Now it came about ^ain the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that ^bHezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king. 2 He was ^atwenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 ^aHe did what was right in the sight of the LORD, in accordance with everything that his father David had done. 4 ^aHe removed the high places and smashed the memorial stones to pieces, and cut down the ¹Asherah. He also crushed to pieces ^bthe bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel had been burning incense to it; and it was called ²Nehushtan. 5 ^aHe trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; and ^bafter him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who came before him. 6 For he ^aclung to the LORD; he did not desist from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses.

7 ^aAnd the LORD was with him; wherever he went he was successful. And ^bhe revolted against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 ^aHe ¹defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from ^bwatchtower to fortified city.

9 Now in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, ^aShalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it. 10 And at the end of three years they captured it; in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was ^athe ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was captured. 11 Then the king of Assyria led Israel into exile to Assyria, and put them in ^aHalah and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 12 This happened because they ^adid not obey the voice of the LORD their God, but violated His covenant, all that Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded; they would neither listen nor do it.

13 ^aNow in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria marched against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent messengers to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “^aI have done wrong. ¹Withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will endure.” So the king of Assyria imposed on Hezekiah king of Judah the payment of three hundred ²talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15 ^aHezekiah then gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king’s house. 16 At that time Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the doorposts, which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and he gave it to the king of Assyria.

17 Then the king of Assyria sent ^aTartan, Rab-saris, and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a large army to Jerusalem. So they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they went up, they came and stood by the ^bconduit of the upper pool, which is on the road of the ¹fuller’s field. 18 Then they called to the king, and ^aEliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the household, ^bShebnah the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the secretary, went out to them.

19 And Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria says: “^aWhat is this confidence that you ¹have? 20 You say—but they are only ¹empty words—‘I have a plan and strength for the war.’ Now on whom have you relied, ^athat you have revolted against me? 21 Now behold, you have ^1arelied on the ²support of this broken reed, on Egypt; on which if a man leans, it will go into his ³hand and pierce it. That is how Pharaoh king of Egypt is to all who rely on him. 22 However, if you say to me, ‘We have trusted in the LORD our God,’ is it not He whose high places and ^awhose altars Hezekiah has removed, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’? 23 Now then, ¹come make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to put riders on them! 24 How then can you drive back even ¹one ²official of the least of my master’s servants, and ³rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 25 Have I now come up without ¹the LORD’S approval against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”’”

26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebnah, and Joah, said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in Aramaic, because we ¹understand it; and do not speak with us in ^2aJudean ³so that the people who are on the wall hear you.” 27 But Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words? Has he not also sent me to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”

28 Then Rabshakeh stood up and shouted with a loud voice in Judean, ¹saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 This is what the king says: ‘^aDo not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to save you from ¹my hand. 30 And do not let Hezekiah lead you to trust in the LORD by saying, “The LORD will certainly save us, and this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: “Make ¹your peace with me and come out to me, and eat, ^aeach one, from his vine and each from his fig tree, and drink, each one, the waters of his own cistern, 32 until I come and take you ^ato a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees producing oil, and of honey, so that you will live and not die.” But do not listen to Hezekiah, because he misleads you by saying, “The LORD will save us.” 33 ^aHas any of the gods of the nations actually saved his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 ^aWhere are the gods of Hamath and ^bArpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and ^1cIvvah? Have they saved Samaria from my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands are there who have saved their land from my hand, ^athat the LORD would save Jerusalem from my hand?’”

36 But the people were silent and did not answer him with even a word, because it was the king’s ¹command: “Do not answer him.” 37 Then ^aEliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the secretary, came to Hezekiah ^bwith their clothes torn, and they reported to him the words of Rabshakeh.

Now it came about ^ain the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that ^bHezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king. 2 He was ^atwenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 ^aHe did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done. 4 ^aHe removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the ¹Asherah. He also broke in pieces ^bthe bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called ²Nehushtan. 5 ^aHe trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; ^bso that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. 6 For he ^aclung to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses.

7 ^aAnd the LORD was with him; wherever he went he prospered. And ^bhe rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 ^aHe ¹defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from ^bwatchtower to fortified city.

9 Now in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, ^aShalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it. 10 At the end of three years they captured it; in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was ^athe ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was captured. 11 Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and put them in ^aHalah and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 12 because they ^adid not obey the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed His covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded; they would neither listen nor do it.

13 ^aNow in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “^aI have done wrong. ¹Withdraw from me; whatever you ²impose on me I will bear.” So the king of Assyria ³required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15 ^aHezekiah gave him all the silver which was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king’s house. 16 At that time Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the doorposts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

17 Then the king of Assyria sent ^aTartan and Rab-saris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a large army to Jerusalem. So they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they went up, they came and stood by the ^bconduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway of the ¹fuller’s field. 18 When they called to the king, ^aEliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and ^bShebnah the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came out to them.

19 Then Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, “^aWhat is this confidence that you ¹have? 20 You say (but they are ¹only empty words), ‘I have counsel and strength for the war.’ Now on whom do you rely, ^athat you have rebelled against me? 21 Now behold, you ^1arely on the staff of this crushed reed, even on Egypt; on which if a man leans, it will go into his ²hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him. 22 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He whose high places and ^awhose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’? 23 Now therefore, ¹come, make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. 24 How then can you ¹repulse one ²official of the least of my master’s servants, and ³rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 25 Have I now come up ¹without the LORD’S approval against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”’”

26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah and Joah, said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in Aramaic, for we ¹understand it; and do not speak with us in ^2aJudean in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 27 But Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”

28 Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in Judean, ¹saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. 29 Thus says the king, ‘^aDo not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you from ¹my hand; 30 nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria, “¹Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat ^aeach of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern, 32 until I come and take you away ^ato a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live and not die.” But do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” 33 ^aHas any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 ^aWhere are the gods of Hamath and ^bArpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and ^1cIvvah? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands ¹have delivered their land from my hand, ^athat the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’”

36 But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 37 Then ^aEliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah ^bwith their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh.