2 Kings 18 - Israeli Authorized Version

¹ Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Yisrael, that Hizkiyah-yahu the son of Ahaz king of Yhudah began to reign.

² Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Yerushalayim. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.

³ And he did that which was right in the sight of YY , 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 Moshe had made: for unto those days the children of Yisrael did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

⁵ He trusted in YY Elohim of Yisrael; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Yhudah, nor any that were before him.

⁶ For he clave to YY , and departed not from following him, but kept His Commandments, which YY Commanded Moshe.

⁷ And YY was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Ashur, and served him not.

⁸ He smote the Plishtim, even unto Azah, 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 Hizkiyah-yahu, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Yisrael, that Shalmaneser king of Ashur came up against Shomron, and besieged it.

¹⁰ And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hizkiyah-yahu, that is in the ninth year of Hoshea king of Yisrael, Shomron was taken.

¹¹ And the king of Ashur did carry away Yisrael unto Ashur, 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 YY their Elohim, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moshe the servant of YY Commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them.

¹³ Now in the fourteenth year of king Hizkiyah-yahu did Sancheriv king of Ashur come up against all the fenced cities of Yhudah, and took them.

¹⁴ And Hizkiyah-yahu king of Yhudah sent to the king of Ashur to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Ashur appointed unto Hizkiyah-yahu king of Yhudah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

¹⁵ And Hizkiyah-yahu gave him all the silver that was found in the house of YY , and in the treasures of the king's house.

¹⁶ At that time did Hizkiyah-yahu cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of YY , and from the pillars which Hizkiyah-yahu king of Yhudah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Ashur.

¹⁷ And the king of Ashur sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hizkiyah-yahu with a great host against Yerushalayim. And they went up and came to Yerushalayim. 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 Hizkiyah-yahu, Thus saith the great king, the king of Ashur, 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 YY our Elohim: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hizkiyah-yahu hath taken away, and hath said to Yhudah and Yerushalayim, Ye shall worship before this altar in Yerushalayim?

²³ Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my YY the king of Ashur, 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 YY against this place to destroy it? YY 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 Ashur:

²⁹ Thus saith the king, Let not Hizkiyah-yahu deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:

³⁰ Neither let Hizkiyah-yahu make you trust in YY , saying, YY will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Ashur.

³¹ Hearken not to Hizkiyah-yahu: for thus saith the king of Ashur, 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 Hizkiyah-yahu, when he persuadeth you, saying, YY will deliver us.

³³ Hath any of the elohim of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Ashur?

³⁴ Where are the elohim of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the elohim of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Shomron out of mine hand?

³⁵ Who are they among all the elohim of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that YY should deliver Yerushalayim 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 Hizkiyah-yahu with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.