2 Kings 18:1-20:21 And it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

CAB⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ And it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 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 Abi, daughter of Zechariah. ³ And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David did. ⁴ He removed the high places, and broke in pieces the pillars, and utterly destroyed the groves, and the bronze serpent which Moses made, because until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan. ⁵ He trusted in the Lord God of Israel. And after him there was none like him among the kings of Judah, nor among those that were before him. ⁶ And he held fast to the Lord, he departed not from following Him; and he kept His commandments, as many as He commanded Moses. ⁷ And the Lord was with him; and he was wise in all that he undertook. And he revolted from the king of the Assyrians, and served him not. ⁸ He struck the Philistines, even to Gaza, and to the border of it, from the tower of the watchmen even to the strong city. ⁹ And it came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah (this is the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel), that Shalmaneser king of the Assyrians came up against Samaria, and besieged it. ¹⁰ And he took it at the end of three years, in the sixth year of Hezekiah, (this is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, when Samaria was taken). ¹¹ And the king of the Assyrians carried away the Samaritans to Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor, by the River Gozan, and in the mountains of the Medes; ¹² because they hearkened not to the voice of the Lord their God, and transgressed His covenant, in all things that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and hearkened not to them, nor did them. ¹³ And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of the Assyrians came up against the strong cities of Judah, and took them. ¹⁴ And Hezekiah king of Judah sent messengers to the king of the Assyrians to Lachish, saying, I have offended; depart from me: whatsoever you shall lay upon me, I will bear. And the king of Assyria laid upon Hezekiah king of Judah a tribute of three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold. ¹⁵ And Hezekiah gave 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 Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid with gold, and gave it to the king of the Assyrians. ¹⁷ And the king of the Assyrians sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a strong force against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem, and stood by the aqueduct of the upper pool, which is by the way of the fuller's field. ¹⁸ And they cried out to Hezekiah. And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah the steward, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came out to them, ¹⁹ and Rabshakeh said to them, Say now to Hezekiah, Thus says the king, the great king of the Assyrians: What confidence is this in which you trust? ²⁰ You have said, (but they are mere words) I have counsel and strength for war. Now then, in whom do you trust, that you have revolted from me? ²¹ See now, are you trusting for yourself on this broken staff of reed, even upon Egypt? Whosoever shall lean upon it, it shall even go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust on him. ²² And whereas you have said to me, We trust on the Lord God: is not this He, whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, and has said to Judah and Jerusalem, You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? ²³ Now therefore, I urge you, make an agreement with my lord the king of the Assyrians, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you shall be able on your part to set riders upon them. ²⁴ How then will you turn away the face of one petty governor, from among the least of my master's servants, seeing that you trust on Egypt for chariots and horsemen for yourself. ²⁵ And now have we 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 And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to Rabshakeh, Speak now to your servants in the Syrian language, for we understand it; and speak not with us in the Jewish language; and why do you speak in the ears of the people that are on the wall? ²⁷ And Rabshakeh said to them, Has my master sent me to your master, and to you, to speak these words? Has he not sent me to the men who sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own water together with you? ²⁸ And Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jewish language, and spoke, and said, Hear the words of the great king of the Assyrians: ²⁹ thus says the king: Let not Hezekiah encourage you with words: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand. ³⁰ And let not Hezekiah cause you to trust on the Lord, saying, The Lord will certainly deliver us; this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of the Assyrians; hearken not to Hezekiah. ³¹ For thus says the king of the Assyrians: Gain my favor, and come forth to me, and every man shall drink of the wine of his own vine, and every man shall eat of his own fig tree, and shall drink water out of his own cistern; ³² until I come and remove you to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, and bread and vineyards, a land of olive oil and honey, and you shall live and not die; and do not hearken to Hezekiah, for he deceives you, saying, The Lord shall deliver you. ³³ Have the gods of the nations in any way delivered each their own land out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians? ³⁴ Where is the god of Hamath, and of Arpad? Where is the god of Sepharvaim and Hena and Ivah? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? ³⁵ Who is there among all the gods of the countries, who have delivered their countries out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? ³⁶ But the men were silent, and answered him not a word; for there was a commandment of the king, saying, You shall not answer him. ³⁷ And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, the steward, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder came in to Hezekiah, having torn their clothes; and they reported to him the words of Rabshakeh. ¹⁹ ¹ And it came to pass when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. ² And he sent Eliakim the steward, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, clothed 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 tribulation and rebuke and provocation; for the children have come to the birth, but the mother has no strength. ⁴ Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to reproach the living God, and to revile Him with the words which the Lord your God has heard; and you shall offer your prayer for the remnant that is found. ⁵ So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. ⁶ And Isaiah said to them, Thus shall you say to your master, Thus says the Lord: Be not afraid of the words which you have heard, wherewith the servants of the king of the Assyrians have blasphemed Me. ⁷ Behold, I shall send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a report, and shall return to his own land; and I will overthrow him with the sword in his own land. ⁸ So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he heard that he had departed from Lachish. ⁹ And he heard concerning Tirhakah king of the Ethiopians, saying, Behold, he has come forth to fight with you. And he returned, and sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, ¹⁰ Let not your God on whom you trust encourage you, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hands