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

And it cometh to pass, in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, reigned hath Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah;

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.

a son of twenty and five years was he in his reigning, and twenty and nine years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother Abi daughter of Zechariah.

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

And he doth that which right in the eyes of Jehovah, 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 hath turned aside the high places, and broken in pieces the standing-pillars, and cut down the shrine, and beaten down the brazen serpent that Moses made, for unto these days were the sons of Israel making perfume to it, and he calleth it `a piece of brass.'

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.

In Jehovah, God of Israel, he hath trusted, and after him there hath not been like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him;

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.

and he cleaveth to Jehovah, he hath not turned aside from after Him, and keepeth His commands that Jehovah 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 Jehovah hath been with him, in every place where he goeth out he acteth wisely, and he rebelleth against the king of Asshur, and hath not served him;

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

he hath smitten the Philistines unto Gaza, and its borders, from a tower of watchers unto 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 it cometh to pass, in the fourth year of king Hezekiah -- it the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel -- come up hath Shalmaneser king of Asshur against Samaria, and layeth siege to 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 they capture it at the end of three years; in the sixth year of Hezekiah -- it the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel -- hath Samaria been captureth,

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 Asshur removeth Israel to Asshur, and placed them in Halah, and in Habor the river Gozan, and 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 that they have not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah their God, and transgress His covenant -- all that He commanded Moses, servant of Jehovah -- yea, they have not hearkened nor done.

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

And in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah hath Sennacherib king of Asshur come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and seizeth 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 sendeth unto the king of Asshur to Lachish, saying, `I have sinned, turn back from off me; that which thou puttest on me I bear;' and the king of Asshur layeth on 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 giveth all the silver that is found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the house of the king;

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 hath Hezekiah cut off the doors of the temple of Jehovah, and the pillars that Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and giveth them to the king of Asshur.

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 Asshur sendeth Tartan, and the chief of the eunuchs, and the chief of the butlers, from Lachish, unto king Hezekiah, with a heavy force, to Jerusalem, and they go up and come in to Jerusalem, and they go up, and come in and stand by the conduit of the upper pool that in the highway of the fuller'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 call unto the king, and go out unto them doth Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the remembrancer.

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

And the chief of the butlers saith unto them, `Say, I pray you, unto Hezekiah, Thus said the great king, the king of Asshur, What this confidence in which thou hast confided?

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 hast said: Only a word of the lips! counsel and might for battle; now, on whom hast thou trusted 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, lo, thou hast trusted for thee on the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; which a man leaneth on, and it hath gone into his hand, and pierced it! -- so Pharaoh king of Egypt to all those trusting on 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?

`And when ye say unto me, Unto Jehovah our God we have trusted, is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath turned aside, and saith to Judah and to Jerusalem, Before this altar do ye bow yourselves 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.

`And, now, give a pledge for thee, I pray thee, to my lord the king of Asshur, and I give to thee two thousand horses, if thou art able to give for thee riders on 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?

And how dost thou turn back the face of one captain of the least of the servants of my lord, that thou dost trust for thee on Egypt for chariot, 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.

Now, without Jehovah have I come up against this place to destroy it? Jehovah said unto me, Go up against this land, and thou hast destroyed 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.

And Eliakim son of Hilkiah saith -- and Shebna, and Joah -- to the chief of the butlers, `Speak, we pray thee, unto thy servants Aramaean, for we are understanding, and do not speak with us Jewish, in the ears of the people who 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?

And the chief of the butlers saith unto them, `For thy lord, and unto thee, hath my lord sent me to speak these words? is it not for the men, those sitting on the wall to eat their own dung and to drink their own water, 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!

And the chief of the butlers standeth and calleth with a great voice Jewish, and speaketh and saith, `Hear ye a word of the great king, the king of Asshur:

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 said the king, Let not Hezekiah lift you up, for he is not able to deliver you out of his 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.

and let not Hezekiah make you trust unto Jehovah, saying, Jehovah doth certainly deliver us, and this city is not given into the hand of the king of Asshur.

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 said the king of Asshur, Make with me a blessing, and come out unto me, and eat ye each of his vine, and each of his fig-tree, and drink ye each the waters of his 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.

till my coming in, and I have taken you unto a land like your own land, a land of corn and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive, and honey, and live, and die not; and do not hearken unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, Jehovah doth 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?

`Have the gods of the nations delivered at all each his land out of the hand of the king of Asshur?

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 the gods of Hamath and Arpad? where the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah, that they have 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?

Who among all the gods of the lands that have delivered their land out of my hand, that Jehovah doth 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.

And the people have kept silent, and have not answered him a word, for the command of the king is, 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.

And Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who over the house, cometh in, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the remembrancer, unto Hezekiah, with rent garments, and they declare to him the words of the chief of the butlers.