2 Kings 18

1 In the thridde yeer of Osee, sone of Hela, kyng of Israel, regnyde Ezechie, sone of Achaz, kyng of Juda.

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 of fyue and twenti yeer, whanne he bigan to regne, and he regnyde in Jerusalem nyne and twenti yeer; the name of his modir was Abisa, douyter of Zacharie.

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 And he dide that, that was good bifor the Lord, bi alle thingis, which Dauid, his fadir, hadde do.

And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David did.

4 And he distriede hiye places, and al to-brak ymagis, and kittide doun wodis, and he brak the brasun serpent, whom Moyses hadde maad; for `til to that tyme the sones of Israel brenten encense to it; and he clepide the name therof Noestam.

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 And he hopide in the Lord God of Israel; therfor aftir hym noon was lijk hym of alle the kyngis of Juda, but `and nether in tho kyngis that weren bifor hym.

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 And he cleuyde to the Lord, and yede not awei fro hise steppis, and he dide the comaundementis of the Lord, whiche the Lord comaundide to Moises;

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

7 wherfor and the Lord was with hym, and he gouernede wiseli hym silf in alle thingis, to whiche he yede forth. Also he rebellide ayens the kyng of Assiriens, and therfor he seruede not to `that kyng of Asseriens;

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 and he smoot Philisteis `til to Gazam, and alle the termes of hem, fro the tour of keperis `til to a citee maad strong.

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 fourthe yeer of kyng Ezechie, that was the seuenthe yeer of Osee, sone of Hela, kyng of Israel, Salmanazar, kyng of Assiriens, stiede to Samarie,

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 and fauyt ayens it, and took it. For after thre yeer, in the sixte yeer of Ezechie, that is, in the nynthe yeer of Osee, kyng of Israel, Samarie was takun;

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 and the kyng of Assiriens translatide Israel in to Assiriens, and settyde hem in Haila, and in Habor, ryueris of Gozam, in the citees of Medeis;

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 for thei herden not the vois of her Lord God, but thei braken his couenaunt; thei herden not, nether diden alle thingis, whiche Moises, the seruaunt of the Lord, comaundide.

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 In the fourtenthe yeer of kyng Ezechie, Senacherub, kyng of Assiryens, stiede to alle the strengthide citees of Juda, and took tho.

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 Thanne Ezechie, kyng of Juda, sente messangeris to the kyng of Assiriens in to Lachis, and seide, Y haue synned; go awei fro me, and Y schal bere `al thing, which thou schalt putte to me. Therfor the kyng of Asseriens puttide on Ezechie, kyng of Juda, thre hundrid talentis of siluer, and thretti talentis 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 And Ezechie yaf al the siluer, that was foundun in the hows of the Lord, and in the kyngis tresories.

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 In that tyme Ezechie brak the yatis of the temple of the Lord, and the platis of gold, whiche he hadde fastned, and he yaf tho to the kyng of Assiriens.

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 Forsothe the kyng of Assiriens sente Thercha and Rabsaces fro Lachis to kyng Ezechie, with strong hond to Jerusalem; and whanne thei hadden stied, thei camen to Jerusalem, and stoden bisidis the water cundijt of the hiyere cisterne, which is in the weie of the fullere, `ethir toukere.

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 And thei clepiden the kyng; sotheli Eliachym, sone of Elchie, the souereyn of the hows, and Sobna, scryueyn, and Joahe, chaunseler, the sone of Asaph, yeden out to hem.

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 And Rabsaces seide to hem, Speke ye to Ezechie, The grete kyng, the kyng of Assiriens, seith these thingis, What is this trist, in which thou enforsist?

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 In hap thou hast take counsel, that thou woldist make thee redi to batel. In whom tristist thou, that thou be hardi to rebelle?

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 Whethir thou hopist in a `staf of rehed and brokun, Egipt, on which, if a man lenith, it schal be brokun, and schal entre in to hys hond, and schal peerse it? So is Farao, kyng of Egipt, to alle men that tristen on hym.

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 That if thou seist to me, We han trist in `oure Lord God; whether this is not he, whos hiye thingis and auteris Ezechie took awei, and comaundide to Juda and to Jerusalem, Ye schulen worschipe bifor this auter 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 therfor passe ye to my lord, the kyng of Assiriens, and Y schal yyue to you twei thousynde of horsis, and se ye, whether ye moun haue rideris of `tho horsis?

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 And hou moun ye withstonde bifor o prince of the leste seruauntis of my lord? Whether thou hast trist in Egipt, for charis and knyytis?

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 Whether Y stiede with outen `Goddis wille to this place, that Y schulde distrie it? `The Lord seide to me, `Stie thou to this lond, and distrie thou 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 Forsothe Eliachym, sone of Elchie, and Sobna, and Joahe, seiden to Rabsaces, We preien, that thou speke bi the langage of Sirie to vs, thi seruauntis; for we vndirstondun this langage; and that thou speke not to vs bi the langage of Juwis, while the puple herith, which is on the wal.

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 And Rabsaces answeride, `and seide, Whethir my lord sente me to thi lord and to thee, that Y schulde speke these wordis, and not rather to the men `that sitten on the wal, that thei ete her toordis, and drynke her pisse 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 Therfor Rabsaces stood, and criede with greet vois bi langage of Jewis, and seide, Here ye the wordis of the greet kyng, the kyng of Assiriens.

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 kyng seith these thingis, Ezechie disceyue not you, for he may not delyuere you fro myn hond;

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 nether yyue he trist to you on the Lord, and seie, The Lord delyuerynge schal delyuere vs, and this citee shal not be bitakun in the hond of the kyng of Assiriens;

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 nyle ye here Ezechie. For the kyng of Assiriens seith these thingis, Do ye with me that, that is profitable to you, and go ye out to me; and eche man schal ete of his vyner, and of his fige tree, and ye schulen drynke watris of youre cisternes,

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 til Y come, and translate you in to a lond which is lijk youre lond, in to a fruytful lond, and plenteuouse of wyn, a lond of breed, and of vineris, a lond of olyue trees, and of oile, and of hony; and ye schulen lyue, and ye schulen not die. Nyle ye here Ezechie, that disseyueth you, and seith, The Lord schal delyuere yow.

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 Whether the goddis of hethene men delyueriden her lond fro the hond of the kyng of Assiriens?

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 is god of Emath, and of Arphat? Where is god of Sapharuaym, of Ana, and of Aua? Whether thei delyueriden Samarie fro myn hond?

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 For who ben thei in alle goddis of londis, that delyueriden her cuntrey fro myn hond, that the Lord may delyuere Jerusalem fro myn hoond?

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 Therfor the puple was stille, and answeride not ony thing to hym; for thei hadden take comaundement of the kyng, that thei schulden not answere to hym.

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 And Eliachym, sone of Elchie, the souereyn of the hows, and Sobna, scryuen, and Joahe, chaunceler, the sone of Asaph, camen with to-rent clothis to Ezechie; and telden to hym the wordis of Rabsaces.

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.