1
And it was, in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah became··king.
2
A son of twenty and five years was he when he became··king, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.
3
And he did that which was upright in the eyes of Jehovah, according··to all that David his father had done.
4
He◦ removed the high··places and broke the statues, and cut··off the grove; and beat··in··pieces the bronze serpent which Moses had made; for even··to those◦ days it was that the sons of Israel did burn··incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan.
5
He trusted in Jehovah the God of Israel; and after him there was no··one▵ as◦ he among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him.
6
And he stuck to Jehovah; he turned· not ·aside from following after Him, and he kept His commandments which Jehovah commanded Moses.
7
And Jehovah was with him; wherever he went··forth he had··intelligence, and he revolted against the king of Assyria, and served him not.
8
He◦ smote the Philistines even··to Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen* even··to the fortified city.
9
And it was, in the fourth year of King Hezekiah◦, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came··up against Samaria, and besieged it.
10
And they captured it at the end of three years; in the sixth year of King Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, was Samaria captured.
11
And the king of Assyria exiled Israel to Assyria, and led them into Halah and Habor, the river of Gozan, and the cities of the Medes;
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for▵ they had hearkened not to the voice of Jehovah their God, but transgressed◦ His covenant, all that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded, and did not hear nor do.
13
And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come··up against all the fortified cities of Judah and occupied them.
14
And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to▵ the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have sinned, turn··back from upon me; that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria set on Hezekiah king of Judah, three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold.
15
And Hezekiah gave all the silver that was··found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the house of the king.
16
At that◦ time Hezekiah clipped··off the doors of the temple of Jehovah, and the columns▵ which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave them to the king of Assyria.
17
And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to▵ the king Hezekiah◦ with a heavy host to Jerusalem. And they went··up and came to Jerusalem. And they went··up and came and stood by the aqueduct of its upper pool, which is on the highway of the washer’s field.
18
And they called to▵ the king; and there came··out to▵ them Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah◦, who was over the house, and Shebnah the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder.
19
And Rabshakeh said unto▵ them, Say ye now◦ to▵ Hezekiah◦, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, What trust is this in which◦ thou trustest?
20
Thou sayest (it is only▵ a word of the lips), There is counsel and might for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou hast revolted against me?
21
Now, behold, thou trustedst for thyself upon the staff of this fractured reed, upon Egypt; on which a man◦ is supported, and it will come into his palm and puncture it; so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust on him.
22
And if▫ you say unto▵ me, We trust in Jehovah our God; is it not He◦ whose high··places and whose altars Hezekiah◦ has removed, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, You shall bow··down before this altar in Jerusalem?
23
And now, I pray◦, be··surety with◦ my lord the king of Assyria, and I will give to thee two··thousand horses, if thou be··able for thyself to put◦ riders on them.
24
And how◦ wilt thou turn··back the face of one governor of the least of the servants of my lord, and trust for thyself on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
25
Am I now gone··up without◦ Jehovah against this place to destroy it? Jehovah said to▵ me, Go··up against this land and destroy her.
26
And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah◦, and Shebnah and Joah, said to▵ Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray◦, to▵ thy servants in Aramaic, for we◦ understand* it, and Speak not with us in the Jewish language in the ears of the people who are on the wall.
27
But Rabshakeh said unto▵ them, Has my lord sent me to thy lord, and to▵ thee, to speak these words, not to the men◦ that sit on the wall, to eat their own filth, and to drink their own urine* with you?
28
And Rabshakeh stood and called out with a great voice in the Jewish language and spoke and said, Hear ye the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.
29
Thus says the king, Let not Hezekiah◦ beguile you, for he will not be··able to rescue you from his hand.
30
And let not Hezekiah◦ make you trust on Jehovah, saying, Rescuing, Jehovah will rescue, and this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
31
Hearken not to▵ Hezekiah◦; for thus says the king of Assyria, Make a blessing with◦ me, and come··out to▵ me; and eat ye each··man◦ of his vine and each··man◦ of his fig··tree, and drink ye each··man◦ the waters of his own cistern,
32
until I come and take you to▵ a land like your land, a land of grain and must*, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of the olive··tree, olive··oil and honey, and you shall live and not die; and hearken not to▵ Hezekiah◦, for he incites you, saying, Jehovah will rescue us.
33
Rescuing has any man◦ of the gods of the nations rescued his land out··of the hand of the king of Assyria?
34
Where◦ are the gods of Ḥamath and of Arpadh? Where◦ are the gods of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and of Iwwah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand?
35
Who among all the gods of the lands are they who rescued their lands from my hand, that Jehovah should rescue Jerusalem out··of my hand?
36
But the people were··silent, and answered him not a word; for the commandment of the king was, saying, Answer him not.
37
Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, to▵ Hezekiah◦ with their garments rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
