2 Kings 18 - Easy To Read Version

¹ Hezekiah son of Ahaz was king of Judah. Hezekiah began to rule during the third year that Hoshea son of Elah was king of Israel.

² Hezekiah was 25 years old when he began to rule. Hezekiah ruled 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi, [215] the daughter of Zechariah.

³ Hezekiah did the things the Lord said were right, just like David his ancestor. [216]

⁴ Hezekiah destroyed the high places. [217] He broke the memorial stones [218] and cut down the Asherah poles. [219] At that time, the people of Israel burned incense [220] to the bronze snake made by Moses. This bronze snake was called “Nehushtan.” [221] Hezekiah broke this bronze snake into pieces {because the people were worshiping that snake}.

⁵ Hezekiah trusted in the Lord God of Israel. There was no person like Hezekiah among all the kings of Judah before him or after him.

⁶ Hezekiah was very faithful to the Lord. He did not stop following the Lord. He obeyed the commands that the Lord had given to Moses.

⁷ The Lord was with Hezekiah. Hezekiah was successful in everything he did.

⁸ Hezekiah defeated the Philistines all the way to Gaza and the area around it. He defeated all the Philistine cities—from the smallest town to the largest city.

⁹ Shalmaneser king of Assyria went to fight against Samaria. His army surrounded the city. {This happened during} the fourth year that Hezekiah was king of Judah. (This was also the seventh year that Hoshea son of Elah was king of Israel.)

¹⁰ At the end of the third year, Shalmaneser captured Samaria. He took Samaria during the sixth year that Hezekiah was king of Judah. (This was also the ninth year that Hoshea was king of Israel.)

¹¹ The king of Assyria took the Israelites as prisoners to Assyria. He made them live in Halah, on the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes.

¹² This happened because the Israelites did not obey the Lord their God. They broke the Lord’s Agreement. They did not obey all the things that Moses the Lord’s servant commanded. The people of Israel would not listen to the Lord’s Agreement, or do the things it taught them to do.

¹³ During the 14th year that Hezekiah was king, Sennacherib king of Assyria went to fight against all the strong cities of Judah. Sennacherib defeated all those cities.

¹⁴ Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent a message to the king of Assyria at Lachish. Hezekiah said, “I have done wrong. Leave me {alone}. Then I will pay anything you want.

¹⁵ Hezekiah gave all the silver that was in the Lord’s temple [224] and in the king’s treasuries.

¹⁶ At this time, Hezekiah cut off the gold that covered the doors of the Lord’s temple and the doorposts. King Hezekiah had put gold on these doors and doorposts. Hezekiah gave this gold to the king of Assyria.

¹⁷ The king of Assyria sent his three most important commanders with a large army to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. Those men left Lachish and went to Jerusalem. They stood near the aqueduct [225] by the Upper Pool. (The Upper Pool is on the road to the Washers’ Field.)

¹⁸ These men called for the king. Eliakim son of Hilkiah (Eliakim was in charge of the king’s house), Shebna (the secretary), and Joah son of Asaph (the record keeper) came out to meet them.

¹⁹ One of the commanders said to them, “Tell Hezekiah this is what the great king, the king of Assyria says:

²⁰ Your words are worth nothing. [226] You say, “I have enough advice and power to help me in war.” But who do you trust since you have broken away from my rule?

²¹ You are leaning on a walking stick made of broken reed! This walking stick is Egypt. If a man leans on this walking stick, {it will break and} go through his hand and hurt him! The king of Egypt is like that to all people that trust in him.

²² Maybe you will say, “We trust the Lord our God.” But I know that Hezekiah took away the high places [227] and altars [228] where people worshiped the Lord. And Hezekiah told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship only in front of the altar here in Jerusalem.”

²³ Now make this agreement with my master, the king of Assyria. I promise that I will give you 2,000 horses if you can find men to ride them.

²⁴ You can’t defeat one officer of the lowest of my master’s officers! You depend on Egypt to give you chariots [229] and horse soldiers!

²⁵ I have not come against Jerusalem to destroy it without the Lord! The Lord said to me, “Go up against this country and destroy it!”

²⁶ Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the commander, “Please speak to us in Aramaic. We understand that language. Do not speak with us in the language of Judah because the people on the wall can hear us! [230] ”

²⁷ But Rabshakeh said to them, “My lord did not send me to speak only to you and your king. [231] I also speak to the other people that sit on the wall! They will eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you! [232] ”

²⁸ Then the commander shouted loudly in the Jewish language, “Hear this message from the great king, the king of Assyria!

²⁹ The king says, ‘Don’t let Hezekiah fool you! He can’t save you from my power!’

³⁰ Don’t let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord! Hezekiah says, ‘The Lord will save us! The king of Assyria will not defeat this city!’

³¹ But don’t listen to Hezekiah!

³² You can do this until I come and take you away to a land like your own land. It is a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and fields full of grapes, a land of olives and honey. Then you can live, and not die. But don’t listen to Hezekiah! He is trying to change your mind. He is saying, ‘The Lord will save us.’

³³ Did any of the gods of the other nations save his land from the king of Assyria? No!

³⁴ Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Did they save Samaria from me? No!

³⁵ Did any of the gods in the other countries save their land from me? No! Can the Lord save Jerusalem from me? No!”

³⁶ But the people were silent. They did not say a word to the commander because King Hezekiah had given them a command. He said, “Don’t say anything to him.”

³⁷ Eliakim son of Hilkiah (Eliakim was in charge of the king’s house), Shebna (the secretary), and Joah son of Asaph (the record keeper) came to Hezekiah. Their clothes were torn {to show they were upset}. They told Hezekiah the things that the Assyrian commander had said.