2 Reis 18

¹ Now in the third yeere of Hoshea, sonne of Elah King of Israel, Hezekiah the sonne of Ahaz king of Iudah began to reigne.

² He was fiue and twentie yeere olde when he began to reigne, and reigned nine and twenty yeere in Ierusalem. His mothers name also was Abi the daughter of Zachariah,

³ And he did [that which was]Although they of Judah were given to idolatry and impiety, as they of Israel were, yet God for the sake of his promise was merciful to the throne of David, and yet by his judgment toward the other, provoked to repentance.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 itThat is «a piece of brass»: thus he calls the serpent by contempt, which even though it was set up by the word of God, and miracles were wrought by it, when it was used for idolatry this good king destroyed it, not thinking it worthy to be called a serpent, but a piece of brass.Nehushtan.

⁵ He trusted in the Lorde God of Israel: so that after him was none like him among all the Kings of Iudah, neither were there any such before him.

⁶ For he claue to the Lord, and departed not from him, but kept his commaundements, which the Lord had commaunded Moses.

⁷ So the Lord was with him, and he prospered in all thinges, which he tooke in hande: also he rebelled against the King of Asshur, and serued him not.

⁸ He smote the Philistines, [even] unto Gaza, and the borders thereof,Read (2Ki_17:9).from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

⁹ And in the fourth yere of King Hezekiah, (which was the seuenth yeere of Hoshea sonne of Elah King of Israel) Shalmaneser King of Asshur came vp against Samaria, and besieged it.

¹⁰ And after three yeeres they tooke it, euen in the sixt yeere of Hezekiah: that is, the ninth yeere of Hoshea King of Israel was Samaria taken.

¹¹ Then the King of Asshur did carry away Israel vnto Asshur, and put them in Halah and in Habor, by the riuer of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,

¹² Because they woulde not obey the voyce of the Lord their God, but transgressed his couenant: that is, all that Moses the seruant of the Lord had commanded, and would neyther obey nor doe them.

¹³ Moreouer, in the fourteenth yeere of King Hezekiah, Saneherib King of Asshur came vp against all the strong cities of Iudah, and tooke them.

¹⁴ And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying,As his zeal was before praised, so his weakness is here set forth, that no one should glory in himself.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 Therefore Hezekiah gaue all the siluer that was found in the house of the Lorde, and in the treasures of the Kings house.

¹⁶ At the same season did Hezekiah pul off the plates of the doores of the Temple of the Lord, and the pillars (which the sayd Hezekiah King of Iudah had couered ouer) and gaue them to the King of Asshur.

¹⁷ And the king of Assyria sentAfter certain years, when Hezekiah ceased to send the tribute appointed by the king of the Assyrians, he sent his captains and army against him.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 called to the King. Then came out to them Eliakim the sonne of Hilkiah, which was steward of the house, and Shebnah the chanceller, and Ioah the sonne of Asaph the recorder.

¹⁹ And Rabshakeh sayde vnto them, Tell ye Hezekiah, I pray you, Thus saith the great King, euen the great King of Asshur, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?

²⁰ Thou sayest, (but [they are but] vain words,) [I have]You think that words will serve to persuade your people, or to move my master.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] uponEgypt will not only be unable to help you, but will be a detriment to you.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 hathThus the idolaters think that God's religion is destroyed, when superstition and idolatry are reformed.taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?

²³ Now therefore, I pray thee, giveMeaning, that it was best for him to yield to the king of Assyria because his power was so small that he did not have men to care for two thousand horses.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 For how canst thou despise any captaine of the least of my masters seruants, and put thy trust on Egypt for charets and horsemen?

²⁵ Am I now come up without theThe wicked always flatter themselves in their prosperity, that God favours them. Thus he speaks to scare Hezekiah into thinking that by resisting him he would be resisting God.LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

²⁶ Then Eliakim the sonne of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Ioah said vnto Rabshakeh, Speake I pray thee, to thy seruants in the Aramites language, for we vnderstand it, and talke not with vs in the Iewes tongue, in the audience of the people that are on the wall.

²⁷ But Rabshakeh saide vnto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master & to thee to speake these words, and not to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eate their owne doung, and drinke their owne pisse with you?

²⁸ So Rabshakeh stoode and cryed with a loude voyce in the Iewes language, and spake, saying, Heare the wordes of the great King, of the king of Asshur.

²⁹ Thus sayth the King, Let not Hezekiah deceiue you: for he shall not be able to deliuer you out of mine hand.

³⁰ Neither let Hezekiah make you to trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliuer vs, and this citie shall not be giuen ouer into the hand of the king of Asshur.

³¹ Hearken not vnto Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Asshur, Make appointment with me, and come out to me, that euery man may eate of his owne vine, & euery man of his owne figge tree, and drinke euery man of the water of his owne well,

³² UntilHe makes himself so sure, that he will not grant them a truce, unless they give themselves to him to be led away as captives.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 deliuered his lande out of the hand of the King of Asshur?

³⁴ Where is the god of Hamah, and of Arpad? where is the god of Sepharuaim, Hena and Iuah? how haue they deliuered 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 theThis is an execrable blasphemy against the true God, to make him equal with the idols of other nations: therefore God sharply punished him.LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?

³⁶ But the people helde their peace, and answered not him a worde: for the Kings commandement was, saying, Answere ye him not.

³⁷ Then Eliakim, the sonne of Hilkiah which was steward of the house, and Shebnah the chanceller, and Ioah the sonne of Asaph the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and tolde him the wordes of Rabshakeh.