of the king of the Assyrians. ¹¹ Behold, you have heard all that the kings of the Assyrians have done in all the lands, to waste them utterly-and shall you be delivered? ¹² Have any of the gods of the other nations delivered them, whom my fathers destroyed: Gozan and Haran and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? ¹³ Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad? And where is the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena, and Ivah? ¹⁴ And Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it. And he went up to the house of the Lord, and Hezekiah spread it before the Lord, ¹⁵ and said, O Lord God of Israel, that dwells over the cherubim, You are the only God in all the kingdoms of the earth; You have made heaven and earth. ¹⁶ Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear: open Your eyes and see, O Lord; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. ¹⁷ For truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have wasted the nations, ¹⁸ and have cast their gods into the fire: because they are no gods, but the works of men's hands, wood and stone; and they have destroyed them. ¹⁹ And now, O Lord our God, deliver us out of his hand, and all the kingdoms of the earth shall know that You alone are the Lord God. ²⁰ And Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: I have heard your prayer to Me concerning Sennacherib king of the Assyrians. ²¹ This is the word which the Lord has spoken against him; The virgin daughter of Zion has made light of you, and mocked you; the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you. ²² Whom have you reproached, and whom have you reviled? And against whom have you lifted up your voice, and raised your eyes on high? Is it not against the Holy One of Israel? ²³ By your messengers you have reproached the Lord, and have said, I will go up with the multitude of my chariots, to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and I have cut down the height of his cedar, and his choice cypresses; and I have come into the midst of the forest and of Carmel. ²⁴ I have refreshed myself, and have drunk strange waters, and I have dried up with the sole of my foot all the rivers of the fortified places. ²⁵ I have brought about the matter, I have brought it to a conclusion; and it has come to the destruction of the bands of warlike prisoners, even of strong cities. ²⁶ And they that dwelt in them were weak in hand, they quaked and were confounded, they became as grass of the field, or as the green herb, the grass growing on houses, and that which is trodden down by him that stands upon it. ²⁷ But I know your sitting down and your going forth, and your rage against Me. ²⁸ Because you were angry against Me, and your fierceness has come up into My ears, therefore will I put My hooks in your nostrils, and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way in which you came. ²⁹ And this shall be a sign to you: eat this year the things that grow of themselves, and in the second year the things which spring up. And in the third year let there be sowing and reaping, and planting of vineyards, and eat their fruits. ³⁰ And he shall increase him that has escaped of the house of Judah, and the remnant shall strike the root beneath, and it shall produce fruit above. ³¹ For from Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and he that escapes from Mount Zion: the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this. ³² Is it not so? Thus says the Lord concerning the king of the Assyrians: He shall not enter into this city, and he shall not shoot an arrow there, neither shall a shield come against it, neither shall he heap a mound against it. ³³ By the way in which he comes, by it shall he return, and he shall not enter into this city, says the Lord. ³⁴ And I will defend this city as with a shield, for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David. ³⁵ And it came to pass at night that the Angel of the Lord went forth, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand. And they rose early in the morning, and behold, these were all dead corpses. ³⁶ And Sennacherib king of the Assyrians departed, and went and returned, and dwelt in Nineveh. ³⁷ And it came to pass, while he was worshipping in the house of Nisrosh his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. ²⁰ ¹ In those days Hezekiah was sick, even unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came in to him, and said to him, Thus says the Lord, Give charge to your household; for you shall die, and not live. ² And Hezekiah turned to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying, ³ O Lord, remember, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in Your eyes. And Hezekiah wept with a great weeping. ⁴ And Isaiah was in the middle court, and the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ⁵ Turn back, and you shall say to Hezekiah the ruler of My people, Thus says the Lord God of your father David: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you; on the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. ⁶ And I will add to your days fifteen years; and I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians, and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David. ⁷ And Isaiah said, Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it upon the ulcer, and he shall be well. ⁸ And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, What is the sign that the Lord will heal me, and I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day? ⁹ And Isaiah said, This is the sign from the Lord, that the Lord will perform the word which He has spoken, the shadow of the dial shall advance ten degrees; or if it should go back ten degrees this would also be the sign. ¹⁰ And Hezekiah said, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; but let the shadow return ten degrees backward on the dial. ¹¹ And Isaiah the prophet cried to the Lord, and the shadow returned back ten degrees on the dial. ¹² At that time Merodoch Baladan, son of Baladan king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, because he had heard that Hezekiah was sick. ¹³ And Hezekiah rejoiced at them, and showed all the house of his spices, the silver and the gold, the spices and the fine oil, and the armory, and all that was found in his treasures; there was nothing which Hezekiah did not show them in his house, and in all his dominion. ¹⁴ And Isaiah the prophet went in to King Hezekiah, and said to him, What did these men say to you? And where did they come from? And Hezekiah said, they came to me from a distant land, from Babylon. ¹⁵ And he said, What did they see in your house? And he said, They saw all things that are in my house: there was nothing in my house which I did not show them; moreover, all that was in my treasuries as well. ¹⁶ And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁷ Behold, the days are coming that all things that are in your house shall be taken, and all that your fathers have treasured up to this day shall be carried to Babylon; and there shall not fail a word which the Lord has spoken. ¹⁸ And as for your sons which shall come forth of you, which you shall beget, the enemy shall take them, and they shall be eunuchs in the house of the king of Babylon. ¹⁹ And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which He has spoken: only let there be peace in my days. ²⁰ And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and all that he made, the fountain and the aqueduct, and how he brought water into the city, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ²¹ And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his place.