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

¶ Now it came to pass in the third year of Hosea, son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.

2 H e was twenty-five years old when he began his twenty-nine-year reign in Jerusalem. His mother was Abi daughter of Zechariah.

He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.

3 H ezekiah did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his had done.

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

4 H e removed the high places, broke the images, cut down the Asherim, and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until then the Israelites had burned incense to it; but he called it Nehushtan.

He removed the high places and broke the images and cut down the groves and broke in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days, the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan.

5 H ezekiah trusted in, leaned on, and was confident in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that neither after him nor before him was any one of all the kings of Judah like him.

He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that neither after him nor before was there any like him among all the kings of Judah.

6 F or he clung and held fast to the Lord and ceased not to follow Him, but kept His commandments, as the Lord commanded Moses.

For he cleaved unto the LORD and did not depart from following him, but kept his commandments which the LORD commanded Moses.

7 A nd the Lord was with Hezekiah; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to serve him.

And the LORD was with him, and he prospered in all things in which he went forth; and he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

8 H e smote the Philistines, even to Gaza and its borders, from the watchtower to the fortified city.

He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza and the borders thereof, from the towers of the watchmen to the fenced city.

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

¶ And in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hosea, son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, came up against Samaria and besieged it.

10 A fter three years it was taken; in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

And at the end of three years, they took it; even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hosea, king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

11 T he king of Assyria carried Israel away to Assyria, and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,

And the king of Assyria carried 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 B ecause they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed His covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and would not hear it or do it.

because they had not hearkened unto the voice of the LORD their God, but had broken his covenant and all that Moses, the slave of the LORD, commanded and would not hear them nor do them.

13 I n the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.

Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up against all the fenced cities of Judah and took them.

14 T hen Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, I have done wrong. Depart from me; what you put on me I will bear. And the king of Assyria exacted of Hezekiah king of Judah 300 talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

And Hezekiah, king of Judah, sent unto the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have sinned; return from me; that which thou puttest on me I will bear. Then the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah, king of Judah, three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

15 A nd Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house.

And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasury of the king’s house.

16 T hen Hezekiah stripped off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord and from the doorposts which he as king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

At that time Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD and from the hinges which Hezekiah, king of Judah, had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria.

17 A nd the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem with a great army. They went up to Jerusalem, and when they arrived, they came and stood by the canal of the Upper Pool, which is on the highway to the Fuller’s Field.

¶ 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 washer’s field.

18 W hen they called for the king, there came out to them Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the king’s household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder.

And they called the king, and Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna, the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the writer of chronicles went out to them.

19 T he Rabshakeh told them, Say to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king of Assyria: What justifies this confidence of yours?

And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this in which thou dost trust?

20 Y ou say—but they are empty words—There is counsel and strength for war. Now on whom do you rely, that you rebel against me?

Thou sayest (but they are but vain words), I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against me?

21 B ehold, you are relying on Egypt, that broken reed of a staff; if a man leans on it, it will pierce his hand. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust and rely on him.

Now, behold, thou dost trust upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it; so is Pharaoh, king of Egypt unto all that trust in him.

22 B ut if you tell me, We trust in and rely on the Lord our God, is it not He Whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?

But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is he not the one whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away and has said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?

23 S o now, make a wager and give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria: I will deliver you 2, 000 horses—if you can on your part put riders on them.

Now therefore, I pray thee, give hostages unto my lord, the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou art able on thy part to set riders upon them.

24 H ow then can you beat back one captain among the least of my master’s servants, when your trust is put in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s slaves, even though thou dost trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

25 H ave I come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land and destroy it.

Furthermore, Have 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 T hen Eliakim son of Hilkiah and Shebna and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, We pray you, speak to your servants in the Aramaic (Syrian) language, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in the Jews’ language in the hearing of the people on the wall.

Then said Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy slaves in the Syrian language, for we understand it, and do not talk with us in the Jews’ language in the ears of the people that are on the wall.

27 B ut the Rabshakeh said to them, Has my master sent me to your master and you only to say these things? Has he not sent me to the men who sit on the wall to eat their own dung and drink their own urine along with you?

But Rabshakeh said unto them, Has my master sent me to thy master and to thee, to speak these words and not rather to the men who sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung and drink their own piss with you?

28 T hen the Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, Hear the word of the great king of Assyria!

Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language and spoke, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.

29 T hus says the king: Let not Hezekiah deceive you. For he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand.

Thus hath the king said, Let not Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not be able to deliver you out of my hand.

30 N or let Hezekiah make you trust in and rely on the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of Assyria’s king.

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 H earken not to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat every man from his own vine and fig tree and drink every man the waters of his own cistern,

Do not hearken unto Hezekiah, for thus saith the king of Assyria, Give me a blessing and come out to me, and then each one of you shall eat of their own vine and of their own fig tree, and each one shall drink the waters of their own well,

32 U ntil I come and take you away to a land like your own, a land of grain and vintage fruit, of bread and vineyards, of olive trees and honey, that you may live and not die. Do not listen to Hezekiah when he urges you, saying, The Lord will deliver us.

until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olives, of oil, and of honey, that ye may live, and not die. Do not hearken unto Hezekiah, for he deceives you, saying, The LORD will deliver us.

33 H as any one of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

Peradventure have any of the gods of the Gentiles delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

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

Where is the god of Hamath and of Arpad? Where is the god of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and of Ivah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?

35 W ho of all the gods of the countries has delivered his country out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

What god out of all the gods of the lands has delivered their land out of my hand that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

36 B ut the people were silent and answered him not a word, for Hezekiah had commanded, Do not answer him.

But the people remained silent and did not answer him a word, for the king had commanded, saying, Do not answer him.

37 T hen Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the royal household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him what the Rabshakeh had said.

Then Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna, the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the writer of chronicles, came to Hezekiah with their clothes rent and told him the words of Rabshakeh.