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Now it
came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of
Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of
Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.
02 Twenty and five years old was he when he began
to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in
Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the
daughter of Zachariah.
03 And he did that which was right in the sight
of the Lord, according to all that David his
father did.
04 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 it Nehushtan.
05 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that
after him was none like him among all the kings
of Judah, nor any that were before him.
06 For he clave to the Lord, and departed not
from following him, but kept his commandments,
which the Lord commanded Moses.
07 And the Lord was with him; and he prospered
whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled
against the king of Assyria, and served him not.
08 He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and
the borders thereof, from the tower of the
watchmen to the fenced city.
09 And it came to pass 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 at the end of three years they took it:
even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is in
the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria
was taken.
11 And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel
unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor
by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the
Medes:
12 Because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord
their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all
that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and
would not hear them, nor do them.
13 Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah
did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against
all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.
14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of
Assyria to Lachish, saying, 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 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was
found in the house of the Lord, and in the
treasures of the king's house.
16 At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold
from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and
from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had
overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
17 And the king of Assyria sent 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 when they had called to the king, there
came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,
which was over the household, and Shebna the
scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.
19 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to
Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of
Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou
trustest?
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20 Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I
have 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 upon 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 hath taken away, and hath
said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship
before this altar in Jerusalem?
23 Now therefore, I pray thee, give 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 How then wilt thou turn away the face of one
captain of the least of my master's servants, and
put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for
horsemen?
25 Am I now come up without the Lord against this
place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up
against this land, and destroy it.
26 Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and
Shebna, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray
thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for
we understand it: and talk not with us in the
Jews' language in the ears of the people that are
on the wall.
27 But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master
sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak
these words? hath he not sent me to the men which
sit on the wall, that they may eat their own
dung, and drink their own piss with you?
28 Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud
voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying,
Hear the word of the great king, the king of
Assyria:
29 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive
you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out
of his hand:
30 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the
Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us,
and this city shall not be delivered into the
hand of the king of Assyria.
31 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the
king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a
present, and come out to me, and then eat ye
every man of his own vine, and every one of his
fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of
his cistern:
32 Until 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 delivered
at all his land out of the hand of the king of
Assyria?
34 Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad?
where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?
have they delivered 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 the Lord should deliver
Jerusalem out of mine hand?
36 But the people held their peace, and answered
him not a word: for the king's commandment was,
saying, Answer him not.
37 Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which
was over the household, and Shebna the scribe,
and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to
Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him
the words of Rabshakeh.
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