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2 Kings 18
- 1
- Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of
Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to
reign.
- 2
- Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign;
and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was
Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.
- 3
- And he did that which was right in the sight of the
LORD, 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 Moses had
made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and
he called it Nehushtan.
- 5
- He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him
was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.
- 6
- For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from
following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.
- 7
- And the LORD was with him; and he prospered
whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and
served him not.
- 8
- He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, 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 Hezekiah,
which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that
Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.
- 10
- And at the end of three years they took it: even in the
sixth year of Hezekiah, that is in the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel,
Samaria was taken.
- 11
- And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto
Assyria, 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 the LORD their God,
but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD
commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them.
- 13
- Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did
Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah,
and took them.
- 14
- And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria
to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest
on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of
Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
- 15
- And Hezekiah gave him 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 did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the
doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of
Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
- 17
- And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and
Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem.
And they went up and came to Jerusalem. 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 Hezekiah,
Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, 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 the LORD our God: is
not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and
hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in
Jerusalem?
- 23
- Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the
king of Assyria, 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 the LORD against this place to
destroy it? The LORD 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 Assyria:
- 29
- Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for
he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:
- 30
- Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying,
The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the
hand of the king of Assyria.
- 31
- Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of
Assyria, 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
Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The LORD will deliver us.
- 33
- Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his
land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
- 34
- Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are
the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of
mine hand?
- 35
- Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that
have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the LORD should deliver
Jerusalem 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
Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
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