2 Kings 18

1 Now in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz, king of Judah began to reign.

And it came to pass in the third year of Osee son of Ela king of Israel [that] Ezekias son of Achaz king of Juda began to reign.

2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah; she was the daughter of Zechariah.

Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name [was] Abu, daughter of Zacharias.

3 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, following the example of all that David, his ancestor, had done.

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, destroyed the stone pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke to pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because in those days the people of Israel were burning incense to it; it was called “Nehushtan.”

He removed the high places, and broke in pieces the pillars, and utterly destroyed the groves, and the brazen serpent which Moses made: because until those days the children of Israel burnt incense to it: and he called it Neesthan.

5 Hezekiah trusted in Yahweh, the God of Israel, so that after him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among the kings who were before him.

He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; and after him there was not any like him among the kings of Juda, nor among those that were before him.

6 For he held on to Yahweh. He did not stop following him but kept his commandments, which Yahweh commanded Moses.

And he clave to the Lord, he departed not from following him; and he kept his commandments, as many as he commanded Moses.

7 So Yahweh was with Hezekiah, and wherever he went he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

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 attacked the Philistines to Gaza and the borders around, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city.

He smote the Philistines [even] to Gaza, and to the border of it, from the tower of the watchmen even to the strong city.

9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it.

And it came to pass in the fourth year of King Ezekias (this is the seventh year of Osee son of Ela king of Israel, ) [that] Salamanassar king of the Assyrians came up against Samaria, and besieged it.

10 At the end of three years they took it, in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel; in this way Samaria was captured.

And he took it at the end of three years, in the sixth year of Ezekias, (this [is] the ninth year of Osee king of Israel, when Samaria was taken.)

11 So the king of Assyria carried Israel away to Assyria and put them in Halah, and at the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

And the king of the Assyrians carried away the Samaritans to Assyria, and put them in Alae and in Abor, [by] the river Gozan, and [in] the mountains of the Medes;

12 He did this because they did not obey the voice of Yahweh their God, but they violated the terms of his covenant, all that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded. They refused to listen to it or do it.

because they hearkened not to the voice of the Lord their God, and transgressed his covenant, [even] in all things that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and hearkened not [to them], nor did [them].

13 Then in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.

And in the fourteenth year of king Ezekias came up Sennacherim king of the Assyrians against the strong cities of Juda, and took them.

14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria, who was at Lachish, saying, “I have offended you. Withdraw from me. Whatever you put on me I will bear.” The king of Assyria required Hezekiah king of Judah to pay three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

And Ezekias king of Juda sent messengers to the king of the Assyrians to Lachis, saying, I have offended; depart from me: whatsoever thou shalt lay upon me, I will bear. And the king of Assyria laid upon Ezekias king of Juda [a tribute of] three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold.

15 So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of Yahweh and in the treasuries of the king's palace.

And Ezekias gave all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house.

16 Then Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of Yahweh and from the pillars that he had overlaid; he gave the gold to the king of Assyria.

At that time Ezekias cut off [the gold from] the doors of the temple, and [from] the pillars which Ezekias king of Juda [had] overlaid with gold, and gave it to the king of the Assyrians.

17 But the king of Assyria mobilized his great army, sending Tartan and Rabsaris and the chief commander from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They traveled up the roads and arrived outside Jerusalem. They approached the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the launderers' field, and stood by it.

And the king of the Assyrians sent Tharthan and Raphis and Rapsakes from Lachis to king Ezekias 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 When they had called to King Hezekiah, Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, went out to meet them.

And they cried to Ezekias: and there came to him Heliakim the son of Chelcias the steward, and Somnas the scribe, and Joas the son of Saphat the recorder.

19 So the chief commander said to them to tell Hezekiah what the great king, the king of Assyria, said: “What is the source of your confidence?

And Rapsakes said to them, Say now to Ezekias, Thus says the king, the great king of the Assyrians, What [is] this confidence wherein thou trustest?

20 You speak only useless words, saying there are allies and strength for war. In whom are you trusting, that you should rebel against me?

Thou hast said, (but [they are] mere words, ) [I have] counsel and strength for war. Now then in whom dost thou trust, that thou hast revolted from me?

21 Look, you trust in the walking stick of this bruised reed of Egypt, but if a man leans on it, it will stick into his hand and pierce it. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt is to anyone who trusts in him.

See now, art thou trusting for thyself on this broken staff of reed, [even] upon Egypt? whosoever shall stay himself upon it, it shall even go into his hand, and pierce it: so [is] Pharao king of Egypt to all that trust on him.

22 But if you say to me, 'We are trusting in Yahweh our God,' is not he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, 'You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem'?

And whereas thou hast said to me, We trust on the Lord God: [is] not this he, whose high places and altars Ezekias has removed, and has said to Juda and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?

23 Now therefore, I want to make you a good offer from my master the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to find riders for them.

And now, I pray you, make and agreement with my lord the king of the Assyrians, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou shalt be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

24 How could you resist even one captain of the least of my master's servants? You have put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen!

How then wilt thou turn away the face of one petty governor, from among the least of my lord's servants? whereas thou trustest for thyself on Egypt for chariots and horsemen.

25 Have I traveled up here without Yahweh to fight against this place and destroy it? Yahweh said to me, 'Attack this land and destroy it.'”

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 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah said to the chief commander, “Please speak to your servants in the Aramaic language, for we understand it. Do not speak with us in the language of Judah in the ears of the people who are on the wall.”

And Heliakim the son of Chelkias, and Somnas, and Joas, said to Rapsakes, Speak now to thy servants in the Syrian language, for we understand it; and speak not with us in the Jewish language: and why dost thou speak in the ears of the people that are on the wall?

27 But the chief commander 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, who will have to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”

And Rapsakes said to them, Has my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, 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 Then the chief commander stood and shouted in a loud voice in the Jews' language, saying, “Listen to the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.

And Rapsakes 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 The king says, 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to rescue you from my power.

thus says the king, Let not Ezekias encourage you with words: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand.

30 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in Yahweh, saying, “Yahweh will surely rescue us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”'

And let not Ezekias 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 Ezekias:

31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: 'Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and from his own fig tree, and drink from the water in his own cistern.

for thus says the king of the Assyrians, Gain my favour, 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 You will do this until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, so that you may live and not die.' Do not listen to Hezekiah when he tries to persuade you, saying, 'Yahweh will rescue us.'

until I come and remove you to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, and bread and vineyards, a land of olive oil, and honey, and ye shall live and not die: and do not ye hearken to Ezekias, for he deceives you, saying, The Lord shall deliver you.

33 Has any of the gods of the peoples rescued them out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

Have the Gods of the nations at all delivered each their own land out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians?

34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria out of my hand?

Where is the god of Haemath, and of Arphad? where is the god of Seppharvaim, Ana, and Aba? for have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?

35 Among all the gods of the lands, is there any god who has rescued his land from my power? How could Yahweh save Jerusalem from my might?”

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 people remained silent and did not respond, for the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”

But [the men] were silent, and answered him not a word: for [there was] a commandment of the king, saying, Ye shall not answer him.

37 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household; Shebna the scribe; and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and reported to him the words of the chief commander.

And Heliakim the son of Chelcias, the steward, and Somnas the scribe, and Joas the son of Saphat the recorder came in to Ezekias, having rent their garments; and they reported to him the words of Rapsakes.