2 Kings 18

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Hezekiah Begins His Rule Over Judah

18 <1> Hezekiah son of Ahaz was king of Judah. Hezekiah began to rule during the third year that Hoshea son of Elah was king of Israel. <2> Hezekiah was 25 years old when he began to rule. He ruled 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi,[162] the daughter of Zechariah.

<3> Hezekiah did what the Lord said was right, just as David his ancestor[163] had done.

<4> Hezekiah destroyed the high places.[164] He broke the memorial stones[165] and cut down the Asherah poles.[166] At that time the Israelites burned incense[167] to the bronze snake made by Moses. This bronze snake was called "Nehushtan."[168] Hezekiah broke this bronze snake into pieces.

<5> Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like Hezekiah among all the kings of Judah before him or after him. <6> He was very faithful to the Lord and did not stop following the Lord. He obeyed the commands that the Lord had given to Moses. <7> The Lord was with Hezekiah, so he was successful in everything he did.

Hezekiah broke away from the king of Assyria and stopped serving him. <8> Hezekiah defeated the Philistines all the way to Gaza and the area around it. He defeated all the Philistine cities-from the smallest town to the largest city.

The Assyrians Capture Samaria

<9> King Shalmaneser of Assyria went to fight against Samaria. His army surrounded the city. This happened during the fourth year that Hezekiah was king of Judah. (This was also the seventh year that Hoshea son of Elah was king of Israel.) <10> At the end of the third year Shalmaneser captured Samaria. He took Samaria during the sixth year that Hezekiah was king of Judah. (This was also the ninth year that Hoshea was king of Israel.) <11> The king of Assyria took the Israelites as prisoners to Assyria. He made them live in Halah, on the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes. <12> This happened because the Israelites did not obey the Lord their God. They broke the his Agreement and did not obey everything that Moses, the Lord's servant, had commanded. The Israelites would not listen to the Lord's Agreement, or do the things it taught them to do.

Assyria Gets Ready to Take Judah

<13> During Hezekiah's 14th year as king, King Sennacherib of Assyria went to fight against all the strong cities of Judah. Sennacherib defeated them all. <14> Then King Hezekiah of Judah sent a message to the king of Assyria at Lachish. Hezekiah said, "I have done wrong. Leave me alone, and I will pay whatever you want."

Then the king of Assyria told King Hezekiah of Judah to pay over 11 tons[169] of silver and over 1 ton[170] of gold. <15> Hezekiah gave all the silver that was in the Lord's Temple[171] and in the king's treasuries. <16> That is when Hezekiah cut off the gold that he had put on the doors and doorposts of the Lord's Temple and gave it to the king of Assyria.

King of Assyria Sends Men to Jerusalem

<17> The king of Assyria sent his three most important officers with a large army to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. They left Lachish and went to Jerusalem. They stood near the aqueduct[172] by the Upper Pool,[173] on the street that leads up to Laundryman's Field. <18> These men called for the king, but Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah son of Asaph went out to meet them. Eliakim was the palace manager, Joah was the record keeper, and Shebna was the royal secretary.

<19> The commander said to them, "Tell Hezekiah this is what the great king, the king of Assyria says:

'What are you trusting in to help you? <20> If you say, "I trust in power and great battle plans," then that is useless. Now I ask you, who do you trust so much that you are willing to rebel against me? <21> Are you depending on Egypt to help you? Egypt is like a broken walking stick. If you lean on it for support, it will only hurt you and make a hole in your hand. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, cannot be trusted by anyone who depends on him for help. <22> Maybe you will say, "We trust the Lord our God to help us." But I know that Hezekiah destroyed the altars[174] and high places[175] where people worshiped the Lord. Hezekiah told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship only at this one altar here in Jerusalem."

<23> 'If you still want to fight my master, the king of Assyria, I will make this agreement with you. I promise that I will give you 2000 horses if you can find enough men to ride them into battle. <24> But even then you couldn't beat one of my master's lowest ranking officers. So why do you still depend on Egypt's chariots[176] and horse soldiers?

<25> 'Now, do you think I came to this country to destroy it without the Lord's help? No, the Lord said to me, "Go up against this country and destroy it!"

<26> Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the commander, "Please speak to us in Aramaic. We understand that language. Don't speak to us in the language of Judah because the people on the wall will understand you."

<27> But the commander said to them, "My master did not send me to speak only to you and your master. I was also sent to speak to those people sitting on the wall. They, too, will not have enough food or water; they, too, will eat their own waste and drink their own urine like you![177]"

<28> Then the commander shouted loudly in Hebrew,[178] "Hear this message from the great king, the king of Assyria! <29> The king says, 'Don't let Hezekiah fool you, because he cannot save you from my power. <30> Don't let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord.' Hezekiah says, 'The Lord will save us. The king of Assyria will not defeat this city.' <31> But don't listen to Hezekiah. The king of Assyria says this:

"'Do this favor for me; come out to me and then everyone will be free to have grapes from their own vines, figs from their own trees, and water from their own well. <32> You can do this until I come and take you away to a land like your own. In that new land, you will have good grain and new wine, bread, vineyards,[179] olive oil, and honey. Then you can live and not die. But don't listen to Hezekiah. He is trying to change your mind. He is saying, "The Lord will save us." <33> Did any of the gods of the other nations save their land from the king of Assyria? <34> Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Did they save Samaria from me? <35> Did any of the gods in the other countries save their land from me? No! So do you think the Lord will save Jerusalem from me?'"

<36> But the people were silent. They did not say a word to the commander because King Hezekiah had commanded them, "Don't say anything to him."

<37> Then the palace manager (Eliakim son of Hilkiah), the royal secretary (Shebna), and the record keeper (Joah son of Asaph) went to Hezekiah. Their clothes were torn to show they were upset. They told Hezekiah everything the Assyrian commander had said.