Ezekias hath pulled down, saying to Juda and Jerusalem, You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? ²³ Though you were now in close connexion with my master the king of Assyria, and I were to give thee two thousand horses, couldst thou, I pray thee, mount for thyself riders on them? ²⁴ How then canst thou turn back the face of a petty governor; one of the lowest servants of my lord, relying on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? ²⁵ And now are we come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord hath said to me, Go up against that land and destroy it. ²⁶ Then Eliakim son of Chelkias, and Somnas and Joas, said to Kapsakes, Speak, we pray thee, to thy servants in Syriac, for we understand it. Therefore speak not to us in the Jewish language. Why shouldst thou speak to the ears of the people on the wall? ²⁷ Thereupon Rapsakes said to them, Did my master send me to thy master or to thee, to deliver this message? Was it not to those men who are set on that wall that they may eat their own ordure and drink their own urine? ²⁸ Then Rapsakes stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jewish language and said, Hear the words of the great king of the Assyrians. ²⁹ Thus saith the king, Let not Ezekias deceive you; for he cannot deliver you out of his hand. ³⁰ Neither let Ezekias cause you to trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will deliver us; this city shall not be delivered into the hands of the king of the Assyrians. ³¹ Hearken not to Ezekias. For thus saith the king of the Assyrians, Make peace with me and come out to me. And every one shall drink of his own vine, and every one shall eat of his own fig tree, and drink the water of his own cistern; ³² until. I come and take you to a land like your own; a land of corn and wine, and bread and vineyards; a land of olive oil and honey, that you may live and not die. Hearken not to Ezekias: for he deceiveth you, saying, The Lord will deliver us. ³³ Have the gods of the nations delivered their respective countries out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians? ³⁴ Where is the God of Aimath and Arphad? Where the god of Seppharuaim, Ana and Aba? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? ³⁵ Who is there among all the gods of these countries who have delivered their countries out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of it? ³⁶ But they held their peace and answered him not a word, For this was the king's command, Make him no answer. ³⁷ Then came Eliakim son of Chelkias the steward, and Somnas the secretary, and Joas the son of Saphat the recorder to Ezekias, with their clothes rent and told him the words of Rapsakes.